I Didn't Skip Class, It's the Teacher at Magic Card Academy Who Can't Teach Me.

In just two seconds, Su Qi could no longer see the taillights of the Didi car.

For a moment, he was at a loss for words—was the driver being overly cautious or just reading too much into things?

Still, next time, they really ought to be more mindful of the setting when discussing such matters.

From an outsider’s perspective, it did sound a bit too easy to misunderstand.

He wasn’t sure if the Didi driver would floor it straight to the police station, asking the officers to gift him a pair of silver bracelets…

Then, Su Qi led his younger sister into the alley.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t seen Elder Feng for several days now.

Who knew if the old man had kicked the bucket, or if this matter was even more troublesome than expected, forcing him to run around despite his age.

Back on the third floor, his sister hummed a tune as she headed for the shower.

A bit careless, though—she even forgot to close the door.

Su Qi thoughtfully shut it tight for her, leaving no gap.

Mainly because habits like this were bad.

In summer, it didn’t matter, but come winter, if the bathroom couldn’t retain heat, what if she caught a cold?

As an older brother, it was his duty to plan ahead for her.

……

The next day, Su Qi didn’t disturb Yun Huang.

He gave the girl a day to process the wounds her mother had inflicted.

Meanwhile, he carried on as usual—studying that black card at home, occasionally sparring with his sister to guide her training.

It wasn’t until the afternoon of the third day that he returned alone to the secluded, rundown apartment building.

He didn’t go upstairs. Instead, he sat on the edge of a flower bed and waited quietly.

Sure enough, before long, Yun Huang emerged from the stairwell.

She had changed into plain sportswear, her hair tied into a ponytail, a mask covering most of her face—only her cold, clear eyes visible.

When she saw him, her body stiffened noticeably.

Before she could speak, Su Qi cut in: "I’ve pretty much figured out what your mother wants from you."

His voice was calm, as if stating an irrelevant fact.

The words struck Yun Huang like a thunderclap.

Her body trembled violently, the color draining from her face beneath the mask.

Shame, humiliation… a storm of emotions swirled in her eyes.

"I…" She tried to explain, but her throat seemed blocked—no words came out.

"I’m not here for explanations, nor do I care about playing the hero."

"I’m entering a competition. Need a ten-person team, still one short." Su Qi was direct. "You’ll be my last member."

"Your mother wants this spot."

"Then… what do I have to give in return?"

"This has nothing to do with you."

"Why?" Her voice was hoarse.

"Convenience." Su Qi stood, brushing dust off his pants. "I can’t be bothered to find a tenth person, and you need this position to deal with your mother. Mutual benefit—fair enough."

He paused, then added, "At least I know you won’t be stupid enough to cause trouble for me, unlike some random stranger."

Yun Huang was stunned, her mind blank.

She had imagined countless scenarios—but never this.

No interrogation, no mockery, not even a trace of pity.

Su Qi treated this as nothing more than a problem to solve, and she happened to be the tool for it.

This emotionless pragmatism felt more… absurd than any cutting remark.

A compliment that wasn’t a compliment.

She looked up, studying Su Qi through the mask.

His expression was indifferent, as if discussing what to eat for dinner.

He left no room for charity, nor for humiliation.

"One condition," Su Qi suddenly said.

Yun Huang’s heart clenched.

"Starting today, keep your mother away from me." A hint of impatience crept into his tone. "Whether she’s using your father’s name or any other excuse, make her disappear from my world."

"Do that, and the spot’s yours. Fail, and I walk away now. Pretend we never met."

In the most unyielding way possible, he shielded her from her mother’s pressure.

She stared at his impassive face for a long moment before nodding stiffly—slow, but firm.

"Okay."

"Good. Tomorrow, have your mother find Wu Gong. He handles the roster. Fair warning—he’s greedy. Even with my approval, you’ll need to grease his palms."

With that, Su Qi turned and left without another word.

He didn’t even glance back.

As if his only purpose here was to deliver a notice and tie up a loose end.

Long after Su Qi vanished down the alley, Yun Huang remained rooted in place.

The evening breeze tugged at her ponytail, carrying a chill.

Slowly, she removed her mask, revealing a pale but delicate face.

She inhaled deeply, as if expelling every ounce of pent-up frustration.

Her eyes burned, but no tears fell.

Instead, she leaned against the wall, sliding down until her face was buried in her knees.

This wasn’t salvation.

Just a transaction.

She repeated it to herself, over and over.

Then why did her long-frozen heart stir with something faintly warm?

Eventually, she turned toward the stairwell. "Stop hiding."

"Huang’er, see? I told you—men are all the same…"

Whatever came next, Yun Huang didn’t hear.

……

Days slipped by in quiet routine.

Ten passed in a blink.

During that time, news of the first "Essence Cultivation New System" competition swept through Great Xia like a storm.

From official media to online forums, campuses to street corners—everywhere buzzed about this unprecedented event.

The staggering 500-million-Xia-currency prize ignited ambition in countless hearts.

Self-styled theorists, rogue card practitioners, even starry-eyed students scrambled to form teams, submitting their "new systems" concocted over years.

For a time, Great Xia’s essence research scene became a carnival—less a hundred flowers blooming, more a circus of chaos.

Yet at the eye of the storm, Su Qi remained unbothered.

Only on the eve of the competition did Wu Gong finally call.

"Su! Your team’s all set. Don’t skip tomorrow—9 AM, main hall. Meet everyone, get familiar."

"I don’t skip class. The Magic Card Academy teachers just have nothing left to teach me." Su Qi replied. "I study at home."

Wu Gong's tone was somewhat odd: "Last time you also said you were studying, but I could hear your keyboard clacking away."

Su Qi didn’t pay it much mind and hung up the phone.

Wasn’t this just a formality anyway?

A bunch of tools—it didn’t matter who they were.

The next day, Su Qi walked into the academy right on time.

The grand auditorium had been repurposed into a temporary meeting point.

A sizable crowd had already gathered.

Su Qi’s gaze immediately landed on a group standing in the corner.

Nine vaguely familiar faces—the same students who had slipped out of his class that day.

Now, they stood together, expressions mixed.

Wu Gong spotted Su Qi and hurried over.

"Brother Su, look, I brought them for you," Wu Gong said with a wink. "Did all the groundwork—they’ll listen."

Su Qi swept his eyes over the nine and gave a slight nod. "Where’s Yun Huang?"

As if on cue, a slender figure stepped through the auditorium doors.

Long hair cascaded over her shoulders, her demeanor cool and detached.

She approached the group, nodded briefly at Su Qi, then addressed everyone calmly. "I’m Yun Huang, the tenth member of the team."

Just then, the auditorium lights dimmed, and a spotlight illuminated the stage.

A middle-aged man in a crisp suit, his hair meticulously combed, stepped up and cleared his throat.

"Students, contestants, welcome to the opening ceremony of the first 'Fundamental Reconstruction of Essence Cultivation Systems' conceptual competition."

His voice, amplified by the microphone, carried the unmistakable cadence of officialdom.

Scattered applause rippled through the room.

Unfazed, the man adjusted his glasses and continued. "This competition aims to encourage innovation, break conventions, and inject new vitality into Great Xia’s essence cultivation system."

"We’ve received thousands of submissions nationwide. From our Magic Card Academy, seven teams passed the preliminary screening and advanced to the final empirical phase."

Not a large number.

But considering the entire academy—all four grades combined—had fewer than two thousand students, it was still significant.

"I know what you’re all wondering about—the competition format." The man paused, a knowing smile playing on his lips. "After careful deliberation by our experts, we’ve decided on a groundbreaking, more intuitive, and challenging approach."

He deliberately held back, successfully hooking the audience.

"The format is—Hunting in the Essence Realm."

The moment those four words landed, the auditorium erupted.

"What? Hunting in the Essence Realm? Did I hear that right?"

"How does this relate to cultivation techniques? Isn’t this just like our midterms or finals?"

"This is insane! How can you evaluate techniques inside the Essence Realm?"

Doubts flew thick and fast. Even the students around Su Qi exchanged bewildered glances.

The man on stage seemed to have anticipated this reaction. He raised a hand, signaling for quiet.

"Please, everyone, calm down. Let me explain."

"Theory is just theory. A cultivation technique’s true worth isn’t on paper—it’s in the tangible boost it gives to a Magic Card wielder. And the Essence Realm is the ultimate proving ground."

"Here’s how it works." His voice turned stern.

"First, based on each team’s overall strength, we’ll assign you a 'standard reference team'—composed of military and official Magic Card wielders—as your benchmark."

"The competition lasts one month. Tomorrow, all teams and their reference groups will enter a designated Essence Realm for a three-day initial hunting assessment to establish your baseline scores."

"Over the next month, you’ll train using your team’s new cultivation method. After that, a second hunting assessment will determine your final scores."

"Victory hinges on the progress gap between your team’s improvement and your reference team’s. The wider the gap, the higher your rank!"

Silence fell, then gave way to even louder debate.

"I know there are questions," the man cut in, his tone brooking no argument. "For instance, some might think: 'What if I sandbag the first assessment to artificially inflate my progress?'"

His sharp gaze swept the room.

"We’ve accounted for that. In the final scoring, the initial gap between you and your reference team will carry weighted penalties. The bigger the gap, the more points you lose. We know exactly where you stand—trying to game the system will backfire."

"What we want is genuine, transformative innovation—not cheap tricks!"

His words landed like a gavel, crushing any lingering hopes of cutting corners.

Not only would they compete against elites—they’d have to outpace them, without fudging the starting line.

Su Qi leaned against the wall, stifling a yawn.

He felt nothing. If anything, it was almost amusing.

The authorities were stepping in to play along?

Reference teams, progress gaps, anti-cheat measures…

To Su Qi, the convoluted rules boiled down to one message: Show us what you’ve got. We’ll clear the stage, then use the most scientific, irrefutable method to prove just how extraordinary you are.

Elder Feng wasn’t taking chances with the old guard’s skepticism. He’d locked the doors on dissent in advance.

This "scientific experiment," dressed up as fairness, was really a coronation for his Essence Flow Reconstruction Method.

With a neat five-million bonus for the performance.

The opening ceremony droned on, but Su Qi had heard enough.

He pushed off the wall, beckoned to Wu Gong, and strode for the exit without a backward glance at his team.

Wu Gong scrambled after him.

"Brother Su, where are you going? It’s not over yet."

"Home." Su Qi didn’t slow down. "Just text me the meetup location for tomorrow."

And with that, he vanished down the hallway.

Leaving behind an auditorium full of stunned, turmoil-ridden "tools."