Today's lesson was on military flags. The instructor was lecturing with great fervor, explaining how different unit banners signified varying troop numbers, and how cavalry, infantry, and navy all had their distinct emblems.

The signal flags used by different branches and units also varied during operational command, meaning that to increase one's chances of survival on the battlefield, one naturally needed to master at least some of the flag signaling.

This wasn't just beneficial for ordinary soldiers; should one earn merit and be promoted to an officer, they could then oversee the entire army's signaling and make quick, correct judgments on the field.

As a place dedicated to training soldiers for the army, flag signaling had become a crucial course. Failing the exam would impact one's ability to enter the Dou Ling Grand Array. Qian Jin struggled to keep his eyelids open; although he was intimately familiar with these military flag signals, the instructor held sway over daily performance grading.

Only when the scores from the exam and daily performance were averaged would one's chances of entering the Dou Ling Grand Array be determined. This semester, he had already landed the Dean's nephew, Kessas, in the hospital twice. The petty Dean would certainly instruct the teachers to make things difficult for him.

When forced to choose between offending the Dean and offending a single student, Qian Jin was certain that any rational person would choose to offend the student. How could he give the Dean such an opportunity?

The continuous drone of instruction in the classroom suddenly fell silent. Instructor Huan Na stared at the daydreaming Qian Jin, his face ashen, tapping his finger lightly on the desk. For an accomplished eighth-level flag signaling prodigy like himself to be assigned to a low-tier institution like the Aucklin Academy of Magic and Warriors for a two-year internship was already frustrating enough, yet a student dared to lose focus in class! Was it because the Principal had given him an appreciative glance this morning? He immediately zoned out during class! Such an impatient student needed to be shown exactly how rigorous and important the study of flag signaling truly was.

“Qian Jin! Qian Jin! Qian Jin!” Instructor Huan Na’s roar pulled the drifting Qian Jin back to attention. He beckoned Qian Jin to the front of the room with a pointed finger, saying, “You come up here, and just like I did, repeat what the previous flag signal meant.”

Instructor Huan Na’s face flushed red as he looked at the bewildered Qian Jin before him, his anger already brewing. Excellent. The Dean had visited him just this morning. If he could manage to get rid of this student, the Dean had promised to actively recommend him for a teaching post at a mid-level or high-level academy next semester. Since the opportunity was presented, he might as well make things exceptionally difficult for Qian Jin.

Flag signals? What flag signals? Qian Jin, full of confusion, stood on the platform and looked at the young instructor. “Instructor, are you certain you want me to do it exactly as you did?”

“Of course!”

“Oh, understood.” Qian Jin took a deep breath, rolled up his sleeves, and under the gaze of the entire class, he raised his hand and pointed at a student in the back row: “You! You! You! Come up here and tell us what that last flag signal meant!”

The entire class fell silent. The instructor stared blankly at Qian Jin, completely unable to fathom how this student could pull such a bizarre maneuver at this moment.

“You…” The instructor’s chest heaved violently, his finger pointed accusingly at Qian Jin’s nose. “As your teacher, I must admit your quick wit. But such petty cleverness will only get you killed on the battlefield. Now, I will give you one more chance. I am about to signal; you will translate beside me. If your translation is wrong, you can expect to retake this course!”

Qian Jin scratched his head. A make-up exam was a small matter; securing his spot in the Dou Ling Grand Array was the critical issue.

The students below the platform cast looks of sympathy toward Qian Jin. Although the flag signaling instructor was only teaching at this introductory academy, word was he possessed an eighth-level signaling proficiency, and he was only here for the two-year internship before moving on to a higher academy. Wouldn't his signaling speed be incredibly fast? If he wanted to play a trick on Qian Jin…

“Advance… Retreat… Ambush on the left, three thousand seven hundred sixty-two personnel…” Qian Jin stood on the platform, continuously translating the instructor’s signals, his speed matching the instructor’s pace without the slightest drop.

After only a few dozen signals, the students below the platform were stunned into silence. This warrior cadet, Qian Jin, who never volunteered answers in class, had reached such a profound level of mastery in flag signaling? The instructor’s hands had moved from initial casualness to extreme speed.

Huan Na’s feelings progressed from initial nonchalance to growing tension, and then from tension to outright alarm. His hands moved faster and faster, occasionally grabbing other flags from his desk to execute rapid variations.

Infantry, scouts, cavalry… Huan Na’s heart pounded faster. These signals had long surpassed what he had taught. Even the other flag signaling instructor at Aucklin Academy might not understand them, yet Qian Jin was responding flawlessly? Where had this kid sprung from?

“How is this possible?” Huan Na’s signaling speed had already reached the pace only achievable by an eighth-level signaler. A non-professional warrior would never understand these signals, yet Qian Jin continued to answer without a single error.

For the entire class period, Huan Na felt his arm grow weary, but Qian Jin made no mistakes. Only when the final bell rang did Qian Jin shrug, bow slightly to the instructor, and turn to leave the classroom.

Thud… Huan Na collapsed limply onto his seat, staring blankly at the classroom floor, unable to accept the reality of what had just occurred for a long time. Qian Jin, the student who never proactively offered answers, had managed to hold his own against a professional with eighth-level signaling skills for an entire class period.

“This…” Huan Na couldn't believe it. The signaling techniques he had painstakingly studied for over a decade, through multiple examinations to achieve the eighth-level qualification, had been matched, blow for blow, by a student who held no signaling rank, throughout an entire class.

Eighth-level flag signaling! It wasn't just about memorizing a large number of signals; it required executing them flawlessly, and there were strict requirements regarding the speed of execution—it was an extremely difficult specialty to certify in.

Such a specialist would be a Chief Signalman in the army. They would not only be responsible for transmitting orders via signals on the battlefield but also for deciphering the enemy’s signals.

Huan Na had always been supremely confident. After teaching at the academy for a few years, he planned to enter military service and become one of the most outstanding signalmen. Yet, he never imagined he would be unable to stump even a single student in a primary academy classroom. In the final ten minutes of class, Huan Na had even signaled using the banners of the Demon Race, but Qian Jin continued to provide fluent interpretations.

“This kid…” Huan Na’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Could he be… from a military family? Impossible! Children from established military families should all be attending superior academies, why would he end up in a third-rate school like this?”