Long Hengxuâs gaze followed their departure as his lips quirked up at the edges. Not for a second did he think Wu Zhangkongâs behavior to be unreasonable or irritable. âThat guy, he really cares about class zero! He wouldnât submit otherwise. This is good. Itâs good that he cares since itâll motivate him to give his best effort. Iâm looking forward to the results!â
He sat down and quickly dialed a number on his soul communicator.
âHello, President. So, I have an idea. This past semester, we poured our resources into class zero, yet ever since the two students left, the board of directors has been questioning your decision, correct? I believe itâs time to display class zeroâs strength while also determining whether to continue supporting this endeavor or not. What do you think?â
Long Hengxu listened to the other line and nodded. âRight, thatâs exactly what I was thinking. Weâll have them go. While Iâm unsure of how itâll develop, theyâre still young, so it should be fine so long as they achieve decent results and garner some prestige for our academy. This way, everyone will note the superiority of our academyâs teachers. Once they realize this, wonât even more geniuses apply to our school?â
âYes, yes. Iâll start making the arrangements.â
â
As Xu Xiaoyan followed behind Wu Zhangkong, her sparkling eyes took in the unfamiliar surroundings. Her previous school had been an ordinary one, and since her family excessively doted on her, her life was devoid of any hardships.
It was the mutation in her martial soul that led her onto this path.
She had originally set on this path unwillingly, but after meeting Wu Zhangkong, her rejection rapidly diminished.
Handsome! Teacher Wu is so cool and good-looking. Her heart hammered inside her chest. \nThe next moment, however, she remembered her classmates whom she had investigated after meeting them once before when they had pummeled her brother. Big brother was careless, but they were still so strong! Brother couldnât even struggle against that girl whoâs only a bit older than me!
Unfortunately for Xu Xiaoyu, he was unaware of Xu Xiaoyanâs thoughts, or else he would have choked to death.
âThis is your dorm room,â Wu Zhangkong said as he opened the door and entered.
Xu Xiaoyan followed him inside, only to be shocked by the sight of the single bed. It seemed almost too good to be true.
What kind of student dorm has such nice conditions? I was given special treatment before, but I still had a roommate!
âRemember, everything you receive is because youâre currently in class zero, but you still have one month to prove yourself.â Wu Zhangkong turned on his heel and exited the room.
Left behind, Xu Xiaoyan eyed the room doubtfully, but a smile soon appeared on her charming face.
âIt looks like I really need to do my best. I have a handsome teacher and strong classmates. Things are going to be fun. Huh, whatâs this? Whyâs there a hole in the wall?â
After she caught sight of the depression in the wall of her new room, Xu Xiaoyan got onto her stomach to peep through it and saw another room on the other side.
âWhere does this lead?â she mumbled to herself. She took a cloth and cautiously covered the hole, fearing any peeping toms on the other side.
Bang bang bang!
She gave a startled jump at the violent knocking and quickly went to open her door, thinking someone was outside.
But when she stuck her head out, there was no one there. Instead, she saw a familiar figure rapping on the door of the room beside hers. \nHe was a delicately handsome boy who carried himself with a slight aura of coldness. âWulin, are you back yet? Jeez, he always appears and disappears in a flash.â
Itâs him! Xu Xiaoyan could immediately identify the boy. Isnât he the dagger-wielding boy?
âHey, thereâs no one in there,â Xu Xiaoyan said.
âWho are you, and why are you here?â Enough time had passed since their last encounter that together with her weak presence, Xie Xie didnât recognize Xu Xiaoyan.
Xu Xiaoyan snorted. âWhy canât I be here? Youâre in class zero, right?â
Xie Xie nodded.
âIâm going to be a student in class zero too. Remember this, my name is Xu Xiaoyan.â Away from Wu Zhangkong, the timid girl from before transformed into a pretty, little tyrant.
âIâm Xie Xie.â No different from any other boy, Xie Xie was drawn to pretty girls.
âThank you[1]?â Xu Xiaoyan stared blankly at him.
With some annoyance, Xie Xie said, âThe second âXieâ is the one used to write âchance encounter[2]â. Thatâs my name.â
âPft.â Xu Xiaoyan snickered. âYour name is really meaningful. Please take care of me in the future.â
Xie Xieâs curiosity was piqued. âHow did you enter our class when itâs already the second semester? I thought they werenât accepting new students anymore.â
Xu Xiaoyan stated matter-of-factly, âMy family has some connections, got a problem?â
Xie Xie was dumbfounded. âTeacher Wu allowed someone to enter through connections? I donât believe it.â
Xu Xiaoyan smiled sweetly. âItâs fine if you donât believe me. Actually, weâve met before in the rebellion spirit ascension platform. Where is the big sister who beat my brother?â
Xie Xie carefully looked her up and down before he suddenly realized her identity. âAh! Youâre that ice-staff guyâs little sister. No wonder I thought you looked familiar.â\nâThe âice-staff guyâ? Thatâs what youâre calling my brother? Haha! Thatâs hilarious. But wait, I have the same martial soul as him, what do I do?â Xu Xiaoyanâs expression became anxious. She couldnât bear to be called âIce-Staff Girlâ!
âDonât worry, we wonât call you that,â Xie Xie said. âHow many rings do you have?â
âOne ring!â Xu Xiaoyan said.
Xie Xie became mute. How did she join our class with only one ring? That ice-staff guyâs strength was extraordinary, especially his thousand-year soul skill, but he had three rings. Xu Xiaoyan was able to join us with only one? Does she have some special skill or something?
âAlright then, call me if you need anything. Iâm going back to my room now. My room is across from Tang Wulinâs. Oh right, your next-door neighbor is our captain and boss, Tang Wulin.â
âTang Wulin? Is that the big sisterâs name?â Xu Xiaoyan curiously asked.
Xie Xie burst into laughter. âOf course not. Wulin is a guy. The big sister is on the other side. Her name is Gu Yue.â
Astonishment flickered through Xu Xiaoyanâs eyes.
The battle between her brother and Gu Yue had left a deep impression on her. With her own strength, Gu Yue had been able to bridge the gap between ranks and defeat himâsimply brilliant. Yet such a powerful girl wasnât the strongest person in class zero?
With only three students in class zero, wouldnât the strongest be the captain?
âTang Wulin also has two rings?â Xu Xiaoyan asked.
Xie Xie shook his head. âNo. Heâs the same as youâonly one ring.â
âSomeone with one ring is the captain?â Her curiosity toward Tang Wulin grew.
She wanted to continue questioning Xie Xie, but he gave her a mysterious smile and refused to reveal any more.
The morning of the next day, a ceremony was held to welcome the new semester. Class zero stood at the very front of the first grade, three students neatly lined up in a row. \nIndeed, there were only three students; Tang Wulin was missing.
Starting from the outside, Gu Yue stood, followed by Xie Xie then Xu Xiaoyan.
Meanwhile, Wu Zhangkong expressionlessly stood with the teachers, completely unconcerned about Tang Wulinâs absence.
Xie Xie whispered to Gu Yue, âWulin couldnât have forgotten that the semester starts today, right? Why do you think heâs so late?â
Gu Yue indifferently replied, âDo you think heâs you?â
Xie Xie was speechless. âJust how biased can you be? When have I ever been late? Wasnât it him last time, too?â
Gu Yue said, âThen he definitely has a good reason.â
As the academy president began his speech, a hunched-over figure snuck over from the back to the very front before nudging Gu Yueâs side.
A radiant smile blossomed on Gu Yueâs indifferent face. âWhy are you so late?â
Tang Wulin had no excuse to give.
The time he spent in deep meditation wasnât something he could control, so by the time he woke up, it was already the morning of the new semester ceremony. Because he had dashed out without eating breakfast, his gnawing hunger was forcibly shoved to the back of his mind.
The deep meditation this time, however, had yielded great results; his individual comprehensions and abilities were now consolidated into a whole.