Class Zero's First Lesson: Say No to Love Brain

When it came to cultivation realms, Chen Jianshu got a bit of a headache. To put it this way, Xu Xiaoyan received a cultivation boost under the starry sky, while Xie Xie received one in areas rich in either the light or dark element.

Tang Wulin also received a cultivation boost in places like forests, and Soul Masters with tool Martial Souls received one in areas rich in metal.

But as for his card... there didn't seem to be a suitable mimicry cultivation ground for it, leaving him at the bottom in terms of level. Fortunately, he had recently found an opportunity to break through.

And since he didn't have anything like an Ultimate Attribute, his cultivation wouldn't slow down.

Still, Wu Siduo and Wu Bingyu next door were already level thirty-five and thirty-four. Just how had they cultivated? He had worked hard too!

"Yeah, someone's still only a Soul Grandmaster. You'd better keep at it."

Xu Xiaoyan didn't forget to twist the knife a couple of times. Though Chen Jianshu was a Soul Grandmaster, ordinary Soul Grandmasters couldn't compare to his overall combat power. One look at Xie Xie was enough to tell: Chen Jianshu had taken him down in a single move.

Xie Xie: Was that my fault?

"Just wait. You won't be laughing once I break through to Soul Elder."

He withdrew his gaze. This was a good time to go back and focus on cultivation. After saying goodbye to Xu Xiaoyan and Na'er, he returned to his dorm and pulled out Life Slime.

He cultivated with Life Slime in his arms, its body covered in little flowers and a tiny emerald-green sapling growing on its head.

The life energy given off by Life Slime could speed up his cultivation to some extent. There was very little of it, but it was better than nothing.

Half a month passed like that, and Tang Yin was released. No one had come to collect him, and since he had been the one to start trouble and had brought so many dangerous items, he had been detained for half a month.

What was more, their homeroom teacher, Wu Changkong, didn't seem inclined to pick him up either. It always felt as though he didn't much like Tang Yin.

Next came the matter of the Class Promotion Tournament. Chen Jianshu broke through to Soul Elder, becoming the third Soul Elder in the class.

The dean of instruction took a closer look. Three Soul Elders? They could probably smash their way through the Intermediate Division and fight their way into the Senior Division! After all, the Intermediate Division currently had only one Soul Elder: the Saint Craftsman's daughter.

She certainly couldn't withstand a gang beating from three Soul Elders at the same level. In the end, it became a competition among the first-year students. Those whose cultivation had reached Soul Grandmaster or above, or who performed exceptionally well, would form a separate Class Zero.

According to news from Xu Xiaoyan, the Class Zero policy seemed to be connected to the Spirit Pagoda. These were cooperative classes established by the various academies and the Spirit Pagoda, and their future goal was Star Dou Advanced Soul Master Academy, also known as Spirit Pagoda Advanced Soul Master Academy.

Thus, the Soul Elders and Soul Grandmasters from Class One were all summoned to the dean's office.

Everyone looked at one another. From left to right stood Wu Changkong, waiting on standby; a nervous Na'er; Chen Jianshu, wearing a strange expression; an expectant Xu Xiaoyan; and the puzzled Xie Xie, Zhang Yangzi, Wang Jinxi, and Wei Xiaofeng.

Next came Tang Yin, his expression gloomy, and an ordinary-looking girl with black hair and purple eyes who also wore the Eastsea Academy uniform.

At the sight of the girl, Na'er grew unsettled and gripped Chen Jianshu's hand tightly in nervousness. Noticing how uneasy she was, Chen Jianshu reached out and gently patted her head to comfort her.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Long Hengxu explained why he had summoned them.

"Teacher Wu, students, I called you here today to discuss a new education policy agreed upon by the academy and the Spirit Pagoda's upper echelon: the Class Zero training program."

"Class Zero is a class whose students will be trained with funding from the Spirit Pagoda. Joining Class Zero means becoming a reserve member of the Spirit Pagoda and receiving its resources for your training."

"But there's one thing I must make clear. The Spirit Pagoda's training is very strict. Anyone who fails to meet the standards will be removed from Class Zero and continue studying in a normal class."

"And Class Zero has only one goal: Spirit Pagoda Advanced Soul Master Academy."

Long Hengxu explained the situation with Class Zero, then pushed a stack of agreements over for them to sign.

"Once you sign this agreement, you will become members of Class Zero and cannot voluntarily withdraw. If you violate its terms, you will receive a warning letter from the Spirit Pagoda's lawyers."

(Incidentally, the current chief justice was the Spirit Pagoda Master, Soul-Calming Douluo's younger brother, and also a Demigod Limit Douluo. There was guaranteed to be no hope of winning unless you were in the right.)

The essence had fried the fish, the cilantro was phoenix-nut chicken, and the fragrant wings scooped up the rice.

"Reserve members of the Spirit Pagoda? I'm in!"

Xie Xie raised his hand to join. To put it this way, if he didn't join the Spirit Pagoda, his father might not have the heart to break his legs, but his ancestor—the fifty-thousand-year-old Twin Jiao—might.

"We're joining too!"

Zhang Yangzi, Wang Jinxi, and Wei Xiaofeng didn't hesitate either. They chose to join on the spot. After all, their families had ancestors too, so they had to join.

Back then, their grandfathers and other elders had coaxed and tricked their ancestral heritage Soul Spirits into coming home. If they didn't join, their ancestors would definitely break all three of their legs.

"Jianshu, Xu Xiaoyan, aren't you signing?"

Xie Xie noticed that Chen Jianshu, Xu Xiaoyan, and Na'er hadn't moved. Puzzlement flashed in his eyes, but then Long Hengxu spoke.

"The three of them are core disciples of the Spirit Pagoda. Their places have already been reserved."

"What?! Core disciples!"

"Their places were reserved too!"

The four of them immediately widened their eyes, looking as though they had seen ghosts. They had heard that competition for the Spirit Pagoda's core disciple positions was fierce every year, yet these three were already core disciples.

"Hehe, didn't see that coming, did you? This young lady is already way ahead of you!"

Xu Xiaoyan grinned mischievously and waved the purple-rank core disciple badge in her hand. Seeing that the four of them looked ready to pop their eyeballs out, she gazed at them teasingly.

Her absolutely effective, mutated astral attribute had earned her a place as a Spirit Pagoda core disciple. Xie Xie and the others were openly envious. Becoming a core disciple so young, she might even be taken as a disciple by someone in the upper echelon. Then she would truly soar to great heights.

"I refuse to join Class Zero! I'm joining Shrek! I'm a member of the Tang Sect! Shrek is the number one academy in the world today!"

Tang Yin folded his arms and firmly refused. He had no intention of joining the Spirit Pagoda. He wanted to join Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect; that was where he belonged.

Wouldn't going to the Spirit Pagoda and that Spirit Pagoda Advanced Soul Master Academy be asking for trouble? So he made his refusal perfectly clear.

"I refuse too. My ambitions lie elsewhere, and I already have an academy in mind."

As soon as Tang Yin finished speaking, the black-haired, purple-eyed girl beside him refused as well. Everyone looked at the two of them in silence for a moment, but no one tried to force them.

Everyone looked at Tang Yin and the black-haired girl, who had refused to join Class Zero, disbelief flashing in their eyes. This was a chance to join the Spirit Pagoda, the most approachable organization on the entire continent!

What? Tang Yin was an obsessed Tang Sect disciple? Well, never mind then. The main thing was that Shrek and Tang Sect disciples were all quite obsessed these days.

During matches, they would shout things like... "For Shrek's glory!" and "Synergy!" before charging forward to fight them with their lives on the line.

To put it this way, in the All-Continent Young Soul Master Tournament, Shrek would rather damage their foundations, burn their lives, and use secret techniques that consumed their lifespans than fail to claim the championship. They would stop at nothing to win.

The teams that fought Shrek also had the highest casualty rates, with most of them killed by people from Shrek Academy. If an opponent was about to severely injure someone from Shrek Academy, their team leader would brazenly intervene.

In any case, all sorts of incidents cropped up one after another, happening in almost every Young Soul Master Tournament. Just thinking of it, everyone came to terms with the refusals.

So Tang Yin was one of Shrek and the Tang Sect's people. No wonder he was out of his mind. That explained it.

The Spirit Pagoda, meanwhile, adhered to the principle that those blessed with happiness should yield, as well as the principle of cutting the grass and pulling out the roots.

Because they had people they cared about and families, they wouldn't fight these obsessed people with their lives on the line. Of course, one could also twist that to mean their opponents refused to yield because they had no families.

As for cutting the grass and pulling out the roots, that meant executing the entire family of anyone who offended them, leaving no hidden dangers behind.

As it happened, Chen Jianshu, Xu Xiaoyan, Na'er, Xie Xie, Zhang Yangzi, Wang Jinxi, Wei Xiaofeng, and the others all greatly disliked Tang Yin. It was wonderful that he wasn't joining.

As for the black-haired girl? They didn't know her, and she had nothing to do with them. Seeing this, Long Hengxu nodded slightly in response.

"In that case, we won't insist. Everyone has their own ambitions, and Eastsea Academy won't force you to do anything against your wishes."

Long Hengxu didn't press them. He simply put the agreements away. Just like that, everyone except Tang Yin and the black-haired girl named Gu Yue joined the newly established Eastsea Class Zero.

At the same time, seeing Gu Yue refuse to join Class Zero, Na'er quietly breathed a sigh of relief, and her grip on Chen Jianshu's hand relaxed considerably.

"Then, Teacher Wu, as the strongest person at Eastsea Academy, you will be in charge of teaching Class Zero for the time being."

"Mm."

Wu Changkong nodded slightly, accepting the request. Then, led by Long Hengxu, Chen Jianshu and the others arrived at a newly renovated classroom, where all the equipment was brand-new and top-of-the-line.

"This is it."

Long Hengxu pushed open the door, revealing a pristine, orderly classroom with air conditioners running at both the front and back.

"Wow! It's so clean!"

"There are only eight desks and chairs! Huh? Eight?"

"Why is there someone else here?"

Everyone was a little surprised by the furnishings, but Wei Xiaofeng soon noticed a figure sitting at the very back. She wore an Eastsea Academy uniform too and had long brown hair and red eyes.

The group entered the classroom, and the person inside looked over at the sound. Xu Xiaoyan, Na'er, and Xie Xie, who knew her, froze for a moment. Wasn't that Wu Bingyu? She had actually come to Eastsea Academy, and she had landed straight in Class Zero.

Wu Bingyu gave Chen Jianshu a soft chuckle and nodded in greeting.

"We're classmates now~"

Looking at his new classmate, he hesitated to speak. If Tang San saw that Wu Bingyu was a Class Zero student, would he regret it to death?

"All students, enter the classroom and take your seats."

Wu Changkong nodded slightly at the girl sitting at the back, then told everyone to sit down.

Zhang Yangzi sat with Wang Jinxi, and Xie Xie sat with Wei Xiaofeng. When it came to Chen Jianshu, however, he found himself in a dilemma.

"Jianshu, sit here."

Wu Bingyu patted the seat beside her, inviting him over. Chen Jianshu was just about to walk over when Na'er pulled him back.

"Na'er wants to sit with Brother Jianshu."

She made it clear that she wanted to sit with him too. In the end, Wu Changkong stepped in.

"Xu Xiaoyan, sit next to Bing Yu."

"Oh! Okay, Teacher!"

Xu Xiaoyan, who had been watching the show, immediately sat obediently beside Wu Bingyu. Wu Bingyu had wanted to sit with someone she knew, but she could only give up on the idea.

"Good grief, Xie Xie, look! That girl actually wanted to sit with Jianshu. Could it be..."

A wicked smile appeared on Wei Xiaofeng's face as he elbowed Xie Xie with a knowing look. Xie Xie responded with the same cheeky grin.

Bang!

The next second, a large hand slammed down on the lectern, making both of them jump. They looked up to see Wu Changkong staring at them coldly, the chill around him almost tangible.

"Class begins!"

At that cold shout, Xie Xie and Wei Xiaofeng immediately sat bolt upright. Why were they drenched? Oh, it was sweat...

Though they didn't know why Teacher Wu had suddenly gotten angry, they both sensibly chose to shut up.

"A brief introduction: Wu Bingyu, Soul Elder, transfer student. Now we'll officially begin class. First is a compulsory Spirit Pagoda course—psychology. The textbooks are on your desks."

After briefly introducing their new classmate, Wu Changkong began teaching. The first lesson was a compulsory Spirit Pagoda course: psychology.

Everyone found a pink book among their textbooks. On it were the words "Psychology textbook: Say no to love brain."

"Say no to love brain?"

Curiosity flashed in Zhang Yangzi's eyes, while the corner of Chen Jianshu's eye twitched. It seemed the first Spirit Pagoda Master had done a great deal to guard against love brain.

"That's right. This is a rule every Spirit Pagoda disciple must obey: say no to love brain."

"Love brain is a terrifying state. It can trap people so deeply that they cannot extricate themselves. Once it takes hold, there is no turning back."

Wu Changkong folded his arms and spoke calmly about love brain. Everyone opened their books, and the first case was the story of Bibi Dong and Yu Xiaogang from twenty thousand years ago.

Everyone frowned at the melodramatic story. What was this about love brain causing a war between the three great empires of Spirit Hall, Heaven Dou, and the Star Luo Empire?

There was also the Angel God Qian Renxue, who had repeatedly held back because she admired Tang San, ultimately leading to Spirit Hall's destruction.

"Oh heavens! How could someone be so disgusting..."

Xu Xiaoyan was deeply shocked. Reading how Yu Xiaogang had taken the resources and knowledge Bibi Dong obtained from Spirit Hall, used them to train a team to oppose Spirit Hall, cursed Spirit Hall's mother, and even gotten together with his own female cousin shattered her worldview.

And then there was Qian Renxue, who had repeatedly tried to recruit Thousand-Hand Douluo simply because she admired him, only to have her godhood shattered and Spirit Hall destroyed as a result.

It could be said that Qian Renxue bore a great deal of responsibility for Spirit Hall's destruction. Of course, Qian Daoliu did too. If not for that agreement, which had kept him from killing Tang Hao earlier, Spirit Hall would not have been destroyed.

P.S.: The first and second updates for July 22, combined into one long chapter.