Xiao Han had two choices before him, and he barely had to think.
A master of keeping a low profile?
That wasn't much use to him right now.
A basic resource package?
His account was practically overflowing with money. He really didn't need it.
A quiet month of developing his strength while keeping a low profile?
That sounded nice, but sitting around waiting wasn't the answer either. It was only luck when resources and opportunities came knocking!
By comparison, the rewards for the first choice were downright dazzling!
Priority access to core resources!
Accelerated cultivation of techniques!
And a hefty sum of credits!
Wasn't this exactly what he'd come to the Imperial Capital Academy for?
As for the challenges of the core class?
Who had he, Xiao Han, ever feared?
"Thank you for thinking so highly of me, Instructor Lin."
Xiao Han raised his head, his tone resolute. "I choose Zero Class."
Seeing how decisively he had chosen, Lin Qingxia showed a hint of approval.
Talent alone wasn't enough. She admired ambitious young people who dared to make their way in the world even more.
"Good."
Lin Qingxia nodded, the faintest hint of a smile on her lips. "What Zero Class can offer you is far beyond anything an ordinary class can match. I'll personally be one of your instructors and fight to secure the best conditions for you."
A Martial King powerhouse personally guiding me?
Xiao Han's heart warmed even more. Did the benefits of that even need saying?
"However..."
Lin Qingxia changed tack slightly, her tone growing more serious. "The waters in the core classes, especially Zero Class... run much deeper than you imagine, and the competition is far more brutal."
"Everyone who gets in is a favored child of heaven. Who doesn't have some trump card up their sleeve and a proud streak? No one there will pity the weak. They'll only step on you to climb higher."
"You'll have to stand firm."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it weighed heavily on his heart, both a warning and an expression of hope.
Xiao Han felt the weight of her words, and at the same time, a surge of energy rose in his chest.
Brutal?
Favored children of heaven?
Perfect.
He hadn't come to the Imperial Capital Academy to coast through his days.
"I will, Instructor Lin."
Xiao Han met Lin Qingxia's gaze and answered confidently.
After bidding Lin Qingxia farewell, Xiao Han didn't return to Class Seven. Instead, he was immediately enveloped by a gentle energy, and in the next instant, he appeared in an entirely different area.
The standardized layout of ordinary teaching buildings was gone. In its place was an enormous, isolated platform floating in midair.
The spiritual energy on the platform was so dense it had nearly liquefied, forming a thin white mist that swirled through the air. A single breath left him refreshed and clearheaded, and even his cultivation circulated a little faster.
An imposing, ancient-looking hall stood in the center of the platform. Dozens of individual cultivation chambers were scattered around it, each emitting powerful energy fluctuations.
Core Zero Class!
The place where the true elites of the Imperial Capital Academy's first year gathered!
As soon as Xiao Han set foot on the platform, several sharp gazes shot toward him from the hall and the surrounding chambers.
Those gazes carried powerful spiritual energy fluctuations, along with scrutiny, curiosity, and undisguised arrogance.
More than twenty students had already gathered inside the hall. Without exception, they all radiated auras far beyond the Warrior Realm.
Most were between the First Level and Third Level of the Martial Master Realm. A few had even deeper, more condensed auras, having unmistakably reached the Martial Master Realm Fourth Level or even the Fifth Level!
Most eye-catching of all was a young man standing at the very front of the hall, his hands clasped behind his back.
He was tall and handsome, but carried an icy air that warned strangers to keep their distance. His eyes flashed brilliantly as they opened and closed, and his aura was so formidable that he had seemingly reached the Martial Master Realm Peak!
He was more than a full tier stronger than Chen Feng!
When those gazes fell on Xiao Han and sensed his unmistakable cultivation at the Sixth Level of the Warrior Realm, curiosity and scrutiny swiftly turned to undisguised shock, bewilderment, and...
Deep disdain and contempt.
"Sixth Level of the Warrior Realm? What's going on? Did he come to the wrong place?"
"Are you kidding? This is Zero Class! Since when did we start taking Martial Artists?"
"Heh, I bet he's someone with connections who got shoved in here."
"What a blight. He's dragging down Zero Class's average."
Low voices rose in open discussion, full of rejection and hostility.
They were all favored children of heaven selected through round after round of screening by the major base cities and top powers. Every one of them possessed a Martial Soul of S rank or higher and a brilliant record of achievements. Proud and arrogant, they naturally looked down on a low-realm "transfer student."
Xiao Han acted as though he hadn't heard the malicious comments or noticed the hostile gazes. Calmly, he walked to a corner at the side of the hall and silently took his place.
He wasn't here to make friends, nor was he here to win a war of words.
Zero Class was merely a stop on his road to becoming stronger. These so-called "geniuses" would only be left far behind him in the future.
Just then, an even more terrifying pressure descended like a mountain, enveloping the entire platform in an instant!
The previously noisy discussion stopped abruptly. Every student, including the icy young man at the Martial Master Realm Peak, turned solemn and bowed in unison.
A middle-aged man in dark robes had appeared silently on the raised platform at the front of the hall. He had a stern, rigid face and eyes as sharp as a falcon's.
He wasn't deliberately releasing his aura, but the might radiating from his every movement made even the space around him faintly distort.
A Martial Grandmaster Realm powerhouse!
Zero Class's instructor, Qin Zhen!
Qin Zhen's gaze swept over every student below like a tangible force. It lingered on Xiao Han for a moment, and his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, but he said nothing more.
"Everyone's here."
Qin Zhen's voice was deep and commanding, without a trace of emotion. "Starting today, Zero Class has one new member: Xiao Han."
Qin Zhen's introduction consisted of just those few words, with no further explanation.
The words landed, and a buzz rose from below.
Though it wasn't loud, everyone could sense the discontent and doubt behind it.
The expressions of quite a few students changed.
Some had already guessed, but hearing it from the instructor himself felt completely different.
Luo Bing, standing at the very front, reacted in particular. His aura abruptly grew heavy, and a chill prickled against everyone's skin. It was aimed at Xiao Han.
"Hmph, occupying the latrine without taking a shit."
He gave a scornful laugh. His voice wasn't loud, yet everyone heard him clearly.
This was Luo Bing, at the peak of the Martial Master Realm Ninth Level, with an SS+ rank Martial Soul, the "Ice Soul Profound Flood Dragon." He was one of Zero Class's acknowledged leading figures, a formidable character with one of the best chances of making a push for the Martial King Realm before the end of the first year.
He valued Zero Class's places above all else, treating them as sacred. So what was the meaning of forcing a Warrior Realm student in now?
It was a slap in the face to every member of Zero Class.
Qin Zhen seemed not to have heard Luo Bing's barbed remark at all—or rather, he simply didn't care.
He continued, "I called you here today to give you a new mission."
With a wave of his hand, a three-dimensional image of a forest immediately appeared in midair. It looked dangerous at a glance.
"The Dark Gloom Forest resource competition."
"The Dark Gloom Forest is in the No. 3 Resource Secret Realm. It's full of exotic beasts, and the environment is troublesome too."
Qin Zhen pointed at the map. "But there's something good in there—the Shadow Crystal Orchid."
"It's very effective for Martial Master cultivation, especially for those who cultivate shadow or spiritual abilities."
"Your mission is to enter the forest in teams of five and find as many Shadow Crystal Orchids as you can."
"You have seven days."
"When you return, you'll be ranked by quantity and quality."
"The top three teams will receive generous rewards: first pick of core techniques, plenty of credits, and personal guidance from an instructor."
"The last-place team will lose double the credits and have to undergo a punitive trial."