As footsteps entered the classroom, a wave of pressure slowly washed over the hearts of everyone inside.
Su Zhe's eyes widened as he stared at the teacher at the front of the classroom in shock.
"Teacher Yu???"
As the group looked at him, the man smiled faintly and spotted Li Chen and Su Zhe as well.
The classroom fell silent, everyone staring intently at him.
"Hello, students. I'll be your sequence master for the next two years."
"My name is Yu Qingnian."
The pupils of quite a few knowledgeable students widened slightly. They seemed to have thought of something, or perhaps knew something, and could hardly believe the figure they now saw at the front of the room.
"It really is Teacher Yu!" Su Zhe looked a little dazed.
Li Chen frowned deeply. He hadn't expected to meet him here again either.
At the front of the room, Yu Qingnian watched the students pondering below, a hint of a smile seemingly playing at the corners of his mouth. He had naturally spotted Li Chen and Su Zhe, and he hadn't expected to become those two boys' teacher again after coming to Canglan.
After hesitating for a few seconds, he continued, "Over the next two years, you'll need to learn about your own abilities and how to deal with sequencers, as well as every means you can use to improve yourselves."
"Once your strength reaches a certain level, you'll be able to graduate on your own. Of course, that almost never happens, unless you can reach the Calamity Realm within two years."
A pleasant female voice spoke up. "Then, Instructor Yu, in our second year, will we go to the Imperial Capital to participate in the academy tournament, like Canglan Academy did in previous years?"
Yu Qingnian nodded slightly and smiled. "Of course. After studying at the academy for a year, you'll be sent to the Imperial Capital to participate in the academy tournament. But you should understand the Ranking Board system: only the top ten can go."
"That will depend on your own strength."
"As for me, I'm simply the sequence master teaching you for these two years. I'll do my best to help you improve your strength quickly."
As soon as he finished speaking, the class broke into chatter. Yu Qingnian paid it no mind; he was giving the students time to think.
This was an elimination system. Whether it was this special class or the academy tournament, everything had to be earned through one's own strength. There were no shortcuts. Without strength, even if you made it into the academy tournament, facing the talents trained by the other academies would only mean embarrassing yourself and Canglan Academy.
But this was the special class. Every student ranked in the top fifty, standing above countless others, and they had their own pride.
"Brother Chen, it looks like this special class exists entirely for the academy tournament!" Su Zhe looked somewhat bitter.
Li Chen nodded slightly. The special class existed for the academy tournament, and the ranking system was there to spur the students' competitive spirit. With powerful abilities, who wouldn't want to fight for a place on the Ranking Board?
No one was willing to remain unknown forever. With such a great opportunity right before them, the students were naturally willing to compete for the top spot.
Just then, Jianping spoke up. "If I could choose, I'd rather stay in my room and train. I'm not interested in this ranking system."
But his rank was very high, even within the top five. He probably wouldn't have much peace in the future, as plenty of students would challenge him.
After the clamor had gone on for a while...
Yu Qingnian tapped the desk to calm the students, whose fighting spirits had already been stirred. After all, class was still in session.
"I assume you all understand the situation now, so I won't say any more."
"For the next six months, you'll learn the basics of being a sequencer, how to control your own abilities, and the system of strength tiers."
Then, out of nowhere, he produced something resembling a crystal ball and placed it on the desk.
The crystal ball quickly broke apart into fifty glass-like fragments. Only then did Yu Qingnian continue, "This is a tier-testing device called the 'Star-Testing Orb.' By coming into contact with your bodies, it can determine your current level of strength."
"Under normal circumstances, though, you should all be in the Dripping Water Realm right now. Some of you may be a little higher."
With that, he waved his hand, and the fragments floated over to each student.
Li Chen gripped his fragment. It looked like a sharp spike, yet it didn't prick him at all. It also gave off a suction force that stuck it to his arm.
But the fragment soon detached and flew back in front of Yu Qingnian. It seemed to have finished detecting Li Chen's current tier.
Before long, the Star-Testing Orb had returned to its original form, with everyone's current tier recorded inside.
Yu Qingnian glanced at it and nodded. "All your current data has been saved. You'll be tested again every month."
"From now on, each day will be divided between classroom instruction in the morning and ability training in the afternoon."
Class soon ended.
They walked along the academy grounds.
Jianping spoke up. "According to the alliance, sequencer tiers are clearly divided into the Dripping Water Realm, Looking River Realm, Withered Sea Realm, Calamity Realm..."
"The Dripping Water Realm is for sequencers who have only recently awakened. The higher the tier, the greater their strength. Take calamity, for example. Why is it called calamity? Because a Calamity Realm expert once descended upon Linfen City and destroyed the entire city in an instant. That's why the realm is called the Calamity Realm."
Su Zhe paused, suddenly remembering that Jianping, who was beside him, ranked fifth. Could his strength have already surpassed the Dripping Water Realm?
"Then, Jianping, what realm have you reached now?"
Jianping smiled. "I'm only in the Dripping Water Realm, of course. My ability is just relatively strong, which is why I'm in the top five."
Although the rankings were indeed based on strength, not everyone had started from the same point. Many were different from them and had awakened on their own. Perhaps some had awakened as children, giving them sixteen extra years to grow accustomed to their abilities. They were certainly a little stronger than Li Chen and the others.
That was also why Li Chen was ranked lower on the Ranking Board.
For a moment, Su Zhe felt deeply frustrated. The gap between people was actually so great.
They had all entered the academy at the same time. Some were strong, while others had excellent abilities and ranked near the top. Perhaps the gap had already opened before anyone realized it.
Li Chen had naturally heard their conversation as well. He had no interest in the Ranking Board and only wanted to quietly be a nobody.