Departure

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, another month had gone by.

That day, Class Zero of Eastsea Academy's first-year students received some news.

They were going to Skysea City to take part in the Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition, the five-person team event.

The Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition was centered around five cities along the eastern coast. The Tianhai Grand Competition was held once every three years and included Mecha Master battles, Battle Armor Master battles, Soul Master battles, as well as a whole range of events for Forging Rooms, Mecha Manufacturers, Mecha Designers, repair technicians, and more.

It was divided into four age divisions: youth, young adult, adult, and overage, corresponding to ages ten to fifteen, fifteen to twenty, twenty to thirty, and over thirty.

Teams that made it into the top sixteen received fairly generous prize money. Individual competitors received prize money upon reaching the top thirty-two.

The team events were further divided into three-person, five-person, and seven-person teams.

"Do you think we can win?" Xu Xiaoyan looked deeply worried.

"Why not?" Tang Wulin was brimming with confidence. The temptation of money was enormous. All he could think about now was how to make money. If he did not make money, he would...

"We'll be facing seniors who are fifteen years old. We're not even eleven yet."

"Don't we have Captain Meng? He can lead us to victory!" Xie Xie said.

"Yeah, there's nothing wrong with trusting Brother Meng."

Having eaten so much of Eastsea Academy's food, it was time to give something back. Meng Li nodded. Over the past semester or so, after joining Class Zero, the school had taken excellent care of him. This was a good opportunity to repay them.

Xie Xie said expectantly, "If we win the championship, do you think we'll get an invitation from Shrek Academy?"

Xu Xiaoyan rolled her eyes and recounted Shrek Academy's glorious history. What she meant was that Shrek Academy was a swan, while Xie Xie was a toad. It was simply impossible.

"Not even for Brother Meng?" Tang Wulin asked in amazement.

"Mm, I'm not sure about him. After all, I haven't really seen what Shrek Academy's students are like," Xu Xiaoyan said.

"Stop boosting others while belittling yourselves. You need to believe in yourselves, especially you, Wulin. Your strength can definitely beat those monster-like people at Shrek," Meng Li said, comforting them when he saw their gloomy faces.

"Brother Meng." Brother Meng always has my back. Tang Wulin was somewhat moved.

"That's right, we can't boost others while belittling ourselves. We're Class Zero!"

"Meng Li is right. Let's work hard together!" Gu Yue stretched out her hand and placed Meng Li's hand on top of it. The others placed their hands on top in turn and exchanged glances.

"Let's go!"

Early the next morning, Wu Changkong led the four members of Class Zero out of the academy and headed straight for Eastsea Plaza in the center of Eastsea City.

Tang Wulin and the others were all wearing Eastsea Academy uniforms. Wu Changkong was not the only one leading the team this time; Long Hengxu, the dean of students, was also there.

They were not the only group representing the academy in the competition. There were also students from the senior division.

"Look, a sister complex!" Xie Xie patted Meng Li's shoulder and pointed at a blue-haired young man. It was Xu Xiaoyan's older brother.

"Who are you calling a sister complex?" Meng Li snapped.

"What did you say, brat? Say that again if you've got the guts!" Soul Masters had sharp senses. When Xu Xiaoyu saw Xie Xie pointing at him, he turned his attention their way.

With a careful listen, he heard what Xie Xie had said and angrily walked over.

"..." Xu Xiaoyan was speechless.

"Enough, Brother!" Xu Xiaoyan pulled Xu Xiaoyu back.

For his sister's sake, Xu Xiaoyu decided not to stoop to Xie Xie's level for the moment. He shot him a fierce glare.

An orange-haired young woman in a school uniform and short skirt spotted Tang Wulin, and her eyes immediately lit up. She ran over at once, raised a hand, and grabbed his ear.

This woman was Mu Xi, the daughter of Mu Chen from the Eastsea Blacksmith's Association.

She was now Tang Wulin's senior sister.

"Why are you only getting here now?"

"Senior Sister, there are a lot of people here." Tang Wulin was extremely embarrassed to have his ear pulled in front of so many people.

"Not bad, Wulin." Xie Xie waggled his eyebrows at him from the side.

"Why are you here too?" Mu Xi stopped what she was doing, her gaze settling on Meng Li.

This guy was a complete hooligan. The first time they met, he had swindled her out of three hundred and fifty thousand Federal Coins. The money itself did not matter much, but when she went home, her father lectured her at length and even labeled her as a bad influence.

During that time, whenever she went home, her family would scold her. All of this had been caused by Meng Li.

"Mm, is there a problem with me being here?" Meng Li looked confused.

That was right, why could he not be here? But he was a hooligan who bullied girls. Mu Xi was momentarily speechless and somewhat angered. She dragged Tang Wulin aside to lecture him.

"How strange!" Gu Yue was somewhat puzzled by what the woman in front of her was doing.

A few minutes later, it was time to board the bus, and everyone got on one after another.

Gu Yue pulled Meng Li into the same row with her.

Xie Xie grabbed Tang Wulin and would not let him go over to Mu Xi.

If Tang Wulin were not there, he would most likely have to sit with Wu Changkong...

Thinking of the chill coming from all directions, Xie Xie tightened his grip on Tang Wulin's hand.

"You're hurting me." Tang Wulin protested.

"I'll treat you to a meal when we get off."

Once they were on the bus, Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and the others all closed their eyes to rest.

Only Meng Li eagerly looked out the window. Since he had begun cultivating, he rarely went out. It was nice to occasionally enjoy the scenery outside.

At some point, Meng Li felt a weight on his shoulder. Turning his head, he saw Gu Yue leaning against his shoulder with her eyes closed, sleeping with even breathing.

Should I wake her up, or just let her be? Meng Li stared blankly at the peacefully sleeping Gu Yue.

After thinking it over, Meng Li decided to forget it. A girl resting on his shoulder was a tremendous sign of trust.

Meng Li reached out and gently drew the curtain closed.

Beside them, Xie Xie woke Tang Wulin. The two of them curiously watched Meng Li and Gu Yue's intimate movements.

"Should we take a picture?" Tang Wulin asked. This photo might earn them a meal from Brother Meng.

"Mm..." Tang Wulin saw Xie Xie grinning foolishly as he was already taking action, snapping many photos.

"I wonder how Meng Li feels right now. Happy, or something else?" Tang Wulin could not help but picture two figures in his mind. One belonged to his senior sister Mu Xi, while the other belonged to Ouyang Zixin.

The second figure felt somewhat unfamiliar now. After that meal, Tang Wulin had noticed something. Ouyang Zixin liked the Ice Staff Man.

"Find someone to date," Xie Xie said casually as he put away several photos. "That senior sister of yours is pretty good. She treats you quite well too."

"Have you ever dated anyone?" Tang Wulin asked curiously.

"This young master doesn't want to date. Women only affect the speed of my cultivation."

The four-hour bus ride had no scenery left to watch, so Meng Li slept through it as well. Other than sleeping, he had nothing else to do.

When they arrived at their destination, Meng Li looked at Gu Yue, who was still asleep, at a loss. Just like before, he hesitated over whether he should wake her or not...

Perhaps because the bus was no longer bumping along, Gu Yue realized they might have arrived and woke up.

When she opened one eye, she noticed that everyone on the bus was looking at her. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, she quickly straightened herself up from Meng Li's shoulder.

"Sorry... I fell asleep!"