Class Zero Established

After organizing the various Alchemy Tools, An Ping satisfiedly put away his suitcase. It was already time to eat, so he decided to have dinner first.

When he arrived at the academy cafeteria, he happened to run into Gu Yuena, who had also come to eat. After greeting each other, the two went to get their meals.

They found a random spot and set down their trays. Gu Yuena looked at An Ping. "It's been a week already, right? Have you finished what you were making?"

"Mm, it's finished." An Ping nodded. "By the way, what type of Soul Tool do you want? Support, attack, or defense?"

Gu Yuena pondered for a moment, then smiled. "Hmm, I want one that looks nice. It doesn't count if I'm not satisfied."

"Cough, cough." An Ping, who had been drinking porridge, choked at Gu Yuena's mention of looking nice.

Seeing this, Gu Yuena patted his back, her smile impossible to hide. "Be more careful when you eat."

"What about the type?" An Ping asked. "A weapon? Jewelry? Something wearable?"

"I'm not the one making it. Whatever you make is fine, but it has to look good." Gu Yuena shook her head, making it clear that this was his problem to solve.

An Ping nodded. "All right, I'll think about it."

Gu Yuena's tone was slightly teasing. "Then I'll be waiting to see it."

Just then, the campus broadcast came on. "Attention, teachers and students. We have an announcement. As the Promotion Tournaments for all grades have officially concluded, outstanding classes and Cadets will be commended on the field tomorrow morning. Therefore, all classes are canceled tomorrow. Class advisers, please organize your respective Cadets accordingly."

After returning to his dormitory after dinner, An Ping began Meditation Practice. Engraving Magic Runes during the day was not only mentally taxing, but also consumed Magic Power.

The next day soon arrived. After breakfast, Wu Changkong led his Cadets to the temporary Arena set up on the field and had them stand before it.

An Old Man was already standing on the Arena. He was Yu Zhen, the dean of Eastsea Academy. Before long, all the Cadets from the Intermediate Department arrived at the field one after another under the guidance of their class advisers.

Once Long Hengxu confirmed that every class had arrived, he stepped onto the Arena and nodded to the dean before taking his place roughly half a step behind and to the side of him.

"Students, we meet again. The academy has seen all your hard work, and it will not mistreat Cadets who work hard..."

After speaking for more than ten minutes, he finally reached the conclusion. "Now, I'll hand things over to your director of instruction, Director Long Hengxu."

At the dean's signal, Long Hengxu stepped forward. After clearing his throat, he said, "There are two main matters for today's assembly. First, in recognition of First Year Class One's outstanding performance in the Promotion Tournament, every Cadet in the class will receive one Grade A Meal per day for one semester."

The moment those words came out, a commotion broke out below, followed by cheers from the group behind Wu Changkong. After all, it was one Grade A Meal every day. Most of their families could not afford Grade A Meals, and many Cadets looked at the current First Year Class One with envy.

The ones feeling the worst were probably Ye Yingluo, the homeroom teacher of what was now First Year Class Two, and the Cadets she led. They all looked at the Cadets of First Year Class One beside them with resentment.

"Quiet!" Long Hengxu's forceful shout instantly silenced the Cadets below.

Long Hengxu continued, "Now for the second matter. Due to the outstanding performance of this year's first-year Cadets, the academy's School Board has decided to establish a pilot class in the first year and select the most outstanding Cadets to join it. It will tentatively be named First Year Class Zero, with Wu Changkong serving as its homeroom teacher."

As he spoke, he glanced at Wu Changkong. "The Cadets of Class Zero have been selected from those who performed outstandingly in the Promotion Tournament. They are: First Year Class One's An Ping, Gu Yuena, Xie Xie, and Tang Wulin. First Year Class Two's Wei Xiaofeng, Zhang Yangzi, and Wang Jinxi."

The students present were all stunned, their shocked expressions plain to see. This was something that had never happened before in Eastsea Academy's history.

The three from Class Two stared in shock at the four from Class One. They had never expected that those who had once opposed each other would be placed in the same class.

Wei Xiaofeng in particular glared at Xie Xie with hatred, while Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi stared at Gu Yuena, who had eliminated them, seemingly lost in thought. The atmosphere became awkward for a moment.

Long Hengxu paused to let everyone digest the news, then motioned for them to quiet down and asked the dean beside him in a low voice, "Dean, would you like to say a few more words?"

Yu Zhen nodded and said loudly, "Students, I know you are all curious about the significance of establishing First Year Class Zero. Many of you watched this Promotion Tournament, and I believe you can all see that the selected Cadets have already far surpassed their Peers in terms of individual ability. Training them by the same methods used for others at their level would only bury their talent."

"Thus, after discussion by the School Board, we decided to establish a new class and provide them with specialized training. But do not be discouraged. As long as you work harder and display greater talent, the academy will never turn a blind eye. I hope that more of you will be able to join Class Zero."

As he spoke, he glanced toward the upper-year students. "Those in higher grades should not think the academy does not value you either. As long as you can display greater talent, the academy can establish Second Year Class Zero, Third Year Class Zero, and so on for you as well."

"All right, dismissed. Teacher Wu and the students selected for First Year Class Zero, stay behind."

The other Cadets returned to their classrooms with their teachers, filled with envy and jealousy. Only the dean, Wu Changkong, and the few Cadets selected for Class Zero remained on the field.

"Children, come here."

The group gathered before Yu Zhen. Although Xie Xie and Wei Xiaofeng naturally did not dare to start fighting in front of the dean, their unwilling expressions still entered Yu Zhen's eyes.

Seeing this discordant scene, Yu Zhen grew somewhat angry. He said coldly, "I don't care what conflicts you had before. You are now Cadets of the same class. I hope you can put aside those meaningless disputes, rein in your arrogance over your talents, and get along well in the days ahead."

"Meaningless hatred will not bring you progress in cultivation. It will only burden you needlessly. Do not think that you are already geniuses. Throughout the Federation, there are countless people more gifted than you. Even geniuses need unimaginable effort to become strong. I hope you can work harder than before and not disappoint the academy's expectations."

As he continued, Yu Zhen's icy tone gradually softened. "You are still young. Most of the time, you only act on impulse. When you grow up, you will realize just how laughable these current hatreds and conflicts are. So, you are all classmates. There is nothing that cannot be resolved. Do you understand?"

"Understood," they answered in unison.

"Sign this agreement." With a flick of his wrist, five copies of an agreement were handed to five people.

After taking his, An Ping gave it a cursory glance and casually signed his name. Seeing An Ping sign, Gu Yuena signed her name without even looking at it.

Xie Xie asked quietly, "Dean, shouldn't we discuss this with our families before signing?"

"Then go back and discuss it. You don't need to join Class Zero either. I don't have time to wait for you to deal with such things."

Xie Xie looked at An Ping and Gu Yuena, who had already signed, then at Tang Wulin, who was signing. He said nothing more and signed his name on the agreement.

Seeing that An Ping and the others had all signed, Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi signed as well. In the end, only Wei Xiaofeng hesitated and refused to join Class Zero.