Elite Class Selection Begins

Fangyuan City Second Middle School.

Class 37 of Senior High.

As Su Ye entered the classroom, Xia Zhiqiu immediately came over.

"A'Su, I saw it again!"

"Saw what?"

"You came to school with the school beauty again! My sixth sense as a man tells me there's definitely something going on between you two!"

"You're overthinking it. We just happened to run into each other."

Su Ye had no intention of discussing it any further with Xia Zhiqiu, so he changed the subject.

"The Elite Class selection matches are today, right? Have they announced the format?"

Yesterday, every senior-year class had submitted its list of top ten students. The selection should officially begin today.

Sure enough, the moment Su Ye brought it up, Xia Zhiqiu's attention shifted.

"I've been keeping an eye on it since yesterday, but there's still no news... The school's definitely cooking up something!"

As it turned out, Xia Zhiqiu was right.

Before long, their class teacher, Lan Jingfei, led the class's top ten Martial Arts students to the school gymnasium.

Blue Star's population had exploded, far surpassing Earth's.

The senior year at Second High School alone had thirty classes.

Fangyuan City had five Martial Arts high schools like Second High School, along with several regular high schools for students without Cultivation Talent.

That showed just how large the population was.

Now, with the top ten Martial Arts students from all thirty classes gathered together, there were three hundred of them.

Su Ye glanced around. He didn't know most of the people there.

But...

He did spot a few familiar faces in the crowd.

Xiao Qiyue... and the handsome boy standing beside her.

It was the same boy he had seen in the video call yesterday.

"Who's that?"

Xia Zhiqiu followed Su Ye's gaze, and a teasing smile appeared on his face.

"And you said there's nothing going on between you and the school beauty. You're already keeping tabs on her suitors."

"S talking? "

"Yeah. That's Zhang Xuan from Class One. He's a cultivation genius, too, already at the Eighth Level of Kaiyuan. But I'd say his talent's nothing special. His family just poured resources into raising his Cultivation Level... Oh, and the Xuanyuan Construction Company, the one everyone in our city knows? His family owns it. I hear they have serious connections."

So his name was Zhang Xuan.

Su Ye noticed that Zhang Xuan's gaze never left Xiao Qiyue.

So... was Xiao Qiyue why he had sent those thugs after Su Ye?

How boring.

Su Ye had no interest in fighting over a woman, but... since someone had wanted to break both his legs, it would only be polite to return the gesture.

Beside him, Xia Zhiqiu tugged at his arm and pointed around.

"A'Su, see that cocky guy with the buzz cut? That's Meng Li, ranked first in Martial Arts for our year. He's at the Ninth Level of Kaiyuan... He's incredible. He's even awakened a Supernatural Ability—immense strength! The guy's a born powerhouse!"

"And see that girl over there with the incredibly long legs? Mu Wanrou. She looks delicate, but she's actually ranked first in Martial Arts in Class Three and is at the Eighth Level of Kaiyuan. I heard she's awakened a Supernatural Ability too. She's one of only three seniors who have. Hers seems to be some kind of healing ability... Beautiful and kindhearted. What a combination."

Su Ye glanced at Xia Zhiqiu's shining eyes.

What did awakening a Supernatural Ability have to do with being beautiful and kindhearted?

"Lao Xia, you said three seniors have awakened Supernatural Abilities? Besides Meng Li and Mu Wanrou, who's the third?"

"My god, A'Su, have you been paying no attention at all?! The third is obviously our beautiful school belle, Xiao Qiyue! But she's mysterious. Nobody knows what ability she awakened."

Su Ye: ...

The former Su Ye had been rather withdrawn. Apart from his deskmate Xia Zhiqiu, he barely interacted with anyone in Class Seventeen.

He paid even less attention to people in other classes.

What did it matter to him if someone else awakened a Supernatural Ability? It wasn't going to raise his Cultivation Level.

Still, Su Ye hadn't expected Xiao Qiyue to have awakened one too.

"Ahem."

A voice came through the speakers. Principal Zhang stood on the Speaker's Platform and raised the microphone.

"Students, you are the elite of Second High School, the rising suns of tomorrow, the flowers of Dong Huang..."

Principal Zhang spoke passionately for half an hour.

Su Ye nearly fell asleep where he stood in the crowd.

Only then did Principal Zhang finally get to the point.

"The Elite Class selection has three rounds."

"Round one: random matches. Each student will be randomly matched against five opponents. Win three out of five to advance."

"Round two: platform defense. There will be fifty platforms. The first person onto each platform becomes its defender. Win three defenses in a row to secure the platform and earn a place in the Elite Class. Everyone gets one chance to challenge a defender. Lose, and you're out."

"Round three: rankings. Once all fifty defenders have secured their platforms, they may challenge a defender ranked above them. Win, and you take that person's rank. Each student gets only one challenge."

Principal Zhang quickly explained the rules.

Then the student numbers of each class's top ten Martial Arts students scrolled across the screen behind him, eventually settling into matchups.

While the students below studied the matchups on the big screen, their teachers and the school leaders watched them from the stands.

One teacher turned to the Class One teacher and said flatteringly,

"Old Chen, I heard two students in your class have awakened Supernatural Abilities, and one of them has even reached the Ninth Level of Kaiyuan. Your class is bound to shine this time."

Chen Ze, the Class One teacher, smiled faintly.

"Old Qian, your class's Mu Wanrou is impressive too. She's awakened a healing Supernatural Ability. Once she gets into university, she's sure to attract attention."

Old Qian, the Class Three teacher, broke into a broad smile.

"Oh, not at all. Wanrou's ability is a healing one. It's a high-level ability, but she isn't suited to fighting. I told her long ago that making the top fifty would be enough; her rank doesn't matter. Besides, however capable Wanrou is, she can't compare to Meng Li and Xiao Qiyue. I won't compete with you for the spotlight this time, Old Chen."

Listening to the Class One and Class Three teachers trade compliments, everyone else fought the urge to roll their eyes.

So what if they taught a few students who had awakened Supernatural Abilities?

Those students were impressive, but what did that have to do with their teachers?

"Jingfei, they were supposed to make you the Class One teacher, but Chen Ze snatched the position. And now he's showing off. Hmph. A petty man enjoying his little triumph!"

The Class Six teacher was an outspoken, well-off woman who was close to Lan Jingfei.

Seeing how smug Chen Ze looked, she couldn't help feeling indignant on Lan Jingfei's behalf.

Wasn't it only because Chen Ze was the vice principal's nephew?

Lan Jingfei smiled faintly.

"Class Seventeen is good too."

"What's good about it? Jingfei, you're just too easygoing."

All students took a Martial Arts potential test when moving from middle school to high school. Only those with Martial Arts potential—those who could absorb Star Power—could enter a Martial Arts high school.

Otherwise, they could only attend a regular high school.

As for how Martial Arts high schools assigned students to classes... though it was never stated outright, the greater a student's potential, the lower their class number.

Class One's students undoubtedly had the greatest potential.

Sure enough, three students in their year had awakened Supernatural Abilities. Two were in Class One, and the other was in Class Three.

Lan Jingfei couldn't help looking toward Su Ye in the crowd below.

"Class Seventeen really is good."

Perhaps not getting to teach Class One had been a blessing in disguise.