"Teacher Lu Li, you..."
"He's actually a Titled Douluo!"
Staring at the nine Soul Rings around Lu Li, Wei Xiaofeng's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. He screamed, at a loss for words.
There were four others nearby who felt exactly the same way:
Xie Xie stood frozen in place.
Zhang Yangzi stared blankly, like a wooden post.
Wang Jinxi's heart pounded faster with astonishment.
Even Tang Wulin, who was usually the most cheerful, had wiped the smile from his face. His eyes were clearer than usual, too.
Of course, they'd all been curious about Teacher Lu Li's cultivation level, but none of them had ever imagined...
Teacher Lu Li was a Titled Douluo.
A nine-ring Titled Douluo!
In any era, Titled Douluos were true high-ranking powerhouses, with unparalleled status on the Douluo Continent!
Each one had a unique title of their own, and the Soul Master World respectfully addressed them as "Your Eminence"!
And Teacher Lu Li was one of them!
That alone was shocking enough, but there was more. Most importantly, he wasn't very old at all. He even looked younger than Teacher Wu...
He had to be a god descended to the mortal world!
"Whoa!"
"So this is Your Eminence Lu Li! I feel like I've got a lot more energy just being around him!"
Yu Lian's face flushed red with excitement. Long Hengxu had already told him about Lu Li's Soul Ring configuration, but even so, witnessing it in person had turned him red as a child.
This was what a powerhouse looked like—a true powerhouse!
A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Spirit was so powerful it made him want to fall to his knees!
Gu Yue quietly took it all in, unable to stop herself from sighing inwardly. Now she understood why Eastsea Academy had treated her so specially, even though her talent was only slightly inferior to his.
Big Brother Lu Li was, without a doubt, the greatest human alive!
As she thought about it, her gaze grew hotter, and an unusual idea took shape in her heart...
"Four black, five red!"
"Lu Li, you really are a genius..."
Wu Changkong's eyes were full of undisguised shock. This was his first time seeing Lu Li's Soul Rings, and he'd never expected him to already have a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Spirit.
Especially since his fifth Soul Ring was already a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring!
It was worth remembering that even the Titled Douluo elders at Shrek Academy might not have a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring. The most prominent among them was Silver Moon, the dean of the outer court, Cai Yue'er.
A powerhouse with such lofty standing on the continent had only purple Soul Rings for her first three, and a configuration of three purple and six black. The difference in strength between her and Lu Li was plain to see!
"Xiao Feng."
"Do you have any more questions?"
Lu Li watched everyone's reactions, then withdrew his Martial Soul and Soul Rings and smiled at Wei Xiaofeng.
He wondered what the boy thought of that answer...
"No questions! Absolutely no questions!"
"Teacher Lu Li, you're incredible. I never imagined you could be this powerful..."
Wei Xiaofeng took a deep breath and hurriedly shook his head.
Now he felt that the problem wasn't Lu Li being Class Zero's homeroom teacher. The problem was that he, Wei Xiaofeng, was a student in Class Zero.
What had he done to deserve having this man as his teacher?
He wasn't worthy!
Still, despite what he thought, he was the first to grab the agreement and sign his name at lightning speed. Then he turned to Lu Li with fervent admiration.
"Xiao Feng wandered for nine years without meeting a true master. If you don't mind, Xiao Feng is willing to follow you for the rest of his life!"
Wei Xiaofeng delivered the line with comical, over-the-top solemnity.
"Idiot..."
Xie Xie's gaze had been just as fervent, but the moment he looked at Wei Xiaofeng, his expression turned speechless. Yet as soon as he looked back at Lu Li, his eyes lit up again.
He'd known it! There had to be a reason he'd felt that terrifying, invisible pressure when he first saw Lu Li!
Big Brother Lu Li was awesome!
After that, Gu Yue and the others soon signed the agreements as well, officially becoming members of Class Zero.
"From now on, you're all members of Class Zero. Make sure you listen to Teacher Lu Li and Teacher Wu and attend class properly."
Yu Lian smiled as he watched them, then carefully placed the agreements in their files and spoke earnestly.
"We will!"
Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and the others nodded at once, their expressions resolute. If Teacher Lu Li asked, they'd do anything!
Only Gu Yue paused at the word "properly," though just for a moment.
"Let's go."
"We'll head to the new classroom and get ready for class."
Lu Li smiled at them. His gaze lingered especially on Gu Yue, who clearly looked reluctant but had still answered honestly. He found it rather amusing.
"Yes, Teacher Lu Li!"
After leaving the dean's office, the group passed their former classroom, Class One, on the way to their new one.
Through the window, a red-haired woman was standing at the front of the room. Her voice carried so loudly that Lu Li and the others could hear every word.
"My name is Ye Yingluo. Due to certain special arrangements by the academy, your previous homeroom teacher has stepped down, and I'll be taking over the class from today onward."
The woman spoke coolly, her expression impassive.
"Teacher, what rank are you?"
Xing Sangou, who had once fought Tang Wulin, raised his hand and asked.
"That's a good question. I'm a forty-eighth-rank Control System Battle Soul Ancestor. I might be a little weaker than Teacher Wu Changkong, but I'll break through to Soul King in a few years. I'm still a top-tier genius."
Ye Yingluo calmly gave a brief answer.
"I believe my abilities are no worse than Teacher Wu's or Teacher Lu Li's. I'm also a little older than he is, and I have more teaching experience..."
Listening to the voices coming from Class One, Lu Li smiled without comment. No worse than me, is that it? Interesting.
The others in the group couldn't help laughing, too. Wei Xiaofeng moved his lips. He didn't say anything aloud, but Xie Xie clearly agreed with what he mouthed.
Before long, they arrived at Class Zero's classroom. It was larger than the other classrooms, but had fewer than ten pairs of desks and chairs, fitting its small class size of no more than six students.
"Everyone, take a seat."
"Teacher Wu, you can start the lesson."
Lu Li entered the classroom and spoke, then looked seriously toward Wu Changkong.
Wu Changkong: ?
"Teacher Lu, aren't you going to teach?"
Wu Changkong asked, suspicion on his face.
"Brother Chang Kong, you know my strengths are exceptional talent and combat, but when it comes to theory..."
"I'll have to leave that to you."
Lu Li smiled at him.
It was true that he'd come to teach the little ones, Wulin and the others, at Eastsea's Class Zero. But when it came to teaching theory, he really was an amateur.
As one of the Spirit Pagoda's four Spirit Envoys, his strengths were powerful cultivation, resources, and knowledge. As for the course material, it was clearly best left to Wu Changkong.
If he tried to do something he wasn't good at and taught the kids theoretical material he barely remembered himself, he might just lead them astray...?
"Teacher Wu can handle it. I have faith in you."
Lu Li gave him a faint smile.
"I understand."
"But... why are you sitting in a student's seat?"
Wu Changkong frowned slightly as he looked at Lu Li, who had already taken a seat in the second row. He seemed rather helpless.
"Well..."
"Of course I'm sitting with the kids so I can see how you teach."
Lu Li smiled. In truth, he'd focused his attention on the information panel in his mind. A notification had already appeared:
[Congratulations, host! You've become a member of Class Zero. You really did it!]
[Class Zero's students will receive extensive resources from Eastsea Academy. Though you're only an ordinary Soul Master, hard work can make up for a lack of talent, and Heaven rewards the diligent. You can use this opportunity to soar to success; becoming a Soul Elder in three years and a Soul King in five is no longer just a dream.]
[Congratulations! You've received your reward: one stalk of Century-old Fire Dragon Grass.]
It was obvious.
Of course he had to complete the task.
"..."
Two more chapters of 5K+ words today. Don't you dare call me short, Bai!
Before you continue