Enrollment

Xu Xiaoyan stared at the gates of Eastsea Academy, somewhat dazed.

To be honest, she hadn't wanted to come here to study.

But somehow, the elders in her family had heard that this year's Eastsea Academy was no ordinary place.

She'd been forced to enroll here.

Xu Xiaoyan pouted, thinking that there couldn't be anything special about Eastsea Academy.

She checked the class list. Had she been assigned to Class Zero, first year?

Was the homeroom teacher Wu Zhangkong?

She didn't know him.

Following the class list, Xu Xiaoyan finally found the first-year Class Zero classroom.

When she entered, two students were already seated inside.

A boy and a girl caught her eye.

The boy looked ordinary, but the girl was exceptionally beautiful.

"Brother, she's looking at us."

Hearing that, the boy noticed Xu Xiaoyan entering the classroom. He took his younger sister's hand and stepped forward to greet her.

"Hello, I'm Tang Wulin, and this is my younger sister, Na'er."

Xu Xiaoyan looked at his outstretched hand, then politely shook it.

"I'm Xu Xiaoyan. Is she your younger sister? She's so pretty."

"You're in first-year Class Zero too. Do you know what's going on?"

Tang Wulin exchanged a few more pleasantries with Xu Xiaoyan before Na'er pulled him back to their seats.

"Brother, do my hair for me."

After sitting down, Na'er spoke in a slightly coy voice.

"Didn't I just do your hair? It's not even messy."

Tang Wulin asked, puzzled.

"I don't care, I don't care! I want you to do my hair."

Na'er pouted.

Seeing that he couldn't refuse his younger sister, Tang Wulin took out the comb their mother had packed for Na'er before they left home.

As he combed her hair, he apologized to Xu Xiaoyan. "Sorry, I don't know what's gotten into my sister today. She's being a little difficult."

He didn't notice Na'er glancing at Xu Xiaoyan triumphantly as he combed her hair.

Xu Xiaoyan watched the scene, shook her head without comment, and chose an empty seat.

A short while later, a tall boy walked into the classroom, leading a quirky-looking girl by the hand.

"Big Brother Long Yue, are these our classmates?"

The girl looked at the three students in the classroom and asked curiously.

The tall young man shook his head to show that he didn't know either.

Then he led the girl to a seat, and they sat down together.

Before sitting, the tall young man took a deliberate look at Tang Wulin.

Time passed second by second.

Xu Xiaoyan looked at the four people in the classroom and regretted coming so early.

Just then, a handsome boy with delicate features and another rather dashing boy entered the classroom together.

Xu Xiaoyan's eyes lit up. She wanted to go over and greet them.

But just as Xu Xiaoyan was about to move, a piercing chill swept into the classroom.

The cold cut to the bone, stopping Xu Xiaoyan from approaching. The other five students in the classroom also looked up.

A figure dressed in white entered the room.

Wu Zhangkong wore a blue teacher's uniform. Though it was standard issue, it sat neatly on him, setting off his icy-blue hair and stern features to striking effect.

A woman with equally blue hair followed behind him. Her gaze hardly left Wu Zhangkong, though she quickly composed herself after entering the classroom.

The two walked straight to the podium and calmly surveyed the students seated below.

Wu Zhangkong frowned. It seemed someone was missing.

He shook his head, then began with his first words to the class.

"My name is Wu Zhangkong." His voice wasn't loud, but every student heard him clearly. "I'm your homeroom teacher."

"This is Long Bing, my wife."

Wu Zhangkong gestured toward the woman beside him as he introduced her.

"We'll be responsible for your training from now on. Of course, I'll handle most things."

"I'll mainly be responsible for your combat training. Long Bing will teach you some of the theory."

"I know some of you come from special backgrounds, but I can tell you clearly that I'll treat everyone equally."

"If you have any questions, you can ask them now."

There was no stirring speech to kick things off, just a few concise, forceful words.

Long Yue was the first to ask, "Teacher, what are we supposed to do?"

Wu Zhangkong glanced at him, then nodded.

"Get stronger. Keep getting stronger. Then compete and win first place."

"Teacher, how strong are you?"

Xu Xiaoyan looked at the pair on the podium, who seemed like a couple out of a fairy tale, and asked curiously.

"There's no need to hide it. I'm a Seven-Ring Soul Sage, and my wife has eight rings."

As he finished, Wu Zhangkong gave Long Bing an affectionate look.

"Wow!"

Xu Xiaoyan blurted out in amazement, but soon realized she was the only one who'd made a sound.

A little embarrassed, she covered her mouth.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Just then, someone knocked on the door.

Wu Zhangkong opened it. A girl with delicate features stood outside.

She wasn't especially beautiful, but she had a refined air that made her pleasant to look at.

"Excuse me, is this Class Zero? My teacher told me to come here for class."

"Sorry, it's a long way here, and I got held up."

Wu Zhangkong frowned slightly at the girl, but still let her in.

"You're the last to arrive, so start by introducing yourself to everyone."

The girl was poised and showed no sign of nervousness.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Gu Yue. I'm glad to be studying with you."

Gu Yue first glanced at Long Yue, then fixed her gaze on Tang Wulin.

Tang Wulin was equally drawn to the girl named Gu Yue.

Just then, a small hand suddenly gave Tang Wulin a light smack on the back of the head.

It didn't hurt, but Tang Wulin still asked, puzzled, "Na'er, what are you doing?"

Na'er gave a little huff. "Brother, why do you keep staring at her?"

"Am I not pretty enough?"

Tang Wulin didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He gently stroked Na'er's silver hair.

"Of course you are. My little sister Na'er is the prettiest."

Gu Yue saw the whole thing from the podium, but kept smiling.

She walked toward the front of the classroom, then headed straight for Tang Wulin.

"Excuse me, could I sit in the seat beside you?"

Tang Wulin looked at the empty seat beside him and was about to agree.

But Na'er suddenly said, "No, you can sit somewhere else!"

As she spoke, she stood up and sat down in that seat herself.

Tang Wulin looked at Gu Yue with an apologetic expression. "Sorry, my sister's in a bad mood today. She's not usually like this."

Gu Yue smiled as before. "It's fine. If she doesn't want me there, I'll sit somewhere else."

With that, Gu Yue found an empty seat and sat down.

Once everyone had settled down, Wu Zhangkong stepped back onto the podium.

"This afternoon, you'll be divided into groups for practical assessments to test your true abilities."

"Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan, stay behind. The rest of you may leave."