A Major Mix-Up

A gentle smile appeared on his face. As naturally as when they had first met, he held out his hand.

"Hello, I'm Wang Chuan."

Looking at the distinct-knuckled hand extended before her, Gu Yue was suddenly dazed.

It was as though time had flowed backward. Before her was no longer Zero Class's lounge, but the entrance to an alley beneath the sunset in Aolai City.

That young man, outlined in gold by the sunlight, had also held out his hand to her like this, his voice warm as he asked...

"Would you... like to be my little sister?"

That promise, which had once put her at ease and given her a "home," seemed to whisper in her ear once more.

As if possessed, she raised her hand and gently clasped Wang Chuan's.

The warmth from his palm was exactly the same as in her memories, carrying a warmth that made one instinctively want to rely on him and relax.

That brief contact was like an electric current, jolting Gu Yue awake!

As if burned, she quickly pulled back her hand. An almost imperceptible blush rose to her face, and she hurriedly lowered her head, trying to conceal her lapse with an even colder expression.

At the same time, she swiftly swept her gaze over Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Xu Xiaoyan from the corner of her eye.

Seeing that they did not seem to have paid much attention to the little incident, she quietly sighed in relief and cursed herself for not being cautious enough.

Wang Chuan merely smiled and withdrew his hand, as though nothing had happened.

Before long, the atmosphere livened up again under Tang Wulin's enthusiasm and Xie Xie's occasional jokes. They chatted and laughed about amusing academy stories and the upcoming competition, only returning to their dorms to rest late into the night.

Early the next morning, Tang Wulin eagerly ran over and knocked on Wang Chuan's door, his face brimming with irrepressible excitement.

"Brother Xiaochuan! Brother Xiaochuan!"

"That's great!"

"We can compete together!"

Tang Wulin's eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Wang Chuan thought he meant the blacksmithing competition. Assuming Uncle Mu Chen had already told Tang Wulin, he smiled and agreed.

"Yeah."

"I'm also going to participate in the Sky Sea Grand Competition."

He thought that they could discuss blacksmithing insights along the way.

"Hehe!"

Having received confirmation, Tang Wulin immediately grinned foolishly in delight. He thought it would be amazing to fight alongside Brother Xiaochuan.

Both of them thought the other was talking about the same thing, so the beautiful misunderstanding continued.

It was not until the day they set off for Skysea City, when Wang Chuan followed Eastsea Academy's team onto the luxurious Soul Guidance bus bearing the academy's emblem...

Only when he saw that everyone inside was wearing Eastsea Academy uniforms and eagerly preparing for the Soul Master competition did he belatedly realize something was wrong.

He looked at Long Hengxu, the lead teacher who was counting heads, and asked in confusion.

"Director Long, did you arrange this incorrectly?"

"I should be with the Blacksmith Association's convoy."

Hearing this, Long Hengxu turned around, his face equally full of confusion.

"No, Wang Chuan. How could I have arranged it incorrectly?"

"The Blacksmith Association's team is going to the blacksmithing competition series. Our academy is naturally going to the Soul Master competition series."

"Yeah, yeah!"

Tang Wulin echoed from the side.

"Brother Xiaochuan, did you forget?"

"Didn't you register for the individual competition?"

"Huh?" Wang Chuan was completely dumbfounded now, his face full of question marks. "When did I apply for the individual competition?"

The bus instantly fell silent. Everyone's eyes focused on him, then turned in unison toward Long Hengxu.

Long Hengxu was equally baffled. He looked at Wang Chuan and asked in confusion.

"Wang Chuan, didn't you personally tell me that you came back to participate in the Sky Sea Grand Competition?"

"So I registered you according to the usual procedure!"

At the time, he had been too busy celebrating. How could he have thought to ask which event Wang Chuan intended to enter?

Besides, with Wang Chuan's strength, the Soul Master competition would definitely not be a problem!

Wang Chuan covered his face. "I meant that I was participating in the blacksmithing competition at the Sky Sea Grand Competition!"

"Not the Soul Master competition!"

"Ah?!"

A collective gasp rang out through the bus.

Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, Gu Yue, Xu Xiaoyan, the other Zero Class students, and even the accompanying teachers were all stunned.

After all that, this had been a misunderstanding?!

An extremely awkward smile immediately appeared on Long Hengxu's face as he rubbed his hands and explained.

"Well..."

"Wang Chuan, when I heard you were entering the competition, I was just too excited."

"So I immediately went to Dean Yu and registered you for a spot in the Soul Master individual competition..."

"I didn't ask for details..."

His voice grew softer and softer. Clearly, he knew he had handled this rather carelessly.

As Eastsea City's only intermediate Soul Master Academy, Eastsea Academy had struggled in recent years with both overall student quality and competition results.

The Sky Sea Alliance Grand Competition centered on five first-tier cities along the East Coast, with many second- and third-tier cities participating as well. The competition was fierce.

Eastsea City's economy had developed rapidly, but its "soft power" in Soul Master education had repeatedly held it back.

Its dismal results in previous competitions had not only embarrassed the academy, but had also made the city's governing officials lose face and suffer damage to their reputations.

That was also why, when Long Hengxu proposed gathering resources to establish Zero Class and cultivate elite students, he had quickly received support from every side...

Everyone desperately needed a decisive victory to boost morale and secure more favorable policies and resources.

The children of Zero Class were talented, but they were still young. What they showed more than anything was "potential."

But Wang Chuan was different!

He was a genuine "monster" who stood firmly at the top of the Youth Wind and Cloud Ranking!

His return and participation were, for Eastsea Academy and even Eastsea City, like a huge pie falling from Heaven—a trump card that could directly secure the championship!

They had been unable to contact Wang Chuan before, and they had thought their hopes were completely shattered.

But now that Wang Chuan had returned of his own accord and mentioned participating, how could Long Hengxu possibly scrutinize the details?

He had to seize the opportunity first!

Tang Wulin and the others had learned from their homeroom teacher, Wu Zhangkong, that Wang Chuan had "registered" for the Sky Sea Grand Competition. Naturally, they assumed it was the Soul Master competition and never asked further.

When Wang Chuan mentioned the Sky Sea Grand Competition himself, however, he had meant the blacksmithing competition.

By a twist of fate...

This mix-up was not exposed until they had boarded the bus to leave.

Seeing Wang Chuan's helpless expression and the looks of sudden realization in the surrounding students' eyes, Long Hengxu steadied himself. With a hint of caution, he tentatively asked,

"Wang Chuan, look..."

"Your name has already been registered, and the schedule has been set. Changing it at the last minute will probably be troublesome."

"How about..."

"Why don't you also participate in the Soul Master competition while you're at it?"

"With your strength, winning the youth division's individual championship would be as easy as taking something from your pocket!"

"Of course, neither the academy nor Eastsea City will make you work for nothing!"

"I guarantee that once the competition is over, regardless of your ranking, the academy and Eastsea City's officials..."

"Will definitely provide resources that satisfy you as thanks and compensation!"

"What do you think... would that work?"