Xu Xiaoyu watched this scene, his lips twitched, his eyes reddened slightly, and he seemed to have all his strength drained away. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't say anything. He just watched helplessly as his sister took the arm of that indifferent boy and walked towards the soul-guided bus parked by the square without looking back.
The feeling was like having your carefully cultivated cabbage eaten by a passing pig.
And that pig didn't even glance at him.
Tang Wulin looked at Xu Xiaoyu, who was on the verge of tears, his lips twitched, and he shook his head.
He really didn't understand why this kind of sister-obsessed guy would attract so much attention from female seniors. He glanced at Liu Yuxin, who was standing next to Xu Xiaoyu. The beautiful senior's gaze was always on Xu Xiaoyu, and the hearts in her eyes were almost overflowing.
Tang Wulin withdrew his gaze and quickly caught up with Class Zero's group.
At the same time, he also became nervous.
From the conversation between siblings Xu Xiaoyan and Xu Xiaoyu, it's clear that Eastsea Academy's performance in past competitions has been less than ideal. And it seems to be more than just generally unsatisfactory.
The words "couldn't even pass the preliminaries" echoed repeatedly in Tang Wulin's mind.
As the second largest city on the East Sea, Eastsea City's performance is so dismal that it's no wonder the academy is worried.
In fact, Tang Wulin's guess was entirely correct.
As the only Intermediate Soul Master Academy in Eastsea City, Eastsea Academy has always had a relatively low overall student quality.
It's not that the students aren't working hard, but rather that Eastsea City's geographical location has determined its awkward situation. It doesn't occupy the most prosperous port on the East Sea like Skysea City, nor does it have a profound historical heritage like Heaven Dou City, nor does it have the strongest educational resources on the entire continent like Shrek City.
What Eastsea City has is a rapidly developing economy and an increasing number of business opportunities.
However, for Soul Master training, many commercial opportunities are not necessarily a good thing.
Gifted children are more willing to go to Skysea City, Shrek City, and other places with better educational resources.
This results in the Eastsea Academy being able to recruit students who are either of average talent, average family background, or both.
Over time, Eastsea Academy's status among Soul Master within the Skysea Alliance declined and it became increasingly marginalized.
In the previous Skysea Alliance Grand Competition, the Eastsea Academy's junior team didn't even manage to win a single match. The youth team fared no better; although they won two matches, they were ultimately eliminated in the preliminary rounds.
Such results not only embarrassed the academy, but also greatly embarrassed the governing officials of Eastsea City.
This is why Long Hengxu's proposal to establish Class Zero, taking advantage of the emergence of geniuses, was quickly approved.
If this continues, the reputation of Eastsea City will be affected.
In terms of economy, Eastsea City is developing very rapidly. If a city's reputation is damaged due to the low level of Soul Master training, it will directly affect all aspects such as business investment, talent introduction, and educational resources.
Therefore, both the academy and the Eastsea City government have high hopes for this Skysea Alliance Grand Competition.
They hoped that these ten-year-old children could demonstrate Eastsea City's potential to the top officials of major cities in the Skysea Alliance, and also hoped to receive more help and support from the Eastsea City government.
After all, they were only ten years old.
A ten-year-old Soul Master with two or three Soul Rings would be considered a genius in the entire Douluo Continent.
With such talent, her future prospects are limitless.
Long Hengxu stood beside the bus, watching the five children from Class Zero walk over, his expression somewhat complicated.
He is the Dean of Studies at the Eastsea Academy and the leader of the team for this Skysea Alliance Grand Competition. He has worked at the Eastsea Academy for twenty years and has witnessed the entire process of the academy's decline from barely surviving to gradually decaying.
He knew better than anyone what this competition meant for the Eastsea Academy.
" Teacher Wu."
Long Hengxu looked at Wu Zhangkong, who was walking at the front of the group, and said with a hint of solemnity, "I'm counting on you for this competition, Class Zero."
Wu Zhangkong nodded without saying a word.
His gaze swept over the five students in Class Zero, lingering on Zhong Shenxiu for a moment before moving away.
In fact, Wu Zhangkong was doing his best to suppress the corners of his mouth.
A competition? What kind of competition?
I have General Zhong Shenxiu, who can defeat all the players in the entire Skysea Alliance Grand Competition!
If there hadn't been so many people, Wu Zhangkong might have actually laughed.
Long Hengxu then looked at Zhong Shenxiu and the others, his tone softening. "Kids, don't put too much pressure on yourselves in this competition. You're still young, and you have a long road ahead of you. The main purpose of this trip is to broaden your horizons and gain experience. As for the results, just do your best."
Upon hearing this, Xie Xie muttered under his breath, "Didn't Teacher Wu say we had to at least get into the top three?"
Long Hengxu's lips twitched slightly as he glanced at Wu Zhangkong.
Wu Zhangkong said expressionlessly, "The top three is the minimum standard."
Long Hengxu took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. He told himself, "Don't get angry, don't get angry. Wu Zhangkong is just like that. If he says the top three is the minimum standard, then he must have his reasons."
Although Long Hengxu had no idea what this principle was.
He wasn't entirely clear about the cultivation levels of the five people in Class Zero.
But last semester, he knew that even after a holiday, without relaxing, increasing one or two levels of Soul Power wouldn't seem like a significant improvement.
According to Long Hengxu's guess, the five students in Class Zero are indeed quite strong among the junior group. However, the problem is that the age range for the junior group is ten to fifteen years old, and a five-year age gap means a huge difference in Soul Power cultivation.
How easy is it for Class Zero to be in the top three?
But Long Hengxu didn't say these words aloud. He knew that Wu Zhangkong wasn't the kind of person who would speak carelessly. Since he said he was in the top three, he must be confident.
Long Hengxu shook his head, turned around, and boarded the bus.
The five people from Class Zero also boarded the bus.
The bus had a spacious interior with seats arranged in pairs. Xu Xiaoyan was the first to rush onto the bus, grabbing a window seat. She then patted the seat next to her and called out to Zhong Shenxiu, "Brother Shenxiu, over here!"
Gu Yue walked onto the car expressionlessly, glanced at the seat Xu Xiaoyan had taken, then went to the back and found a window seat to sit down. Her movements were natural, but Xie Xie noticed that the seat she was sitting in offered a perfect view of Zhong Shenxiu's profile.
Xie Xie's lips twitched, and he pulled Tang Wulin to sit in the last row.
"Why did you pull me?" Tang Wulin, somewhat puzzled.
Xie Xie lowered his voice. "Are you stupid? What if you get caught in the blast while sitting in the front?"
Tang Wulin thought about it and felt that Xie Xie's words made sense, so he obediently sat down.