Even if You're Slow, You're Nine-Your Secondary Profession Should at Least Be Level Two by Now, Right?

On the field, Yu Zhen had already started his speech. As Xiao Mu listened, a voice from a little tavern surfaced in his mind.

The gist was simple: the winning first-year class would no longer take part in the rest of the Class Promotion Tournament. The first-year rankings would be adjusted according to the tournament rules.

Class Zero was established.

It currently had eight members.

Xiao Mu, Na'er, Zhang Yangzi, Wang Jinxi, Wei Xiaofeng, Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue.

Wu Zhangkong would serve as Class Zero's homeroom teacher.

When the speech ended, the crowd dispersed.

"First-year Class Zero students, stay behind."

Yu Zhen's voice came from the podium. It wasn't loud, but it carried clearly into everyone's ears.

As soon as he finished speaking, the eight students didn't linger. They headed straight to the dean's office.

The wooden door swung open. Yu Zhen sat behind his desk, his gaze sweeping over the eight boys and girls standing in a row.

Yu Zhen said, "I called you here to settle the arrangements for Class Zero. Did you all hear the announcements made on the field just now?"

"No need to repeat them." Xiao Mu's tone was direct.

"Then sign this agreement."

Yu Zhen flicked his wrist, and a thick stack of densely printed papers appeared in his palm. He handed one to each of the eight students.

They reached out and took them, their eyes skimming the pages. Three large characters at the top stood out clearly: Agreement.

The terms were straightforward. They stated that the signatories voluntarily committed to Eastsea Academy until they had completed all their studies in both the Intermediate Division and the Advanced Division, and could not transfer to another school without permission.

Xiao Mu skimmed the first couple of lines, then turned to leave with Na'er.

"With this lousy agreement, I think I'd better withdraw my investment. The board didn't even invite me to yesterday's meeting."

Yu Zhen's heart sank. He'd forgotten—there was a little ancestor here.

They'd agreed beforehand that Xiao Mu wouldn't interfere much with school affairs. How could he suddenly turn on him like this? Yu Zhen hurriedly called out to stop him.

"Xiao Mu—no, little ancestor. We can discuss this."

Xiao Mu didn't pause. "There's nothing to discuss. The board excluded me, so I don't accept this restrictive agreement."

Yu Zhen softened his tone. "How about this? I'll draw up a new agreement for the two of you right away."

He didn't dare waste time. He quickly pulled out blank sheets of paper and rewrote the terms in a flurry. In just a moment, he handed two brand-new agreements to Xiao Mu and Na'er.

The other six glanced over curiously, then froze when they saw the terms. The new agreement had no binding restrictions whatsoever. They could come and go as they pleased, and transfer to another school whenever they wanted. The academy couldn't stop them, and they would still receive their full share of resources. There wasn't a single clause meant to hold them back.

After all, Xiao Mu really did have the power to make sure Yu Zhen could no longer serve as dean.

He was far more ruthless than the other board members.

Xie Xie couldn't help leaning over for a closer look. "Dean, these terms are way too generous, aren't they?"

Yu Zhen gave a bitter laugh. "There's no point trying to tighten the reins on this one. I still want to keep my job as dean."

Xiao Mu read through each clause, and his expression eased a little.

Yu Zhen cautiously tested the waters. "Are you satisfied with these terms now? Can you sign?"

Xiao Mu pinched the paper between his fingers and replied coolly, "It'll do."

Na'er stood quietly beside him and accepted her copy. Her gaze settled on Xiao Mu. If he signed, she would follow suit.

Wu Zhangkong stood silently to one side throughout, wondering just how powerful Xiao Mu's background was.

But deep down, he was still thinking about Shrek Academy.

And what was Xiao Mu, anyway? If he wanted to go to Shrek Academy, he didn't need the Holy Spirit Cult—he could blow the place sky-high himself.

He'd been wanting to find a suitable location to run some fission or fusion experiments. Shrek Academy was perfect: he knew plenty of people there, and it was the Federation's friendliest city of the future—bar none.

The most terrifying part was that Xiao Mu was currently researching bunker-busting missiles capable of penetrating five hundred meters underground.

The Tang Sect's basement happened to be exactly five hundred meters deep. Xiao Mu also had the coordinates for the Xuan Shi Tang Sect, and Zero, his artificial intelligence, had unknowingly infiltrated the Tang Sect's database while learning. It would soon have all the coordinates.

All Xiao Mu needed now was to finalize the missile's trajectory and develop the bunker-busting missile.

Right, he was also missing Ghost Emperor's support.

The man who bore everything.

For the Federation, let Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect meet their end.

The next day, first-year Class Zero at Eastsea Academy was officially established.

This time, Wei Xiaofeng signed too. After careful consideration, he'd decided to cling tightly to Xiao Mu's leg.

That guy had beaten up the East Sea Mecha Brigade captain and still gotten away with it. Wei Xiaofeng had to cling to him for all he was worth.

The sky over Eastsea City was dark, but his future was bright.

Class Zero students received different treatment from ordinary students. Their classroom had been moved to a spacious room of its own, and their dormitories had been changed as well.

Instead of four students to a room, each had a room of their own, just like the dorm rooms for ordinary teachers.

Xiao Mu and Na'er sat together. Wei Xiaofeng sat close to Xiao Mu, Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi sat together, and Tang Wulin and Xie Xie sat together.

Gu Yue, meanwhile, kept herself apart from everyone.

Wu Zhangkong walked into the classroom with a stern expression and stopped in the middle. His gaze swept over the eight students.

"Starting today, I'll be teaching you."

"Today, I'll lay the groundwork for you—"

As he spoke, he wrote two words on the blackboard behind him: Mecha.

"Teacher, isn't this a bit too early?" Zhang Yangzi exclaimed in shock.

Under the traditional teaching system, the six years in the Intermediate Soul Master Academy's lower division were devoted to building a foundation. Students wouldn't begin studying mecha until they entered the Advanced Division.

Wu Zhangkong coughed twice, bringing everyone back to their senses. "All right, pay attention."

"Today's lesson will cover basic knowledge and the history of mecha development. Most importantly, you'll need to choose your secondary profession."

"According to the production process for mecha—or Battle Armor, to be precise—the secondary professions are Blacksmith, Mecha Designer, Mecha Manufacturer, and Mecha Repairer."

Of these, Battle Armor designed by a Mecha Designer had the highest compatibility with its user. The designer drew up the blueprints personally, after all, and no one understood their own Martial Soul better than they did. A Battle Armor's combat power depended to a great extent on how well it matched its user's Martial Soul.

Mecha Manufacturers specialized in engraving Soul Guidance Core arrays into Battle Armor. Their work mainly involved repeated copying and practice. Of the four professions, this one had the highest startup costs, since it consumed vast quantities of materials for practice. It required a hefty initial investment, and profits were hard to come by at first. It was a profession where effort accumulated over time, with skill built through practice.

Mecha Repairers leaned toward logistics and support. They didn't need to take part in every stage of Battle Armor production, and had little involvement in the manufacturing process. They needed a solid grasp of both design and manufacturing fundamentals. Their main role was to troubleshoot and repair damage during Martial Soul Fusion with Battle Armor. It was a steady profession, moderately difficult to learn and less competitive. More precisely, not many people chose it.

Last came Blacksmiths, the profession most dependent on talent and the one with the highest costs in the intermediate stages. Most people spent their entire lives stuck at the Spirit Refinement stage. Blacksmithing ranks corresponded to Battle Armor levels: Thousand Refinement for one-word, Spirit Refinement for two-word, Soul Refinement for three-word, and Heavenly Refinement for four-word Battle Armor.

Once they reached level seven and became Saint Craftsmen, the major powers would fight tooth and nail to recruit them.

Finally, Wu Zhangkong looked toward Tang Wulin. "Among you, someone has already chosen a secondary profession and reached level two."

Everyone was astonished, but Xiao Mu delivered a line that offended them all: "Even an idiot should be at level two in a secondary profession by age nine, right?"