Zero Class Is Established

Tang Wulin quickly turned around and saw Xiling and Xie Xie wearing knowing smirks. His face instantly flushed red, and he hurriedly explained, "I didn't!"

"You didn't? Not bad, Wulin. That senior even told you her name. By the way, have you really never heard the name Ouyang Zixin?" Xie Xie said with a mischievous grin.

"Huh?" Tang Wulin blinked blankly.

Xiling leaned closer and whispered into his ear, "She's the number one beauty in our Intermediate Division, little Wulin. Are you really not interested in her? Plenty of seniors from the advanced classes are pursuing her."

"She's so pretty. If you miss this chance, it'll be too late for regrets. Are you sure... you don't have those kinds of thoughts?"

His voice was not loud, but it was just enough for the other two to hear clearly.

"Brother Ling! Don't talk nonsense!" Tang Wulin's voice rose anxiously. His gaze darted around, and he did not dare meet their eyes. "I-I just happened to run into her while running, then we had a race. I really didn't think that much about it!"

Xie Xie immediately piled on, clicking his tongue twice. "Didn't think that much about it? Then why are you blushing? I saw you staring at her back just now. You were practically lost in a daze!"

Their repeated teasing left Tang Wulin utterly embarrassed. He could only wave his hands and keep explaining, but the more he explained, the worse it sounded.

Meanwhile, Gu Yue, who had been standing beside them the entire time, was far too quiet.

She looked at Xiling and pursed her lips. Number one beauty of the Intermediate Division? So pretty? If she recovered her appearance, she could crush that Ouyang Zixin in minutes, all right?

Naturally, Xiling and the others knew nothing of her little thoughts.

Just after they finished breakfast together, they received a notice ordering all first-year students to head to the training field for a grade-level assembly.

The meeting was very simple. Grade One Zero Class was being established, with Wu Zhangkong serving as the homeroom teacher. The selected students were Xiling, Gu Yue, Xie Xie, and Tang Wulin from Grade One Class One.

Zhang Yangzi, Wang Jinxi, and Wei Xiaofeng from Grade One Class Two.

Because Xiling's group of four had been transferred out, Eastsea Academy now had the weakest Grade One Class One in its history.

After the meeting was dismissed, Eastsea Academy's principal, Yu Zhen, kept the Zero Class students behind. He looked over the seven of them, lingering on Xiling for a moment before speaking.

"I have already explained the purpose of establishing Zero Class. It is because we do not want to hold you back. But you must also put away your arrogance over your talents."

"This world has never lacked geniuses, nor has it ever lacked geniuses who died before reaching maturity. A genius who wishes to grow still has to put in effort far beyond that of ordinary people."

"Only then will you be worthy of your talents. Do you understand?"

"We understand."

Yu Zhen nodded in satisfaction. With a flick of his wrist, several sheets of paper filled with writing appeared in his hand, and he handed one to each of the seven students.

They were agreements. Their general contents stated that, before completing their studies in the Intermediate Division and Advanced Division, they could not transfer to another school.

Before they could figure out what this meant, Yu Zhen continued, "Now that the academy has established Zero Class, we will increase our investment in you and prioritize you in every kind of resource."

"Therefore, the academy must ensure that you can continue studying here and do not stray from your path because of uncertain circumstances. All right, sign them."

Xie Xie suddenly stepped forward and asked, "Principal, shouldn't we discuss this with our families before signing?"

Yu Zhen rolled his eyes. "You may. Go back and discuss it, then. But do not take part in Zero Class. I am very busy and do not have time to wait for you to handle these matters."

While they were speaking, Xiling had already finished reading the agreement in his hand. His expression became somewhat strange.

His agreement differed from the others'. He did not need to complete his studies in the Intermediate Division or Advanced Division, yet he could still enjoy the resource priority given to Zero Class.

The only condition was that, if the academy needed him in the future, they hoped he would lend the academy a hand.

They were betting that he would definitely become a powerhouse in the future! He had to admit, this principal was quite shrewd.

Still, Xiling signed it. It would not make much difference.

When Gu Yue saw Xiling sign, she followed right after him. Before long, aside from Wei Xiaofeng, the other six had all signed their agreements.

Wei Xiaofeng looked at Yu Zhen with some hesitation. "Principal, isn't it inappropriate not to discuss this with our families? After all, my family may arrange for me to attend a better academy when I reach the Advanced Division."

Yu Zhen did not force him to stay. He simply nodded. "Everyone has their own ambitions. You may return to Class Two."

After Wei Xiaofeng left, Yu Zhen demonstrated what it meant to be a master at changing expressions. The stern look on his face instantly turned into a gentle smile.

"All right, you have signed the agreements. This means that, from this moment onward, you will become the academy's most core elite students."

"We respect Wei Xiaofeng's choice, but I believe that one day, he will regret the choice he made today."

"Although our Eastsea Academy does not rank highly among the continent's academies, we are still an Intermediate Soul Master Academy. Once the academy's resources are fully prioritized for you—"

"Even the legendary Shrek Academy may not be much stronger than us."

Listening to Yu Zhen's confident words, Xiling truly wanted to say, "What bullshit are you spouting?"

No matter how poor Shrek Academy's reputation might be, it still gathered the continent's finest resources. There were more Title Douluo than one could count on both hands. What did Eastsea Academy have to compare with it?

Not far away, Wu Zhangkong's mouth also twitched involuntarily.

After Zero Class was established, Gu Yue and the others moved from four-person dormitories to single rooms. Their benefits had indeed improved considerably.

Xiling continued commuting as before. The only difference was that Gu Yue declined the one-person room and chose to commute as well.

As for where she would live? Well, she came to find him right after completing the procedures.

"So you had nowhere to live, yet you applied to commute? What exactly were you thinking?" Xiling looked at Gu Yue speechlessly.

"Just tell me whether I can move in with you! Can you really bear to watch me sleep on the streets?" Gu Yue blinked and smiled slyly.

The corner of Xiling's mouth twitched. "I now have reason to suspect that you are plotting something against me, so I refuse."

Would the mighty Silver Dragon King have nowhere to live? He would not believe it even if someone beat him to death.

Instead of restraining herself after hearing that, Gu Yue moved half a step closer. She slightly raised her delicate little face, looked straight at him with her clear eyes, and said in a soft voice,

"I really have nowhere to go. Everyone else has companions, while I'm the only lonely girl here. Can you really bear to abandon me?"

When she acted coquettishly, she actually resembled Na'er somewhat. For someone like Xiling, who responded to softness rather than force, it truly left him both amused and helpless.

He nodded and extended his right hand. "Fine. The lodging fee is one hundred thousand Federation Credits per month. Food and accommodation included. A fair price, no bargaining. Otherwise, there is nothing to discuss."

Gu Yue froze when she heard that. Her eyes widened slightly, clearly not expecting Xiling to pull something like this.

No, this isn't how it was supposed to go. Why was this different from what she had imagined?

Gu Yue stared at him for a long while. When she saw that he had no intention of changing his mind, she was completely out of options.

Gu Yue could only take out her soul communicator and tap away at it. Before long, one hundred thousand Federation Credits had been transferred into Xiling's account.

Seeing the increased balance on his card, Xiling smiled in satisfaction. "That's more like it. Nothing in this world comes free."