Zero Class Is Established

Tang Wulin quickly turned around and saw Xiling and Xie Xie wearing teasing half-smiles. His face instantly reddened as he hurriedly protested, "I didn't!"

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

"Huh?" Tang Wulin blinked blankly.

Xiling leaned closer and whispered in his ear, "She's the number one campus beauty in our intermediate division, little Wulin. Are you really not interested in her? Quite a few upper division seniors are pursuing her."

"She's so pretty. If you let her slip away, it'll be too late for regrets. Are you sure... you don't have that kind of thought?"

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

"Xiling! Don't talk nonsense!" Tang Wulin's voice rose several pitches in panic. 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. "You didn't think that much about it? Then why is your face red? I saw you staring at her back just now—you were practically lost in a daze!"

The two of them took turns teasing him, leaving Tang Wulin utterly embarrassed. He could only keep waving his hands in explanation, but the more he explained, the worse it sounded.

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

She looked at Xiling and pursed her lips. The number one campus beauty of the intermediate division? So pretty? If she restored her appearance, she could crush that Ouyang Zixin in seconds, all right?

Naturally, Xiling and the others had no idea what she was thinking.

Just after they finished breakfast, they received a notice ordering all first-year students to gather on the training field for a grade-wide meeting.

The meeting was simple: 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 First Grade Class One.

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

Because Xiling and the other three had been transferred out, Eastsea Academy had produced the worst First Grade 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 briefly on Xiling before speaking.

"I've already explained why Zero Class was established. It's because we don't 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 their potential. For a genius to grow, they must put in efforts far beyond those 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 them.

It was an agreement. Its general terms stated that they could not transfer schools before completing their studies in the intermediate and upper divisions.

Before they could figure out what it 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."

"So the academy must ensure that you can continue studying here, rather than being thrown off course by uncertain factors. All right, sign."

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

Yu Zhen rolled his eyes. "Of course. Go back and discuss it, then. But don't take part in Zero Class. I'm busy and don't have time to wait for you to handle such matters."

While they were speaking, Xiling had already finished reading his agreement. His expression was somewhat strange.

The agreement in his hand differed from the others'. He did not need to complete his studies in the intermediate or upper divisions, yet he would still receive the same preferential resources as Zero Class.

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

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

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

Seeing Xiling sign, Gu Yue followed right after him. Before long, everyone except Wei Xiaofeng had signed their agreements.

Wei Xiaofeng looked at Yu Zhen, somewhat hesitant. "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 once I reach the upper division."

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

After Wei Xiaofeng left, Yu Zhen demonstrated what it meant to be a master of changing faces. The stern expression on his face instantly became a warm smile.

"All right, you have signed the agreement. That means that from this moment onward, you are the academy's core elite students."

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

"Although Eastsea Academy does not rank highly among the continent's academies, it is 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 really wanted to say, "What bullshit are you spouting?"

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

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

After Zero Class was established, Gu Yue and the others' dormitory arrangements changed from four people to a room to one person per room. Their treatment had indeed improved considerably.

Xiling still commuted as before. The only difference was that Gu Yue had rejected the one-person room and chosen to commute as well.

As for where she would live? Well, Gu Yue came looking for him right after completing the paperwork.

"So you don't have anywhere to live, yet you registered as a commuter? What exactly are you trying to do?" Xiling looked at Gu Yue speechlessly.

"Just tell me whether I can move in and live with you! Can you really bear to see me sleeping on the streets?" Gu Yue blinked, smiling slyly.

The corner of Xiling's mouth twitched slightly. "I now have reason to suspect that you have ulterior motives toward me, so I refuse."

Would the dignified Silver Dragon King have nowhere to live? He would not believe it even if beaten to death.

Rather than backing down at his words, Gu Yue stepped another half-step closer. She slightly raised her delicate little face, looked straight at him with 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 leave me behind?"

When she acted cute, she actually resembled Na'er a little. With Xiling's personality of yielding to softness rather than force, she really left him both amused and helpless.

He nodded and held out his right hand. "Fine. The lodging fee is one hundred thousand Federation coins per month, including food and accommodation. It's a fair price, no haggling. Otherwise, there's nothing to discuss."

Gu Yue froze at those words, her eyes widening slightly. She clearly had not expected Xiling to pull something like this.

No, this was not how it was supposed to go, was it? Why was it different from what she had imagined?

Gu Yue stared at him for a long while. Seeing 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 on it. Before long, one hundred thousand Federation coins had been transferred into Xiling's account.

Looking at the extra balance on his card, Xiling smiled in satisfaction. "That's more like it. Nothing in this world comes for free."