What Is 7 Minus 3?

A heavy drowsiness swept over him. Chen An lay down on his bed and quickly fell asleep.

With a flicker of consciousness, he stepped into that familiar Sea of Consciousness once more.

The evening wind rustled through the grass in the dark forest. The black humanoid phantom still stood quietly in the center of the clearing.

The figure spoke faintly, its voice slowly echoing through the space. "You seem relaxed. Did something good happen?"

Chen An slowly walked forward, looked at the black silhouette before him, and gently shook his head.

"As long as no unexpected complications arise, everything right now counts as good news."

The figure nodded slightly and did not continue asking about trivial matters, instead turning to cultivation.

"How far has your spiritual power progressed?"

"400."

Chen An answered honestly, a trace of anticipation hidden in his eyes.

"After polishing it for a while longer, I'll be able to control this consciousness space on my own. I'm rather looking forward to that day."

"Don't let your guard down."

The figure's tone was calm as it gave him an important reminder.

"When your spiritual power reaches 500 points, I recommend prioritizing a draw pool related to consciousness and the mind. It will be immensely beneficial to your future cultivation."

Chen An lowered his head and carefully considered the advice. After a moment, he looked up and answered solemnly, "All right. I'll remember that."

Then he sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began meditating.

The night passed quietly.

The next morning, at Eastsea Academy's main field.

Director Long Hengxu stood atop the platform, swept his gaze across the crowd below, and loudly announced the final ruling of the Class Advancement Tournament.

"In this Class Advancement Tournament, several freshmen displayed talent and strength far beyond the level of ordinary first-year students.

After discussion among the academy's teaching staff, we have decided to establish a new class—Class Zero—to be taught by Teacher Wu Changkong."

An uproar instantly broke out across the field as countless students murmured among themselves.

Long Hengxu raised a hand to quiet them and continued reading the list.

"The students selected for Class Zero are: Chen An, Tang Wuling, Gu Yue, Zhang Yangzi, Wang Jinxi, Wei Xiaofeng, and Xie Xie. The seven of you are to report to the teachers' office after this meeting."

Envious and astonished gazes from all around fell upon the seven of them.

Before long, they arrived at the office, where several confidentiality agreements bearing the academy emblem had been placed on the desk.

Chen An and Tang Wuling did not hesitate in the slightest. They picked up pens and decisively signed their names.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yangzi, Wang Jinxi, and Wei Xiaofeng gathered together at one side and whispered among themselves.

Class Zero represented the academy's highest level of priority training, but the agreement clearly stated in black and white that once they entered Class Zero, they would not be allowed to transfer away from Eastsea Academy until they completed the advanced division curriculum.

Each of them had family support behind them, and their families had long planned out their futures. They could easily attend other academies with more abundant resources and better conditions.

Staying at Eastsea Academy meant limiting their future choices.

After several rounds of weighing their options and hesitating, the three exchanged glances, stated their decision to Long Hengxu, and chose to give up their Class Zero spots.

The list of seven shrank to four in an instant.

Long Hengxu looked at the three who had withdrawn, his expression carrying a hint of regret as he went on at length about the resources and opportunities Class Zero could offer.

He painted one enticing picture after another, implying that they would surely regret their choice today in the future.

Standing nearby, Chen An did not listen closely to that lengthy speech.

No matter how attractive an offer was, it still depended on whether it suited the person.

Once all the procedures were complete, everyone went their separate ways.

Chen An returned to the boys' dormitory.

Class Zero students would be assigned private single rooms, so Chen An began packing his belongings.

His other three roommates gathered around him, their eyes filled with regret.

During their time together, they had witnessed Chen An's strength with their own eyes and recognized the gap between them. Although they had certainly been discouraged, they had not lost their fighting spirit because of it.

Zhang Yangzi spoke in a sincere tone.

"Chen An, we admit that you're strong. But we won't give up because of this. Maybe one day in the future, we'll meet you again on a competition field in another city."

For some reason, Chen An found those words familiar. They were remarkably similar to what Tang Wuling had once said.

A faint smile appeared on his face. He raised his hand and bumped fists with the three of them in turn.

"Then I'll look forward to seeing you again."

After saying that, he placed all his luggage into his Storage Soul Device and turned to leave the old dormitory.

That afternoon, Class Zero's first lesson officially began.

The classroom was exceedingly spacious. Only four chairs had been placed in the enormous room, one for each student.

Wu Changkong, dressed in plain white training clothes, stood before the podium. His expression was cold, and his gaze swept over the four of them. His voice was calm yet powerful.

He mentioned that a Soul Master's second profession was also extremely important.

"In ancient times, when Soul Masters were scarce, humanity explored and created Soul Devices.

Soul Devices continued to evolve, eventually becoming Mechas that ordinary people could operate. As Mechas continued developing, they became Battle Armor that could be worn on the body.

Only those who possess Battle Armor are qualified to be called true top-tier powerhouses..."

Upon hearing the word Mecha, countless strange images uncontrollably sprang into Chen An's mind.

Steel giants like Gundam, and the Heaven-Overlord Sword Demon.

A thought could not help but arise in his heart: if he improved his forging skills, would he have a chance to recreate those fantastical creations in this world?

His thoughts drifted slightly, and he was briefly distracted.

"Chen An."

Wu Changkong's cold voice suddenly rang out, directly calling his name.

Chen An instantly came back to his senses and promptly answered, "Here."

"Tell us what I just said."

Chen An stood up and, with clear logic and without missing a single word, fully recounted the developmental history of Battle Armor from ancient times to the present, as well as the second professions derived from Mechas.

Wu Changkong nodded slightly. Rather than making things difficult for him, he continued asking questions.

"Have any of you already come into contact with a second profession?"

"Forging." Tang Wuling and Chen An answered in unison.

Gu Yue gently shook her head, while Xie Xie also said he had not yet explored one.

"Your levels?"

"Third-rank blacksmith," Tang Wuling answered.

"Second-rank," Chen An replied honestly. He had not yet gone to the Blacksmith Association to complete the third-rank assessment.

"That can only be considered average."

Wu Changkong gave his assessment blandly.

"Build your foundation properly before you start fantasizing about higher levels."

As his words fell, he reached into the podium and drew out a straight teaching rod. His icy gaze fell upon the four of them.

"Another thing: regarding the most important aspect for a Soul Master, all of you currently lack far too much practical combat experience and skill."

Chen An already knew what was about to happen. He merely shrugged at Wu Changkong.

"Next, I won't use any soul skills. I'll suppress myself to roughly your level. Come at me together."

The sky rearranged its sections like a Roulette.

The dim yellow sunlight shone into the corridor as the four of them left the classroom, exhausted.

Chen An seemed to have received special attention. He discovered that whenever Wu Changkong fought him, he hit harder than he did with the others.

Wu Changkong also regarded Chen An as the strongest among the four.