First Meeting with the Main Cast

Wu Changkong's eyes held an unmistakable look of scrutiny.

Li Qingxun met his gaze without yielding an inch.

"The Heavenly Snow Woman has enormous potential. Normally, cultivating a Martial Soul like yours to two rings should be easy for you. So why does it still have only one ring?"

As Wu Changkong spoke, his gaze settled on the Heavenly Snow Woman and the Yellow Soul Ring in Li Qingxun's hand. His brow furrowed slightly.

The Heavenly Snow Woman had extraordinary potential, though her extreme attribute might slow his cultivation somewhat compared with an ordinary Martial Soul.

The difference should not have been great.

Normally, Li Qingxun should already have reached two rings by this stage, yet the boy before him clearly had only one.

Li Qingxun merely looked at Wu Changkong calmly. Compared with Long Hengxu, Wu Changkong was plainly more knowledgeable.

He understood more, too. What had fooled Long Hengxu would not fool him.

Of course, Li Qingxun had never intended to fool Wu Changkong.

He raised his other hand, and a massive White Dragon appeared behind him.

The White Dragon lay there quietly, but terrifying mental power, extreme in its intensity, poured freely from its body.

Wu Changkong's brow drew tight the instant he sensed it. Six Soul Rings appeared around him.

As a black Soul Ring emerged, the powerful aura of a Soul Emperor spread through the room.

Three Soul Rings lit up around Long Hengxu as well. He stared at the sight in astonishment.

Sensing that extreme Mental Attribute, Wu Changkong gave Li Qingxun a long look, then turned to Long Hengxu with an earnest expression.

"I want this child. Put him in Class Zero. Go to the principal for the agreement and have it sent over. Get this child's paperwork signed as soon as possible."

Wu Changkong paused on "as soon as possible," but Long Hengxu understood at once.

They had not known each other long, but Long Hengxu knew just how aloof Teacher Wu could be.

For him to say "as soon as possible" spoke volumes about the boy's talent. Long Hengxu needed no further convincing.

He nodded firmly and headed out without asking another question.

As Long Hengxu went to the principal's office, Wu Changkong sat with one leg crossed over the other, studying Li Qingxun.

"You haven't added a Soul Ring to your Second Martial Soul. Are you waiting for your First Martial Soul to develop so you can add a powerful ring to it right away?"

Wu Changkong's question was serious. Twin Martial Souls were rare, but because Soul Spirits existed, most people with them added Soul Rings from the start.

They did not usually wait until later.

After all, adding Soul Rings early gave their combat strength a tremendous boost.

Li Qingxun paused for a second, then shook his head. "I don't have the money to buy a Soul Spirit. I'm poor. I can't afford one.

"So I'm planning to earn money and choose a good Hundred-Year Soul Spirit for myself."

Li Qingxun spoke with steady sincerity.

Wu Changkong's expression visibly froze for an instant. Then he nodded in silence.

His lips parted as though he wanted to say something, but after a moment's thought, he held back. He did not know the child well enough yet.

The two waited in silence, and the atmosphere grew awkward. Fortunately, Long Hengxu worked quickly.

The principal also wanted a promising talent like this to join them, so Long Hengxu came running back in less than ten minutes.

Still catching his breath, he handed over the form containing the details for joining Class Zero.

Li Qingxun took the pen and calmly signed his name.

The three elegant characters of his name appeared on the page. Long Hengxu glanced at them, delight flashing in his eyes, then smiled at Wu Changkong.

"This child belongs to Class Zero now. Student Li Qingxun, this is your homeroom teacher, Wu Changkong. You can call him Teacher Wu."

Long Hengxu smiled at Li Qingxun, an unusual warmth in his eyes.

Wu Changkong merely glanced at Long Hengxu before standing and motioning for Li Qingxun to follow. Together, they left the dean's office and headed down the corridor.

Neither walked particularly fast. When they reached the classroom and opened the door, several students were sitting inside, chatting.

In the first seat of the front row sat an exceptionally handsome boy with long black hair and dark eyes.

He looked curiously at Li Qingxun as he entered. Beside him sat a girl who also had long black hair.

She wore hers in a ponytail, her expression calm and detached. She, too, turned to look at Li Qingxun.

Their expressions were somewhat alike. The composure and detachment in their eyes seemed to have been cut from the same cloth.

Farther along sat a blond boy with one arm draped over the back of his chair.

He looked their way as well, only straightening up when Wu Changkong entered.

Behind him sat two more boys, neither very old.

The two exchanged a glance. One was blond and the other black-haired, and they were clearly close.

They sat nearer to each other than the others did.

Li Qingxun swept his gaze over them. It was easy enough to match each face to a name and identity.

Wu Changkong entered, glanced over the students, and began introducing them in seating order.

"First on the left: Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, Xie Xie."

"First in the second row: Zhang Yangzi, Wang Jinxi."

"They're the students of Class Zero, and your classmates from now on. This is Li Qingxun."

"He's the new student in our class. Li Qingxun, sit beside Xie Xie."

Wu Changkong pointed at the last empty seat. It was an instruction, not a question.

Wu Changkong was not accustomed to discussing such things. Li Qingxun simply gave a soft acknowledgment.

He walked over to Xie Xie and sat down quietly.

Xie Xie studied the boy who had taken the seat beside him.

Li Qingxun had black hair and dark eyes, and he was remarkably handsome.

Yet it was not the ordinary sort of good looks. His features were sharply defined, as though carved by blade and axe, and his calm eyes held a hint of detachment.

At a glance, his composure gave him a maturity beyond his years.

Xie Xie looked at Li Qingxun, then at Gu Yue. An odd expression flickered across his eyes, but it vanished almost immediately.

Wu Changkong sat down. A teaching pointer appeared in his hand, and he tapped the blackboard lightly before beginning the day's lesson.

He taught at a brisk pace, with a strong rhythm and a clear structure.

There were classes only in the morning, so when the lesson ended, the other students went out to eat.

Wu Changkong kept Li Qingxun behind to take him to his dormitory and arrange a place for him to stay.