Jiang Mingyuan and Tang Wulin stepped off the bus. The students had already picked up their luggage and formed a line. Parents stood on either side, saying goodbye to their children and offering parting reminders.
"Everyone, line up properly. In a moment, follow me to the academic affairs office to collect your school supplies. After that, someone will take you to your dormitories."
Liu Yuxin counted everyone one last time.
OK! All twenty-one students from this bus were present.
Liu Yuxin turned and walked through the school gates, with the students lining up behind her. The parents' calls of farewell continued without pause behind them.
Jiang Mingyuan took a small mirror out of his Storage Soul Tool and opened it to have a look. His hair was a complete mess. Tang Wulin snickered behind him.
"Sorry, Brother Yuan. I didn't have any experience. None at all!"
They were already at the back of the line. Jiang Mingyuan deliberately slowed his pace for a few steps, leaving a two-meter gap between them and the student ahead.
In a flash, he activated Martial Soul Possession and instantly switched back to his male form.
The student in front of them felt as though a flame had briefly scorched his back. Puzzled, he turned around. Jiang Mingyuan and Tang Wulin looked at the boy and smiled back.
The boy awkwardly greeted them as well.
"Hi. Hello there. My name's Wei Xiaofeng."
Jiang Mingyuan introduced himself too, pointing at Tang Wulin behind him. "Hello! I'm Jiang Mingyuan, and he's Tang Wulin."
Jiang Mingyuan stepped aside, and Tang Wulin leaned halfway out from behind him to offer a greeting.
"Hi, nice to meet you!"
Liu Yuxin, who was leading the group, felt that something was strange. Just now, she seemed to have sensed a powerful burst of soul power. But when she turned to look,
There was nothing there.
At the academic affairs office, a middle-aged male teacher carefully checked Jiang Mingyuan against the photograph on his recommendation letter. He nodded and pushed a square package toward him.
"All right, Jiang Mingyuan. These are the textbooks you'll need for the coming year. You're in First Grade Class One, and your room is Boys' Dormitory 205."
Liu Yuxin, who was still waiting in the academic affairs office, couldn't make sense of it. She stood by the doorway, studying him for quite some time.
Wait. How did Jiang Mingyuan's hair get shorter?
"Tang Wulin, these are your textbooks. You're in First Grade Class Five. Dormitory 205."
Tang Wulin was delighted to hear that he and Jiang Mingyuan would share a room. After all, they had traveled a thousand miles to study in this big city, where they didn't know a single soul. Staying together would let them look out for each other.
He had already considered that, with his soul power only at level eleven, he probably wouldn't be placed in the same class as Jiang Mingyuan. Still, he hadn't expected to end up in Class Five, the worst class.
Just then, Jiang Mingyuan set the textbooks he had just picked up back on the desk and looked at the middle-aged teacher.
"Sir, could you change our classes? We came here together. Being in the same class would make it easier for us to look out for each other."
The middle-aged teacher shook his head, though he understood how they felt. Both children's recommendation letters came from Red Mountain Academy in Aolai City. They were only nine years old, leaving their hometown behind to study here in Eastsea City. It was only natural for them to feel uneasy.
But rules were still rules.
"Jiang Mingyuan, I understand that you want to be placed with your friend. But we assign classes according to school regulations. Students with higher soul power levels are grouped together, and those with lower levels are grouped together. That also makes teaching easier. Tang Wulin's soul power is simply too low, so he can only be placed in Class Five."
Tang Wulin glanced at Jiang Mingyuan, trying to keep his voice calm.
"Brother Yuan, it's fine. We just won't be in the same class. We'll still share a dorm room."
But no sooner had Tang Wulin finished speaking than Jiang Mingyuan said something astonishing.
"Then put me in Class Five, sir."
The other three people present all looked surprised.
"Jiang Mingyuan, this is no laughing matter. Your soul power level is high, and your talent is outstanding. Only in Class One can you receive the best education. Class Five would only bury your talent."
"That's right, Brother Yuan. You don't need to do something like this for me."
Jiang Mingyuan raised a hand, signaling Tang Wulin to stop. Then he took out his recommendation letter from the Junior Soul Master Academy again, pushed it toward the middle-aged teacher, and pointed to the soul power level listed on it.
"Sir, that's not quite right. Since you say being in Class Five would waste my talent, how many academies on this continent are stronger than Eastsea Academy? And how many students at those academies have reached level twenty-eight soul power at my age?"
The middle-aged teacher gave a wry chuckle. This young student certainly had quite a personality.
"All right. I can transfer you to Class Five."
Eastsea City was indeed a fairly well-developed city, but it still didn't rank among the continent's finest.
If going to Class Five instead of Class One meant burying his talent, then wouldn't coming to Eastsea Academy instead of some better school bury it even deeper?
After putting their textbooks into the Storage Soul Tool, the two walked out side by side. Liu Yuxin led them toward the dormitory building.
"You two really are close, aren't you? Actually, Eastsea Academy has a long-standing tradition. Every school year, classes in the same grade take part in a contest called the Class Promotion Competition. A lower-ranked class can send three students to challenge a higher-ranked class. If they win, the two classes switch rankings, and they gain access to the resources for their new rank."
"Huh! We can do that?" Tang Wulin was surprised. He had thought that being assigned to Class Five meant he would always be a Class Five student, with nothing to do but diligently cultivate. He hadn't expected there to be a chance to work his way up.
"Well, maybe you can lead Class Five up to Class Three or Class Four, Junior Jiang."
Jiang Mingyuan suddenly thought of a sneaky trick.
In the original story, Xie Xie could have gone to Class One. He had only been punished with an assignment to Class Five because he took part in Tang Wulin's dormitory brawl.
Suppose-and I'm only saying suppose-I found talented students who appeared in the original story, like Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi, and gave them a beating. As long as they fought back, they'd all get tossed into Class Five.
Still, that idea was best left as a passing thought. There was absolutely no need for it. Even without him taking part, Tang Wulin might be able to beat Class One's trio with any two tagalongs in tow.
They entered the dorm room. Two bunk beds, four sets of desks and chairs, and two cabinets. That was all the furniture inside.
Both lower bunks were already occupied. On the left was a sturdy-looking boy with a buzz cut who looked like the sort to give teachers headaches.
On the right was a thin, small boy wearing glasses.
As soon as Jiang Mingyuan and Tang Wulin entered, the boy with glasses stood up and greeted them.
"Hello, I'm Yun Xiao. Yun as in 'cloud,' and Xiao as in 'small.'"
Since all their luggage was stored in Jiang Mingyuan's Storage Soul Tool, he went to the corner first and took their belongings out. Tang Wulin smiled and introduced himself.
"Hello, I'm Tang Wulin. He's Jiang Mingyuan."