With the sun already high, the opening ceremony was held with due pomp in Eastsea Academy's enormous plaza, right on schedule.
The intermediate division had roughly seven or eight hundred students, while the advanced division had even fewer, not quite two hundred.
The students from all three divisions assembled in the plaza in lines, then formed neat square formations according to their respective years and classes. From a distance, everything looked orderly.
Xu Qing stood with Gu Yuena at the rear of the freshmen's formation, his gaze unconsciously sweeping toward the teachers nearby.
Soon, his attention was drawn to a tall, straight-backed, aloof figure at the front of their ranks.
He should be Wu Changkong.
As for how Xu Qing had made that judgment, that came down to the original novel.
Tall, cold, and handsome-that was how the original novel described him.
And the man before him stood 1.9 meters tall, wore white that surpassed snow, and had blue hair and dark green eyes. His appearance alone brought cries from the female students. Who else could he be?
Not far from his side, two women stood shoulder to shoulder. They looked alike, yet their temperaments were completely different.
One of them looked at Wu Changkong with an extremely complicated gaze. Xu Qing seemed to read admiration and obsession in his eyes, along with a trace of pent-up distress that was difficult to let go.
Xu Qing withdrew his gaze after only one glance.
As the students waited quietly, the host's clear voice rang out from the podium.
"Good morning, teachers and students. Today is our annual opening ceremony. Welcome, everyone! Next, please welcome our Dean Yu to the stage to deliver his address!"
An elderly man who looked to be in his sixties walked slowly onto the podium.
He was of medium build, with graying hair and a pair of thin-framed glasses resting on his nose. A warm, refined, scholarly air surrounded him. He looked plain and unassuming, yet carried the steady composure of someone in authority.
He was none other than Eastsea Academy's dean-Yu Zhen.
Yu Zhen's gentle gaze swept over the densely packed student formations below. He began slowly, without any speech notes in hand, his words composed and sincere.
"Hello, students! A new term begins, and an old chapter draws to a close. At this time every year, I always feel a little wistful, because a group of your seniors from the intermediate and advanced divisions have graduated from here to pursue the road farther ahead. Some students have also advanced from the intermediate division to the advanced division, while a fresh infusion of blood has entered our gates."
"Eastsea Academy has never been merely a place to study Martial Souls and cultivate Soul Power.
It is fertile soil for nurturing the Federation's talents, the starting point from which you will grow, transform, and set out toward your future.
I hope that every student here will make the most of your youth and devote yourselves to cultivation, so that one day..."
Dean Yu Zhen was an excellent speaker. Every sentence was earnest, his voice full of feeling. His address unfolded smoothly, taking a full quarter of an hour before slowly drawing to a close, leaving all the students filled with solemn respect and deeply moved.
After the dean's address came the most crucial part of the opening ceremony-class assignments.
Long Hengxu, the intermediate division's director of studies, stepped forward with a solemn expression. After clearing his throat, he spoke in a deep voice:
"We will now assign this year's freshmen to their classes! As everyone knows, here at Eastsea Academy, the lower a class's number, the more outstanding its students. But rankings never represent everything. I hope every class will strive bravely for the lead and forge upstream against the current!"
"There are one hundred and eight freshmen this year, divided into five classes. Those whose names are called, step out and join Class One!"
He paused, then read the list aloud. "Xu Qing, Gu Yuena, Zhang Yangzi, Wang Jinxi, Wei Xiaofeng..."
Freshman Class One had only sixteen students, the most exceptionally talented of this year's intake.
Xu Qing and Gu Yuena stepped calmly out of the ranks. The other freshmen's gazes were involuntarily drawn to them. After all, with their gold and silver hair and their exceptionally striking looks, the two stood among the freshmen like cranes among chickens.
The students of Class One sized one another up, pride and fighting spirit unique to the young hidden in their eyes.
Xu Qing swept his gaze over them. As far as he could sense, only three had energy levels that reached the Soul Grandmaster rank.
Of course, the energy of those three could be said to fall utterly short of Xu Qing's.
Long Hengxu continued reading. As the minutes and seconds slipped by, it was soon Class Five's turn.
"Tang Wulin, Zhou Changxi, Xie Xie..."
Once the final batch of Class Five students' names had been read, the class assignments officially came to an end.
"All right, homeroom teachers, take your students back to your classrooms. That's all. Dismissed!"
As his words fell, the teachers stepped forward to their respective classes.
One of the twins stepped out, determination and obsession glinting in her beautiful eyes.
The woman came to the front of Class One's ranks and spoke crisply. "Class One, follow me back to the classroom."
Inside Class One's classroom, Ye Yingluo stood on the platform. A rare, faint smile softened her cool features as her gaze swept over the sixteen exceptionally talented freshmen below.
"My name is Ye Yingluo. Barring any surprises, I will be your homeroom teacher for the next six years."
"First, congratulations on distinguishing yourselves among so many of your peers and entering Freshman Class One. This represents your excellence."
"I have only one requirement for you-preserve that excellence and continue it. From today until you graduate in your sixth year, you must always remember that Class One represents the very best, the strongest! You must have the confidence to always stay ahead of your year!"
Her words were powerfully infectious, sending the blood of the nine-year-olds surging and kindling a blazing fighting spirit in their eyes.
Xu Qing: ...
If nothing unexpected happened, something unexpected was about to happen.
Because he knew that, before Class Zero was established, Class One was indeed nominally the strongest class.
But once Class Zero appeared, these spirited geniuses would ultimately be reduced to foils.
After all, apart from those three, they were all NPCs whose names had never even appeared.
"Very good."
Seeing the students brimming with fighting spirit, Ye Yingluo nodded in satisfaction.
"Next, introduce yourselves in order. Everyone must state your name, Martial Soul, current Soul Power Level, and future cultivation goals. Start with the first row on the left."
As soon as she finished, a boy in the first row immediately stood, his posture straight and his tone steady and confident.
"My name is Zhang Yangzi. I have rank twenty-one Soul Power, and my Martial Soul is the Dark Phantom Demon Eagle. I'm an Agility Attack System Soul Grandmaster! My goal is to advance steadily and strive to become a high-ranking Agility Attack Battle Soul Master in the future!"
Zhang Yangzi's introduction was full of confidence. Rank twenty-one Soul Power was already an exceptionally outstanding level among the freshmen.
Ye Yingluo gave a slight nod, clear approval showing in her eyes.
Immediately afterward, the bony boy sitting behind Zhang Yangzi rose to his feet, standing straight and speaking in a ringing voice.
"My name is Wang Jinxi. I have rank twenty-one Soul Power, and my Martial Soul is the Bone Dragon King. I'm a Power Attack System Soul Grandmaster! I will cultivate diligently and become a top Power Attack System Soul Master in the future!"
The appearance of two Soul Grandmasters in succession instantly ignited the classroom's atmosphere.
The freshmen all turned to look, their gazes toward the two filled with admiration and envy.
Zhang Yangzi remained composed, unmoved by favor or disgrace, while Wang Jinxi openly enjoyed the attention, his youthful spirit on full display.