The Two Empires' Freshman Exchange: Sending a Baby into Battle?

He was just a little baby; no one expected him to understand the lessons, and it was good enough if he didn't cry for his mother.

Su Tanjie, the grade director, sighed to himself.

The Platinum Bishop's grandnephew was defying the heavens, but at an age when he hadn't even been weaned... there was a whole bellyful of things to complain about.

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly slapped his forehead, as if he had remembered something.

"Oh, right, there's something I haven't mentioned... look at my memory, I nearly forgot."

Su Tanjie shook his head slightly. He had originally come to deliver the news, only for Salas to disrupt his plans.

He clapped his hands, drawing the attention of everyone in Year One, Class One.

"Children, in one month, the two great empires will each send first-year students from their royal academies to our Spirit Hall Academy for a freshman exchange."

"Remember, each royal academy will select seven of its strongest first-year freshmen to form a temporary team. They call it an exchange, but it's really a contest of strength. It's been a tradition for years."

At that, Su Tanjie's expression grew a little more serious:

"Our Spirit Hall Academy is the number one Advanced Soul Master Academy on the continent. In this contest of strength between first-year freshmen, your Class One must show them Spirit Hall's splendor!"

"Mailun, has your class tested the freshmen's rankings recently?"

Su Tanjie turned back to ask the homeroom teacher.

Mailun said, "Director, everyone's only just enrolled, so we haven't tested them yet, but I have a general idea of everyone's information."

Su Tanjie nodded. "Good. Put together a team of seven as soon as possible. I have just one requirement: this team must be powerful, eye-catching, distinctive, and show off Spirit Hall Academy's might!"

Mailun said, "Director, aren't those four requirements?"

"-I'm just asking if you heard me."

Su Tanjie suddenly wanted to vent all the resentment he had just accumulated from Salas on this fellow.

Mailun nodded timidly. "I heard you, I heard you."

Su Tanjie glared at him before turning back to the Class One students.

"Children, Year One, Class One of Spirit Hall has always been known as the class with the most potential. Every Golden Generation has come from Year One, Class One, so Spirit Hall takes this exchange very seriously."

"When the time comes, the esteemed His Holiness the Pope, Bibi Dong, and even the exalted worshippers from the Worship Hall will come to watch. So, are you ready?"

All the students in Class One shouted back at that moment, "We're ready!"

Su Tanjie frowned. "I can't hear you!"

"We're ready!"

"Yiya!"

Lin Luo, sitting on a desk, joined in the excitement and shouted too.

Su Tanjie looked at Lin Luo and clicked his tongue. "Look at this little baby. Even his shout has more spirit than yours!"

"I'm off. Hurry up and put the team together."

"Yes, Director."

Only after Su Tanjie left did Mailun, the homeroom teacher, let out a long sigh of relief.

He was only a Black-Robed Bishop, and seeing a Cardinal and a Platinum Bishop appear together today was more than his poor little heart could take.

Mailun cleared his throat and said, "We'll pause the lesson for now and discuss who to send as the seven-person team."

At that point, inspiration struck Mailun, and he had an idea.

"To be fair, there are exactly forty-two people in Class One. Form your own teams among yourselves. In one week, we'll hold a class team ranking competition at the training ground. The first-place team will represent Spirit Hall Academy at the freshman exchange."

"All right, you can use the rest of this lesson to talk and form teams. At the end of class, team captains should come to me and register their team rosters."

After Mailun finished speaking, he beckoned toward the door, and Yan, who had been standing outside as punishment, immediately ran back in.

After all, they were all children who had only just turned twelve. This was their first time encountering an empire-level "meet-and-greet," and they were instantly thrilled.

The whole classroom filled with an uproar of lively discussion.

First-year freshmen from Star Luo Royal Academy and first-year freshmen from Heaven Dou Royal Academy?

If Hu Liena and the other two are also first-years now...

Doesn't that mean the representatives Star Luo sends will be Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun, while Heaven Dou will send Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan?

Lin Luo hadn't expected that these three seeded teams had already met once before the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament.

Still, there was no need for a little baby like him to take part in this exchange.

Although he had now become one of the forty-two people in the class as "Yiya," Lin Luo wasn't going to participate in the contest.

Was this a joke? He was a baby...

Actually, that wasn't much of a problem. Taking part in a contest as a baby sounded rather interesting, just for fun.

The most important thing was!

Bibi Dong and the worshippers would all come to watch!

When the time came...

What?! Why is my grandson on Spirit Hall's team?!

What?! Why is my great-grandson on Spirit Hall's team?!

Shouldn't this little fellow be lying obediently in Xue'er's arms, nursing?

When did he sneak into Spirit Hall Academy?!

Are these people blind? Can't they tell he's only four months old?!

...Lin Luo could already imagine how astonished Bibi Dong and the worshippers would be.

If Qian Renxue found out, his little butt would really be beaten until it blossomed.

At that thought, Lin Luo crawled from the desk into Hu Liena's arms, preparing to crawl from her onto the floor and go out to rack up more steps.

But Hu Liena mistakenly thought he wanted a hug.

"Classmate Yi!"

"Yiya?"

Lin Luo froze as Hu Liena held his little body tightly in her arms.

Hu Liena looked excitedly at Xie Yue and Yan. "See that? Classmate Yi wants to team up with us!"

Yan looked at Lin Luo a little uneasily and couldn't help saying, "I didn't expect Brother Baby to be a one-ring powerhouse. I'm completely convinced by my defeat!"

Lin Luo: "..."

He had heard of Little Brother and Little Sister, but this was his first time hearing Brother Baby.

Still, I don't want to take part in this exchange of yours.

Lin Luo was about to wriggle free when he suddenly realized a problem.

No...

After he went back today, Qian Renxue would surely have learned her lesson and would definitely watch him twice as closely.

Tomorrow, it wouldn't be so easy for him to sneak out again.

Or rather, it would be impossible to sneak out again on his own.

Then how was he supposed to rack up Lottery Points? How was he supposed to collect Martial Soul Tags?

He needed teammates!

Weren't the three little brats beside him ready-made teammates?

All right...

He'd join their seven-person team for now, then slip away on the day of the exchange.

This God King is so damn clever!

"Yiya~ Yiya~" Lin Luo gave the three of them a cute smile and greeted them in his little baby voice.

Hu Liena's heart melted. "I'm very happy to be teammates with Classmate Yi too~"

Xie Yue suddenly spoke up. "You can understand his baby talk?"

"Of course!"

Hu Liena said proudly, "Girls are born in tune with cute babies, you know?"

The two boys had no words. The thought of having a nursing baby on their team felt utterly absurd, yet at the same time, they felt an inexplicable sense of superiority.

Didn't that fit the director's idea of "eye-catching"?

Yan smiled and said, "All right, that makes four of us on the team. We still need three more!"

Just then, a voice came from behind them. "Everyone, I'd like to join your team. Of course, I'm here for Brother Baby. May I ask if he's on your team?"

Hu Liena and the other two turned to see a boy who didn't look very old speaking to them.