Early the next morning, the opening ceremony was held. As expected, Class Zero stood at the very front of all the first-year classes. Five people stood in a straight line.
The opening ceremony was still the same old routine—familiar speeches and familiar procedures. It ended quickly. After that, each homeroom teacher led their students back to class for encouragement and guidance for the new semester. Actual classes would only begin the next day.
That was the case for the other classes—but Class Zero was different. Wu Zhangkong directly brought the five of them back to their classroom.
"Introduce yourself,"
Wu Zhangkong said coldly to Xu Xiaoyan as soon as they returned.
Xu Xiaoyan glanced at Wu Zhangkong nervously, then spoke softly,
"Hello everyone, my name is Xu Xiaoyan. I'm ten years old. My martial soul is the Star Wheel Ice Staff. I have seventeen levels of soul power."
Although Xu Xiaoyan's seventeen levels of soul power were higher than Tang Wulin's, that was all it amounted to. Tang Wulin's strength was never measured purely by soul power—but not everyone was like him. Thus, Xu Xiaoyan's soul power really was on the low side, and the Star Wheel Ice Staff was not considered a high-grade martial soul either.
She glanced at Lin Xiuran, hesitated for a moment, but in the end still didn't say anything and quietly sat down.
Wu Zhangkong looked at her and said,
"For the next month, you need to prove your strength. At the same time, you must prove that you are suitable for Class Zero as a team. After one month, we will decide whether you stay or leave."
"Yes."
Xu Xiaoyan answered obediently.
Wu Zhangkong then turned to the other four.
"One month of rest means we need to re-evaluate your physical condition, as well as your practical combat ability. I'll give you half an hour to meditate and adjust your state. You as well."
There was nothing much to say about the strength test. Tang Wulin was still the strongest, Xu Xiaoyan was the weakest, and Lin Xiuran was, for now, fairly average.
But when it came to spiritual power, things truly turned chaotic!
Xie Xie's spiritual power actually broke past fifty, reaching fifty-nine—officially stepping from the Spiritual Origin Realm into the Spiritual Communication Realm. This meant that upgrading his soul spirit to the thousand-year level would be no problem at all.
The second person tested was the newcomer, Xu Xiaoyan. The order was intentional—Wu Zhangkong believed that since the academy allowed her into Class Zero, she must have some special talent. With such a weak body, her strength likely lay in spiritual power, especially considering her control over ice elements.
Xu Xiaoyan's spiritual power: 61.
As expected, she was also at the Spiritual Communication Realm. But calling her a genius would be a stretch—she was only slightly stronger than Xie Xie. This was simply the area she specialized in.
Tang Wulin's spiritual power, however, was downright exaggerated.
212.
It was even higher than when Gu Yue had last been tested. This was already a jaw-dropping, genius-level figure.
As for Gu Yue, after a whole month, how could her spiritual power not have increased?
278.
The entire room was shaken.
Wu Zhangkong's expression softened slightly, a trace of a smile appearing on his face. Finally, he turned his gaze toward Lin Xiuran, a hint of expectation in his eyes.
"Lin Xiuran, test."
Xu Xiaoyan also looked at him expectantly, curiosity shining in her eyes. In her previous understanding, her second brother's talent was only average. Yet he had entered Class Zero earlier than she did—he must have something exceptional about him.
Gu Yue knew a bit more. Before Lin Xiuran obtained his soul spirit two months ago, his spiritual power had already reached 155. After acquiring the soul spirit and another two months passing, she wondered how far it had grown.
"351!"
Not only Wu Zhangkong froze—everyone else did as well. They all sucked in a sharp breath of cold air.
It felt as if they were witnessing something utterly unbelievable.
Wu Zhangkong stared blankly for a moment, then slowly shook his head, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. As expected—his judgment hadn't been wrong.
He didn't know Lin Xiuran's true combat strength. His earlier guess was partly based on Lin Xiuran's mother. But now it seemed clear—this child's talent was absolutely extraordinary. Bringing Lin Xiuran into Class Zero had been the right decision.
Xie Xie rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
"Is this… real?"
There was no reason to doubt the accuracy of the testing machine. They had used it countless times without error—and they had just finished testing moments ago.
Even Gu Yue, the strongest among them, only had a little over two hundred spiritual power, not even reaching three hundred. Yet Lin Xiuran's 351 had already reached the high-level Spiritual Communication Realm.
At this age, how terrifying was such a number?
Even Gu Yue's expression changed slightly. She had expected his spiritual power to be strong—but never imagined it would surpass hers.
She knew exactly why her own spiritual power was so strong. But Lin Xiuran—what was he relying on to exceed her?
Xu Xiaoyan was completely stunned. She had never imagined that her second brother's spiritual power would be this terrifying. She had already been praised as a family genius, yet even at her best moments, her spiritual power was nowhere near this high.
Wu Zhangkong nodded in satisfaction and said,
"Next, the practical combat test. Gu Yue and Tang Wulin will form one group. Lin Xiuran, Xie Xie, and Xu Xiaoyan will form the other."
At present, Gu Yue and Tang Wulin were indeed the two strongest in combat. Although Lin Xiuran's spiritual power was astonishing, during the last observation at the Hero Hall, Wu Zhangkong hadn't sensed particularly strong offensive ability from him. That was why he made this arrangement.
Naturally, Gu Yue and Tang Wulin stood together.
Lin Xiuran and Xie Xie stood opposite them. Xu Xiaoyan stood a little behind Lin Xiuran, looking nervous—just like she always did in the past, standing behind her second brother.
"Begin."
As Wu Zhangkong's voice fell, Xie Xie reacted first. His figure flashed, and he rushed straight toward Tang Wulin at astonishing speed.
"Wulin, sorry about this!"
Gu Yue raised her hand, and a fireball flew out from afar. At the same time, a streak of green light landed on Xie Xie.
She used wind element to slow Xie Xie down, while simultaneously using fire element to attack Lin Xiuran and Xu Xiaoyan—this alone was enough to demonstrate her formidable spiritual power.
After flying ten meters, the fireball suddenly split into five smaller fireballs arranged in a straight line. Then, the rearmost fireball suddenly accelerated, colliding with the one in front of it. Its fire element instantly stacked and compressed into the front fireball, not only accelerating it but also enhancing its attributes.
The five fireballs collided in succession, quickly merging back into one. Compared to the original, its size was reduced to one-fifth, but its color had turned orange-red. As it accelerated, it shot forward like a cannonball.
Amid a piercing whistling sound, it left behind a dazzling orange-red trail and distorted air in its wake.
Facing this attack, Lin Xiuran didn't dodge.
His eyes narrowed slightly, a flash of fiery red light passing through them as power gathered in his hand.
He intended to confront Gu Yue head-on.
(End of Chapter)