Transfer Student

"Follow me. I'll arrange your dorm assignment." Wu Zhangkong didn't bother to say goodbye to Long Hengxu, quickly turning around and leaving.

Xu Xiaoyan hastened after Wu Zhangkong.

Long Hengxu's gaze followed their departure as his lips quirked up at the edges. Not for a second did he think Wu Zhangkong's behavior to be unreasonable or irritable. "That guy, he really cares about class zero! He wouldn't submit otherwise. This is good. It's good that he cares since it'll motivate him to give his best effort. I'm looking forward to the results!"

He sat down and quickly dialed a number on his soul communicator.

"Hello, President. So, I have an idea. This past semester, we poured our resources into class zero, yet the board of directors has been questioning your decision, correct? I believe it's time to display class zero's strength while also determining whether to continue supporting this endeavor or not. What do you think?"

Long Hengxu listened to the other line and nodded. "Right, that's exactly what I was thinking. We'll have them go. While I'm unsure of how it'll develop, they're still young, so it should be fine so long as they achieve decent results and garner some prestige for our academy. This way, everyone will note the superiority of our academy's teachers. Once they realize this, won't even more geniuses apply to our school?"

"Yes, yes. I'll start making the arrangements."

----------------------

As Xu Xiaoyan followed behind Wu Zhangkong, her sparkling eyes took in the unfamiliar surroundings. Her previous school had been an ordinary one, and since her family excessively doted on her, her life was devoid of any hardships.

It was the mutation in her martial soul that led her onto this path.

She had originally set on this path unwillingly, but after meeting Wu Zhangkong, her rejection rapidly diminished.

Handsome! Teacher Wu is so cool and good-looking. Her heart hammered inside her chest.

The next moment, however, she remembered her classmates whom she had investigated after meeting them once before when they had pummeled her brother. 'Big brother was careless, but they were still so strong! Brother couldn't even struggle against that boy who's only a bit older than me!'

Unfortunately for Xu Xiaoyu, he was unaware of Xu Xiaoyan's thoughts, or else he would have choked to death.

"This is your dorm room," Wu Zhangkong said as he opened the door and entered.

Xu Xiaoyan followed him inside, only to be shocked by the sight of the single bed. It seemed almost too good to be true.

'What kind of student dorm has such nice conditions? I was given special treatment before, but I still had a roommate!'

"Remember, everything you receive is because you're currently in class zero, but you still have one month to prove yourself." Wu Zhangkong turned on his heel and exited the room.

Left behind, Xu Xiaoyan eyed the room doubtfully, but a smile soon appeared on her charming face.

"It looks like I really need to do my best. I have a handsome teacher and strong classmates. Things are going to be fun. Huh, what's this? Why's there a hole in the wall?"

After she caught sight of the depression in the wall of her new room, Xu Xiaoyan got onto her stomach to peep through it and saw another room on the other side.

"Where does this lead?" she mumbled to herself. She took a cloth and cautiously covered the hole, fearing any peeping toms on the other side.

The morning of the next day, a ceremony was held to welcome the new semester. Class zero stood at the very front of the first grade, four students neatly lined up in a row.

Indeed, there were only four students; Tang Wulin was missing.

Starting from the outside, Gloxinia stood, followed by Gu Yue then Xie Xie then Xu Xiaoyan.

Meanwhile, Wu Zhangkong expressionlessly stood with the teachers, completely unconcerned about Tang Wulin's absence.

Xie Xie whispered to Gu Yue, "Wulin couldn't have forgotten that the semester starts today, right? Why do you think he's so late?"

Gu Yue indifferently replied, "Do you think he's you?"

Xie Xie was speechless. "Just how biased can you be? When have I ever been late? Wasn't it him last time, too?"

Gu Yue said, "Then he definitely has a good reason."

As the academy president began his speech, a hunched-over figure snuck over from the back to the very front before nudging Gu Yue's side.

A radiant smile blossomed on Gu Yue's indifferent face. "Why are you so late?"

Tang Wulin had no excuse to give.

He had fallen into a deep meditative-like state that allowed him to obtain insight on many things. One could even say he was enlightened.

"I cultivated too much," Tang Wulin sheepishly said.

Even as he said this, he felt a stare boring into him from the direction of the stage. Looking up, he met Long Hengxu's glare and hastily straightened his posture without another word.

Xu Xiaoyan kept glancing at Gloxinia furtively. 'So it's him!'

She encountered Gloxinia only once before, and that one meeting left a deep impression on her.

Of all the boys her age, Gloxinia must be the most handsome one she had ever seen. Long, delicate eyelashes framed his large eyes, and paired with his rosy-white skin were his straight nose, supple lips, and pointed earlobes. From beneath his beautiful exterior, he also radiated a warm energy like that of the sun.

Clothed in the academy's uniform, Gloxinia seemed even brighter, and despite his lazy posture, he remained unruffled. 'This guy is so calm! Isn't he afraid of being criticized?'

Wu Zhangkong's eyes were set on Tang Wulin but for an entirely different reason. He could distinctly see a luster in the depths of Tang Wulin's eyes which signified a breakthrough, yet he noticed no major change in soul power.

From experience, he knew this to be the best outcome. For Soul Masters, if it wasn't a breakthrough in soul power, then it had to be one in comprehension, which was absolutely vital in progressing further in cultivation. Although Tang Wulin's innate talents didn't amount to much, his extraordinary perception weighed far more heavily than even his mutated martial soul.

The ceremony continued without another hitch and after the customary motivational speeches, it soon came to a close. Teachers led their charges back to the classroom where they gave their own words of wisdom and encouragement before dismissing the students until the next day when classes would officially begin.

Naturally, class zero had the simplest proceedings with only five students including the newly arrived Xu Xiaoyan.

"Introduce yourself," Wu Zhangkong said to Xu Xiaoyan as soon as they entered their classroom.

Facing Wu Zhangkong with her usual bashfulness, she stood and said, "Hello, everyone. I'm Xu Xiaoyan. I'm 10 years old and my martial soul is the Starwheel Ice Staff. My soul power is at rank 17."

-------------------------------

Words: 1201

Author's Note: Should I add in a few time skips and skip some fillers just to get to the exciting parts?

Thank you for so many collections and powerstones! We reached 3k collections a while ago but I didn't notice, so thank you!