An unweaned baby attending class—well, as long as he doesn't cry for his mom, that's a win.
Grade Dean Su Tanjie sighed silently, inwardly trying to process how the Platinum Bishop's grandnephew could be so remarkable yet so... tiny. Just before leaving, he paused, smacking his forehead as if he'd remembered something important.
"Ah, there's something I forgot to mention—nearly slipped my mind!" Su Tanjie muttered, shaking his head as he tried to refocus on the reason he'd come. He clapped his hands, drawing the attention of all the first-year Class One students.
"Kids, in about a month, both empires will send a team of first-year students from their royal academies for a freshman exchange at our Wuhun Academy," he announced.
"Each academy will select seven freshman elite warriors for a temporary team—though they call it an exchange, it's really a competition in disguise, an old tradition," he continued. Su Tanjie's expression turned more serious. "Our Wuhun Academy, as the continent's top advanced spirit master academy, expects Class One to showcase the best of what Wuhun has to offer in this competition!"
"Mayron, has your class had any recent assessments for new students?" Su Tanjie asked the homeroom teacher.
"No formal test yet, Dean, but I have a good idea of everyone's skill levels," replied Mayron.
"Good, then form a team of seven as soon as possible. I only have one requirement: that this team is strong, stands out, impresses, and represents the spirit of Wuhun Academy!"
Mayron hesitated, "Uh, Dean…that's four requirements."
"Did I ask?" Su Tanjie shot him a glare, visibly transferring his pent-up frustration from Salas onto Mayron.
With a nervous nod, Mayron responded, "Understood, Dean."
Finally, Su Tanjie redirected his attention back to the students. "Children, Class One of Wuhun Academy's freshman year has always held the most potential—nearly all the Golden Generations have come from it. That's why this exchange competition is of high importance. When the day arrives, His Holiness the Pope and respected elders from the Sanctuary will be watching. So, are you ready?"
With one resounding voice, the students responded, "Yes, we're ready!"
Su Tanjie smirked, "I can't hear you!"
"We're ready!"
"Baa!" Lin Luo joined in from his desk.
Su Tanjie looked down at Lin Luo and clicked his tongue. "Look at this little guy, shouting with more spirit than any of you!"
"Alright, time to get that team ready," he said, preparing to leave.
"Yes, Dean," replied Mayron, releasing a deep breath of relief. It wasn't every day he had a Red Bishop and a Platinum Bishop in his classroom, and he felt his nerves had been stretched to the limit.
Clearing his throat, he addressed the class again. "Alright, let's put the lesson on pause. We'll talk about forming the seven-member team for the exchange competition," he said, an idea suddenly striking him.
"To keep things fair, the 42 of you in Class One will form your own teams. Next week, we'll hold an internal ranking competition on the training grounds, and the top-ranked team will represent Wuhun Academy," he explained. "You have the rest of today's class to form teams and strategize. Just come to me at the end with the team leader to register your team members."
Outside, the door cracked open as Yan, who'd been serving his punishment, slipped back inside, trying to gauge the intensity of the room. For the newly enrolled twelve-year-olds, the mention of an empire-sponsored event had them buzzing.
Star Luo Empire's royal freshman team and Heaven Dou Empire's royal freshman team?
If Hu Liena and her companions were also freshmen… then their Star Luo representatives would likely be Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun, while Heaven Dou's might send Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan!
To think that the elite teams of each nation might face each other before the grand All-Continent Spirit Master Academy Tournament…
Still, he thought, this newborn "student" wouldn't need to participate in this exchange. Sure, he was registered in Class One, but taking him seriously for a duel?
Sending a baby into the fight seemed a bit much—although, imagining it made the idea feel thrilling, a bit of fun, even.
More importantly… Pope Bibi Dong and the elders would all be attending the event
Which could only mean one thing:
Wait… what's my grandson doing on the Wuhun Academy team?
What?! My great-grandson? In the Wuhun Academy team lineup?!
Shouldn't he be at home in Qian Renxue's arms, drinking milk? How did he slip into Wuhun Academy? Is everyone blind to the fact he's only four months old?!
As the possible reactions of his relatives ran through Lin Luo's mind, he chuckled inwardly. Once they discovered his presence there, the uproar would be entertaining, no doubt. Though Qian Renxue might make him regret it later…
At that moment, as Lin Luo began climbing off the desk onto Hu Liena's lap, aiming to sneak back to his daily step counts, she misunderstood his action.
"Oh, Yi!" she cooed, misunderstanding his actions as a request to be held. She hugged him tighter, a little starstruck by his soft, cute babbling. "He wants to team up with us!" she said excitedly to Xie Yue and Yan.
Yan, who had just reentered the classroom, spoke, still flustered. "Can't believe Baby Bro's actually got a spirit ring—I'm in awe!"
Lin Luo thought, Baby Bro? He'd heard "little sis" and "little bro" before, but… "baby bro"?
Not that he actually wanted to participate in their little exchange event, he mused, still planning to wriggle free. That is… until he realized he might not get another chance soon.
Tonight, Qian Renxue would surely tighten her watch over him. Tomorrow's chances of sneaking out would be slim to none. He needed backup—and who better than these fresh recruits?
He decided to join them, just to be safe. On exchange day, he'd simply slip out before the duel even began. How clever he was!
"Baa~ Baa~" Lin Luo grinned, making playful baby sounds to signal his consent.
Hu Liena practically melted. "I'm so happy to have you on our team, Yi!"
Xie Yue side-eyed her, "You can understand his baby talk now?"
"Of course!" she shot back. "Girls are born with an instinct for this."
Yan shook his head, half-amused and half-dubious. "Three months old and still in diapers… yet somehow, that just adds to our team's prestige."
With a shrug, he smiled. "Alright, that makes four of us. We need three more!"
Just then, a voice called from the back of the classroom, "Can I join your team? I'm here for Baby Bro—um, is he with you?"
All three looked up to see a young boy approaching, eyes wide and focused on Lin Luo with a reverent awe.