In the blink of an eye, three months had passed quietly, and the semester was drawing to a close.
Jing Shaoyu opened his eyes, his expression calm and steady. Rising from his bed, he exhaled slowly, stabilizing his breathing. His spirit power had reached level 29, just a step away from breaking through to level 30 and becoming a Spirit Grandmaster. He felt confident he could achieve this breakthrough before his tenth birthday.
After washing up, he stepped out of his dorm and ran into Tang Wulin, who was getting ready for his morning jog.
"Good morning, Shaoyu," Tang Wulin greeted him with a smile.
"Good morning," Jing Shaoyu replied with a nod.
"Wulin, off to meet your senior crush again?" Xie Xie stepped out from his dorm with a teasing smirk.
"Shut up, you!" Tang Wulin's face reddened as he pushed Xie Xie in irritation.
Jing Shaoyu and Xie Xie couldn't help but laugh. Just like in the original story, Tang Wulin had developed a shy, puppy-love crush on the lively school beauty, Ouyang Zixin. Each morning, he would run laps just to spend a few extra moments with her.
Face still flushed from the laughter, Tang Wulin quickly ran out of the dormitory, heading toward the junior division's sports field.
In these three months, Tang Wulin had raised his spirit power to level 16, a full three levels higher than when Class Zero was formed. The others couldn't help but envy how quickly lower levels could grow.
Xie Xie's spirit power, now at level 22, still placed him second-to-last in Class Zero, just ahead of Tang Wulin. Together, the two had firmly claimed the bottom two ranks in terms of spirit power in the class.
As soon as Tang Wulin left, Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi stepped out of their rooms.
Watching Tang Wulin's retreating back, Wang Jinxi chuckled. "Wulin's off for another morning run? Love really does make people blind, huh!"
Because of the special bond their spirits shared with Tang Wulin's bloodline, Wang Jinxi had moved to the room next to Tang Wulin's. The two of them now practiced side by side each night, separated by a single wall. Next semester, it was likely Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi would transfer, just as they had in the original story.
Jing Shaoyu, however, could only support Wang Jinxi's choice. Whether it was cultivating his spirit alongside Tang Wulin's or staying with his friend Zhang Yangzi, the decision was Wang Jinxi's to make.
"Jinxi, do you even know what love is?" Zhang Yangzi asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Um…" Wang Jinxi stammered, then laughed sheepishly. "Maybe not, but I bet the class leader knows!"
Wang Jinxi turned to look at Jing Shaoyu, who just rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. You wish."
The three of them shared knowing smiles—until a cool voice behind them brought their laughter to a halt. "What's so funny?"
The trio froze as if caught red-handed. Gu Yue's clear, distant gaze had a way of silencing everyone. Even though Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi were at level 23, facing Gu Yue's level 25 spirit power made them feel like tiny chicks. Gu Yue's cold demeanor hadn't changed in the three months they'd known each other. Apart from Jing Shaoyu, she showed little emotion toward anyone else, commanding a quiet respect as vice-leader of the team.
"We were just talking about Tang Wulin," Jing Shaoyu said, moving over to her side and taking her hand gently. His calm voice seemed to soften her icy exterior.
Gu Yue's expression instantly relaxed, a slight smile touching her lips. Wang Jinxi, Zhang Yangzi, and Xie Xie all exchanged glances, nodding in silent admiration for their leader. Only the class leader could melt Gu Yue's frosty demeanor!
"Good morning, Brother Shaoyu!" Xu Xiaoyan's cheerful voice called out as she skipped over to them. She beamed at Jing Shaoyu, her expression briefly faltering when she saw him holding Gu Yue's hand. Quickly recovering, she walked up to his other side and held his free hand without a word.
"Good morning, Xiaoyan," Jing Shaoyu greeted with a smile, knowing he couldn't refuse her.
And so, with a girl on each arm, he led the group to breakfast.
With spirit power now at level 24, Xu Xiaoyan was the third strongest in Class Zero after Jing Shaoyu and Gu Yue. Once breakfast was over, everyone gathered in the classroom to await the day's lesson.
Before long, Wu Zhangkong entered the room and shared a piece of news.
"Teacher Wu, are we having a final assessment too?" Tang Wulin asked, surprise evident on his face. The others reacted similarly, except for Jing Shaoyu and Gu Yue; Jing Shaoyu already knew, and Gu Yue simply didn't seem to care.
"Yes, you will," Wu Zhangkong replied calmly. "Your final assessment will have two components. The first component is in the Spirit Ascension Platform."
The Spirit Ascension Platform?
Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, Wang Jinxi, and Zhang Yangzi exchanged surprised, excited glances. Over the past three months, they had entered the Spirit Ascension Platform eleven times, gaining valuable experience with each attempt. Tang Wulin had even completed his first spirit ascension.
"Teacher Wu, it's not the usual Spirit Ascension Platform, is it?" Xu Xiaoyan asked. Her question piqued the boys' curiosity. A regular Spirit Ascension Platform? Wasn't the Spirit Ascension Platform just that, with junior, intermediate, and advanced levels? What was the difference?
"Correct," Wu Zhangkong nodded. "This time, you'll be entering the Riot Phase Spirit Ascension Platform. The objective for your final assessment is to last an hour in this environment. If you don't, you'll fail the exam."
"Riot Phase?" Tang Wulin and Xie Xie echoed, puzzled.
Wu Zhangkong explained, "In the early days of the Spirit Ascension Platform, the internal energy was unstable, leading to two 'riot phases' each year, during which the platform would become dangerously volatile and be closed for safety reasons.
"As spirit technology advanced, the Spirit Pagoda managed to control these riot phases, eventually turning them into special conditions within the platform.
"During a riot phase, spirit beasts in the platform become hyperactive, their strength increases, and their numbers multiply. The Spirit Pagoda only issues 300 admission slots per riot phase. The academy has arranged for seven slots for this event, so make the most of this opportunity.
"During the riot phase, you can choose to enter as a team. The maximum team size is seven, which works perfectly for your class.
"You'll be teleported into the same area, where your teamwork and cohesion will be tested.
"Remember, in the Riot Phase Spirit Ascension Platform, other spirit masters can also be enemies, just as much as the spirit beasts."
Wu Zhangkong's explanation helped clarify matters, though Zhang Yangzi quickly raised another question.
"Teacher Wu, does that mean we can also absorb other people's spirit power?"
Wu Zhangkong gave him a glance. "If you're confident in your strength, yes, you can. But remember, junior Spirit Ascension Platform permits spirit masters up to level 39, which means you could face powerful Spirit Elders."
"Teacher Wu, we're not scared!" Wang Jinxi declared with a confident thump to his chest. "With our team's strength, we won't back down from even a level 39 Spirit Elder, right, class leader?"
"Right," Jing Shaoyu agreed with a calm nod.
Wu Zhangkong glanced meaningfully at Jing Shaoyu before delivering his final words.
"In three days, you'll enter the Spirit Ascension Platform. Until then, you're dismissed."
-Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/GodofTL236
Thanks!