The enormous ceremony hall was slowly filling with noise.
Hundreds of newly admitted students stood in long organized lines across the wide floor. Although the formation looked orderly from a distance, the atmosphere inside the hall was anything but quiet.
Soft whispers spread everywhere.
Students were looking around curiously at the unfamiliar faces surrounding them.
Some leaned toward their neighbors and introduced themselves. Others exchanged quick comments about the massive school building or the strange rules they had heard about before coming here.
For many of them, this was the first time standing among so many talented individuals from across the country.
Excitement.
Curiosity.
Nervousness.
All kinds of emotions filled the hall.
At the very front of the hall stood a large stage. It was surprisingly simple compared to the grandeur of the building. There were no decorations, no banners, no chairs.
Only a single microphone stand stood at the center of the stage.
The microphone rested quietly on top of it.
While the students continued whispering among themselves, something subtle happened.
From the left corner of the stage, a person quietly walked out.
He was a young man wearing glasses.
His uniform was exactly the same as the other students—black formal pants, a white shirt, and a black coat with the emblem of Dominator's Nurturing High School.
At first glance, he looked no different from the crowd below.
And because everyone was busy talking to each other and examining the unfamiliar faces around them, not a single student noticed him walking toward the microphone.
Not one.
Except two.
Standing among the lines of students, Xiao Ziyan quietly lifted his crimson eyes toward the stage.
His gaze landed directly on the boy with glasses who had just stepped forward.
Beside him, the silent girl also noticed the movement.
Unlike the others, neither of them had been distracted by meaningless conversations.
They had been observing the hall calmly from the very beginning.
The boy with glasses reached the center of the stage and stopped in front of the microphone.
Xiao Ziyan simply looked at him with the same indifferent expression as always.
His face showed no reaction.
No surprise.
No curiosity.
Nothing changed.
But the girl beside him reacted very differently.
The moment she recognized the person standing on the stage, her expression twisted slightly.
Her teeth clenched together.
Her fingers tightened slightly at her side.
Under her breath, she muttered quietly.
"Damn it."
Before anyone could question what was happening—
A powerful voice suddenly echoed through the entire ceremony hall.
"Well well... how are you doing today?"
The voice carried an overwhelming presence that instantly crushed every whisper in the room.
The student with glasses stood confidently behind the microphone as he spoke.
"I, Su Wanhai, the current president of this school, welcome you to Dominator's Nurturing High School."
His tone was calm but filled with a strange sense of authority.
It was not loud.
Yet it dominated the entire hall.
In an instant, every student turned their heads toward the stage.
All conversations stopped.
The whispers disappeared.
Hundreds of eyes focused on the figure standing behind the microphone.
The hall fell into complete silence within seconds.
Meanwhile, behind the stage, inside a private room used by faculty members, four teachers were sitting around a circular table.
They were the homeroom teachers of the newcomer classes.
Comfortably seated in their chairs, they listened as Su Wanhai's voice echoed through the speakers installed in the room.
The moment they heard his speech begin, all four teachers smiled slightly.
Each of them thought the same thing.
There he goes again.
Now the image of him will stick inside every student's mind.
Back in the ceremony hall, Su Wanhai looked down at the crowd of silent freshmen.
A faint cold smile appeared on his face.
"This school exists to nurture students who will lead society in the future," he said calmly.
He paused briefly, letting his words sink into the minds of every student present.
Then his smile became slightly sharper.
"However..."
"Not everyone here will be treated equally."
The moment those words were spoken, many students frowned slightly.
Confusion appeared across several faces.
But no one dared to speak.
Su Wanhai continued calmly.
"You will soon learn that this school evaluates students in ways very different from ordinary institutions."
"What you accomplish here depends entirely on your own ability."
His gaze slowly swept across the hall.
Those who met his eyes felt an invisible pressure pressing down on them.
"Those who fail to demonstrate their worth will be left behind."
A heavy silence filled the hall.
The students who had been excited moments earlier now looked far more serious.
Su Wanhai's cold smile returned.
"I hope that all of you will spend the next three years striving to prove your value."
After finishing his words, he simply turned away from the microphone.
He raised his right hand slightly in a casual farewell gesture.
Without another word, he began walking away from the stage.
The freshmen watched him leave with serious expressions.
No one whispered anymore.
The atmosphere of the hall had completely changed.
Inside First Year Class-D, the atmosphere was far livelier than before.
After the entrance ceremony ended, all the students had returned to their classroom. The once quiet room was now filled with voices.
Some students were sitting in their seats, leaning toward their desk partners and chatting casually. Others had stood up and moved next to their friends' desks, talking enthusiastically as if they had already known each other for years.
Laughter and conversations mixed together, creating a lively noise inside the classroom.
But even within that lively environment, there were still two people who stood apart from everyone else.
Xiao Ziyan.
And the silent girl sitting behind him.
Xiao Ziyan remained seated in his chair near the window.
His posture hadn't changed much since the morning. His chin rested on his left hand as he quietly observed the classroom.
His crimson eyes moved slowly across the room, calmly studying the students around him.
His gaze eventually settled on a boy sitting in the second desk of his row.
The boy had short blue hair and a bright, approachable expression. He was currently talking to a girl beside him while smiling casually.
Looking at him, Xiao Ziyan thought calmly.
Judging by his appearance and the friendly tone he's using with everyone… he's definitely going to become the class leader.
The boy clearly had a natural ability to talk with people.
He didn't look nervous or awkward like many of the other students.
Instead, he looked comfortable being the center of attention.
Just as Xiao Ziyan expected, the blue-haired boy suddenly stood up from his seat.
He raised one hand slightly.
"Excuse me everyone here, may I get your attention please."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried enough confidence to cut through the classroom chatter.
Almost instantly, conversations stopped.
Students turned their heads toward him one after another.
Curious gazes gathered on the blue-haired boy.
Even Xiao Ziyan lifted his eyes and looked at him.
However, there was still one person who didn't react.
The silent girl sitting beside Xiao Ziyan.
She hadn't even lifted her head.
Her eyes were still fixed on the small pocket-sized book in her hands as she calmly continued reading.
The blue-haired boy looked around the room and smiled slightly.
"Since we're going to stay together here for three years," he said, "why don't we introduce ourselves? It would be better if we start knowing each other like friends."
The students looked at each other for a moment.
Their expressions showed slight hesitation at first.
After all, they were still strangers.
But the boy's friendly attitude quickly relaxed the atmosphere.
Several students smiled and nodded.
Soon, everyone began agreeing with the idea.
Seeing that the class was cooperating, the blue-haired boy smiled brightly.
He placed his right hand over his chest politely.
"Then I'll start first," he said.
"My name is Hen Jao. I enjoy all kinds of sports, and I plan to join the Soccer Club."
As soon as he finished speaking, several students began clapping.
Soon the entire class followed along.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Everyone seemed to appreciate his confident introduction.
Everyone except two people.
Xiao Ziyan didn't clap.
And neither did the silent girl beside him.
Xiao Ziyan simply watched quietly while resting his chin on his hand.
Meanwhile, the girl continued reading her book as if none of this had anything to do with her.
The next person stood up.
A cheerful looking girl with banana-colored hair rose from her seat in the second row, third desk.
She clasped her fingers together excitedly and smiled brightly.
"I'm next!"
"My name is Cao Mei," she said happily. "I want to become friends with everyone in this class… and also with students from other classes."
Her cheerful tone caused several students to laugh softly.
After she finished, another student stood up from the first desk in the first row.
His hair was long and messy, but his face showed a relaxed and friendly personality.
He waved casually.
"Yo guys, I'm Shi Qi."
He scratched the back of his head and smiled.
"Hope you all treat me nicely."
More laughter spread across the classroom.
After that, introductions continued.
One by one, students stood up and introduced themselves.
Some were confident.
Some were nervous.
Some spoke quickly while others struggled to find words.
Gradually, almost the entire class had finished introducing themselves.
Only a few students were left.
Suddenly, Hen Jao turned his head.
His eyes moved toward the back desk near the window.
Other students followed his gaze.
Soon, several pairs of eyes were focused on Xiao Ziyan.
Hen Jao smiled politely.
"Now it's your turn."
A few other students nodded and looked at him curiously.
Their expressions were friendly but filled with curiosity.
After all, Xiao Ziyan had been silent since the beginning.
With his crimson hair and crimson eyes, he stood out far too much to be ignored.
Everyone wanted to know who the quiet boy near the window was.
The classroom had gone quiet as dozens of eyes remained fixed on Xiao Ziyan.
For a moment, he simply looked at them.
Then he slowly closed his eyes.
So now I'm next. Well… I came here to make friends through…
His thoughts stopped halfway.
After a brief pause, he opened his crimson eyes and stood up from his seat.
His expression remained completely calm, almost emotionless. Yet when he spoke, his tone sounded slightly awkward.
"Ah… i-i'm Xiao Ziyan."
He scratched his cheek lightly before continuing.
"Well… ah… I don't really have any talents or hobbies… ahm… but I'll try not to cause any trouble for the class."
Then he stopped talking.
Silence filled the room.
For a second, the students didn't know how to react.
But a moment later, the same polite clapping echoed through the classroom just like it had for everyone else's introductions.
Xiao Ziyan quietly sat back down.
His gaze drifted toward the open window again.
Inside his mind, he thought calmly.
This should be a good introduction.
Now everyone will ignore me.
That's exactly how the fuck I wanted to live here.