As someone in sequence 001, I also want to give up today.

The next morning, Li Xian was "shaked" awake by a continuous tremor that resembled a small earthquake.

When I opened my eyes, I saw that Lingdang was already dressed.

She wore a white shirt with the school badge, a dark blue suspender skirt, white socks, and black leather shoes. She also carefully styled her hair into two slightly crooked braids.

She was lying by his bedside, shaking his arm vigorously.

"Old Deng! Wake up! You're going to be late! You can't be late on your first day of school!"

Bell's little face was filled with impatience, and her golden cat ears were almost blurry under her disguise.

Li Xian glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table: 6:40.

"...School starts at eight o'clock, and it only takes fifteen minutes to walk there now."

He tried to bury his head back in the pillow.

"We need to go early! Familiarize ourselves with the environment! Seize... uh, no, I mean find advantageous terrain!"

Lingdang wouldn't give up, and even started to pull off the blanket.

"Hurry up! I can eat breakfast on the way!"

Finally, urged on by the bell's ear-piercing jingle and subjected to physical interference, Li Xian, with even darker dark circles under his eyes than yesterday, got up with a look of utter despair.

He hastily threw on a jacket, then used his spatial folding technique to neatly pack Lingdang's breakfast (sandwich and milk) and stuff it into her backpack.

Then, this eager-to-go-home little cat girl dragged me along, almost running, until we arrived at the school gate.

It was just past 7:30, and there were already quite a few parents and children at the school gate.

When Lingdang saw the school gate, her eyes lit up even more, and she tugged at Li Xian's hand, urging him on.

"We're here! Old Deng, you can go back now! I can get in by myself!"

Li Xian looked down at the heartless little brat who had been clinging to him yesterday but now wanted nothing more than to shake him off, and raised an eyebrow.

"So rushed? Won't you let me take you to your classroom?"

"No need, no need! My aunt said she's waiting for me at the high school section and will take me there!"

Bell waved her hand, trying her best to make a "I am very independent" expression on her little face.

"Go back and catch up on your sleep! You're so sleepy, you're practically yawning all the time!"

Li Xian was indeed too lazy to go any further.

He yawned widely, rubbed Lingdang's head, and made her carefully combed braids even messier.

"Alright, be careful. Remember what I said. I'll be waiting for you at this spot at the school gate at 4:30 this afternoon."

"Okay, okay! Goodbye, Old Deng! Remember to miss me!"

Lingdang waved dismissively, then, like a bird released from its cage, turned and ran towards the school gate.

In just a few steps, they merged into the stream of children wearing the same uniforms, their backs filled with eagerness.

Li Xian stood there, watching her disappear around the corner of the teaching building, and shook his head.

"That heartless little brat..."

There was no hint of disappointment in his tone; instead, there was a sense of relief, as if he had finally gotten rid of the trouble.

He put his hands in his pockets and slowly turned to walk home.

I've already started planning whether to go back and catch up on some sleep, or to use my spatial folding ability to do a thorough cleaning of the house (and experiment with my new ability).

Or... mute the notification sound of editor Su Qianqian urging you to submit your manuscript?

On the other side, Lingdang had only run a short distance into the campus when she saw Li Yu, dressed in an instructor's uniform and looking dashing, waiting by the roadside.

"aunt!"

With a cheer, Lingdang rushed over.

Li Yu smiled and caught her, then helped her tidy up her hair and collar, which had been ruffled by Li Xian.

"So excited on your first day of school? Where's your dad?"

"He went back to sleep! So lazy!"

Bell didn't hold back in her criticism.

"That's just how he is."

Li Yu got used to it.

"Come on, I'll take you to the preschool building. Your aunt is a bit busy at the high school; she has some high-potential students needing special training today, so she might not be able to visit you often. Be a good girl and listen to your teachers, okay?"

"Yes, yes! Don't worry, Auntie!"

Lingdang nodded vigorously, took Li Yu's hand, and looked around curiously.

The high school section is distinctly different from the preschool section, with more imposing buildings.

Occasionally, you can see some older students hurrying by, and the energy fluctuations they exude are much stronger than those of the little kids in the preschool.

However, when the students saw Li Yu in his instructor's uniform, they would stop and greet him respectfully, and look at Lingdang with curiosity.

Soon, Li Yu delivered the bell to the classroom door of the preschool's Qiming class.

The classroom was already filled with the noise of children.

Li Yu squatted down, gave Lingdang a few final words of advice, watched her walk into the classroom, and then turned and hurriedly left. She did indeed have a lot to do today.

The bell rang as it entered the classroom.

It was a spacious and bright room with walls painted a soft light blue and decorated with alphabet, numbers, and simple supernatural safety rules comics.

More than twenty sets of small tables and chairs were neatly arranged, with a podium and a large screen in front.

At this moment, more than a dozen children had already entered the classroom.

Some children were curiously touching the tables and chairs, some were whispering with their new friends, and some were sitting nervously in their seats, clutching their schoolbags tightly.

The appearance of the bell attracted some attention.

She was very cute, with golden hair and bright eyes, and several children looked at her curiously.

Lingdang kept her "quiet" persona in mind, lowered her head, and found an empty seat by the window to sit down.

He put his schoolbag away and sat up straight, but his eyes were secretly looking around.

The students gradually arrived.

Lingdang soon discovered that, as Teacher Wang had said, this "Enlightenment Class" did indeed have quite a few children with "good talent".

She roughly sensed that most children's mental strength fluctuated between 8 and 12 points (corresponding to those who have not yet entered the realm, slightly higher than the average adult's 6-8 points), but a few were significantly higher.

For example, the girl with pigtails and big eyes sitting in the front row has very active mental energy fluctuations, around 13 points.

She was excitedly showing her deskmate a tiny cluster of very faint, fragrant pink bubbles emerging from her fingertips, which drew gasps from several children around her.

For example, there was a quiet little boy sitting in the corner, who looked very thin.

However, his mental strength was unusually solid, reaching 14 points, and its fluctuations were very stable.

He was looking down at a small piece of eraser in his hand, which was changing shape very slowly.

Of course, the most eye-catching one was Zhang Yu, whom I had met yesterday.

He changed into a more refined suit today (although he wore a school uniform jacket over it).

Her hair was still neatly combed.

He was surrounded by two or three boys who seemed to be his "followers," listening to him boast about how many candles he had lit with electricity over the weekend and how he had "accidentally" burned a carpet in his house (his tone was full of pride).

His mental strength was indeed around 15 points, which was top-notch in the class, but the air of arrogance and deliberate showing off made Lingdang roll her eyes.

"Hmph, so arrogant with only 15 points? After my transformation, I'll have 225 points! E-rank!"

Lingdang muttered to herself, but on the surface she remained calm.

Just then, a woman walked into the classroom.

She looked to be in her thirties, wore glasses, had a gentle face, and was dressed in appropriate business attire.

He wore a name tag that read "Qiming Class Head Teacher - Li Jiaqi" on his chest.

She emanated a stable and reassuring energy fluctuation, but when Lingdang sensed it, the difference was too great to discern.

However, I heard that the preschool teachers are C-level, and they are all veteran superhumans who awakened before the era of the myriad spirits sequence.

Good morning, children.

Teacher Li walked to the front of the classroom, her gentle yet clear voice carrying throughout the room, possessing a power that calmed people down.

"Please return to your seats and sit down, everyone."

The children gradually quieted down and found places to sit.

Teacher Li nodded in satisfaction.

"Very good. First of all, welcome to Jiangcheng Potential Development No.1 Experimental School and to our Qiming Class. I am your homeroom teacher, Ms. Li. In the days to come, I will accompany you to learn and grow together."

After a brief welcome and introductions, Teacher Li began the first activity – self-introduction.

"Next, we'd like each child to come to the front in turn and tell everyone your name, age, and what your awakened ability is. If you know roughly how much spiritual power you have, or what your serial number is, you can also share that. Don't be nervous, just treat it like a casual chat."

The first one to go up was the bubble girl with pigtails.

She wasn't shy at all; she skipped and hopped onto the stage, her voice clear and crisp.

"My name is Lin Weiwei, and I'm six and a half years old! My ability is 'Scented Bubbles'! I can conjure up nice-smelling bubbles! My mental strength... well, Daddy said it's about 13 points! I haven't quite figured out the serial number yet, but it seems to be over a thousand?"

As she spoke, she even demonstrated a small bubble floating in the air, emitting the scent of strawberry candy, which drew a chorus of "wows."

Next came the silent boy who controlled the eraser. He walked up slowly, his voice low.

"My name is Wu Hao, I'm seven years old. My ability... I can make soft things a little harder, or hard things a little softer. My mental strength... 14 points. My sequence... I don't know."

He demonstrated it, and the eraser in his hand indeed turned into soft clay, then returned to its original shape. A very practical but unremarkable ability.

It was Zhang Yu's turn.

He had been eager to try for a long time, and almost strode up to the front, cleared his throat, and spoke in a deliberately raised voice.

"My name is Zhang Yu, I'm seven years old! My ability is 'Micro-current Manipulation'! An extremely rare and powerful ability!"

As he spoke, he stretched out his finger, and a small cluster of jumping sparks appeared at his fingertip with a "crackling" sound. Although it was weak, it was already very cool in the eyes of the children.

"My mental strength is 15 points! That's the highest in the class! My serial number is 822! I will definitely become a powerful lightning messenger in the future!"

He didn't forget to glance contemptuously at the other children sitting below.

Many children showed expressions of envy or awe.

Teacher Li nodded and smiled encouragingly.

"Very impressive lightning talent, Zhang Yu. But with such powerful abilities, you must learn to control and utilize them effectively."

Zhang Yuzhi returned to his seat with a smug look on his face.

The self-introductions continued, and the children's abilities varied widely, with most being very basic.

Let the water in the cup swirl gently, let a feather drift slowly, and let your fingers warm up a little.

There was even a boy with the ability to "blink rapidly" and claim that he could see the trajectory of flying insects' wings (the authenticity of which is questionable).

Their mental strength generally hovers around 10 points, their sequence perception is mostly vague, and the numbers they can say are all outside the top one or two thousand.

Soon it was the bell's turn.

She took a deep breath, walked up to the podium, and, imitating the shy children before her, lowered her head slightly and spoke in a soft, gentle voice.

"My name is Li Xiaoling, I'm six years old... My ability is 'Mental Amplification,' which means... I can make my mind a little better? But I can't control it very well..."

Following Li Xian's script, she tried her best to make her voice sound uncertain and timid.

"Mental strength...sometimes more, sometimes less, maybe...10 points? Or 11 points? Sequence...I think it's 1314?"

She spoke the numbers hesitantly, perfectly portraying a novice with unclear abilities and poor control.

To increase credibility, she even "tried" to concentrate, causing a piece of chalk on the podium to sway slightly.

But she immediately stopped "out of control," her little face even turning red in response.

Several snickers immediately came from below, especially from Zhang Yu's side, where undisguised sneers rang out.

"Tch, only 10 points? Sequence 1314? And it's a useless support ability?"

Zhang Yu whispered to his follower beside him, his voice not loud, but loud enough for people nearby to hear.

Teacher Li maintained her smile, still looking as gentle as ever.

"It's alright, Suzu. 'Mental Amplification' is a very useful ability, and you can practice controlling it gradually. Mental strength will increase with growth and training."

Lingdang nodded shyly and quickly walked back to her seat.

In his mind, he was thinking: "Hmph, a useless support ability? Wait until I unleash my full power and scare you to death! Also, my true mental strength is 15 points! Not 10!"

Just when Lingdang thought the self-introductions were about to end, there was a gentle knock on the back door of the classroom, and then it was pushed open.

A little girl, dressed in a Gothic black tutu, with an exaggerated black bow hair clip in her hair, and holding a... plastic magic wand?, walked in gracefully (in her own opinion).

She wore an expression of disdain for all living beings, as if she hadn't come to school but rather to inspect her own territory.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Li, I'm late."

The girl's voice had a deliberately controlled, almost chanting tone.

"Because I was performing an important 'dark ritual' at home to communicate with astral energy, it took a little longer than expected."

The whole class, including Teacher Li, was stunned for a moment.

The girl walked straight to the front of the class, ignoring the ongoing self-introduction process, turned to face the whole class, raised her plastic magic wand, and began her performance in an aria-like tone.

"I am Lin Wanwan, the Witch of the Stars! My age is six years and three months! My power is the supreme 'Star Sensing'! I can hear the whispers of the stars and draw upon the ethereal light of the universe!"

She closed her eyes, looking completely absorbed.

"My spiritual power has reached a level unattainable by mortals, 12 points! My sequence is even higher... Hmph, this is a forbidden number, not to be easily revealed! You only need to know that my arrival will surely bring a wind of change to this world!"

The classroom was completely silent.

Then, someone burst out laughing.

Then, low laughter spread through the classroom.

Even Teacher Li's lips twitched slightly, but she still tried her best to maintain a serious expression.

"Lin Wanwan...you have a very vivid imagination. Please return to your seat; we are still introducing ourselves."

"Hmph, the laughter of mortals."

Lin Wanwan (who calls herself the Starry Sea Witch) arrogantly tossed her head, her black tulle skirt drawing an arc.

Then her gaze swept across the entire class, finally settling on... the empty seat next to the bell?

"Here, the threads of destiny intertwine, and starlight converges."

She muttered to herself (her voice was still loud enough for the whole class to hear).

Then, with "elegant" steps, she walked straight to the seat next to the bell.

She put down her backpack with a starry sky pattern, sat down, and nodded to the bewildered Lingdang.

"Your aura is acceptable; you are qualified to become my temporary contractor (deskmate)."

Bell: "..."

She felt she had encountered a creature even more troublesome than Zhang Yu.

The little incident of introducing myself is finally over.

Teacher Li wiped non-existent sweat from her forehead and began arranging seats.

Perhaps it was for the sake of balance, or perhaps it was truly "fate" (or perhaps Teacher Li wanted the lively ones to influence the introverted ones).

When the final seating chart was released, Lingdang looked at the diagram posted on the podium and her vision went black.

Her seat was neither in the front nor the back, but in the third row by the window.

On the left is Lin Wanwan, the "Starry Sea Witch".

On the right... is Zhang Yu, who practically wears "I'm the best" on his face!

She was caught between chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) and megalomaniac!

"How could this happen!"

Lingdang was inwardly wailing, but on the surface she still had to maintain the obedient "Li Xiaoling" style.

Following Teacher Li's instructions, I carried my schoolbag and small cushion (issued by the school) and moved to that "prime spot".

Zhang Yu was already sitting there. When he saw Lingdang coming over, he made no attempt to hide his pursed lips.

He even deliberately pushed his pencil case towards the center of the table, taking up more desktop space.

Lin Wanwan on the left gave Lingdang a "you know what's good for you" smile.

Then she started taking things out of her starry-themed backpack: a thick notebook with a six-pointed star on the cover, a quill pen (plastic), several oddly shaped stones (probably picked up from the roadside), and a mini crystal ball (filled with snowflake-shaped plastic pieces).

"From this day forward, you shall be my 'Star Observer'."

Lin Wanwan lowered her voice and spoke to Lingdang in a volume that only the two of them could hear.

"Responsible for recording my great deeds, and... helping me keep an eye on the gazes of mortal teachers, and promptly reminding me when I communicate with the astral plane (when I'm daydreaming in class)."

Bell: "..."

She wanted to go home to find Old Deng.