First High School, training field.
Boom!
A mage wearing a moon-white robe raised his staff and injected a surge of magic into the massive magic circle on the platform.
The circle awakened.
Seven beams of light—red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple—erupted upward as the formation ignited.
The class change ceremony had officially begun.
"When your name is called, step into the magic circle," the instructor announced. "The formation will automatically scan your attributes, talent, and other information before determining your first class."
"Number one. Li Hai."
As the first student to undergo the ceremony, Li Hai stepped into the magic circle with visible nervousness.
Buzz!
The moment he stood on the platform, the seven-colored pillars of light flared above the formation. Streams of light descended and enveloped his entire body.
"I wonder what class Li Hai will get."
"He's the first one today. His attributes are pretty solid, and his talent is D+. The school probably arranged this hoping for a good start."
"I bet it'll be a combat class."
One minute later.
A rune surrounded by flickering flames suddenly appeared above Li Hai's head.
"A fire rune. Is that a Mage class?"
"No."
"Wait… that's the rune for a Blacksmith. An enhancement class."
The result was announced.
A wave of groans swept through the crowd.
Li Hai was one of the top students. Even if he wasn't in the elite class, his attributes were well balanced and his talent rank was D+.
If even someone like him ended up like this, what hope did the others have?
For Li Hai himself, it was an even greater blow.
When he stepped out of the magic circle, his eyes were red. He silently returned to Class Five, looking like a deflated balloon.
The homeroom teacher of Class Five had the surname Xie. Li Hai had always been one of his key students.
But now, all he could do was offer a few words of comfort.
There was nothing else he could change.
By midday, more than half of the ceremony had already passed.
Some students celebrated.
Others were devastated.
Below the stage, two teachers chatted quietly.
"Old Zhao, how's your class doing? How many students got combat classes?" asked the teacher from Class One, the elite class.
"Three," Zhao Li replied flatly.
He knew the man was deliberately rubbing salt in the wound.
"Only three? Heh. My class already has six combat classes. You need to work harder, Old Zhao. The school leaders are watching from the stands."
The Class One teacher smirked.
The two had never gotten along.
Whenever there was a chance, he would definitely take a jab.
And usually, he had the advantage.
After all, he taught the elite class. The best students in the entire school were all under him. What could Zhao Li possibly compete with?
"Oh look, Huang Ming from my class just got a combat class too."
"Old Zhao, you better watch out. Your performance evaluation this year… hahaha. Come to think of it, I think the principal just smiled at me earlier."
The man couldn't hide his pride.
Being noticed by the principal meant his annual performance score was practically guaranteed.
Zhao Li clenched his teeth.
He wanted to punch him.
The smug look on that man's face was unbearable.
But what could he do?
Unless…
Unless someone from Class Three awakened a hidden class.
But that was almost impossible.
Even in major cities, a hidden class might not appear in several ceremonies.
The probability was simply too low.
One in ten thousand?
Or one in a hundred million?
"If Class Three actually produced a hidden class, I'd take off on the spot," Zhao Li thought bitterly. "Let's see if that guy can still laugh then."
He forced a wry smile.
The odds of that happening were about the same as closing his eyes and dreaming.
"Next."
"Class Three. Qin Fan."
In the student line, Fang Dahai immediately shouted.
"Teacher! It's Qin Fan! Qin Fan is going in!"
Qin Fan's talent was E+.
Fang Dahai's talent was D-.
Technically, Fang Dahai's talent was slightly better.
Seeing him so excited, Zhao Li shook his head helplessly.
"Getting a little too invested, aren't you?"
The two of them were usually quiet students in class. Zhao Li rarely paid much attention to them.
Still, he didn't want to discourage him.
"Your talents are similar," Zhao Li said casually. "Based on past experience, Qin Fan's E+ talent will most likely result in a life profession. If he's lucky, maybe an enhancement class."
"You two should prepare yourselves mentally."
Boom!!!
The next second, the magic circle erupted with an earth-shaking change.
Gigantic phantoms burst through the formation, appearing in the sky as thousands of eyes looked up in disbelief.
"My god… what is that?"
"A miracle?"
After the initial shock, the entire field exploded into chaos.
Roar!
A deafening dragon's roar thundered across the sky.
Above the magic circle, a colossal shadow began to take shape in the air.
At first it was blurry.
But as the roar echoed through the clouds, the form gradually solidified.
Dragon head.
Dragon wings.
Dragon body.
Dragon tail.
A massive dragon, nearly thirty meters long, appeared above Qin Fan's head. Its wings stretched wide enough to blot out the sky.
At the same time, hundreds of beast phantoms appeared one after another.
Countless beasts filled the sky, like a vast tide.
Heaven and earth seemed covered by them.
"My god…"
"This is a miracle!"
"A real miracle has appeared!"
The students were completely stunned.
Even standing on tiptoe and craning their necks, they still couldn't see the full extent of the beasts.
Above them all hovered the dragon.
An overwhelming aura spread from its body.
Dragon's might.
The terrifying pressure filled the sky and pressed down upon the humans below.
Under that presence, they felt as insignificant as ants.
Many even felt the urge to kneel in worship.
"Teacher, it's Qin Fan!"
"He caused all of this!"
"Oh my god… what is happening?"
Among the students of Class Three, voices disappeared one after another.
Even their homeroom teacher, who had never thought much of Qin Fan, stood there completely frozen.
All eyes were fixed on the dragon.
The massive creature raised its head and spoke in a deep, ancient dragon language.
"Dragon, lord of all beasts."
"Beneath the sun, moon, and stars, the dragon soul endures forever."
Although the language was unfamiliar, everyone somehow understood its meaning.
The next moment, the dragon gently flapped its wings.
A violent storm formed above the magic circle, whipping sand and debris into a swirling vortex.
Roar!
Roar!
The beast phantoms began to shatter one after another when the dragon roared again.
Only a few remained.
But even those lowered their forelimbs and trembled in submission.
Crack.
Suddenly, the dragon and the remaining beasts began shrinking rapidly.
Their enormous forms condensed into a single glowing point of light.
Whoosh.
The light shot straight toward Qin Fan.
It entered his forehead, leaving behind a tiny mysterious mark.
Ding.
"Congratulations. You have obtained SSS-rank talent: Beast Affinity."
Qin Fan's body trembled violently.
In just a single breath, all of his attributes surged upward by seven or eight points.
His condition had never felt better.
Power filled every inch of his body.
He felt as if he could shatter a boulder with a single punch.
More importantly, his entire aura changed.
It was as if he had gained a natural affinity—and authority—over all beasts.