Worldwide Class Change: Minimal Effort, Maximum Reward!

Lin Yi pulled up the sect rankings from the previous session:

Previous Session — Sect Rankings (End of Year)

1st: Crimson Vanguard — 9 members — Combined Score: 47,200

Leader: Third-year student, S-Rank Blade Sovereign

2nd: Azure Tide — 9 members — Combined Score: 41,800

Leader: Second-year student, S-Rank Storm Lord

3rd: Iron Bastion — 10 members — Combined Score: 38,500

Leader: Third-year student, S-Rank Earth Guardian

4th: Void Hunters — 7 members — Combined Score: 31,200

Leader: Second-year student, S-Rank Phantom Archer

5th: Hollow Flame — 8 members — Combined Score: 28,900

Leader: Third-year student, S-Rank Fire Knight

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He read through the top ten. Every leading sect was headed by a second or third-year student. Every leading sect had membership in the double digits or close to it. Every leading sect’s combined score dwarfed what any individual student could generate alone.

Influence within the academy was denominated in sect ranking. The top three sects had priority access to the advanced dungeon circuits, first selection of the mentorship assignments from faculty and senior hunters, first allocation of the expedition slots that opened periodically when the academy arranged supervised wilderness clearances in high-tier zones outside Celestial City, and preferential treatment in the resource distribution that the academy administered monthly based on collective performance.

Sect equals influence. Influence equals resources. Resources accelerate everything.

He had known this abstractly since reading the orientation materials. Sitting with the actual end-of-year numbers made it concrete in a different way. The gap between a student who belonged to a top-ranked sect and a student who didn’t was not a gap measured in individual skill alone. It was a gap measured in accumulated advantage across an entire year of compounding returns.

He closed the sect ranking file and leaned back in his chair.

The practical assessments had not started yet. No sects had been formed in 1st Level A that he was aware of, though the Level B students had been moving faster on that front based on what he could see in the academy-wide sect registry, which was public. Three Level B students had already registered a sect with one second-year member. It had a name and a member count of four and a combined score of zero because it had only been formed two days ago.

Lin Yi thought about what he knew about the eight people in his class.

Han Yue was the obvious anchor. His examination score, his class ability, and his academic performance made him the most immediately valuable sect member in the year. He had not yet formed or joined a sect publicly. The reasons for that could be several things. He might be evaluating options. He might be waiting to see how the practical assessments began before committing. He might be planning to lead rather than join.

Mei Lihua had the same calculation available to her from a slightly lower position. Wen Jiahao’s formation-based class made him valuable in collective activities in a way that didn’t show up fully in individual academic rankings. Luo Peng’s physical class advantage would become more visible the moment practical assessment replaced written evaluation. The Tie Ling City pair had the advantage of existing trust between them, which in a sect context was genuinely worth something because coordination under pressure required it.

Zhao Tianming had not spoken to Lin Yi since the first class. He had not been hostile about it. He had simply recalibrated his position in the room’s hierarchy and adjusted his behavior accordingly. Lin Yi respected this. It was the honest response.

Wang Hao knocked on his door at nine forty-five, which was becoming a pattern.

"Come in," Lin Yi said.

Wang Hao came in and sat in the chair by the terminal, which was also becoming a pattern. He had his datapad under his arm and the expression of someone who had been studying for several hours and needed fifteen minutes of something else before continuing. "Formation theory," he said, by way of explanation for his presence.

"Which module?"

"Defensive array construction for dungeon environments. The part where you calculate anchor point spacing based on terrain variability." He set the datapad on the desk. "My brain has decided it’s done for tonight."

"The formula is consistent," Lin Yi said. "The terrain variability is the input, not the variable."

"I know that intellectually," Wang Hao said, as he leaned back in the chair and looked at the ceiling. Then he looked at the datapad screen Lin Yi had been working from, which still showed the sect ranking file. "You’ve been looking at sects."

"Yes."

Wang Hao sat forward slightly. "And?"

"The resource sharing structure is more significant than I initially estimated," Lin Yi said. "A high-performing sect member generates returns for every other member simultaneously. The compounding effect across a full semester is substantial."

Wang Hao nodded slowly. He had clearly been thinking about this too. "The obvious anchor in our class is Han Yue," he said. "His score, his class, his academic ranking. If he forms or joins a strong sect, the people in it get pulled upward with him."

"Yes."

"But Han Yue hasn’t moved yet."

"No."

"Which means the window is still open." Wang Hao looked at him. "Are you thinking about forming one?"

Lin Yi looked at the sect ranking file for a moment. The top entry. Crimson Vanguard. Forty-seven thousand combined score. Led by a third-year student whose class was Blade Sovereign. Built over a full year of compounding returns from nine members performing at consistently high levels.

"Yes," he said.

Wang Hao was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "I’m in. Obviously. Don’t even ask, the answer is yes, it was yes before you finished the sentence."

Lin Yi looked at him.

"We need at least one more to form," Wang Hao added. "Minimum three."

"I know."

"Who are you thinking?"

Lin Yi looked back at the file. He did not answer immediately because the honest answer required him to think through it properly rather than reach for the obvious name. The obvious name was Han Yue, and obvious was not wrong, but obvious was also something every other person in the class was calculating toward.

"I haven’t decided yet," he said.

Wang Hao nodded. "Take your time." He picked up his datapad and stood up. "Just don’t take too long. Once Han Yue moves, the board changes fast." He moved toward the door. "Also, for what it’s worth." He paused. "Wherever you go in this academy, I’m next to you. Same as Jianghe. Same as the Dragon God Tower." He said it simply, without the theatrical delivery he usually applied to statements he wanted to emphasize. Just the fact. "That’s not changing."

He left.

Lin Yi sat at his desk for a while longer. The academy ranking display was still open on one side of the screen. The sect ranking from the previous session was on the other. Between them, the empty fields of a sect registration form he had opened an hour ago and not yet filled in.

Minimum three members. Maximum ten. Score and experience distributed in full to every member.

He looked at the form for a long moment. Then he closed the datapad, picked up the Celestial Lord Blade from beside the bed, and went to the training terminal. The practical assessments would start soon. Between now and then, there was still work to do.

There was always still work to do.