Elimination

Huo Yuhao had spent the past few days training nonstop under Ye Qingchen's supervision. Though Ice Silkworm Skydream was not some powerful soul beast, it had the advantage of possessing four skills, something ordinary soul beasts could not provide.

They were Spiritual Detection, Spiritual Sharing, Spiritual Interference, and Soul Shock. Spiritual Interference was an area-of-effect skill capable of disrupting all living beings with spiritual fluctuations within a thirty-meter diameter centered on Huo Yuhao. However, its effect was not very strong. At his current level of cultivation, it could at most cause someone to momentarily lose focus.

"Little Yuhao, that's enough training for today. Go back and properly consolidate the Yin-Yang Creation Art. I can't supervise you all the time, so you need to train diligently on your own," Ye Qingchen said, patting Huo Yuhao on the shoulder.

"Alright, Ye-dage, I'll remember that," Huo Yuhao said excitedly.

After this period of training, Huo Yuhao estimated that he would break through to level twenty before long. Even if Ye Qingchen had said nothing, Huo Yuhao would have trained diligently anyway.

The next morning.

"System, the God Slaying Spear is taking far too long to refine. I've refined less than a tenth of it so far. When will I ever completely refine it?" Ye Qingchen asked.

Host, there is no helping it. The God Slaying Spear's grade is too high, far beyond this plane. Furthermore, the host's strength is too low, so naturally you cannot refine it immediately.

"So basically, I'm just weak?" Ye Qingchen said speechlessly.

The host does have some self-awareness. So why aren't you going to improve your strength?

"Judging from the current situation, even if I use up all my Divine Power, it'll probably still take several months. And there can't be any unexpected incidents in the middle. I'll just leave it at that for now..."

At that moment, a voice sounded, interrupting Ye Qingchen's thoughts.

"Classes start today. Ye Qingchen, aren't you leaving?" Wang Dong's voice jolted Ye Qingchen out of his thoughts.

"Classes start today?" Ye Qingchen asked.

Wang Dong looked at Ye Qingchen. "In a little over an hour, probably."

"Let's go."

Ye Qingchen and Wang Dong walked out of the dormitory side by side. The white freshman uniform suited Ye Qingchen so well that Wang Dong found herself staring in a daze.

Wang Dong naturally sat down beside Ye Qingchen. With Wang Dong and Ye Qingchen's outstanding looks, the seats around them were filled with girls. Ye Qingchen sat there for quite some time before the bell rang, and only then did he see Huo Yuhao enter and sit on his other side.

After a while, an elderly woman entered through the doorway. Her face was wrinkled, her grizzled hair coiled atop her head. She wore a white robe and was of average height.

"New Student Class One's homeroom teacher—Zhou Yi." Ye Qingchen understood the newcomer's identity with a single glance.

"I am your homeroom teacher. My name is Zhou Yi. Let me tell you this: what I intend to cultivate in my class are monsters, not fools."

"If hard work were enough, what would we need geniuses for?" said someone with a system cheat.

Still wearing a stern expression, Zhou Yi asked, "Since registration began, those who have gotten into fights, stand up."

Without a second thought, Ye Qingchen stood. Seeing him rise, Wang Dong stood as well; after all, sparring counted as fighting too.

"Tell me, why did you fight?" Zhou Yi asked, looking at Ye Qingchen and Wang Dong.

"It didn't really count as a fight. We were just sparring as roommates," Ye Qingchen said, shaking his head.

"Oh? You're roommates too. Well fought. Roommates fighting is best—competition helps people improve. Fighting is a good thing, but I don't particularly like my own students fighting each other. Remember: next time you fight, fight students from another class."

"You have one minute. If, within one minute, I do not see you running laps around Shrek Plaza, the entire class will be expelled."

At Zhou Yi's words, the students immediately sped up their movements. They rushed out of the classroom and quickly reached the field, while Ye Qingchen strolled out at an unhurried pace.

"A mere hundred laps? Who are you looking down on? I'll finish them in minutes," Ye Qingchen said.

"Ye Qingchen, you're that confident?" Wang Dong asked.

"Wang Dong, Little Yuhao, how about a race?" Ye Qingchen asked the two youngsters.

"Sure!" Huo Yuhao said as he activated the Three Thousand Thunder Illusory Body and dashed forward.

Wang Dong accelerated as well. Her physical constitution was a little better than Huo Yuhao's, and she kept up with his speed without falling behind at all.

"Using running as practice—not a bad idea."

Ye Qingchen did not pause in the slightest. Afterimages trailed behind him as he ran. If not for sparing their pride, Ye Qingchen would have long since shown them what it meant to take off from a standstill.

By then, Zhou Yi had arrived beside Shrek Plaza and stood there quietly watching the students run. Her gaze was quickly drawn to Ye Qingchen's group of three. After shifting slightly, her expression returned to normal.

"Huo Yuhao and Ye Qingchen's footwork is extremely similar, except Ye Qingchen uses it with great proficiency," Zhou Yi murmured to herself as she watched the unusual footwork.

Time passed quickly. As the lap count increased, the students' breathing gradually grew heavier. At this point, their physical constitutions and cultivation levels began to show. Everyone was using Soul Power to restore their stamina for the long-distance run.

Zhou Yi's voice suddenly rang out in every student's ears. "Accelerate. My position is the finish line."

While she was speaking, Ye Qingchen's group of three had already swept past her with a whoosh. All three completed their hundred laps at the same time.

After finishing the hundred laps at such tremendous speed, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong's faces had taken on a flush. Panting slightly, they slowed down and walked another lap around the field before finally stopping.

Host has changed Huo Yuhao's originally embarrassing trajectory. Reward: Enhancement +1. Current Enhancement Level: 7.

All the students completed the hundred laps within the allotted time and stood loosely gathered on Shrek Plaza. Zhou Yi turned toward them expressionlessly and called out the names of nine people in total.

"You may return to pack your belongings and leave the academy. From this moment on, you are no longer students of Shrek Academy."

"What? Teacher, why?" A tall youth stepped forward with anger written across his face.

"Shrek does not need students who take shortcuts. If someone has strength but lacks a sound and proper mindset, then once they are cultivated into talents, all they will bring to any nation is disaster rather than help. I believe more than one person noticed your laziness."

"I..."

"The students who passed the assessment should return to their dorms to change clothes, then come back to the classroom for lessons. I'll give you fifteen minutes." With that, Zhou Yi turned and returned to the teaching building.

"Yuhao did quite well. His Three Thousand Thunder Illusory Body has achieved some initial mastery too. Looks like he hasn't neglected his cultivation," Ye Qingchen said.

"Ye-dage, let's go back to the dorm and change clothes. We still have to return to the classroom later," Huo Yuhao said.

"Let's go."

The three of them returned to the dorm together and changed into fresh clothes one after another. A few minutes later, they returned to the classroom.