The Same Old Running Drill

Ling Mo got up early as usual today. Stretching lazily, he said, "Come to think of it, have I become more diligent since enrolling? Is it because I've been too bored? Classes start today, so I should head over early."

When he arrived at the classroom, Ling Mo had assumed there would not be many people. To his surprise, it was practically full. Is something wrong with me, or is the continent's number one academy always like this? Hmm... It must be because it's the first day. Ling Mo thought to himself, absolutely unwilling to admit that the breakfast had too many options, leaving him so picky that he still arrived a little late despite getting up early. He casually found a seat and sat down.

It was worth mentioning that even after enrolling at Shrek Academy, Ling Mo still attended class in a cloak that covered his entire body. Only, its usual black color had been changed to a black-and-white combination. Even so, the outfit still looked extremely strange and attracted many curious stares, though no one looked at Ling Mo for very long.

Just as Ling Mo was growing bored out of his mind, Huo Yuhao arrived in the classroom with his roommate, Wang Dong. That was right—since they had registered together, it was only natural that they had been assigned to the same class.

A while later, class began, and Zhou Yi, the homeroom teacher of Class One, entered the room.

Ling Mo remembered this "perverted old crone" from the original story quite clearly. With Xuan Zi's help, he had even made contact with her before. The reason was simple: it would make it easier for him to get acquainted with her husband later, the Level Eight Soul Engineer—Fan Yu!

As someone with the Herrscher Martial Soul, Ling Mo's first Soul Ring had unlocked the forms of the Herrscher of Reason and the Herrscher of the Void. He was definitely going to come into contact with Soul Tools. Although the weapons of the Honkai World from his previous life were not weak, with his current Soul Power Level of twenty-one, he simply could not recreate those powerful weapons. More precisely, even the starting four-star weapons from the game before his transmigration could not be recreated. On the other hand, the Divine Key Martial Soul beneath Void Archive could mimic every weapon other than Divine Keys themselves. Yet the mimicked weapons were like scrap metal drained of all energy—merely sharp, unable to unleash their original immense power.

Thinking of this, Ling Mo sighed helplessly. His Martial Soul was indeed powerful, but his Soul Power Level had to reach certain thresholds before it could truly unleash its strength. In other words, Ling Mo was the type who either remained unnoticed or astonished the world with a single feat. Others were like that because they kept a low profile, but Ling Mo only wanted to say, I really can't do it!

While Ling Mo's thoughts were running wild, Zhou Yi began speaking. "My name is Zhou Yi, and I am your homeroom teacher. Let me make this clear: in my class, no trash will ever pass the assessment. What I intend to cultivate are monsters, not useless idiots!"

As Zhou Yi spoke, she stared at Ling Mo the entire time. Ling Mo thought, I know you know me, and I know you know my Soul Power Level is low, but you don't have to stare at me while saying that. You're making it seem like I'm actually worthless. I may not be desperate enough to train myself to death, but calling me hardworking wouldn't be an exaggeration, would it?

Ling Mo rolled his eyes helplessly, though no one else saw it because of his cloak.

After that came one of Douluo Continent's famous scenes: everyone who had not fought had to go outside and run laps. They had to complete a hundred laps within one shichen. Although some students were dissatisfied, Zhou Yi's imposing manner cowed them into obediently heading out to run. Ling Mo also knew perfectly well that Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong would not escape either—they would likewise have to complete the hundred laps.

Very soon, when Ling Mo had already finished his seventeenth lap, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong arrived at the track and began running.

Half a shichen quickly passed, and Ling Mo reached his ninetieth lap. Honestly, this number of laps posed no difficulty for him. His constant practice of the Heart-Shattering Fist had given him a physique stronger than that of ordinary people. Even compared with Wang Dong, whose Soul Rings were also one yellow and one purple, he was no weaker. Wang Dong had been able to absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring because she had consumed Heavenly Treasures that strengthened the body. Ling Mo, however, had relied entirely on the physical tempering brought by training. The difference between them was obvious.

Only half the allotted time had passed, but Ling Mo could clearly see that Huo Yuhao was already nearing his limit. Even so, he still gritted his teeth and persevered. Is this what it means to be the protagonist? His determination is practically unmatched. Is that standard protagonist equipment?

The running drill soon came to an end. After Ling Mo finished his final ten laps, he stood to the side and watched Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong continue. In the end, just as expected, Wang Dong released her Martial Soul and carried Huo Yuhao through the remaining distance.

"Looks like the plot hasn't changed. It seems that unless I make some major moves, I won't affect the original trajectory of this world. That's good. I'll be able to prepare better for the future." The world's corrective force was incredibly powerful. Back in his previous life in the Honkai World, Ling Mo had practically altered the so-called plot beyond recognition, yet it had only caused certain changes in the future. For example, The Big Three Families had still become Herrschers. Although the reasons were completely different from the original plot, the final outcome had not changed much. He had saved Himeko, but her body had become incapable of returning to the battlefield. Even lifting a weapon was extremely difficult for her, and she had remained unconscious for a long time.

Ling Mo had eventually suspected that the reason he had been able to rewrite the ending was the unique nature of the Honkai World: Finality would erase every trace of humanity's existence from Earth. Since everything would ultimately turn to nothing, the world's corrective force over the "plot" was somewhat weaker. Even so, Ling Mo had merely turned the original ten into the original eight plus the two he had changed.

The thought made Ling Mo break out in a cold sweat. If he had not defeated Finality, the ending would certainly have been the Great Honkai. Although the Honkai storyline had never been fully released, it was not hard to imagine that Kiana, as the main force, had avoided humanity's extinction only with everyone's help. But Kiana now had not obtained the powers of the other Herrschers due to Ling Mo's interference. In other words, she was only the Herrscher of the Void. The Herrscher of Flames Core that had been in Himeko's possession had ultimately fallen into his hands. In the end, relying on forcibly wielding multiple Divine Keys, the power of the Herrscher of Flames, and everything he had learned, he had barely managed to perish together with Finality. It was only because Ling Mo could not endure the side effects caused by multiple Divine Keys that he had ended up on Douluo Continent.

After class, Ling Mo watched Zhou Yi leave with Huo Yuhao and knew that Huo Yuhao's path as a Soul Engineer was about to begin. However, Ling Mo had no intention of taking Fan Yu as his master. He understood himself very well—he had never been cut out for research. His desire to approach Fan Yu was only to gain access to more Soul Tools, not to learn how to make them. After giving it careful thought again and again yesterday, Ling Mo had decided to join the Tang Sect!

His purpose in joining the Tang Sect was not its Hidden Weapons or those Tang Sect Ultimate Skills. It was because Huo Yuhao was in the Tang Sect, and He Caitou would join it later as well. Calling those two geniuses in Soul Engineering would not be an exaggeration. Huo Yuhao in particular, as the protagonist, possessed Soul Engineer talent that ranked among the very best on the continent. Although this would not greatly improve Ling Mo's strength in the early stages, still...

"Isn't it interesting?" Ling Mo smiled to himself.

The next day, it was still Zhou Yi. Ling Mo seriously suspected that every class at Shrek Academy had only one teacher—the homeroom teacher. After all, when he had read the original story before, he had never paid attention to such details and did not know the specifics.

Today brought the same old routine—running laps. The difference was that they had to wear Iron Armor. Ling Mo had already figured out Zhou Yi's methods. She began by relentlessly training the students' physiques. There was nothing wrong with that; on the contrary, it was extremely reasonable. Regardless of what type of Soul Master one was, as long as one was a Soul Master, battle could be called their destiny. And in battle, the importance of a strong physique went without saying.

Pointing at the Iron Armor in front of her, Zhou Yi said, "Everyone except Ling Mo gets one piece. Put it on and run laps until the dismissal bell rings! The person with the fewest laps will be expelled from my class!"

"Teacher, I refuse to accept this! Why doesn't he have to wear one?" a student asked, pointing at Ling Mo.

Ling Mo took a look. Wasn't this the student Zhou Yi had scolded yesterday? Why was it you again? You refused to accept it yesterday, and you refuse to accept it today. Enough already!

Zhou Yi truly lived up to her name. She directly shouted, "He has to wear three pieces! Do you want to wear three too? If you don't want to run, get lost now! My class has no need for trash!"

It had already been mentioned that Zhou Yi and Ling Mo had known each other for some time, so she understood him to an extent. Before reaching Level Twenty, he had been able to hunt Thousand-Year Soul Beasts alone, and he had acquired his second Soul Ring by himself. Thus, she directly gave Ling Mo a requirement three times greater than the others'.

The students gradually put on their Iron Armor. At first, Huo Yuhao had thought Zhou Yi was merely talking, but when he saw Ling Mo actually put on three times the amount, he was startled as well. The running soon began. Although Ling Mo's body was indeed very strong, the three pieces together weighed roughly ninety jin by his estimate. That was still a huge burden for him. Moreover, there were nearly two shichen—four hours—until class ended. That was almost half a day!

The considerable weight visibly slowed Ling Mo down. He was gradually overtaken by the others, and before long, no one remained behind him except Huo Yuhao!

Seeing so many people pass him, Ling Mo had assumed nobody was behind him anymore. Yet when he turned around and saw Huo Yuhao still trailing behind, he could not help sighing over how weak the protagonist truly was in the early stages. He slowed down and ran alongside Huo Yuhao, who returned his gesture with a smile.

Ling Mo did not intend to speed up. There was no requirement for a certain number of laps, and he knew Zhou Yi would not expel anyone because Huo Yuhao would inspire the entire class. There was no need to run so quickly. Maintaining his current pace was already tiring, but it was just right—it could train him without making him collapse afterward.

The two continued running as one shichen slowly passed. Ling Mo noticed that many students had already fallen down. They clearly could not continue, or were unable to stand up and had chosen not to continue. Is it coming? Ling Mo thought to himself. Come on, let me see whether having one extra person will prevent Huo Yuhao's persistence from inspiring them.

Yet the facts proved that nothing changed. Perhaps this matter was insignificant to the main plot of the original story. Ling Mo looked at the green leaf before him, quietly pondering something, but Zhou Yi was not about to let him think in peace.

Zhou Yi's voice rang out. "Wang Dong, step forward."

Looking at Wang Dong, Zhou Yi continued, "As class monitor, you only cared about yourself and failed to set a good example. From this moment onward, I strip you of your position as class monitor. Huo Yuhao will be the new class monitor. If anyone challenges him, you will accept the challenge in his place."

Huh? Am I invisible? Hey, what about me? I persevered too, alright? We ran together, so why is he the class monitor?! Ling Mo, standing nearby, was dumbfounded. Wasn't this blatant favoritism?!

Ling Mo grumbled internally, but he did not say anything. He did not like the idea of being class monitor in the first place. Fu Hua had been an example before him, and Yuhao was one right in front of him. Ling Mo did not think being class monitor was a pleasant job, and he was happy to remain free and relaxed.

Looking at the fiery red sunset, Ling Mo suddenly thought of someone from Douluo Continent—Ma Xiaotao, the Evil Fire Phoenix. She was one of the few characters from Douluo Continent whom Ling Mo had liked in his previous life. He could go get acquainted with her. He remembered that Huo Yuhao and Ma Xiaotao first met at Sea God Lake, but he did not know whether the original story had simply failed to describe it in detail or whether he had forgotten. In any case, Ling Mo did not know exactly when the two had met.

"Looks like I'll need to keep a closer eye on Huo Yuhao lately. I should visit Sea God Lake whenever I have time." Ling Mo clenched his fist. Level Twenty-Two. Based on Ling Mo's repeated deductions, the form most likely to unlock after the Divine Key Martial Soul absorbed its third Soul Ring would be either Oath of Judah or Black Abyss White Flower. If it was Black Abyss White Flower, Ling Mo planned to use its abilities to attach two Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Rings to his Herrscher Martial Soul. The forms unlocked by the Herrscher Martial Soul's second and third rings, in order, were the Thunder Herrscher, Wind Herrscher, Herrscher of Ice, and Death Herrscher.

The power of the Death Herrscher needed no explanation, while the other forms could also unleash terrifying destructive force if used properly. Besides...

"As the Herrscher of the End, it wouldn't be too much to have a few ultimate attributes, would it?"