Running II

Word of Xu Jie's situation spread little among the students, as the Academy had suppressed it. However, the Academy did not forbid teachers from sharing information among themselves, so quite a few teachers knew that Xu Jie was a genius with an Ultimate Martial Soul. As Xu Jie's homeroom teacher, Zhou Yi naturally knew the state of his martial soul.

With someone taking the lead, quite a few people braved the pressure of a Soul Emperor and headed into the classroom. In the end, several people truly could not stand any longer, and the elderly woman finally withdrew her soul rings. The moment the pressure vanished, those few hurriedly left the classroom.

Xu Jie and Huo Yuhao were not moving quickly, remaining in the middle of the crowd.

Aside from Huo Yuhao, all the students were soul masters of at least level fifteen. Without any extra weight, running one hundred and fifty laps in an hour and a half was not much of a problem.

Zhou Yi stood in the plaza, watching everyone closely.

Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, an hour had gone by. Many people on the field had begun using Soul Power, while Xu Jie and Huo Yuhao remained unhurriedly in the middle of the crowd.

Running was not difficult for either Xu Jie or Huo Yuhao. Especially Huo Yuhao—having mastered the first level of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Skill, along with the portion of strength bestowed upon him when Sky Dream Ice Silkworm possessed him, this level of exercise was nothing more than a piece of cake to him.

After all, if it was only running, then for Huo Yuhao, who had undergone Xu Jie's training, it was hardly worth mentioning.

Wang Dong, on the other hand, had maintained a very fast pace. In just an hour, she had completed the target of one hundred and fifty laps and was already sitting by the edge of the field resting, casting a provocative look at the light-green-haired youth still running in the plaza.

As time passed, with only a quarter of an hour left until the hour and a half was up, Zhou Yi's voice suddenly rang beside everyone's ears. "Pick up your speed. Use me as the finish line."

At her words, everyone immediately sped up. Xu Jie and Huo Yuhao remained in the middle of the crowd, neither falling behind nor moving ahead.

Soon, many people completed their target, and Xu Jie and Huo Yuhao also finished their laps along with the crowd.

Within the allotted time, everyone completed one hundred and fifty laps. They stood loosely around Shrek Plaza, while quite a few chose to sit on the ground. Xu Jie and Huo Yuhao chose a corner and sat down.

Xu Jie made a timely gesture to Huo Yuhao. Huo Yuhao's expression changed at once, and just as he was about to speak, Zhou Yi's voice rang out beside everyone's ears.

"Those whose names I call, step forward. Cheng Cheng, Qiu Jianrao, Tang Dao..."

As Zhou Yi's voice carried, the nine people whose names had been called stepped out of the line.

Zhou Yi looked at them and said blandly, "You nine, pack your things and leave. You have been expelled."

The nine immediately began arguing over their expulsion.

Huo Yuhao glanced at the people ahead of him arguing with Zhou Yi, but did not pay them much attention. His Spiritual Power was already formidable, and with nothing to do while running, he had naturally counted everyone else's laps. He had long noticed that these people had not run enough laps.

What he needed to do now was talk to Xu Jie about training. The gesture Xu Jie had made just now meant that they needed to prepare for devilish training that afternoon.

As soon as Zhou Yi announced dismissal, Xu Jie dragged Huo Yuhao straight toward the cafeteria. That noon, Huo Yuhao came to understand just how delicious food priced in Gold Soul Coins could be.

After eating, Xu Jie and Huo Yuhao wandered around Shrek Academy to walk off their meal, eventually finding a quiet place by Sea God Lake.

Feeling the constant warmth radiating from their stomachs, Xu Jie and Huo Yuhao sighed at how well the money had been spent.

After resting for a while, Xu Jie led Huo Yuhao through Wudang Long Fist. Xu Jie had no plans to let Huo Yuhao practice stronger martial arts yet, such as Tai Chi Quan or Great Strength Vajra Hand. They would have to wait until the two of them became stronger.

After all, if someone with ill intentions found out about them, they were still so weak that they could not resist if someone tried to take their techniques by force. They did not have Shrek Academy backing them like Beibei and Tang Ya did.

After finishing several sets of Wudang Long Fist, Xu Jie pulled Huo Yuhao into some modern fitness exercises. They needed to combine the two methods.

In the freshman class one classroom, Xu Jie and Huo Yuhao dragged their exhausted bodies into the classroom just before the bell rang. The classroom was already full.

The two sat in a corner, circulating their cultivation techniques to slowly recover from their physical fatigue.

Zhou Yi entered the room, swept her gaze around, and said, "Everyone, stand. Gather on the field." At her words, everyone hurriedly got to their feet. No one dared to say anything more as they rushed out of the classroom. There was no other reason—the people whose names had been called that morning had truly disappeared.

Thus, no one dared to slack off now, because they really would be expelled.

Xu Jie and Huo Yuhao stood at the back. They glanced at the iron chains in front of the formation but said nothing, waiting for Zhou Yi to speak.

"Wang Dong," Zhou Yi called.

"Here." Wang Dong immediately stepped forward.

Zhou Yi looked at all the students and said, "I have reviewed all of your entrance assessments. Wang Dong has the highest cultivation among you. Therefore, from this moment onward, Wang Dong will be the class monitor of freshman class one."

At that, Zhou Yi paused and swept her gaze around. Noticing several students whose eyes clearly showed their dissatisfaction, she continued, "However, the position of class monitor is not fixed. Whoever among you can defeat her may replace her as class monitor. Do you understand?"

When Zhou Yi said this, quite a few people in the crowd began flexing their hands eagerly. She had also heard about the trouble Wang Dong had caused at the beginning, and many students in the class had complaints about it. But in this world, strength was supreme, and fists did the talking.

"Do you understand?" Everyone hurriedly answered.

After everyone responded, Zhou Yi pointed at the iron chains on the ground. "These are Iron Vests specially designed by the Academy to improve physical fitness. One for each of you. Put them on, then start running laps around the field until the dismissal bell rings. You may use Soul Power, but not soul skills."

Everyone hurriedly put on the Iron Vests. Once most of them had put them on and started running, Zhou Yi loudly announced, "When the dismissal bell rings, you will be ranked according to the number of laps you have run. The last two will be expelled from freshman class one."

The remaining few people who had been dawdling immediately quickened the pace at which they put on their Iron Vests.

Huo Yuhao was startled when he heard this. He glanced at Xu Jie beside him, but seeing no change in Xu Jie's expression, he said nothing and immersed himself in running.

Xu Jie and Huo Yuhao kept the same pace as in the morning, neither hurried nor slow, remaining in the middle of the crowd.

As time went on, quite a few people had already fallen to the ground, while Xu Jie and Huo Yuhao's pace remained unchanged. Zhou Yi could not help feeling surprised as she watched them. She knew about the stir Xu Jie and Huo Yuhao had caused among the teachers when school began.

She was not surprised by Xu Jie's performance, but Huo Yuhao surprised her. She knew that Huo Yuhao's Soul Power Level was only thirteen, and she also knew that his martial soul had no ability to improve his physical constitution. That Huo Yuhao could endure for so long truly astonished her.