"Abbess Miejue" Zhou Yi!

For the next two days, Lin Yuan spent most of his time wandering around Shrek Academy, aside from his usual cultivation. It's worth mentioning that every night, Gu Yue Na would quietly pass through the Space Gate to accompany him to sleep in his dorm. With her familiar embrace, Lin Yuan finally stopped suffering from insomnia. But he also knew that such days wouldn't last long.

The new academic year's enrollment work finally concluded, and the new student dormitories buzzed with activity. Though not large, each dorm room housed two students. Despite the lively atmosphere outside, the dorm rooms were well-soundproofed. Not to mention, Lin Yuan lived alone, having arranged his dorm to be as comfortable as home.

He pushed the two beds together, laying down soft fur mattresses and down quilts. In the corner of the room, a spare silver hairband sewn by Biji rested, and by the window sat a small pot of spirit grass transplanted from the Lake of Life, emitting a faint, fresh fragrance.

"Lin Yuan, classes officially start today. Do you want to go together?" Huo Yu Hao asked, knocking on the dorm door.

"Coming," Lin Yuan replied, getting up to open the door. Huo Yu Hao's eyes outside were full of anticipation.

"Let's go. I heard from our senior brother that our homeroom teacher is very strict. If we're late, we might be in trouble."

The two walked out of the dorm side-by-side. The doors of the white teaching building were open, and a stream of new students in white school uniforms entered. Each wore a green little monster emblem symbolizing Shrek Academy on their left chest. The school uniform colors varied for students of different grades, much like the colors of their teaching buildings.

Their classroom was the first one on the left side of the first floor of the new student teaching building. With half an hour left before classes officially began, the spacious classroom only had a few scattered individuals, all of them girls.

Lin Yuan and Huo Yu Hao entered the classroom side-by-side, instantly becoming the focus of attention. The girls' gazes all landed on Lin Yuan, filled with admiration, curiosity, and infatuation... all sorts of reactions. After all, a youth with silver hair and purple eyes, exuding a cool demeanor, would shine anywhere.

Lin Yuan smiled and nodded, choosing a seat by the window. Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a soft halo on his silver-white hair.

Huo Yu Hao sat next to him and whispered in admiration, "Lin Yuan, the classroom became quiet as soon as you arrived."

As time passed, more and more people filled the classroom. Lin Yuan was meditating with his eyes closed when he suddenly heard familiar footsteps. He opened his eyes, a playful smile curling at the corners of his lips.

Wang Dong, with her short, pinkish-blue hair, walked in. Her gaze swept across the classroom, finally landing on Lin Yuan and Huo Yu Hao. She let out a cold snort and chose a seat not too close, nor too far, from them.

The atmosphere in the classroom immediately became subtle.

At this moment, Huo Yu Hao finally had the chance to observe his surroundings. The classroom was large, with as many as a hundred students in their class. Based on the scale of a thousand new students, there should be about ten new student classes.

"Ring ring ring—"

The class bell rang, and a figure appeared at the doorway precisely on time. The newcomer was an old woman with wrinkled skin and white hair coiled atop her head. She wore a white robe and was of medium build. It was none other than the legendary Abbess Miejue—Zhou Yi!

Seeing a teacher enter, the previously somewhat chaotic class immediately fell silent, all eyes turning towards the podium. The old woman's gaze swept calmly from left to right, and everyone felt as if they were being watched by her, an invisible pressure suddenly appearing in their hearts.

Another familiar taste, familiar recipe, familiar person, familiar words...

"My name is Zhou Yi, and I am your homeroom teacher. I'm not sure how many of you will be able to follow me through the next year. But what I want to tell you is that in my class, no trash will pass the assessment. I cultivate monsters, not idiots."

Zhou Yi's words were like a basin of cold water, instantly extinguishing the new students' enthusiasm. Many students showed expressions of indignation. Having passed the assessment to become students of Shrek Academy, they were all handpicked from various countries on the continent, undoubtedly considered geniuses among their peers. Yet, in Teacher Zhou's words, they were reduced to idiots.

Facing Zhou Yi's show of authority, the classroom was dead silent.

"In the past few days since registration, those who have gotten into fights, stand up." Zhou Yi maintained her stern demeanor, but this sentence shocked the entire class.

As the whole class remained silent, Lin Yuan and Huo Yu Hao stood up. Almost the next second, Wang Dong, not far from them, let out a cold snort and stood up unwillingly.

"Only three? What a bunch of trash. Don't you know that those who don't dare to cause trouble are mediocre talents? Everyone else, get out and run a hundred laps around Shrek Plaza. Anyone who doesn't finish will be directly expelled."

Hearing this, Lin Yuan sneered inwardly. This logic that not daring to cause trouble makes one mediocre was a twisted justification only Zhou Yi would dare use as an opening statement.

Upon this declaration, the entire class erupted in an uproar. It was only the first day of school, before any classes had even started, and they were to be punished for not having gotten into fights. Who could accept this? Immediately, a few troublemakers stood up to question Zhou Yi, but it was of no use. After Zhou Yi revealed her Soul Emperor strength and intimidated the entire class, no one dared to resist further. They all dejectedly stood up and walked out.

"Let me remind you, you have only one hour. After one hour, those who haven't run a hundred laps will be considered unqualified. This is your first assessment for admission. Those who are unqualified will be withdrawn from the school."

As soon as Zhou Yi finished speaking, the students' movements quickened. They left the classroom and quickly headed to the sports field.

"Teacher Zhou, we did get into a fight, but it was just a friendly exchange between classmates. It shouldn't be a particularly serious issue. Also, as you said, this is the first assessment for admission. One hundred laps in one hour; delaying time would be meaningless."

As Lin Yuan's voice fell, Zhou Yi's sharp gaze suddenly locked onto him. A subtle hint of surprise flickered in her cloudy eyes. She had taught at Shrek for many years and seen countless geniuses, but few new students dared to bargain so calmly under her pressure, let alone with a tone devoid of fear, but rather with a composure that saw through the rules.

"Friendly exchange?" Zhou Yi's lips curved into a cold arc. She walked slowly to Lin Yuan, her soul power subtly emanating around her. "Pinning a classmate's throat with physical techniques is also considered a friendly exchange?" She clearly already knew the details of the three's spar.

Lin Yuan met Zhou Yi's gaze calmly, his purple eyes showing no hint of evasion. "Teacher Zhou, if I truly intended to act, classmate Wang Dong probably wouldn't be able to sit here right now." He paused, then shifted his tone. "Besides, you want monsters who dare to cause trouble, not reckless brutes who only know how to bully. We didn't harm our friendship, nor did we violate school rules. We aren't holding back, are we?"

Huo Yu Hao, standing beside them, clenched his fists quietly. He hadn't expected Lin Yuan to confront Zhou Yi directly. Wang Dong, on the other hand, lifted his chin. Though he said nothing, his eyes held less of their previous hostility and more of a playful curiosity. He wanted to see if this guy, who could easily suppress him, could withstand Zhou Yi's wrath.

Zhou Yi stared at Lin Yuan for a long time before suddenly letting out a cold snort. "Sharp-tongued. But you're not wrong. I want monsters, not idiots." She turned and walked towards the podium, her voice returning to its previous sternness. "The three of you, go as well."

Lin Yuan smiled slightly and stood up, heading towards the classroom door. Huo Yu Hao and Wang Dong, after exchanging a look, followed him towards the sports field outside the classroom.

Watching the three leave the classroom, a barely perceptible curve appeared at the corner of Zhou Yi's lips. She had taught for many years and seen countless geniuses, but someone as young yet steady, composed, and with restrained sharpness as Lin Yuan was truly rare.

Outside the new student teaching building was Shrek Plaza. Shrek Plaza wasn't particularly large; one lap was about three hundred meters. For ordinary people, running a hundred laps around the plaza would not be an easy task. However, for these young students with a Soul Master foundation, it wasn't difficult at all. As long as they ran diligently, they could finish it within an hour.

After Lin Yuan, Huo Yu Hao, and Wang Dong joined the running crowd, sounds of schadenfreude immediately arose. However, Huo Yu Hao and Wang Dong couldn't pay attention to them; they had already fallen behind and needed to hurry.

In contrast, Lin Yuan appeared calm, his steps unhurried, his breathing as steady as if he were strolling. His figure cast a long shadow in the sunlight, his silver-white hairband fluttering in the wind, making him look composed and unruffled.

"How about a race?" Wang Dong ran up to Lin Yuan's side and asked.

Lin Yuan neither agreed nor refused, but said softly, "I'm afraid you'll get discouraged."

"Race then!" Wang Dong snorted defiantly and suddenly accelerated.

It had to be said that despite Wang Dong's pride, his cultivation was indeed extraordinary, and his physical fitness was extremely strong. With his acceleration, no one in the entire first-year class could keep up with him.

However, when he looked back to see how many laps Lin Yuan was behind, he froze. Lin Yuan was still walking at an unhurried pace, each landing of his feet as light as a feather. But every time he took a step, a faint afterimage would remain at his original spot, and in the next second, he would already be several meters ahead, as if a single step spanned the distance.

"This... is this teleportation?!" Wang Dong was completely stunned by the scene before him, stumbling and almost losing his balance.

"It's not teleportation," Lin Yuan's voice came from not far ahead, with a hint of a smile. "I just folded space a bit and walked in a straight line."

Walking in a straight line? He makes it sound so easy! Wang Dong thought inwardly, speechless but more so shocked. He suddenly realized that the gap between him and Lin Yuan might be much larger than he had imagined.

And on the other side of the field, Zhou Yi was also observing all of this with a cold gaze. When she saw Lin Yuan's near-teleportation steps, a flicker of surprise flashed in her eyes, but she quickly returned to her usual sternness.