A Born Leader!

Class One Freshman, classroom.

Ten minutes before the afternoon bell rang, the classroom was already full, and it was unusually quiet. Not a single student dared to speak loudly. Since seating arrangements had not yet been finalized, everyone had basically sat where they had been that morning. Lin Yuan was still by the window, while Wang Dong remained squeezed between him and Huo Yu Hao.

The moment Zhou Yi entered the classroom, the atmosphere instantly became tense.

"Everyone, stand. Assemble at the square." To everyone's surprise, Zhou Yi said only that before turning and walking out.

No one dared to delay. They quickly filed out of the classroom and followed quietly and orderly behind Zhou Yi all the way to Shrek Academy's square. Other than Lin Yuan, no one noticed the faint smile in Zhou Yi's eyes.

At some point, a pile of iron chains had been placed in the square at Shrek Academy. At Zhou Yi's command, the students lined up neatly.

"Lin Yuan." Zhou Yi gave a light cough.

Lin Yuan stepped out in response.

Zhou Yi glanced at him, her tone calm. "I reviewed the results of your entrance examinations, along with the earlier tests. So far, Lin Yuan's cultivation is the highest among all of you, and even among the entire freshman year. Therefore, I announce that from this moment onward, he will be the class monitor of Class One Freshman. The position of class monitor is provisional. Whoever has the ability to defeat him may replace him as class monitor. Do you understand?"

"Yes!"

"Teacher Zhou, what is Class Monitor Lin Yuan's Soul Power Level?" one of the girls asked.

"That is a good question." Zhou Yi smiled faintly, her gaze sweeping over the crowd. "Lin Yuan, state your Soul Power Level."

Lin Yuan stepped forward and spoke calmly. "Level thirty-nine."

It was like a stone thrown into a thousand waves. The entire square erupted in an instant!

"Level thirty-nine at eleven? That's impossible!"

"Is he a monster?"

"Did I hear that wrong?"

Questions and exclamations rose one after another.

Zhou Yi swept them with a cold glance, and the noise immediately died away.

"This afternoon's training is very simple." She pointed at the Iron Suits on the ground. "These are Iron Suits, specifically used to improve physical fitness. Each of you will take one. After putting it on, begin running laps around the square. From now until the dismissal bell rings, you will keep running. You may use Soul Power, but not soul skills. You will be ranked by the number of laps completed. The last-place student will be expelled from Class One Freshman."

"I need to emphasize this: in my class, people will not be eliminated only during assessments. Elimination may happen at any time. Today, ninety-one people will become ninety. Begin."

As she spoke, Zhou Yi flicked her toe, sending an Iron Suit made entirely of thick chains flying toward Lin Yuan. Lin Yuan caught it and slipped it on.

"Um... Teacher Zhou, could you give me a few more? This one is just a tiny bit light," Lin Yuan said.

Zhou Yi: "..."

The whole class: "..."

Zhou Yi's eye twitched. She took a deep breath and tried to maintain her stern expression. "Fine. Take however many you want yourself."

"Thank you, Teacher." Lin Yuan answered, then casually picked up more than ten Iron Suits and put them on one after another.

Zhou Yi froze. She had originally thought Lin Yuan would take at most one or two more to show off, but she had not expected him to grab over ten at once. One Iron Suit weighed at least thirty pounds. More than ten of them added up to three or four hundred pounds. Yet Lin Yuan did not look clumsy wearing them. Instead, he still appeared completely at ease.

"Is he even human?" By the time every student had put on one Iron Suit, Lin Yuan had already donned a full twenty.

Zhou Yi's eye twitched again. She said nothing further and directly announced the start.

"To make sure all of you can last until the end, follow my rhythm as you run. You may choose not to listen, but the result will certainly be elimination." As Lin Yuan's words fell, the rhythm of his footsteps changed. What had seemed like an ordinary jog now faintly aligned with some marvelous cadence.

He did not use any soul skills. Relying solely on his precise control over his body, he placed every step at the most effortless and stable point. Even more shocking was that the twenty Iron Suits on his body seemed to be drawn into that rhythm, becoming part of his body rather than a heavy burden.

Behind him, the students who had been eyeing the class monitor position soon discovered a despairing fact. So long as they followed Lin Yuan's rhythm—even if they could only keep up with eighty percent of it—their breathing would become smooth, and their steps would no longer feel so heavy. But once they tried to overtake him and disrupted their rhythm, they immediately felt powerless, their legs as heavy as lead.

Zhou Yi stood at the edge of the square, watching the scene with a trace of approval in her eyes. Having taught for many years, she could tell at a glance that Lin Yuan was using his own strengths to set the pace for the entire class. This would allow everyone to complete the training as much as possible while also clearly distinguishing the strong from the weak.

At that moment, Lin Yuan's speed remained neither too fast nor too slow. After all, they had to keep running until the dismissal bell, and the afternoon class lasted a full two hours. He was like a metronome, steadily controlling the rhythm of the entire class.

Behind him, Wang Dong gritted her teeth and followed closely. Though she wore only one Iron Suit, she was already drenched in sweat. She could feel that if she lost focus even slightly, her rhythm would be thrown off. At the back of the line, Huo Yu Hao was having an even harder time. He held on through gritted teeth, but his vision had begun to blur from exhaustion.

Lin Yuan keenly noticed this from the front. His steps shifted slightly, and the rhythm adjusted with them, allowing Huo Yu Hao to barely keep up.

At the same time, Zhou Yi nodded in satisfaction from one corner of the square. She knew that today's training was not merely a test of physical strength, but also of willpower and teamwork.

This child is a born leader, a born... monster, she thought.

Two hours passed in the blink of an eye. When the dismissal bell rang, most of the students on the field had nearly reached their limits. The Iron Suits struck the ground in a string of clatters, and the collapsed students of Class One Freshman kicked up clouds of dust.

Lin Yuan came to a steady stop, the twenty Iron Suits on him gleaming coldly beneath the sunlight. Yet he merely let out a soft breath, his breathing long and even, as though he had only gone for a walk.

Zhou Yi took a deep breath and beckoned into the distance. A man dressed in white drifted over. After nodding to Zhou Yi, he turned toward the students.

Immediately afterward, rings of Soul Rings rose beneath his feet—two yellow, two purple, and three black. He was clearly a Soul Sage. Raising both hands, he let gentle green light grow from his palms. The black light of his seventh Soul Ring flashed, and he vanished, replaced by a towering tree.

As a breeze swept through, emerald leaves flew from the towering tree. There were exactly ninety-one of them, no more and no less, and they landed on the students. Every person felt an incomparably soothing coolness that instantly spread through their entire bodies. Whether it was their severely aching muscles or wounds rubbed open by the Iron Suits, all recovered at astonishing speed. Even their physical strength gradually returned bit by bit. Only their Soul Power remained completely drained, unaffected by those emerald leaves.

Surrounded by green light, the towering tree transformed back into the white-clothed man after releasing the ninety-one leaves. He nodded to Zhou Yi, and Zhou Yi respectfully bowed to him. Just as he had arrived, the man in white drifted away with the wind. From beginning to end, he had not exchanged a single word with Zhou Yi.

At this point, the students began climbing to their feet one after another. Though the exhaustion remained, breaking through their physical limits brought an indescribable sense of exhilaration.

Looking at the students who had risen, Zhou Yi said softly, "I must say, you have given me a decent answer. No one will be eliminated today. You should thank your class monitor properly. I had prepared punishments for you. The task I assigned was for you to keep running until the dismissal bell before your laps would be counted. But Lin Yuan used his rhythm to allow every one of you to persist until the end."

"Now, each of you will take your Iron Suit back. Tomorrow, other teachers will teach you theory. I suggest you meditate properly and fully absorb the improvements and meaning of today's physical training. The afternoon after tomorrow will be my class again. By then, I hope I will not see a single piece of trash. Lin Yuan, give me your Iron Suits. I'll go to the Soul Tool Department and have one specially made for you."

"Yes, Teacher Zhou." Lin Yuan answered with a smile, casually removing all twenty Iron Suits and folding them neatly.

Zhou Yi watched Lin Yuan's unhurried manner and nodded in satisfaction. She put away the twenty Iron Suits, said, "Dismissed," and turned to leave the field.

Lin Yuan, Wang Dong, and Huo Yu Hao returned to the dormitory together. They had to wash up in the bathrooms on either side of the corridor.

However, Lin Yuan, who lived alone, had it much more convenient. A medium-sized wooden tub had been set up in his dorm room, filled with warm spring water that gave off a faint white mist. This was no ordinary hot water, but Water of Life that he had drawn from the Lake of Life. Warmed by his authority, it possessed miraculous effects that nourished the skin and relieved fatigue.

"Knock, knock..." Just then, someone knocked on the door. Wang Dong's voice followed from outside. "Lin Yuan, are you there?"

Lin Yuan opened the door. Wang Dong peeked inside and was immediately drawn to the sight in the room.

"Wow! You really know how to enjoy yourself!" Wang Dong stared at the steaming wooden tub, her eyes lighting up. "Is that water hot?"

"Of course." Lin Yuan stepped aside to let her in, then casually shut the door. "I specially prepared this water. With my abilities, it stays hot all three hundred and sixty days of the year, and it is great for relieving fatigue. Want to try it?" As he spoke, he pulled out a curtain and left Wang Dong a private space.

Wang Dong nodded without refusing. She had originally come because Lin Yuan lived alone, and she did not like bathing with a crowd. She had intended to borrow his dorm room, but she had not expected such excellent treatment.

"Then turn around. No peeking," Wang Dong said with a flushed face, pretending to be calm.

"Don't worry. I'm not interested in children." Lin Yuan teased her, drawing the curtain closed before turning his back. "I'll stand guard outside. Go ahead and wash."

The sound of water began, and warm mist quickly filled the space behind the curtain. Wang Dong let out a comfortable sigh as her tense muscles gradually relaxed under the nourishment of the Water of Life.

"Lin Yuan," Wang Dong's hesitant voice came from behind the curtain, "are you really only eleven?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"It's nothing..." Wang Dong paused, her voice softening. "It's just that it feels like you know everything and can do everything."

Lin Yuan smiled. "I only know a little."

"A little?" Wang Dong snorted in dissatisfaction. "If that's only a little, then what am I?"

"You?" Lin Yuan deliberately drew out the words. "You're Little Dong'er."

"You—" Wang Dong was so angry she nearly splashed the water. After a long while, she finally squeezed out, "Just you wait!"