[Hiss... I just remembered something. With Huo Yuhao's current soul power and physical fitness, there was no way he could manage that many laps. And now, his relationship with Wang Dong'er had taken a slight turn. If she didn't help Huo Yuhao by carrying him along... would Zhou Yi actually expel him for failing to finish?]
[Hmm... that seemed pretty likely. But leaving Shrek Academy might not be a bad thing for Huo Yuhao. Somewhere else, he might do just as well as he would at Shrek Academy.]
[Going by the original story, Huo Yuhao could easily choose to join the Body Sect. With his Spirit Eyes martial soul and the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, he could still grow stronger. Besides, the Body Sect was definitely better than Shrek Academy at cultivating body martial souls. With Huo Yuhao's luck and hard work, a second awakening would practically be a breeze. As long as he achieved a second awakening, the Body Sect certainly wouldn't hesitate to pour resources into him.]
[Even if Huo Yuhao couldn't get into the Body Sect and wandered into the Sun Moon Empire instead, his outstanding talent with soul tools would probably get him into the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy. Joining the Illustrious Virtue Hall, or even catching Kong Deming's eye, wouldn't be impossible.]
[Of course, if he joined the Sun Moon Empire, Huo Yuhao might end up falling so low as to become an evil soul master.]
[Whether he joined the Body Sect or headed to the Sun Moon Empire, Huo Yuhao wouldn't meet Wang Dong'er, wouldn't follow her back to the Clear Sky Sect, and certainly wouldn't cause the Snow Empress to lose control and bring about Electrolux's final demise.]
[As long as Electrolux survived, with his help, Huo Yuhao might ultimately become far more than just the God of Emotion. Even self-created godhood would be possible. After all, Electrolux was a powerful being who had managed to cultivate to the demigod realm even in the world of Throne of Seal!]
At Aoyao's reminder, Wang Dong'er also noticed Huo Yuhao running at the very back. Yet she felt neither moved nor sympathetic. In fact, she almost wanted to laugh.
It would be better if Huo Yuhao couldn't finish. Once Zhou Yi expelled him, she wouldn't have to look at that irritating face every day anymore.
As for whether Huo Yuhao would become stronger in the Body Sect or the Sun Moon Empire than he would at Shrek Academy, she couldn't care less.
As long as that guy stayed far away from her and didn't bother her, that was enough.
"Huff..."
Huo Yuhao felt that he had reached his limit.
Both his body and his mind had reached their limits.
Stars swam before his eyes, the world spun around him, and his aching legs had no strength left. Every breath carried a heavy taste of blood. All of it left Huo Yuhao in agony.
But he didn't dare stop.
If he stopped, he might truly be unable to start again.
And then he really might be eliminated by Zhou Yi.
Was... was I really going to be expelled?
Looking at the track, with several laps still to go, Huo Yuhao couldn't help giving a bitter laugh inwardly.
Soon, the time Zhou Yi had allotted ran out.
Without Wang Dong'er's help, Huo Yuhao indeed failed to finish the last few laps. His final tally stopped at ninety-six.
Only four laps left...
Although he desperately wanted to finish, Zhou Yi ordered him over.
Huo Yuhao was deeply unwilling to accept it, but he didn't dare talk back to Zhou Yi. He could only stare at her with stubborn eyes, a trace of pleading buried in their depths.
To Huo Yuhao's surprise, Zhou Yi didn't turn her gaze toward him. She merely rattled off a few names. "Cheng Cheng, Qiu Jianrao, Tang Dao, Shangguan Chentian, Lin Zeyu, Zhuge Yun, Tai Long, Tang Ling, Yun Xiaopiao! The nine of you, step forward!"
The nine students she named instantly turned deathly pale and stepped forward, trembling.
Zhou Yi's voice held no emotion. "Cheng Cheng, ninety-five laps. Qiu Jianrao, ninety-four. Tang Dao, ninety-two. Shangguan Chentian, ninety-six. Lin Zeyu, ninety-eight. Zhuge Yun, ninety-three. Tai Long, ninety-seven. Tang Ling, ninety-one. Yun Xiaopiao, ninety. I told you, anyone who failed to finish a hundred laps would be expelled immediately. Shrek Academy has no need for students who cut corners and have the wrong attitude. Now, get out."
Lin Zeyu couldn't help protesting, "Teacher, we were only a few laps short. Besides, we did our best."
Tai Long glanced sideways at Huo Yuhao, who stood nearby, then stepped forward with defiance still on his face. "Why are the nine of us being expelled, but he isn't?"
As he spoke, Tai Long pointed at Huo Yuhao, whose face had gone pale and whose legs were unsteady from the intense exercise. "He didn't finish a hundred laps either. Why isn't his name among the people being expelled?"
At those words, a trace of confusion also flashed through Huo Yuhao's eyes.
He had genuinely expected his name to be called just now, but it hadn't appeared on that list. Moreover, he truly hadn't completed the hundred laps. Now that Tai Long had brought it up and the entire class was staring at him, Huo Yuhao felt ashamed.
Zhou Yi immediately sneered. "Am I the homeroom teacher, or are you? Since you refuse to accept it, I'll make you accept it! When you reached your ninety-seventh lap, you clearly still had strength to spare. But because there wasn't much time left, you decided to try your luck. You thought I wouldn't notice a few missing laps, so you came back here with the main group. Isn't that right?"
"And you, Yun Xiaopiao. You simply returned to the group after ninety laps, when there was still plenty of time left. Do you think I'm blind, or are you taking me for a fool?"
"If you had at least run as earnestly as Huo Yuhao, I might have made an exception. But you didn't. I told you, Shrek Academy has no need for students like you who try to game the rules! Now, pack your things and get out immediately!"
As she spoke, Zhou Yi's sixth soul ring flashed briefly, and a powerful wave of spiritual power instantly enveloped the nine students.
Feeling that terrifying pressure, the nine dared not say another word. They could only turn and slink away.
Wait... that worked too?
While writing in his diary, Aoyao discovered that his position happened to give him a clear view of Huo Yuhao running laps. After repeatedly confirming that Wang Dong'er hadn't helped Huo Yuhao, he had kept watching what happened below.
And in the end, that old hag Zhou Yi really hadn't expelled Huo Yuhao.
"That guy only ran ninety-six laps. He clearly didn't meet that old hag Zhou Yi's requirement of a hundred, yet he still wasn't expelled. Zhou Yi really is a Shrek person through and through. The same old double standards!"
"How did you know he ran ninety-six laps?"
Ning Tian, who had been silently watching Aoyao the whole time, couldn't help asking curiously when she heard his muttering.
"Because I watched him run the whole time and kept counting. He was the slowest, so I was curious how many laps he could actually manage."
At that, the corner of Ning Tian's mouth couldn't help twitching.
How could anyone possibly have that much time on his hands?
Watching someone else run laps was one thing, but he was actually bored enough to count every lap for him?
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