The First Day of School

Shrek's training field was still shrouded in a thin morning mist, with fine droplets of dew clinging to the edges of the benches.

Xue Lingyun leaned against the cold iron backrest, a hefty tome spread across his lap—<Star Luo Empire Soul Beast Gazetteer: Central Hills Edition>.

He had borrowed the book from the academy library. Its pages had yellowed, and its corners were badly worn, clearly having been read often.

He read very slowly, his index finger tracing line after line of densely packed text. Every so often, he paused and let his gaze drift toward the distant mist, as though comparing the book's descriptions with something in his memories—or with certain patterns sensed through the Huangji Jingshi.

Three or four more books were stacked beside him: Comprehensive Mirror of Herbs, The Essence of Soul Power and Meridian Theory, A Century of Martial Soul Mutation Case Records... a rather miscellaneous collection.

During the past few days at the academy, after his Soul Power had fully stabilized at level 35 and he had explored most of the campus, he had spent nearly all his free time in the library aside from cultivating.

The sea of books was boundless; there was never any harm in scooping up a little more. Cultivation techniques needed improvement, medicinal baths needed proper proportions, and the potential of his Martial Soul needed to be further developed. Ideas often came from these seemingly unrelated scraps.

He reckoned that few things in this world could surpass the <Dharma Cleansing Marrow and Changing Tendons Scripture>. But the best was not necessarily the best fit.

After all, the ancestors of his previous life had never awakened Martial Souls, much less experienced an energy like Soul Power.

Just like when he had first absorbed the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's Soul Ring: under the pressure of crisis, hadn't the Heart Source Circulation Technique emerged naturally?

That had been the spontaneous adaptation of a cultivation technique's foundation and a Martial Soul's traits under pressure.

The same went for medicinal baths. The medicinal herbs of the two worlds differed vastly in name, properties, and age, yet certain fundamental "medicinal natures"—cold and heat, replenishment and purging, unblocking and fortifying one's foundation—seemed to share an underlying logic.

It was like solving an equation. The numbers might have changed, but the formula itself still held reference value.

With his keen perception of energy properties, he could search this world's stock of medicinal herbs for "substitutes" that could balance one another and achieve the desired effects.

"Yan Shaozhe promised he'd have all the herbs for the medicinal bath ready today..." Xue Lingyun closed the gazetteer in his hands and looked toward the training field, which was gradually growing noisier. "I can try the new formula tonight."

Today was the first day of school. The first class of the morning was an orientation for each class, combined with a physical assessment. The training field was already bustling as freshmen from different classes began running laps around the enormous field under the shouts of their Homeroom Teachers.

Heavy panting, chaotic footsteps, and the occasional complaints and encouragement all blended together, brimming with the struggling vitality of youth.

Class One of the Freshmen, his class, had been ordered to complete one hundred laps within two hours.

He had followed the crowd and finished his laps that morning. For him, unless he put some real intensity into it, that amount of exercise did not even count as a warm-up. At most, it loosened his sleepy limbs. Once he was done, he wandered over here to read and observe the scene while he was at it.

The Homeroom Teacher of Class One of the Freshmen was Zhou Yi. She was famously strict even within the Outer Court, and students from previous years always spoke of her with complicated expressions.

During class that morning, Zhou Yi's first question had been, "Has anyone gotten into a fight during the registration period?"

Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong stood up. So did Xue Lingyun.

Zhou Yi swept her gaze over them, cursed at the fact that there were only so few, then turned to the remaining students. "Those who haven't fought, go to the training field now. Finish one hundred laps within two hours. One lap short, or even one breath over the time limit, and you can pack your bedding and get out."

The crowd scattered in a rush. Xue Lingyun remained where he was, unmoving.

Zhou Yi's gaze swept over him and lingered for a moment on that excessively calm face. She was just about to speak—

"Teacher," Xue Lingyun said earnestly, "what about those who did fight? Should we run too?"

Zhou Yi froze and instinctively replied, "You should—"

Before she could finish, the boy in front of her had already turned and dashed toward the training field without another word, moving so briskly it was as if his feet had been greased.

Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao exchanged a glance. It took them two seconds to realize—right, they were among those who had stood up too—and hurriedly took off after him.

Zhou Yi stared at the three heads growing smaller in the distance, the string of reprimands on the tip of her tongue completely lodged in her throat. She could not find an opening to unleash them.

Actually, having Zhou Yi as a Homeroom Teacher was not that hard to accept.

He had done the math. Shrek recruited nearly a thousand students every year, yet fewer than four hundred remained after passing the Freshman Assessment.

Compared to that, Zhou Yi's elimination rate was not particularly outrageous.

At the end of the day, once someone came to Shrek, which class's Homeroom Teacher was not like this?

It was not that she had no issues. It was simply that, looking around, everyone had issues. She was the kind whose illness was comparatively predictable, with a relatively controllable "treatment effect."

Having read the Original Work was equivalent to obtaining this "patient's" detailed medical records and operating manual in advance.

Generally speaking, with old monsters like this who had eccentric tempers and harsh standards, once they acknowledged someone, they were exceptionally generous with their rewards.

As for what happened to those who failed to gain their approval? There was no need to dwell on that.

Moreover, her husband, Fan Yu, was a strong contender for the next dean of the Soul Guidance Department.

Because of that connection, her knowledge of cutting-edge fields such as Soul Tools and Martial Soul fusion far surpassed that of the other First Year Homeroom Teachers.

The things one could get access to under her were far more plentiful than in other classes.

And with that connection, visiting and studying those "authorized personnel only" areas of the Soul Guidance Department would surely be much more convenient in the future.

As for which treasures might "want to come home with him"... that would depend on fate and craftsmanship.

Just as his thoughts were wandering aimlessly, he caught a flash of striking pinkish-blue from the corner of his eye. Like a huge, elegant yet somewhat clumsy butterfly—or rather, a giant fluttering moth—it drifted over from the far side of the training field.

It was Wang Dong.

The Wings of her Light Goddess Butterfly shimmered brilliantly in the morning light, drawing plenty of attention.

Huo Yuhao was beneath her, being carried along in some fashion. He gritted his teeth, his face pale, yet still did his best to circulate his Soul Power and cooperate.

Xue Lingyun's gaze shifted slightly. With the Mystic Water Pill and his "physical unblocking therapy," Huo Yuhao's Soul Power should have been close to Level 13 by now, and the openness of his meridians was vastly improved from before.

But his foundation was simply too weak. This sudden improvement in physique was like a starving man abruptly gorging himself on rich food; digesting, absorbing, and converting it into actual endurance all required time.

By Zhou Yi's absurd standards, completing one hundred laps on his own within the time limit would still be difficult.

He had no intention of interfering.

Partly because he was lazy, and partly because he wanted to see it. The awkward relationship between Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, these future "sworn enemies," as they competed with one another while being forced to cooperate, was rather interesting in its early stages.

With Huo Yuhao serving as an intermediary, he could also approach Wang Dong more naturally.

He had no bad impression of Wang Dong or Huo Yuhao themselves. The lively, tsundere young master and the resilient, hardworking poor boy were far more lovable than the troublesome identities they would have in the future.

As for whether using Wang Dong for something might cause problems... well, the Luck Radar had not issued a warning when he approached her. On the contrary, it indicated that getting close to her would be beneficial. In that case, there was no problem.

Besides, as a passionate viewer who occasionally revisited those "mediating family conflicts" scenes in Hong Kong Martial Arts Comics and Tokusatsu dramas, perhaps he could try helping a certain incompetent "biological dad" deal with his parent-child relationship ahead of time.

Of course, the method required some thought.

Wang Dong's flight was clearly not easy, and carrying someone made it even more taxing.

The luster of her Wings gradually dimmed, and her flight path began to wobble.

Finally, as they crossed the finish line, those gorgeous Wings flickered several times before suddenly vanishing. Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao, whom she was dragging along, cried out at the same time as they plummeted straight down from three or four meters in the air!

A wave of startled cries rose from the surroundings.

Xue Lingyun closed his book and rose to his feet almost at the same instant. He pushed off with his feet, his figure sweeping across the edge of the field like a blurred gray shadow.

The instant before the two of them could smash into the ground in an undignified heap, he shot out both hands, precisely catching Huo Yuhao by the back of his collar and Wang Dong by the arm. His arms sank and drew back, dissipating the force of their fall before steadily "setting" both of them on the ground.

Huo Yuhao's legs gave out, and he nearly collapsed onto the ground. He was panting too hard to speak and could only cast Xue Lingyun a grateful look.

Wang Dong was not doing much better. Her pinkish-blue hair was stuck to her forehead with sweat, and her handsome face was flushed red from both exhaustion and embarrassment.

Once she had regained her footing, she swiftly pulled her arm back and turned her face away. Her voice was barely louder than a mosquito's. "...Thanks."

Xue Lingyun released them and nodded. "You're welcome. Can you still walk?"

Huo Yuhao barely steadied his breathing and nodded. Wang Dong gave a huff, indicating that she was fine.

At that moment, Zhou Yi approached, dressed in a gray jingzhuang with a frosty expression. Her gaze swept over the students sprawled across the ground like knives.

She glanced at Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao, whom Xue Lingyun had just set down, then at Xue Lingyun, whose breathing was steady as though he had merely done some trivial thing. Her expression did not change as she coldly announced the result, ordering everyone to return to their dormitories within fifteen minutes, change into clean clothes, and gather in the classroom.

That morning's class was Introduction to Martial Soul Theory, taught by Zhou Yi.

Her style was sharp and forceful, and her questions were piercing. Quite a few students stammered when called upon.

When her gaze fell upon Xue Lingyun reading in the back row, her brows furrowed.

"Xue Lingyun! Tell me, in the future, which will matter more—Soul Masters or Soul Tools?"

"Teacher, I believe this is not a simple matter of which is more important. They are more like complementary forces that guide and reinforce one another."

Xue Lingyun calmly put down the Basic Variations of Soul Tool Core Array in his hands and stood up. His voice rang clearly through every corner of the classroom.

"Soul Master cultivation is the fundamental path of uncovering life's own potential and exploring the laws of the world. Powerful Soul Power, Spiritual Power, and physique are the foundation that drives all forms of strength, including Soul Tools."

"Without sufficient Soul Power to support them, even the most exquisite Soul Tools are merely decorations. Without a Soul Master's profound understanding and control of energy and laws, the limits of Soul Tool design and power will also be constrained."

"Fundamentally, it is a Soul Master's own level that determines what tier of tools they can wield."

He paused, sweeping his gaze over the thoughtful Zhou Yi and the students whose attention he had caught, then continued.

"But the significance of Soul Tools lies in 'expansion' and 'inheritance.' Through technical means, they solidify, amplify, and standardize portions of a Soul Master's personal abilities."

"In the long run, if the Soul Tool system can continually improve and accumulate like the Soul Master cultivation system, while being passed down and innovated upon generation after generation, then its potential for development and overall impact on society will be revolutionary."

"When Soul Tools someday reach a certain critical point in power, efficiency, and accessibility, they may profoundly change the landscape of the Soul Master world and even redefine the standard of what it means to be 'powerful.'"

"But no matter when, the heights reached by Soul Masters themselves will always be the starting point and foundation that supports all of this."

A clear flash of surprise crossed Zhou Yi's cold face. She gave Xue Lingyun another deep look, said nothing more, and waved for him to sit down.

It was truly rare for a freshman of this age to move beyond narrow comparisons of superiority and inferiority, and see the deeper interaction and future possibilities between the two.

She could mention him to Fan Yu that evening.

When the dismissal bell rang, Zhou Yi kept Huo Yuhao behind alone and led him toward the office.

Xue Lingyun guessed that she had watched him for quite some time without figuring out what his Martial Soul was, so she had simply called him over to ask.

He did not concern himself with it, packed his things, and left.