Another Victory Secured

Xia Linyuan took a few strides toward Huo Yuhao, caught a girl who was about to collapse, and forcibly kept her moving at a slow pace.

Following his command, those who could still hold on—and those who couldn't but were being supported by friends—dragged their bodies, which felt as if they no longer belonged to them, forward step by step with extreme stiffness.

For a time, the entire Shrek Plaza looked like the scene of a zombie outbreak, with everyone stumbling and swaying in disarray.

One lap around Shrek Plaza is three hundred meters; aside from Gu Yuena, even the fastest among them took nearly ten minutes to complete it.

When the final lap demanded by Xia Linyuan was finished, it was like a row of falling dominoes; the sound of Iron Vests colliding with the ground rang out in a series, and except for Xia Linyuan and Gu Yuena who remained seated, everyone else lay sprawled out like corpses across Shrek Plaza.

From the moment their homeroom teacher called them out until now, the corridors of the four teaching buildings were packed with dark crowds, and not a single person had left.

They watched the students lying like corpses on Shrek Plaza, watched them spend ten minutes finishing that last lap, and the shock in their eyes did not diminish in the slightest, including that of Beibei and Tang Ya.

Huo Yuhao slid to the ground beside Xia Linyuan, panting heavily, and said weakly, "Thank you, Linyuan."

Xia Linyuan wiped the "sweat" from his forehead and smiled, "You're welcome."

At the edge of Shrek Plaza, Zhou Yi watched this scene and slowly took a deep breath.

She had hoped to use this to make an example of them and re-establish her authority in Freshman Class One, but she never expected Xia Linyuan to be able to lead them to this extent. Even the other teachers were willing to forgo four hours of lectures to let their students observe the cohesion of Freshman Class One as a model.

If she still insisted on expelling students to set an example after this, then she would be the one who was truly being unreasonable.

Zhou Yi looked at the sprawled-out Freshman Class One, her eyes complex as she waved toward the distance, and immediately, a man in white robes drifted over.

The man nodded to Zhou Yi and Xia Linyuan, then turned to the students, seven dazzling Spirit Rings rising beneath his feet.

He raised his hands, and a gentle green light began to bloom from his palms. At the same time, the seventh Spirit Ring beside him swirled with black light, and as he shook his body, he transformed into a towering tree.

The tree swayed, and emerald leaves fell from the canopy, landing on the students—exactly one hundred leaves, no more, no less.

As the leaves landed on them, the students were astonished to find that their stamina and the wounds chafed by the Iron Vests were recovering at an astonishing speed.

"Is, is this the power of one of the pinnacles of plant-type Martial Souls—the Tree of Life?" Wang Dong exclaimed.

"Heavens, it's actually a plant-type Spirit Saint above level seventy!"

"For a Spirit Saint above level seventy to activate their Martial Soul Avatar just to heal us, this is too extravagant!"

Just as everyone was marveling at the formidable recovery ability of the Tree of Life and the fact that a level seventy-plus Spirit Saint had activated his Martial Soul Avatar to restore their stamina and injuries, only Xia Linyuan, taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention to him, flicked his finger, and the leaf hovering in front of him instantly vanished into dust.

Not to mention what kind of consumption he could have had from running around this three-hundred-meter Shrek Plaza for four hours, the very level of his existence compared to the creatures of the Douluo World—from the dimensions of life and power—was simply not on the same plane.

The recovery effect of this so-called pinnacle plant-type Martial Soul, the Tree of Life, was not that it was ineffective; it was completely non-existent.

Huo Yuhao said in surprise, "If it weren't for the fact that the exhaustion of spirit power in my body is reminding me that all this is real, I wouldn't believe we just ran around Shrek Plaza for four hours."

Xia Linyuan asked with a smile, "Is it really that exaggerated?"

Huo Yuhao scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, "Of course, it's probably more of a psychological effect on my part."

With their stamina restored and their muscle fatigue eased, even though the psychological exhaustion remained, it did not stop every one of them from being fully revived; some of the more cheerful students even began to play around with their friends.

Xia Linyuan looked at them and took a deep breath, "Assemble!"

The students who were still playing around heard Xia Linyuan's voice and immediately straightened their expressions, jogging over to gather.

In the span of just one class, Xia Linyuan had established an unparalleled position of leadership in Freshman Class One.

"Gu Yuena, starting with you, count off!"

"One!"

"Two!"

"Three!"

"..."

"Ninety-nine!"

Xia Linyuan walked into the formation and said solemnly, "One hundred!"

"Teacher Zhou, all one hundred students of Freshman Class One are present, please give your instructions."

Seeing this, Zhou Yi could no longer remain calm.

She had worked so hard, trying every possible way to establish her authority in Freshman Class One, but everything she did had only served to benefit someone else. How could she remain calm?

First Nyarlathotep, and now Xia Linyuan—why did fate have to toy with her like this? This was not the script she had designed!

Zhou Yi would likely never know that "Nyarlathotep" and Xia Linyuan had been the same person from beginning to end.

Xia Linyuan perceived Zhou Yi's intense mental fluctuations with absolute clarity, yet he felt not the slightest surprise; everything, from start to finish, was entirely under his control.

Zhou Yi looked at the neatly aligned group, took a deep breath, and said in a low voice, "In this class, you gave me an unexpected answer, one that is unique even in my dozen years of teaching."

"I had originally prepared punishments for those who could not meet my requirements. You should thank Xia Linyuan; it was he who organized you all and ignited your spirit."

Hearing this, the students of Freshman Class One puffed out their chests with immense pride, looking incredibly high-spirited.

Now, do you still dare to call us trash, to call us fools? Do you still dare to call us mediocre, to call us useless just because we didn't fight during the registration period?

Do! You! Dare!

"Xia Linyuan, step forward!"

"Here."

"As the class monitor, you not only set a good example but also organized them into a cohesive unit in such a short time, igniting the spirit that people your age should have and promoting class unity. This is worthy of praise. I hope you continue to maintain this and do not let down the teacher's expectations of you."

Zhou Yi offered a few lukewarm words of praise, but Xia Linyuan could hear a sense of indifference beneath them.

"Yes."

"Alright, you are all dismissed. Tomorrow, other teachers will give you theoretical lessons. Remember to meditate and recover well, and fully digest the improvements and significance this class has brought you. The day after tomorrow afternoon is my class, and at that time, I do not want to see a single useless person. Don't forget to take your Iron Vests back with you."