The clang of the bell echoed across Shrek Academy. Even in this age of widespread Soul Tool use, Shrek had held on to its old-fashioned way of marking the start and end of classes. Perhaps it would be forced to change with the times someday, but that day was still far off. The hubbub gradually died down, and the chaotic footsteps slowly faded. For a moment, the campus seemed to fall silent. Then the uniform voices of students beginning class once again revealed the academy's vitality.
Huo Yuhao eagerly found his classroom. It looked extremely impressive. Is this where I'll be taking classes from now on? He couldn't help comparing it to the little house where he had studied as a child. Without realizing it, he felt a little more nervous and inferior.
He followed the crowd into the classroom, then stood there at a loss. Seeing that most people were picking seats wherever they liked, he did the same and settled in a corner, away from the majority. Most of the others did likewise, keeping to themselves whenever possible. Unless there was no other choice, they wouldn't sit with anyone else.
Once the room was full, a stern teacher walked in. She was the kind of teacher any student would recognize at once as formidable. It was an indefinable air about her, something you learned to recognize after enough years of school. Getting a teacher like that was usually good luck. They tended to be responsible, and their class's grades were generally better than the others'. But being in their class was hard. Those results were built on countless hours of sweat and rules so strict they were almost impossible to comprehend.
The children didn't understand that yet. Each of them looked forward to a brilliant life at Shrek, wondering what their classmates would be like and how well they would do. All that was still a long way off. For now, they should focus on how to deal with their homeroom teacher.
"Hello, everyone. I'll be your homeroom teacher for the next three years. After that, you'll be divided into the Soul Guidance Department and the Martial Soul Department, and I won't be able to manage you anymore. I don't know what the dean will come up with, but for these three years, you'll all be under my supervision. I hope you'll behave and study hard. Our class has to come in first." As the teacher laid down the law, the prodigies below looked bewildered. They reined in their restlessness and gradually settled down. It might have been an old-fashioned approach, but there was a reason it had endured. It worked.
"Here are a few lines you must never cross. First, students are forbidden from fighting in private. Sparring is allowed only in class with a teacher present, or at a proper venue like the Soul Fighting Arena. Any other fighting will get you expelled. Second, you must pass your final exams. Anyone who fails will also be expelled. Don't think that getting into Shrek Academy means you can relax. We expel students who fall behind. If you can't adapt to Shrek, leave."
"Finally, my name is Zhou Yi. You'll have to put up with me for the next three years, so remember it." She ended her introduction by stating her name.
Huo Yuhao, who didn't really understand what made her so intimidating, instinctively straightened his chest. The students around him did the same. After that came an explanation of the academy's rules and daily routines. Studying wasn't a problem for these students, but learning how to manage everyday life was a real headache. Every year, plenty of problems came up. The academy couldn't just ignore them, since Shrek was a boarding school and every student had to live on campus. No one would transfer to another school over that, so they had to learn to look after themselves.
The academy had to teach these new students, most of whom had no experience living on their own, so the task fell to their homeroom teachers. Most teachers didn't want to do it. It was a hassle. Then someone clever came up with a great idea: these teachers liked teaching cultivation-related subjects, so why not combine the two?
The teachers were willing to teach, and the students had to learn. A perfect match.
"All right, I'll show you around the campus and explain the basics of daily life." With that, Zhou Yi led the class outside. At first, she walked at a normal pace and pointed out the sights along the way. But before long, something changed. She moved faster and faster, until many of the students had to run just to keep up.
They barely made it to the cafeteria. Ignoring the students' panting, Zhou Yi began explaining how it worked. There was a free serving counter, which came as a relief to Huo Yuhao. At least he could take care of his meals for now. Still, he probably couldn't live on such low-energy food alone. He remembered Wang Yi's warning, and those meals had made a huge difference in his battle with Dai Huabin. Without several servings of high-energy food, Huo Yuhao wouldn't have been able to recover so quickly. No matter how powerful the Green Aura was, it still depended on Huo Yuhao's own energy. When he thought about the most expensive food stalls, he couldn't help swallowing. Just imagining those dishes made his mouth water, so he quickly reined in his thoughts. He couldn't embarrass himself.
Zhou Yi quickly explained the rules and didn't stop for a moment before moving on. The students hadn't had enough time to rest, but they didn't dare complain and could only keep running after her. There wasn't nearly enough time to recover fully. Most of them were starting to resent her, but no one dared say it out loud. They could only grumble to themselves.
Grumbling couldn't slow their homeroom teacher's pace. In the end, everyone put all their strength into keeping up. Huo Yuhao struggled too. His body was already weak, and compared to the others, he was even less capable. He wanted to use his Soul Power; it would make things much easier. The devilish thought kept tempting his young heart, but nobody around him was using Soul Power, and he couldn't tell whether it was allowed. He was itching to use it but didn't dare. He was caught in a dilemma. The others were all waiting for someone else to make the first move. Being the first might give the teacher a bad impression. So they kept hesitating.
Thankfully, the ceaseless flow of the Mysterious Heaven Skill helped Huo Yuhao distribute his strength evenly. When he was pushed to the brink, the Green Aura emerged and began circulating his blood and energy. His breathing quickly settled, but it was only a stopgap. This way of circulating still consumed Soul Power, and Huo Yuhao's Soul Power had always been a sore point. He could only take things one step at a time.
At last, the first student used Soul Power. As expected, it was someone from the Support System. He had fallen farther and farther behind the group, and in his desperation, he could no longer worry about anything else. Keeping up was what mattered most. His speed surged, and he even raced to the front.
As they continued running, most of the students stopped holding back and began using their Soul Power too. Huo Yuhao didn't want to draw too much attention, so he followed suit. In secret, he still let the Green Aura circulate his blood and energy to conserve his strength.
They continued stopping and starting as Zhou Yi explained the academy. Most of the students were already exhausted, and the first student to use Soul Power had disappeared from sight. The Agility Attack System students had it easiest, since speed came naturally to them. Even some of them began using Soul Power.
By the end, a large number of students had fallen behind, and Huo Yuhao had reached his limit too. The metallic taste of blood kept rising in his mouth. His Soul Power was completely depleted, and now he was relying on sheer willpower. Pain began to spread through his body. His injuries seemed healed on the surface, but he still had internal damage. The Green Aura needed to keep absorbing energy to repair it, but this strenuous run was slowing the process. His only option was to stop and rest. Yet when he saw how many people were still following Zhou Yi, he couldn't accept giving up. He didn't want to be worse than them. So he forced himself to keep going.
In the end, he had to stop. He couldn't keep up anymore. Expecting him to match the Agility Attack System students for speed was asking too much. Still, he had done well to stay with them for so long. In fact, once Huo Yuhao—the last Support System student—fell behind, Zhou Yi's pace quickly increased. The remaining students' training had begun.
By the time Huo Yuhao caught up with the group, it was already noon. He had spent ages searching and had even thought he'd gone the wrong way. Now he didn't want to say a word. His whole body felt weak. The others who had kept up weren't much better. The pace had varied wildly, and by the end, the whole trip had become running practice.
That was the clever person's brilliant idea: show the students around the academy while testing their fitness. Perfect!
Before you continue