"Class is in session!"
Mu Jin set down the lesson plan in her hands, her clear voice ringing throughout the classroom.
She was a woman in her thirties, with sharp eyes and the standard Shrek teacher's uniform on her.
"Good morning, Teacher!"
"Everyone, please sit. I'm Mu Jin, and I'll be your homeroom teacher for the next year."
Her gaze swept across the class, and then she launched into the standard Shrek speech.
"At Shrek Academy, we train monsters, not hothouse flowers. The freshman assessment is in three months. Anyone who fails to pass, or ranks near the bottom, will be eliminated."
Still, Mu Jin was more lenient with her requirements than the teacher in the next class. At least she didn't tell them all to get lost right off the bat.
Then came the introductions. Ning Tian's thirty-first rank naturally drew gasps from the entire class.
"Rank thirty-one? In the auxiliary system?!"
"Not even twelve, and already a Soul Elder? And an auxiliary one?!"
"My heavens... Is that even humanly possible?"
Countless gazes converged on the golden-haired girl. Some were shocked, some envious, and others wore a sour, resentful look.
Auxiliary Soul Masters cultivated far more slowly than other Soul Masters, let alone ones who had become Soul Elders before turning twelve.
Even the Nine-Colored Goddess from ten thousand years ago had been far behind Ning Tian at this age. Of course, times had changed.
Ning Tian sat down calmly, as if this were all exactly what she had expected.
Jiang Yi stood next. He only gave his name and cultivation rank, barely mentioning his Martial Soul.
"Rank twenty-eight, Power Attack System Battle Soul Master."
Though it wasn't as explosive as Ning Tian's, it was still enough to make quite a few people look his way.
"Ning Tian, Jiang Yi!"
After everyone had introduced themselves, Mu Jin called out the two names.
"You have the highest cultivation ranks, so you'll be the provisional class monitor and deputy monitor of Class Nine. Does anyone have a problem with that?"
She wasn't asking for their opinions. She'd already decided who would fill the positions.
Competition was good, but only orderly competition was effective. The two of them would also serve as examples for the class.
"No!"
The class answered in unison.
One was a Soul Elder, and the other was close to becoming one. Most of the class hadn't even reached rank twenty, so naturally, no one objected.
"Good! But the class monitor's position isn't permanent. If any of you have ideas, you can challenge them."
"Since Ning Tian is an auxiliary Soul Master, challenges will be two-on-two. You can choose your partners..."
Mu Jin added, then turned serious. She slapped her lesson plan and fixed the class with an imposing gaze.
"Now, for our first class of the school year!"
"Running!!!"
A statue of Tang San stood in Shrek Square, a fountain spraying water beneath it. Sunlight refracted through the spray, casting a rainbow.
The students of Class Nine were jogging leisurely around the square.
Unlike the other classes, Mu Jin only required them to run twenty laps, but with one additional condition: they had to run in pairs, holding hands.
Most of the students had enrolled alone. This requirement forced them to get to know their classmates.
"Thank you, Jiang Yi!"
A girl with pale green hair held Jiang Yi's hand, her little face full of gratitude.
Her voice was soft as a marshmallow, with a hint of timidness.
She was rather gentle by nature. New to the place and a little socially anxious, she'd waited until she'd gathered up the courage to approach someone—only to find that everyone else had already found a partner.
Just as she stood there alone, feeling awkward, Jiang Yi came over and helped her out.
"It was nothing. Besides, I looked like I didn't have anyone either... Guess we're both the odd ones out."
Jiang Yi shrugged and smiled at her.
A sweet little girl with such a soft personality would be so easy to tease. If he kissed her, she'd probably cover her face and roll around right where she stood.
"How could that be..."
Nanmen Yun'er didn't believe him, but her eyes curved into a smile, and she couldn't stop feeling secretly delighted.
Jiang Yi's cultivation rank was so high. There had to be plenty of girls who wanted to run with him. She... she was the one who'd gotten lucky.
"Come on! We're falling behind!"
Jiang Yi gave the girl's hand a gentle squeeze and picked up the pace.
His palm was broad and warm, wrapping around her little hand completely. Nanmen Yun'er's heart began to beat inexplicably faster, and a faint pink crept onto the tips of her ears.
"Okay."
She smiled sweetly and followed Jiang Yi obediently, her steps light, as if she were running on clouds.
Before long, they'd finished the twenty laps. When they reached the finish line, Nanmen Yun'er let go reluctantly.
"That's it for our first class today."
Mu Jin clapped her hands to gather everyone's attention.
"I hope you'll remember this feeling... No one can grow strong alone. Unity is a required lesson here at Shrek, just as it was for the Shrek Seven Devils back then!"
Mu Jin's voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to everyone's ears. Compared to Zhou Yi's hard-line approach, she was better at winning people over gently.
"Understood!"
Everyone nodded. They hadn't learned much in class, but they'd certainly made some friends.
Jiang Yi was impressed, too.
He hadn't expected Shrek Academy to have normal teachers after all, instead of ones who told people to get lost the moment class started.
In the original story, Mu Jin had been something of a clown, but so far, Jiang Yi's impression of her was pretty good.
Of course, without that damn love triangle, he figured his opinion would've been even better.
"All right, class dismissed!"
Mu Jin waved her hand, sending everyone off.
It was the first day of school, and she didn't want to wear them out. She'd set aside the first few days for everyone to get acquainted.
"Teacher, you're the best!"
The students of Class Nine cheered and left in small groups.
"See you tomorrow!"
Nanmen Yun'er waved at Jiang Yi, then turned to leave.
"See you tomorrow."
Jiang Yi waved back and watched the girl go. Then he unhurriedly headed toward the other side of the square.
He had a date to get to.
At the same time, two figures beside a flower bed were secretly watching Jiang Yi's retreating back.
"Miss, I think that guy's a real playboy. He's definitely not a good choice! Why don't we find someone else?"
Wu Feng looked away and turned to persuade Ning Tian, a barely concealed urgency in her voice.
Her miss's happiness had to be vetted by her! Though if she got tired, she'd be more than happy to make the choice herself... Wah!
"It's fine. They're just normal classmates interacting. I haven't even made a move yet! For now, let's list him as candidate number six..."
Ning Tian wiped the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief and gently shook her head.
She was reasonably pleased with Jiang Yi. His looks and talent were both decent, so he was perfectly suitable for her to keep an eye on.
She hadn't come to Shrek Academy just to study, of course.
As the young mistress of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect, she would be treated even better at home than she was at Shrek Academy.
She was here to become a player. As the greatest academy on the continent, Shrek Academy was the ideal place to find a partner.
This was also a tradition of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect. The sect heir's partner had to be a powerful Battle Soul Master, preferably a strong cultivator from outside the sect.
Talented commoners with no background were more favored by the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect than noble young masters.
"Understood, Miss."
Wu Feng pouted and reluctantly wrote Jiang Yi's information into her little notebook.
She hated this feeling. It was like she was personally handing her miss over to someone else.
But she couldn't tell her miss how she felt. The sect wouldn't allow it, and it would never accept them together. If the two of them got together, her miss's line would die out.
"Let's go!"
Ning Tian didn't notice anything amiss with Wu Feng. She turned and left, her steps unhurried and her back graceful.
She didn't resent the idea of a political marriage. She'd benefited from the sect's support, so helping it attract talented people was only right and proper.
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