"..."
Wang Dong sat on the bed she had kicked apart, one of its legs broken and the middle completely caved in,
hugging her knees,
glaring angrily toward the door, refusing to look at Lu Ran,
the students who had gathered to watch had long since dispersed,
and the noisy dormitory was now completely silent.
The Divine Realm.
Tang San's water-blue figure stood in a phantom palace, his gaze passing through the hall as he stared vaguely into the distance,
his brow tightly furrowed,
his expression extremely grim,
he could no longer clearly observe anything on Douluo Star, but to resolve the problems that had arisen there, he relied on the authority of a God King to do everything he could to deduce what was happening,
based on the vague premonitions,
he had taken a risk and interfered to some extent, changing his daughter's actions,
Within the Nether,
it seemed there really had been a change,
but the inexplicable unease in his heart left Tang San worried that he might have made the wrong choice,
what kind of future would be born from this...
Hmph, damn God of Destruction...
He clenched his fists again, his gaze icy.
..
Time flew by,
and three days passed,
Wang Dong had stubbornly refused to say a single word to Lu Ran,
whenever she saw him, she turned her head away,
but her bed had been repaired—or rather, replaced,
unfortunately, it had been done while Lu Ran was away,
so he hadn't seen the process,
he had to admit that a Storage Soul Tool was really useful,
it made replacing things so convenient.
Freshman Class Nine,
Lu Ran walked into the classroom. The moment he entered the spacious room, the chatter fell silent,
and most of the students looked over,
their eyes filled with surprise or curiosity,
quite a few students who were quick to pick up information had already learned a little about Lu Ran before arriving,
and word had spread about the three Purple Soul Rings he'd displayed during the additional admissions,
making him even more famous.
His gaze swept across the classroom,
where students packed together in a great, jumbled crowd,
nearly a hundred boys and girls altogether,
among them were a few familiar faces: Ning Tian, with her platinum hair, and Wu Feng, with her fiery red hair,
when their eyes met Lu Ran's,
Ning Tian smiled warmly, her bright, limpid eyes lively and clever as a fawn's, while Wu Feng's crimson eyes held a hint of warning,
as she deliberately moved closer to Ning Tian.
"..."
What a pair of close sisters.
Lu Ran found a seat by the window,
the classroom was on the fifth floor, and outside the window spread a canopy of lush green trees,
a wonderfully soothing sight.
After he sat down, the surrounding whispers grew louder, and the Soul Power gave him excellent hearing:
"He's Lu Ran..."
"All three of his Soul Rings are purple? That can't be real, right?"
"He's so handsome..."
"..."
Ning Tian studied Lu Ran carefully with her lovely eyes,
the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had always been known for making friends far and wide,
as the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, she naturally had exceptionally reliable channels for gathering information and had learned of Lu Ran's existence long ago,
whether for her own sake, at her father's request, or for the sect's needs,
she wanted to learn more about Lu Ran,
after all, she had witnessed those three Thousand-Year Soul Rings with her own eyes.
Soon, just as the whispers began to rise, the arrival of someone else briefly drowned them out,
a boy with pink-blue hair,
Wang Dong.
"Oh-ho-ho, another handsome one..."
"Wow..."
"That color looks so familiar. Could that have been him the other day?"
"..."
Wang Dong walked in and happened to meet Lu Ran's gaze. She immediately turned her head away again:
I'm not looking, I'm not looking!
Their behavior immediately drew the attention of those around them,
"What's going on?"
"Oh! She's the one with the Thousand-Year Second Ring!"
Wang Dong found a seat at an angle, the one farthest from Lu Ran in the entire classroom,
and turned her face the other way.
A moment later,
"Tap, tap, tap..."
A short-haired woman in her thirties, with striking features, entered the classroom,
and swept her gaze over the crowd,
when she spotted Lu Ran, delight clearly flashed in her eyes,
she had come from the Inner Academy, and Yan Shaozhe had personally instructed her: eleven years old, level thirty-seven...
a true monster,
she really was lucky.
Her gaze then shifted to Ning Tian and the others, lifting her spirits even more,
two Soul Elders in one class, and dozens of Soul Grandmasters,
it was something she would never have dared imagine in the past,
the corners of her mouth lifted into a warm smile that made her seem approachable,
and her voice was gentle,
"Hello, everyone. Let me introduce myself. I'm Mu Jin. You can call me Teacher Mu or Teacher Mu Jin. I'll be your homeroom teacher for the next three months..."
Her voice carried Soul Power, so she didn't need to raise it deliberately for every student to hear her clearly,
"First of all, congratulations on becoming a member of Shrek."
Quite a few students below showed a hint of pride,
after all, those who could enter Shrek were naturally the outstanding ones among their peers,
Mu Jin smiled slightly,
"I know you're all one-in-a-million geniuses who surpassed countless competitors,"
"but I need to make this clear to you,"
Her smile abruptly vanished, and her expression turned serious:
"After three months, the Freshman Assessment will eliminate half, or even two-thirds, of the students."
At that,
the classroom fell silent. The students who had been looking proud now all grew solemn,
and sat up straighter without realizing it,
this rule hadn't just been introduced today; everyone had learned about it before enrolling,
but hearing it with their own ears while sitting in the classroom still made them feel the pressure,
no one wanted to be eliminated,
this wasn't simply a matter of losing face; it would genuinely affect their tangible interests,
and those interests were unique,
Shrek Academy accepted few students each year, yet it had stood for ten thousand years, and its students had long since spread across the world like a vast network of roots, among them outstanding figures from various empires and sects,
having graduated from the same academy naturally made people feel closer and more inclined to associate,
once enough people gathered, little circles would form,
and they were all powerful people,
as time went on,
they would eventually gain control of resources and influence beyond the reach of ordinary nobles,
making outsiders green with envy,
whether they were noble or commoner students now,
most would eventually graduate,
and head to the great empires and sects,
at that point,
a newcomer who had graduated from Shrek alongside them would have a better chance than an ordinary Soul Master of gaining access to the outer edges of those circles, provided they were strong and stood out,
after all, Shrek Academy had already tested them in advance,
and even a sliver of the resources offered by those circles,
meant connections and resources beyond imagination,
so the children of nobles also yearned to get in,
after all, a duke was a noble, but so was a prince,
and nobles were not all equal,
so naturally, everyone wanted to join Shrek Academy,
because it truly brought tangible benefits.
This was also one of the reasons the three great empires and the various sects had such a complicated attitude toward Shrek Academy, and had tacitly joined forces to keep it in check,
these little circles,
were difficult to deal with, yet could not be left unchecked,
their own forces could not be allowed to change their name to Shrek.
But if someone was eliminated or expelled along the way, that was another matter,
losers simply came from the wrong stock,
and there was nothing more to discuss,
unless they advanced to Titled Douluo, no matter how strong they were, they would still be failures.
On the platform,
seeing that the students felt the pressure,
Mu Jin nodded in satisfaction.
At the same time,
over a hundred people poured onto the training grounds,
"Damn it! I didn't come here to run laps!"
"That Zhou Yi's got something wrong with her head!"
"Keep it down... She's a Soul Emperor. Be careful she hears you..."
"Just my luck..."
Under the blazing sun and Zhou Yi's icy gaze, the students suffered the clash of fire and ice,
and began running lap after miserable lap,
but Huo Yuhao at the very back didn't complain once,
focusing instead on circulating his Soul Power,
no matter how strict the teacher was, he couldn't afford to be expelled!
So he could... flatten the Duke's Mansion!
Before you continue