Turtle Expedition Leader: Krikri?!

"..."

Wang Dong sat on the bed she had kicked apart herself—one leg broken off, the middle completely wrecked.

She hugged her knees, glaring angrily at the door, unwilling to look at Lu Ran.

The onlookers had long since dispersed, and the chaotic dormitory fell into silence.

God Realm.

Tang San's water-blue figure stood within the illusory palace, his gaze piercing through the hall, vaguely gazing into the distance.

His brows were tightly furrowed, his expression extremely grim.

He could no longer clearly observe anything on Douluo Star, but to resolve the problems emerging there, he used the authority of a God King to push his deductions to the limit.

Based on vague premonitions, he risked making a few interventions, altering his daughter's path.

Within the Nether, it seemed something had truly changed.

Yet a nameless unease in his heart made Tang San worry whether this step was right or wrong—

what kind of future would ultimately be born...

Hmph, damn God of Destruction...

He clenched his fist again, his gaze turning cold.

..

Time flew by.

Three days passed.

Wang Dong, as if in a sulk, hadn't spoken a single word to Lu Ran.

Whenever she saw him, she turned her head away.

But her bed had been fixed—or rather, replaced.

Unfortunately, it was done while Lu Ran wasn't around, so she didn't see the process.

It had to be said, the Storage Soul Tool was really a great thing—

swapping things out was so convenient.

Freshman Class Nine.

Lu Ran walked into the classroom. The noisy chatter in the spacious room instantly vanished.

Over half the students looked over, their eyes filled with surprise or curiosity.

Many well-informed students had already learned bits and pieces about Lu Ran before arriving, and with the rumor of his three Purple Soul Rings spreading from the enrollment, his fame grew even wider.

His gaze swept across the classroom.

The crowd was messy, a dense sea of people—

over a hundred in total, boys and girls combined.

Among them were a few familiar figures: Ning Tian with her platinum hair and Wu Feng with her fiery red hair.

Meeting Lu Ran's gaze, Ning Tian gave a gentle smile, her watery eyes as lively and clever as a fawn's, while Wu Feng's crimson eyes held a hint of warning, as she deliberately leaned closer to Ning Tian.

"..."

Truly a pair of good sisters.

Lu Ran found a seat by the window and sat down.

The classroom was on the fifth floor, and outside the window stretched a lush canopy of green treetops—

extremely pleasing to the eye.

Once he sat down, the murmurs around him rose, and his soul power granted him exceptional hearing:

"So he's Lu Ran..."

"Three soul rings, all purple? That can't be real, right?"

"He's so handsome..."

"..."

Ning Tian's beautiful eyes carefully observed Lu Ran.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had always been renowned for its wide network of goodwill.

As the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, her channels of information were naturally extremely well-connected, and she had learned of Lu Ran's existence long ago.

Whether for her own sake, her father's request, or the sect's needs, she hoped to understand Lu Ran better.

After all, she had truly witnessed with her own eyes the ripples of three thousand-year soul rings.

Soon, the murmurs had barely risen before they were briefly suppressed by the arrival of another person—

a boy with pinkish-blue hair.

Wang Dong.

"Oh, another handsome one..."

"Wow, wow..."

"That familiar color... Could it have been him that day?"

"..."

Wang Dong walked in and happened to lock eyes with Lu Ran. She turned her head away again:

Not looking, not looking!

The two's behavior immediately drew the attention of those around them.

"What's going on?"

"Oh! He's the one with the thousand-year second ring!"

Wang Dong found a seat in a diagonal corner, the farthest spot in the entire classroom from Lu Ran, her face turned to the other side.

Before long, "Tap, tap, tap..."

A woman around thirty, with a short, pretty hairstyle, walked into the classroom.

She swept her gaze over the crowd.

When she spotted Lu Ran, a clear flash of delight lit up her eyes.

Coming from the Inner Academy, Yan Shaozhe had personally instructed her—an eleven-year-old at level thirty-seven...

A veritable monster.

She was truly lucky.

Her gaze then shifted to Ning Tian and the others, and her mood brightened even further.

One class with two Soul Elders and dozens of Soul Grand Masters—

unthinkable in the past.

The corners of her mouth lifted slightly, her smile warm and approachable, easily bridging distances.

Her voice was gentle.

"Hello, classmates. Let me introduce myself. I am Mu Jin. You may call me Teacher Mu or Teacher Mu Jin. I will be your homeroom teacher for the next three months..."

Her voice carried soul power, allowing it to reach every student's ears effortlessly without her having to raise her volume.

"First, congratulations to everyone on becoming a member of Shrek."

A hint of pride flickered across the faces of many students below.

To enter Shrek was naturally to be among the best of their generation.

Mu Jin smiled faintly.

"I know you are all talents chosen from ten thousand, surpassing your peers and rivals."

"But I need to make one thing clear to you."

She suddenly withdrew her smile, her expression turning serious.

"Three months from now, at the freshman assessment, half—or even two-thirds—of you will be eliminated."

At these words, silence fell over the classroom. The students who had worn proud expressions moments ago all turned solemn.

He unconsciously straightened his back.

This rule hadn't been implemented just today; everyone had known it before enrollment.

But hearing it spoken aloud in the classroom still brought pressure.

No one wanted to be eliminated.

It wasn't about saving face—it genuinely affected real benefits.

And unique benefits at that.

Shrek Academy admitted few students each year, yet it had stood for ten thousand years. Its graduates had long spread like roots and veins across the world, among them no shortage of outstanding figures from various empires and sects.

Graduating from the same academy naturally fostered closeness and tighter bonds.

When enough people gathered, small circles formed.

And they were all powerhouses.

Slowly, these circles developed.

In the end, they came to control resources and influence that ordinary nobles could hardly touch.

Envy-inducing to outsiders.

Whether a student was a noble or a commoner now, most would eventually graduate.

They would head to the great empires and sects.

And at that point, a new graduate from Shrek, if strong and outstanding, would have a better chance than ordinary soul masters of brushing against the periphery of those circles.

After all, Shrek Academy had already vetted them.

And once they caught even a sliver of resources leaked from those circles, it would be unimaginable connections and wealth.

Thus, even the children of nobles yearned for contact.

After all, a duke was a noble, but so was a prince.

There were gaps between nobles too.

So naturally, everyone wanted to join Shrek Academy.

It truly brought tangible benefits.

This was also one of the reasons the three great empires and major sects held such a delicate attitude toward Shrek Academy, tacitly cooperating to restrain it.

These small circles—

hard to handle, yet impossible to ignore.

They couldn't let their own faction change their surname to Shrek.

But if someone was eliminated or expelled halfway, that was another story.

A failure was considered to have a poor background.

No room for negotiation.

Unless they advanced to Title Douluo, no matter how strong, they were still failures.

On the stage, seeing the students feel the pressure, Mu Jin nodded with satisfaction.

At the same time, a crowd of over a hundred people surged into the training ground.

"Damn! I'm not here to run!"

"That Zhou Yi is out of her mind!"

"Don't say that... she's a Soul Emperor, she might hear you..."

"What rotten luck..."

Under the dual torment of the scorching sun and Zhou Yi's icy glare, a group of students began their bitter laps.

At the back, Huo Yuhao didn't utter a single complaint.

He focused on circulating his soul power.

No matter how strict the teacher was, he couldn't afford to be expelled!

For the sake of... razing the Duke's Mansion to the ground!