Zhou Yi: Late for Class? How Unique.

After reading the class assignment list, Lin Yun, Huo Yuhao, and Wang Dong went to the cafeteria for a meal before parting ways.

Lin Yun had thirty-five Gold Soul Coins and over thirty Copper Soul Coins on him; this was the awakening fee his predecessor had saved up over five years.

In the remote city of the Heaven Spirit Empire where Lin Yun lived, the price for an awakening was relatively cheap, yet even the lowest cost was thirty-six Gold Soul Coins.

This wasn't because all Soul Masters were bad, but rather because the Heaven Spirit Empire was a direct descendant of the former Heaven Dou Royal Family and carried a heavy sense of aristocracy.

Fearing the emergence of another "Martial Soul Hall" that offered ultra-low-cost or even free awakenings, the Heaven Spirit Empire set the guide price for a martial soul awakening at the amount a local resident could save over seven years.

A single Gold Soul Coin was enough for an ordinary family of three to live for two or three months. Lin Yun's small city relied primarily on seafood, so the situation was slightly better; generally, if one planned ahead, they could save enough by the age of six or seven.

It was a rare and unfortunate case that Lin Yun's predecessor had been dragged out until the age of eleven. He had originally saved enough, but his grandfather, a gambling addict, went all-in on one hand, fell into a mountain of debt, and then hung himself.

Since the dead couldn't pay their debts, the money had to be used to pay off the Soul Master who had come knocking with a blade.

Afterward, a storm swept away the family's fishing boat, requiring them to purchase a new one.

Fortunately, heaven never closes all doors; during the final fishing trip his predecessor's father ever took, he caught a giant clam that contained a night-luminescent pearl.

In this way, he managed to save up thirty-six Gold Soul Coins over five years, only for an Evil Soul Master to massacre the village.

Luckily, Lin Yun's predecessor had kept the money in his pocket, so it hadn't been taken away.

Thirty-five Gold Soul Coins were enough if one only cared about eating, but if one factored in the purchase of other cultivation resources... then it was best not to bring it up and invite ridicule.

Lin Yun flicked the thirty-five Gold Soul Coins up and down with his fingers. As for the remaining thirty-odd Copper Soul Coins, he decided to find a place on the outskirts of the academy that evening to improve his diet.

After enjoying this last good meal before the start of school, Lin Yun knew what he would face tomorrow. He stretched his legs and mentally rehearsed the situation for the next day.

The recruitment for Shrek Academy had already been fully completed. Lin Yun paid a little attention to it, only to discover that the Shrek Academy before his eyes was quite different from the situation he had analyzed in his past life.

Although he wasn't a noble himself, when his predecessor's father sold the night-luminescent pearl, he had seen some of the small and medium-tier nobles of this world.

Lin Yun now realized that among the students who had arrived in this batch, many wore attire that didn't even compare to that of the nouveau riche who had bought the pearl.

Some didn't even compare to himself; Lin Yun looked more like a noble than they did.

After plying the admissions teacher with a bit of alcohol until he was dizzy, Lin Yun roughly understood where the problem lay.

While the requirement for a city lord's recommendation letter was true, in reality, eight or nine out of ten nobles still active in the imperial court would not let their children join Shrek, because most members of the royal family were currently barred from entering Shrek.

This was a means of currying favor with superiors, which was why Shrek was now a tri-polar structure. One category consisted of commoners like Huo Yuhao, Jiang Nannan, and Lin Yun, occupying about one-third.

Another category consisted of children of top-tier, high-ranking nobles who could ignore the royal family's stance, such as the two young masters from the White Tiger Duke Mansion.

The final category was composed of clan forces that did not involve themselves in politics, such as Wang Dong, Bei Bei, and Xu Sanshi.

At the same time, due to the complexity and multi-polarity of these forces, it was much fairer here than Lin Yun had imagined in his past life; there were only two hard currencies: personal strength and money.

Whether money was useful depended on the situation; if you ran into someone who didn't care about your status and wanted to beat you up, your money might not even be spendable.

As for their external influences, in most cases, Shrek blocked them out for the sake of face.

Take Xu Sanshi and Bei Bei, for example; outside, one was a disciple of a major sect, and the other was the great-grandson of the current Sea God Pavilion Master, yet if they had a conflict, they still had to roll up their sleeves and handle it themselves.

Lin Yun became a bit more interested in Shrek Academy; if that was the case, his days ahead might be much smoother.

After borrowing a book on soul beast knowledge from the outer courtyard library, Lin Yun returned to the dormitory.

The next morning, when Lin Yun opened his eyes, the sky was already bright.

Lin Yun subconsciously checked the time and instantly sobered up.

Damn it, I overslept.

Lin Yun put on his clothes and leaped out of the window, his massive bone wings unfurling behind him, and in an instant, he flew to the foot of the teaching building.

He climbed the stairs quickly, only to see a somewhat hunched woman walking unhurriedly ahead of him.

Shrek Academy classrooms didn't have back doors, so Lin Yun was truly caught in a dilemma. With no other choice, he suddenly accelerated, dashed past the old woman, and moved forward.

He quickly sat in a seat at the back by the window, immediately suppressing the surging soul power in his body and acting as if nothing had happened.

Zhou Yi entered the classroom one minute after Lin Yun had sat down, and the moment she stepped inside, she looked toward Lin Yun's direction.

"The last one who just came in, stand up."

Lin Yun cursed "GG" under his breath, then pressed his hands onto the desk and stood up, accepting his fate.

Zhou Yi looked at Lin Yun with interest, the corners of her mouth curling into a heart-trembling arc as she said:

"You've got quite the personality, daring to be late on the very first day. That's a rare sight in the history of Shrek Academy."

Lin Yun's eyes flickered slightly. He thought rapidly, and the moment Zhou Yi finished speaking, he hooked his lips into a smile and said:

"Doesn't this show how much I respect you? The bell is dead, but you are alive. In our class, we don't use the bell as the benchmark; we use you. Wherever you are, that is where the class begins."

Zhou Yi looked even more intrigued by Lin Yun's expression. She picked up a piece of chalk, snapped it into two, and asked:

"What's your name?"

"Lin Yun. I'm not from any noble family; my family was massacred by an Evil Soul Master, and Dean Yan took pity on me and brought me in."

Zhou Yi nodded and then said:

"It's the first day of class, so I won't make things difficult for you. Catch this piece of chalk, and this matter will be over."

As she spoke, six soul rings instantly appeared around Zhou Yi, and she channeled one-tenth of her soul power to hurl the chalk at Lin Yun.

If judged by the standards of Soul Tools from the first era, even this piece of chalk could be used as a Soul Tool, Lin Yun cursed inwardly, though his hands moved without the slightest hesitation.

A grayish-white bone claw appeared in Lin Yun's hand, and relying on the sheer hardness of the Skeletal Bone Dragon, he swatted the piece of chalk straight out the window.

Once he finished, Lin Yun immediately said with a smile, "Thank you, Teacher. I guarantee there won't be a next time."

At this moment, Zhou Yi looked toward the group of students who had been intimidated by the Soul Emperor, her gaze turning stern once more.

"Alright, everyone sit down. Next up is the prelude to our very first lesson of the semester."

Lin Yun sighed, thinking to himself that it was coming—the classic lecture on blood and spirit was on its way...