The next day.
Shrek Academy, boys' dormitory.
The hallway was noisy, filled with footsteps as students ran and urged one another along. Amid the bustle, Xiao Yan finished cultivating and discovered that Xiao Yulü had been woken by the noise, too.
They poked their heads out and saw students from their year streaming downstairs in a crowd.
"What's going on, bro? Why's everyone in such a hurry? Where are they going?"
Xiao Yulü stopped a classmate to ask.
The student looked anxious and was about to snap, but when he saw that it was Xiao Yulü, his face lit up.
"Hey, aren't you Kiss-the-Ground Guy? Uh, classes officially start today, so everyone's rushing to class."
"Oh, so school's started..." Xiao Yan nodded, but Xiao Yulü's expression wasn't nearly as pleasant.
"Wait a second. What do you mean, Kiss-the-Ground Guy?"
"Uh, everyone saw you kissing the ground yesterday, so they gave you that nickname..."
"..."
Xiao Yulü's face darkened. Xiao Yan nearly burst out laughing, and had to turn away to hide the grin that was harder to suppress than an AK.
"Ahem, all right. If classes are starting, we should head to class, too."
Xiao Yulü straightened up.
"Yeah, if I remember right, we're in Freshman Class 9?"
"I think so..."
After a quick wash and getting dressed, the two joined the steady stream of students at the entrance and headed into the white classroom building.
They'd wasted some time getting up, and as soon as they reached the building, Xiao Yan and Xiao Yulü saw a huge crowd filing out of a classroom and heading for the field. Xiao Yan thought the first lesson was already over and immediately grew anxious.
Only after Xiao Yulü pointed it out did Xiao Yan realize that the students had gone downstairs and were running laps around the field...
The familiar sight made Xiao Yan slap his forehead as he remembered.
Wasn't that old hag over there putting the students through the wringer?
"Come on in, you two. No need to stare at the other classes."
As they craned their necks to look outside, a mixed-race beauty around thirty spoke gently from the classroom behind them. Xiao Yan glanced up at the sign, confirmed it was Freshman Class 9, and went inside.
"Now that everyone's here, let's start with a brief round of introductions."
"My name is Mu Jin. I'll be your teacher and homeroom teacher for the next three months. You can call me Teacher Mu."
"Even though you're only in this class temporarily, I hope you'll all get along well."
Teacher Mu spoke playfully. She had the style of a cool, handsome big sister, but her voice was unexpectedly sweet. Quite a few boys' hearts stirred.
Following the roster, the students began introducing themselves one by one.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Wang Jian, from the Douhun Empire..."
"Hello, classmates. My name is Xiong Hui, and my Martial Soul is..."
"Ning Tian, from the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect..."
One student after another finished introducing themselves. Then Xiao Yulü's name was called, and he went to the front.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Xiao..."
"Hey, isn't that Kiss-the-Ground Guy!"
"No need to introduce yourself, Kiss-the-Ground Guy. We all know you!"
His face flushed red. He was about to say something when Mu Jin cleared her throat and tapped the blackboard.
"Everyone, quiet! Let your classmate introduce himself properly!"
Then she looked at Xiao Yulü and smiled gently.
"Please continue."
Xiao Yulü stared at the teacher's expression, momentarily stunned. That only set off another round of laughter.
At that point, Xiao Yan couldn't take it anymore. He stood up and strode to the front.
"Silence."
The boy was only nine, but he carried an imposing air. As soon as he reached the lectern, he rapped hard on the blackboard, and the entire classroom fell quiet.
"Didn't your parents teach you the most basic manners? Or have you all become so uncivilized that you don't even know what respect means?"
His words made quite a few students shift uneasily, as if he'd struck a nerve.
Xiao Yan knew exactly who he'd offended: the rude little brats.
Douluo Continent was a world of extraordinary powers, but every world had its spoiled children. This extraordinary, medieval civilization was no exception.
Everyone who awakened a Martial Soul was either a noble or a child from a Soul Master clan. They were rarely disciplined.
Their families taught them manners, of course, but without any sense of reason, they couldn't understand what manners were for.
And what they hated most was being compared to—or even lumped together with—those dirt-poor peasants who scraped a living from the soil!
Xiao Yan wouldn't spare either his fists or his words when dealing with brats like these.
"From now on, I expect every one of you to show me and my brother the most basic respect. Don't say another word, or else..."
"Who do you think you are!"
Before Xiao Yan could finish, a chubby boy stood up. The next instant, a piece of chalk smacked him hard.
"Xiong Hui, right?"
"If you don't know how to keep quiet, I can help you."
"Though I can't say how many days you'll need to recover."
Xiao Yan unleashed his aura, and terrifying pressure swept through the class.
The chubby boy, Xiong Hui, had taken a hit and had been about to fight back, but Xiao Yan's terrifying aura made him flinch.
After cultivating the Flame Mantra, Xiao Yan could summon Lie Yan into his hand even without releasing his Martial Soul. He just couldn't control it as deftly.
At the moment, though, that pressure worked well enough to scare a little brat.
Once the class had settled down, Xiao Yan looked at Xiao Yulü and gave him a signal to continue his introduction.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Xiao Yulü, from the Xiao Clan. I'm nine years old, and my Soul Power is... level 17."
"What! Level seventeen at nine years old!"
Some cried out in surprise; others were skeptical.
It couldn't be helped. Everyone here had been admitted to Shrek Academy, and all of them had at least level fifteen Soul Power. But the average level in Class Nine was only around seventeen or eighteen.
This boy was only nine, yet he'd already reached the class's average Soul Power?
If he cultivated for another three years, wouldn't he become a Soul Elder?
They had no idea that Xiao Yulü had spent three years stuck at the same level. If they'd known, they would have been even more impressed by his talent.
After Xiao Yulü finished, it was Xiao Yan's turn. He'd gotten in through an exemption, so his name was at the very end of the roster. Xiao Yan cleared his throat and said:
"Hello, everyone. My name is Xiao Yan, and I'm from Xiao Family Village. My Soul Power is... level fifteen."
His words drew a wave of jeers.
No one had expected that a boy who spoke so boldly and maturely would have only level fifteen Soul Power.
Even Xiong Hui, whom Xiao Yan had just cowed with his aura, was now rubbing his fists, eager to teach him a lesson.
Taking in everyone's reactions, Xiao Yan's lips curled into a mysterious smile.
"I know some of you doubt my Soul Power. You think it's low, and you're wondering why I speak so boldly."
"So I'll give every one of you a chance. A chance to challenge me."
He took a small white porcelain bottle from his robes and slapped it down on the lectern.
"This is a Purple Sun Pill. After Xiao Yulü took one, he broke through from level thirteen to level seventeen."
"If anyone can beat me, I'll give them this bottle of pills."
"But if no one can beat me..."
Xiao Yan looked down on them all, his expression cold.
"Then don't question a single thing I say."
Before you continue