Running is an Eternal Tradition

Then, Mu Jin shifted the tone of her speech, her voice turning grave.

"However, I must tell you all that within Shrek Academy, there is never a shortage of geniuses."

"Here, the talent you once took such pride in may not stand out at all, and you might even find yourselves blending into the crowd!"

"In every freshman assessment, more than half of the students are eliminated."

"In other words, less than half of you will be able to remain in the academy to continue your studies."

"All you can do is exhaust every ounce of your effort to desperately improve yourselves over these next three months and fight for the chance to stay."

Watching the solemn expressions of the students, Mu Jin knew her warning had hit the mark.

She turned and wrote two large characters on the blackboard.

Class Monitor!

Then, sweeping her gaze across the room, she called out: "Huo Yuhao, Ning Tian."

The two, who were sitting next to each other, slowly stood up upon hearing their names.

"I have reviewed your entrance exam results. Among you, Ning Tian is a level 31 Soul Elder, and Huo Yuhao is a level 25 Soul Grand Master.

Their Soul Power Level is far ahead of everyone else here; therefore, starting today, they will be the class monitor and deputy class monitor of Freshman Class 9."

"However, Shrek Academy has always operated on the principle that the capable shall hold the position, so these roles are not set in stone.

Ning Tian is an auxiliary-system soul master; anyone wishing to challenge her for the position of class monitor must find a partner and engage in a two-on-two team battle against Ning Tian and Huo Yuhao.

If you can defeat Huo Yuhao in a one-on-one, you may replace him as the deputy class monitor."

As Mu Jin's voice faded, the previously silent, spacious classroom erupted into a commotion.

The way everyone looked at Huo Yuhao and Ning Tian changed in an instant.

The female students in the class looked at Huo Yuhao with even more fervor, their gazes filled with undisguised admiration and curiosity.

Wang Dong'er, sitting to Huo Yuhao's left, felt a bit surprised.

A Soul Elder under the age of twelve?

Even she, as the young sect master of the Clear Sky Sect, had not yet reached that level of cultivation.

It seems I need to set aside an extra hour tonight...

No, maybe just half an hour for cultivation; after all, balancing work and rest is most important.

She didn't want to exhaust herself.

Meanwhile, Wu Feng, sitting to Ning Tian's right, stared fixedly at Huo Yuhao, her eyes filled with scrutiny and defiance.

Soul power cultivation does not necessarily equate to combat strength, especially among soul masters below level 30.

Her own Soul Power Level was currently 24, and her martial soul was the top-tier assault-system Red Dragon.

A mere Huo Yuhao could be suppressed with a single hand.

The task of protecting the young mistress could only be handled by her, Wu Feng.

Not to mention, when Mu Jin announced Huo Yuhao's Soul Power Level earlier, the way the young mistress looked at him had become quite peculiar.

She knew full well the true purpose of the young mistress enrolling in Shrek Academy, and she absolutely could not let anyone else snatch the young mistress away.

Thinking this, Wu Feng stood up abruptly, her crisp voice cutting through the classroom's noise.

"Teacher Mu, I want to challenge Huo Yuhao!"

Ignoring the flicker of displeasure in Ning Tian's eyes, she raised her voice again, staring directly at Huo Yuhao:

"Huo Yuhao, are you afraid to accept my challenge?"

The scent of gunpowder instantly permeated the air, and the clamor in the classroom grew even louder as a result.

Every student present considered themselves an elite, and with pride ingrained in their bones, naturally, no one was willing to submit to another.

Now that someone was ready to take the lead, they were more than happy to see what Huo Yuhao's true strength was.

"Wu Feng, I accept your challenge."

Huo Yuhao replied calmly, then turned his gaze toward Mu Jin on the podium.

A meaningful smile appeared on Mu Jin's face.

She had been curious about the rumors circulating outside regarding Huo Yuhao, and this would be a perfect opportunity to verify their authenticity on the spot.

She waved her hand, signaling for everyone to quiet down:

"In that case, everyone shall head to the Soul Fighting Zone to watch this duel."

Seeing the other students and Huo Yuhao leave the classroom with Mu Jin, Wu Feng, who had been kept behind by Ning Tian, asked with a hint of confusion: "Young Mistress, is there something you need?"

"Feng-mei, we came to Shrek Academy to make friends and broaden our horizons, not to make enemies everywhere. You should understand this, right?"

Ning Tian looked at the "loyal" yet impulsive maid before her, her tone carrying a trace of helplessness.

She knew a bit more about Huo Yuhao than Wu Feng did, and she did not believe Wu Feng stood much of a chance at defeating him.

Ning Tian did not forcibly stop this duel born of pride because she also harbored the intention of letting Huo Yuhao take down a peg or two of Wu Feng's arrogance.

Otherwise, given Wu Feng's current temperament, she would sooner or later stir up even greater trouble in the future.

"Mm."

Wu Feng responded in a low voice, her attitude appearing quite obedient, though the coldness in her dark red eyes had not dissipated in the slightest.

In all these years, this was the first time she had seen Ning Tian show such obvious attention to a peer of the opposite sex.

Wu Feng followed silently behind Ning Tian as they walked out of the classroom.

Just as they reached the corridor, they saw that most of the students from Class Nine had not immediately headed to the Soul Fighting Zone; instead, they were gathered in twos and threes along the corridor, looking through the windows toward the direction of Shrek Plaza.

In the crowd, Wang Dong'er, standing beside Huo Yuhao, tilted her head to watch the boys and girls struggling to run on Shrek Plaza. A look of relief appeared on her face as she kept muttering to herself:

"It's a good thing this young master is smart and didn't butt heads with that old hag, otherwise I'd probably be down there running laps until my legs went soft right now."

Huo Yuhao, meanwhile, watched those familiar or unfamiliar faces, and when he saw the blue-haired youth sprinting wildly among the crowd, he suddenly couldn't help but chuckle.

He hadn't expected that the youth suspected to be the reincarnation of Tang San would have such "good" luck.

The other students of Class Nine, seeing this scene, could no longer suppress their curiosity and began asking Mu Jin questions all at once.

"Teacher Mu, we won't have to run laps around Shrek Plaza like them in the future, will we?"

"Teacher Mu, is this running actually the secret weapon behind Shrek Academy's strength?"

"Teacher Mu, I heard that the Sea God from ten thousand years ago also particularly loved running; is that true?"

Listening to the students' wide variety of questions, Mu Jin felt a vein in her temple twitch.

In Shrek Academy, besides that woman Zhou Yi, who else would be so bored as to make students run laps around Shrek Plaza indefinitely?

Not distinguishing between the physical fitness of different soul masters and making everyone run the same number of laps was simply absurd.

Mu Jin gave a light cough to interrupt the students' discussion:

"Please rest assured, everyone; I will not adopt such a crude and simplistic method.

Later, I will arrange different, more targeted physical training for everyone based on each person's specific circumstances, such as the characteristics of your martial souls and your basic physical fitness."

"Yay! Long live Teacher Mu!"

Hearing Mu Jin's promise, the students of Class Nine all let out long sighs of relief, smiles of relaxation appearing on their faces.

After all, just running like that seemed far too foolish, and the results were not necessarily effective either.