Just then, a set of light footsteps came to a stop in front of his desk.
Mu Chen raised his head.
A little girl with green twin ponytails stood before him. She was half a head shorter than he was, and her adorable face was set with a pair of bright, lively eyes.
Her hands were clasped behind her back, and she leaned forward slightly, openly curious and friendly.
Xiao Xiao.
"Mu Chen," Xiao Xiao said, her voice as fresh and sweet as she was. "I want to be on your team."
She was so direct that even the students still forming teams around them fell silent for a moment.
Wang Dong lifted her head from her arms.
Xiao Xiao didn't seem to notice the stares—or maybe she simply didn't care.
Her big eyes gazed earnestly at Mu Chen, as if she were stating the most natural fact in the world. "My Soul Power isn't very high right now, but I promise I won't hold you back."
Mu Chen looked at her.
The little girl's eyes were clear, free of any hidden agenda. She simply admired the strong and wanted to get closer to them.
Her gaze reminded Mu Chen of the sea in Coastal City, clear enough to see straight to the bottom.
He stood up, a full head taller than Xiao Xiao.
"Thank you." Mu Chen's voice was gentler than usual. "You're excellent. Anyone who gets to team up with you would be lucky."
Xiao Xiao's eyes lit up.
"But," Mu Chen continued, "I've already agreed to team up with Wang Dong and Yuhao."
The light in her eyes dimmed again.
Xiao Xiao pressed her lips together and lowered her head. Her green twin ponytails drooped with her, like two leaves drenched by the rain.
She was silent for two seconds, then looked up and forced a smile. "It's okay. I know I can't compare to Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao."
"It's not about whether you can compare." Mu Chen shook his head. "Teamwork depends on coordination and rapport. I've already spent some time working with the two of them. Besides..."
He paused and looked at Xiao Xiao seriously. "Your Martial Soul is focused on control, but it's different from Yuhao's Spirit Eye, and you're not a good match for Wang Dong or me. So I'd still recommend teaming up with classmates who suit you better."
His reasoning was sound. Even a few students nearby, who'd been listening with their ears perked up, couldn't help nodding.
Xiao Xiao froze for a moment, then her big eyes lit up again. This time, it wasn't the light of expectation, but the relief of being taken seriously.
"Mu Chen, you're different from other people," she said.
"Hmm?"
"When other people turn me down, they always say, 'Maybe next time,' or 'We'll talk about it later.' They just brush me off." Xiao Xiao tilted her head and studied Mu Chen seriously. "You're the only one who actually thinks about why we're not a good match and what kind of teammates I need."
Mu Chen didn't respond.
Xiao Xiao took a step back and clasped her hands behind her again, beaming. "Then it's a promise. When we get the chance, you have to take me into battle once. I want to see for myself just how strong someone who gets extra training alone with Teacher Zhou really is."
With that, she turned and ran off, her green twin ponytails tracing two lively arcs through the air.
Wang Dong stared at Mu Chen's profile for a long while, then suddenly snorted.
"What's wrong?" Mu Chen sat back down.
"Nothing." Wang Dong buried her face in her arms again, her voice muffled more than before. "I just think you're something else. You can turn someone down and still make them feel good about it. You're really good at that."
Mu Chen said nothing.
Sunlight slanted in through the window and fell on the tips of his blue hair, casting a faint golden sheen.
The next morning, Zhou Yi walked into the classroom right on time. She glanced over the team lists the class monitor had collected, raised her eyebrows slightly, and let her gaze linger on the names Mu Chen, Wang Dong, and Huo Yuhao for two seconds. Then she set the list down without a word.
"You've finished forming your teams. From now on, for the next three months, you'll be one another's comrades." Zhou Yi's voice was as cold as ever. "Next, you'll have team combat training. The rules are simple. I'll assign each team an opponent. The losing team will run an extra hundred laps—all of them."
The classroom filled with sharp gasps.
"Don't get excited too soon." Zhou Yi's lips curved in a way that sent chills down everyone's spine. "And winning teams, don't get smug. Your next opponents will only be stronger. My goal isn't to make you win. It's to teach you to work with your teammates, through both victory and defeat."
She clapped her hands. "Everyone, assemble on the field."
The grounds of Shrek Academy were ridiculously vast. September sunlight spread across the packed earth, raising faint waves of heat.
The teams lined up on the field, and the air was thick with nervous excitement.
Zhou Yi stood at the front of the formation, accompanied by someone new.
He looked to be in his early thirties, with a lean build and sharply defined features. He wore the dark red uniform of Shrek Inner Court, and his eyes were as keen as an eagle's. The moment he took his place, the air around him seemed to grow heavier.
"This is Teacher Song Teng from the Inner Court," Zhou Yi introduced him. "He's a Level 63 Power Attack System Battle Soul Emperor, and his Martial Soul is the Blazing Fire Dragon."
Level 63.
Soul Emperor.
The two words hit the students like boulders crashing into a still lake. Every face changed.
Zhou Yi's gaze swept across the crowd and landed on Mu Chen. The curve of her lips deepened. "Mu Chen's team, step forward."
Mu Chen stepped out of formation, with Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao following on either side. The three of them stood before the class, their shadows stretching long in the sunlight.
"Your opponent is Teacher Song," Zhou Yi said.
The field fell completely silent.
Then it erupted.
"What? You're making students fight a Soul Emperor?"
"How could they possibly win?"
"Teacher Song is Level 63! He's a full twenty levels above Mu Chen!"
Zhou Yi waited until the uproar had died down a little before speaking slowly. "The other teams will face their classmates. Yours is the only team that will face a Soul Emperor. The reason is simple."
She looked at Mu Chen, her gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny and anticipation. "Of all the students here, you're the only one who deserves this treatment. Let me see how big the gap is between you and a true powerhouse."
Mu Chen said nothing more. He simply nodded.
Wang Dong took a deep breath beside him, pink-and-blue light already swirling in her palm.
Huo Yuhao closed his eyes. When he opened them again, a faint golden glow had appeared in his Spirit Eyes.
"One stick of incense," Zhou Yi said, holding up her index finger. "If you last that long, you win. If you don't..."
She paused, the threat in her smile plain to see.
Song Teng stepped forward, rolled his shoulders, and grinned at Mu Chen. "Kid, don't be nervous. I'll go easy on you."
Mu Chen met his gaze, his blue eyes calm as still water. "Teacher Song, there's no need to hold back."