Xiao Xiao

Just then, a light, brisk set of footsteps stopped before his desk.

Mu Chen looked up.

A young girl with green twin tails stood before him, half a head shorter than him, her cute face framed by a pair of lively, sparkling eyes.

Her hands were clasped behind her back, her body leaning slightly forward, carrying an undisguised sense of curiosity and friendliness.

Xiao Xiao.

"Classmate Mu Chen." Xiao Xiao's voice was as fresh and sweet as she was. "I want to be in a group with you."

She spoke very directly, so directly that even the surrounding students who were still forming groups fell silent for a moment.

Wang Dong lifted her head from her arms.

Xiao Xiao did not seem to notice those gazes, or perhaps she simply did not care.

Her large eyes looked at Mu Chen earnestly, as if stating a fact that could not be more natural: "Although my soul power isn't high right now, I promise I won't hold you back."

Mu Chen looked at her.

The young girl's eyes were clean, devoid of any twists or turns; it was a pure recognition of the strong and a desire to draw closer.

This look reminded Mu Chen of the surface of the sea at Coastal City, clear enough to see the bottom.

He stood up, a head taller than Xiao Xiao.

"Thank you." Mu Chen's voice was a few degrees softer than usual. "You are excellent; it is many people's good fortune to be in a group with you."

Xiao Xiao's eyes brightened.

"However," Mu Chen continued, "I have already promised Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao."

Those bright eyes dimmed once more.

Xiao Xiao pursed her lips and lowered her head, her green twin tails drooping like two leaves drenched by rain.

She was silent for two seconds, then looked up, pulling a smile onto her lips: "It's okay, I know I definitely can't compare to Classmate Wang Dong and Classmate Huo Yuhao."

"It's not a question of who compares to whom." Mu Chen shook his head. "Teamwork is about coordination and synergy; I have already spent some time syncing up with them. Besides."

He paused, looking at Xiao Xiao seriously: "Your martial soul is control-based, but it differs from Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eye, and your compatibility with Wang Dong and me isn't high. Therefore, I still suggest it would be better for you to group with classmates who suit you."

These words were reasonable and fair, and even the students nearby who were pricking up their ears couldn't help but nod.

Xiao Xiao was stunned for a moment, and then light returned to those large eyes—not the expectant light from before, but a sense of relief from being treated with genuine sincerity.

"Classmate Mu Chen, you are different from others," she said.

"Hm?"

"When others reject me, they always say 'next time' or 'we'll see,' just brushing me off." Xiao Xiao tilted her head, observing Mu Chen carefully. "Only you truly think for me, explaining why it's not a fit and what kind of teammates I need."

Mu Chen did not respond.

Xiao Xiao took a step back, hands returning behind her back, and revealed a brilliant smile: "Then it's a deal. When there's an opportunity in the future, you must let me fight alongside you. I want to see with my own eyes just how strong the person who gets extra training from Teacher Zhou really is."

After saying this, she turned and ran off, her green twin tails tracing two light arcs in the air.

Wang Dong stared at Mu Chen's profile for a long time, then suddenly snorted.

"What's wrong?" Mu Chen sat back down.

"Nothing." Wang Dong buried her face back into her arms, her voice more muffled than before. "Just think that you, of all people, have quite the talent for rejecting others in a way that makes them feel comfortable."

Mu Chen said nothing.

The sunlight outside the window slanted in, landing on his blue hair tips and casting a faint golden glow.

The next morning, Zhou Yi stepped into the classroom right on time. She scanned the group list collected by the class monitor, her brows lifting slightly. Her gaze lingered on the names of Mu Chen, Wang Dong, and Huo Yuhao for two seconds before she put the list down without a word.

"Groups are finalized. From now on, you are each other's comrades-in-arms for the next three months." Zhou Yi's voice was as cold as ever. "Next, we will conduct group combat training. The rules are simple: I will arrange opponents for each group. The losing group will run an extra one hundred laps."

A collective gasp of cold air echoed through the classroom.

"Don't be happy too soon." The corner of Zhou Yi's mouth hooked into a curve that made one's spine chill. "The winning groups shouldn't get cocky either, because the next opponents will only be stronger. My goal isn't to make you win; it's to make you learn how to coordinate with your teammates between victory and defeat."

She clapped her hands: "Everyone, assemble on the playground."

The playground at Shrek Academy was absurdly large, and the September sun spread across the packed earth, steaming with a faint heat wave.

Each group stood in formation on the playground, the air filled with a tense and excited atmosphere.

Zhou Yi stood at the front of the ranks, with one extra person beside her.

It was a man who looked to be in his early thirties, wearing the dark red uniform of the Shrek inner court. His figure was slender, his features sharp, and his eyes were as keen as an eagle's. Just by standing there, the surrounding air seemed to grow heavier.

"This is Teacher Song Teng from the inner court," Zhou Yi introduced. "A level 63 assault-type battle soul emperor, with the martial soul Blazing Fire Dragon."

Level 63.

A soul emperor.

These two terms hit the calm lake like two massive boulders, and the expressions of all the students changed.

Zhou Yi's gaze swept over the crowd and landed on Mu Chen, the curve of her mouth deepening: "Mu Chen's group, step forward."

Mu Chen stepped out of the ranks, with Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao following on his left and right. The three of them stood before the entire class, the sunlight stretching their shadows long.

"Your opponent is Teacher Song," Zhou Yi said.

The entire room fell into dead silence.

Then, it exploded.

"What? Making students fight a Spirit Emperor?"

"How could they possibly win!"

"Teacher Song is level sixty-three! That's a full twenty levels higher than Mu Chen!"

Only after the commotion had died down slightly did Zhou Yi speak again, unhurriedly: "Every other group is facing their own classmates; your group alone is facing a Spirit Emperor. The reason is simple."

She looked at Mu Chen, her gaze filled with a mix of appraisal and expectation: "Among all the students present, only you deserve this treatment. Let me see just how large the gap is between you and a true powerhouse."

Mu Chen didn't say anything extra, merely nodding his head.

Beside him, Wang Dong took a deep breath, and a powder-blue light began to swirl in her palms.

Huo Yuhao closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his Spirit Eye was already shimmering with a faint golden hue.

"One incense stick," Zhou Yi said, holding up her index finger. "Last for one incense stick, and you win. If you can't,"

She paused, the threatening implication in her smile self-evident.

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 as calm as still water: "Teacher Song, there is no need to hold back."