Zhou Yi had said that anyone who failed to finish the run would be expelled. Was he really going to be expelled? Was he going to have to leave Shrek?
But he wasn't willing to give up! He was so lucky to have met Brother Sky Dream, Teacher Xiao Ya, and Senior Beibei, and to have come to study at Shrek, the number one academy on Douluo Continent. How could he be expelled on the very first day of school?
Summoning a burst of speed, Huo Yuhao managed to run a few more laps.
But his body had already reached its limit. He had no strength left.
Suddenly, a force came from behind Huo Yuhao. A pair of hands slipped beneath his arms and lifted his whole body into the air.
Huo Yuhao turned around in surprise and discovered that the person helping him was none other than his roommate, Wang Dong, whom he loathed.
A pair of dazzling, multicolored butterfly wings spread from Wang Dong's back and beat gently, carrying the two of them swiftly around the plaza, lap after lap.
Finally, just as the time was about to run out, Huo Yuhao completed his goal of a hundred laps.
Wang Dong flung Huo Yuhao to the ground, recalled her Martial Soul, then put her hands on her knees and panted heavily.
Huo Yuhao rolled across the ground from the impact. He didn't have the strength to get back up, and he looked at Wang Dong with a complicated expression.
At that moment, Wang Dong was deeply confused.
Just now, she had rushed over to help Huo Yuhao finish the task without even thinking. Logically, she shouldn't have cared whether Huo Yuhao got to stay at Shrek Academy.
So why, at that moment, had she felt that she absolutely had to make sure Huo Yuhao stayed?
Even stranger, when she touched Huo Yuhao, it had felt incredibly comfortable. She had even felt her Soul Power beginning to flow into his body.
Nearby, Zhou Yi stood waiting for them to rest.
About ten minutes later, Zhou Yi spoke. "All right, get up and line up."
The students heard Zhou Yi and immediately got to their feet, lining up without being told twice.
"I'll call out some names. Step forward when you hear yours. Cheng Cheng, Tailong, Zhuge Yun..."
The students whose names were called stepped out of the line. There were nine of them, and none looked happy. They seemed to know why Zhou Yi had called them out.
Zhou Yi regarded them expressionlessly and said flatly, "You're expelled. Get out of here."
Tailong stepped forward, his face full of anger. "Teacher, why?"
Zhou Yi said, "I told you that anyone who failed to finish a hundred laps would be expelled. Don't you understand? Get out!"
Then Zhou Yi summoned her Martial Soul, and the pressure of her Soul Power cowed the nine students.
Under the pressure of a Soul Emperor, they had no choice but to leave, though they headed for the teaching office.
After getting rid of the disobedient students, Zhou Yi turned to face Class One's line. "You can go back now. Get some rest at noon. This afternoon, we'll continue with physical training. Wang Dong, stay behind."
When she finished speaking, the students all left to go back to their dorms and take a shower.
Wang Dong stood where she was, unsure why Zhou Yi had asked her to stay.
Zhou Yi beckoned Wang Dong over. When Wang Dong came to stand in front of her, she asked,
"During registration, you got into a fight with your roommate, Huo Yuhao, didn't you? Why didn't you stand up in class just now?"
Wang Dong said, "Huo Yuhao was the only one getting beaten up. How is that a fight?"
Hearing this, Zhou Yi couldn't help laughing. This girl called Wang Dong had said exactly what she wanted to hear. She said,
"Good. But next time you want to fight, pick someone from another class. Those who don't dare cause trouble are useless. All right, you can go too."
Wang Dong bowed, then turned and left.
Back at the dorm, Wang Dong pushed open the door. The first thing she saw was Huo Yuhao's bare upper body, dotted with water droplets. It was obvious he had just showered.
Wang Dong looked at Huo Yuhao with disgust. "Are you gross or what? Put your shirt on."
Hearing the malice still in Wang Dong's voice, Huo Yuhao didn't want to argue. He silently put his shirt on.
He gave Wang Dong a complicated look. "Thank you."
Wang Dong waved a hand. "If you'd gotten kicked out, who would bring me food? Oh, give me your hand."
Huo Yuhao froze for a moment at her words, but did as she asked.
The instant their palms met, a feeling unlike anything he'd ever experienced swept through his body.
Huo Yuhao's Soul Power began circulating on its own, flowing through him far faster than when he cultivated by himself.
"You two have Martial Soul Fusion! And your compatibility is so high that you can even perform a three-Martial-Soul fusion! Little Yuhao, you've really struck gold."
In the Sea of Spirit, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, who had been silent for many days, suddenly spoke.
"What's wrong, Brother Sky Dream?" Huo Yuhao asked in confusion.
"In other words, when the two of you are together, not only will you cultivate faster, your combat strength will increase tremendously. It's not simply one plus one equals two. You're destined to be an excellent pair of partners!"
Huo Yuhao was astonished by the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's explanation. An increase in cultivation speed was incredibly important to him right now. But it meant being with someone he hated—and possibly having to stay with him forever.
Still, the prospect of cultivating faster was far too tempting. For the sake of becoming stronger, Huo Yuhao could accept it.
Wang Dong could also feel how quickly her Soul Power was circulating. At this rate, it would only take a few days for her to reach level twenty-two.
She wondered, Could this be why I didn't want Huo Yuhao to be expelled?
And now, as she looked at Huo Yuhao's face, it somehow seemed to possess a strange magic that drew her toward him and made her want to get closer and hug him.
What was happening to her? Had she fallen for this good-for-nothing? Impossible. How could she like a useless Soul Master who hadn't even reached level fifteen?
Wang Dong abruptly pulled her hand away from Huo Yuhao, flung open the door, and rushed out of the dorm.
Huo Yuhao's Soul Power circulation was suddenly interrupted, jolting him back to his senses. He watched Wang Dong's retreating figure and wondered what had gotten into her this time.
He had wanted to invite Wang Dong to cultivate together. Now he would just have to wait until she came back.
Before long, noon had passed.
Freshman Class Nine.
That morning, Mu Jin had arranged for every student to complete a Soul Fighting match.
Even the support-type students had taken the field for barehanded bouts. Song Mu had once again fought an unarmed match against a support-type Soul Master.
Afternoon classes began. Mu Jin came to the lectern and said,
"This class will be physical training. Everyone, go downstairs and run five laps around Shrek Plaza."
When she finished speaking, the students all got up and headed outside, running laps around Shrek Plaza.
After everyone had finished, Mu Jin gathered them together and said,
"I watched your Soul Fighting matches this morning and got a basic understanding of each of your physical abilities. I've prepared a training plan for you. Next, I'll take you to the Training Zone to work on your physical fitness."
Then Mu Jin took a stack of papers from her Storage Soul Guidance Device.
"Class monitors, come up and hand out the plans."
Song Mu and Ning Tian came out of the crowd, went up to take the plans, and distributed them to every student.
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