Ning Tian: Wuwuwu, there's cheating here, I'm not playing anymore!

After Ning Tian spent a good while gently soothing her and patting her back to help her catch her breath, Wu Feng, who had been shivering in her arms, finally ceased her heart-wrenching sobs.

With red-rimmed eyes, she looked as drained as if she had just recovered from a severe illness, slumping limply in her chair.

Whenever Xiao Yan in the back row shifted his body even slightly, or made the faintest sound while turning a page, Wu Feng's shoulders would uncontrollably flinch.

She kept her head bowed low, her gaze fixed on the desktop in front of her; she didn't even have the courage to look back.

Ning Tian took a handkerchief from her soul tool to wipe the tear tracks from the corners of Wu Feng's eyes, her heart filled with helplessness and confusion.

She truly could not fathom what had possessed her "Feng-mei," who was usually fearless and bold enough to provoke even the elders of their sect, to act like this today.

"Ding-a-ling—"

The crisp sound of the bell signaling the start of class echoed throughout the outer courtyard teaching building.

The previously noisy corridor instantly fell silent as students who were still visiting other classrooms scrambled back to their seats.

From the direction of Freshman Class One not far away, a faint, extremely stern roar could be heard.

The sound made many of the freshmen in Class Nine turn pale; they had long heard rumors of Shrek Academy's rigorous teaching style and were terrified that their own homeroom teacher might be the same.

Just then, accompanied by the steady, measured clicking of high heels against the floor, a woman walked into the Class Nine classroom.

The woman appeared to be around thirty years old, with fair skin and delicate, well-defined features.

She wore a pale purple teacher's uniform, the well-tailored fabric perfectly outlining her mature, intellectual, and curvaceous figure.

Her long, silky black hair was simply pinned back, with a beautifully carved hibiscus flower hairpin tucked into her bun.

As soon as she stepped onto the podium, the previously tense atmosphere in the classroom instantly relaxed.

Mu Jin did not put on a man-eating facade the moment she entered, like the old hag Zhou Yi in the neighboring class, nor did she shout at the students to get out and run laps on the track.

She rested her hands on the edge of the lectern, her gaze sweeping gently over the naive freshmen below, and a highly approachable smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"Hello, students. Welcome to Shrek Academy. I am your homeroom teacher, Mu Jin." Her voice was warm and crisp, making it very pleasant to listen to.

"In the days to come, I will be responsible for your basic theory and practical combat guidance."

The freshmen below looked at one another, then let out a long, collective sigh of relief.

The tension was dispelled by this refreshing opening, and many of the boys even straightened their backs; having such a beautiful and gentle homeroom teacher was truly a blessing from the heavens.

Mu Jin picked up a piece of chalk, turned to write her name on the blackboard, and then turned back around.

"Today is the first day of school, so we don't need to engage in high-intensity training. You have all come from all corners of the land, and you will be studying together for the next few months. Later on, you will also need to form teams for the freshman assessment, so getting to know each other is the first step." Mu Jin leaned against the lectern and made a welcoming gesture.

"Therefore, we will use this class for self-introductions. Everyone stand up, state your name, your current soul power level, your martial soul type, and it would be best if you could briefly demonstrate your martial soul's characteristics. Who would like to go first?"

As soon as she finished speaking, a boy with a crew cut in the front row stood up impatiently.

"Hello, teacher! My name is Li Dazhuang, a level seventeen battle soul master, and my martial soul is an Iron-Back Bear!" As the boy spoke, he channeled his soul power.

His body instantly grew a bit taller, and a layer of coarse brown fur emerged on his skin, giving him quite an imposing air.

Mu Jin nodded with a smile of affirmation: "A very good beast martial soul; your defense and strength should both be excellent. While a starting level of seventeen isn't the highest, as long as you develop your physical fitness and defensive advantages over the next three months, you will definitely be the most reliable shield in your team during the freshman assessment. Please, sit down."

Hearing the homeroom teacher's praise and encouragement, Li Dazhuang sat down with a flushed face, his eyes full of drive.

With this good start, the freshmen of Class Nine completely let go of their inhibitions and began to stand up one by one in order of their seats to introduce themselves.

"Wang Jia, level eighteen tool soul master, martial soul Breeze Sword."

"Zhao Fei, level twenty-one battle soul master, martial soul Gale Wolf..."

All sorts of martial souls appeared in the classroom one after another.

These children who were able to get into Shrek Academy were one-in-a-hundred geniuses in their respective hometowns, but once gathered here, they didn't seem quite as remarkable.

Most of their soul power levels hovered between seventeen and twenty-five.

Regardless of the students' soul power levels, Mu Jin provided an abundance of emotional support.

Facing students with lower soul power or mediocre martial souls, she never belittled them; instead, she patiently pointed out the hidden advantages in their martial souls and gently reminded them that there were still several months until the freshman assessment, so there was plenty of time to work hard.

This gentle, nurturing teaching style allowed the cohesion of Class Nine to form rapidly in just half a class period.

Soon, the order of introductions reached the back of the classroom.

Hearing the student in front of her sit down, Wu Feng stood up sluggishly.

The aura of the Red Dragon soul master, usually so explosive and defiant, had vanished completely.

She hung her head, her voice hoarse and devoid of spirit.

"Wu Feng. Level twenty-five battle soul master, martial soul Red Dragon."

After stating these words, she seemed to have exhausted all her strength and sat heavily back into her chair.

A few gasps of surprise echoed through the class.

Level twenty-five, combined with a top-tier beast martial soul like the Red Dragon—this configuration was definitely among the best in the outer courtyard's freshman class.

Yet, the state of this red-haired girl didn't look like a genius at all; instead, she looked like a defeated rooster—no, a hen.

Ning Tian looked at Wu Feng helplessly, reached out to pat the back of her hand as a gesture of comfort, and then stood up with grace.

The bearing of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect's young mistress was revealed in full at this moment.

She stood tall and straight, her golden-blue eyes sweeping across the room, her voice cool yet remarkably clear.

"Hello everyone, I am Ning Tian, level 31 soul power, martial soul, Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda."

As her words fell, a brilliant, dazzling seven-colored light suddenly erupted from within her body.

The radiance was not blinding, yet it carried an air of nobility, instantly illuminating the area around her seat.

In the palm of Ning Tian's raised right hand, the light gathered and condensed, transforming into a seven-colored pagoda about a foot tall.

The pagoda was divided into seven levels, crystalline and translucent, with each level shimmering with flowing, iridescent light.

The surface of the pagoda seemed inlaid with countless precious gems, refracting the sunlight from the window and emitting a mesmerizing, colorful glow.

The moment it appeared, the pagoda captured the attention of nearly everyone in the class without question.

A series of sharp gasps echoed throughout the classroom.

An eleven-year-old level 31 Soul Elder! And it was the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda, hailed as the number one support-type martial soul on the Douluo Continent!

A genius of this caliber, let alone in New Student Class Nine, would be a top-tier core disciple prospect even among all the freshmen in the entire Shrek Outer Academy.

Even Mu Jin, standing at the podium, felt a flash of brilliance in her eyes.

She had taught many batches of students, and with such a top-tier support-type soul master assigned to Class Nine this year, their results in the freshman assessment were absolutely guaranteed.

"Student Ning Tian, I look forward to your performance in the assessment." Mu Jin's smile grew even brighter.

Ning Tian bowed politely toward the podium, then withdrew her soul power. The pagoda dissipated, and she sat back down with a smile.

The gaze of the entire class naturally followed the sequence, falling upon the seat behind Ning Tian.

Xiao Yan pressed his hands against the edge of his desk and stood up unhurriedly.

The moment he moved, the atmosphere in Class Nine underwent an indescribable, subtle change.

Everyone was curious: was this boy, who had captured the attention of every girl the moment he walked in with his stunningly handsome face and had remained quietly in the corner ever since, merely a hollow pretty boy, or a monster hiding his true strength?

Even Wu Feng, who had been keeping her head down and playing dead, couldn't help but prick up her ears at this moment.

Xiao Yan paid no mind to the probing gazes around him; his eyes were fixed directly on Mu Jin at the podium.

Meeting the homeroom teacher's gaze, Xiao Yan smiled freely.

The smile was like spring snow beginning to melt, instantly striking the hearts of countless young girls in the classroom.

Several girls in the front row even blushed involuntarily, breaking into infatuated smiles.

Mu Jin was also stunned.

She had seen many geniuses from prestigious backgrounds, but the aura of the boy before her was simply not something that should belong to his age group.

That air of ancient elegance—as if he had seen through everything after experiencing the vicissitudes of life, yet remained clean and pure—left even this experienced and sophisticated homeroom teacher feeling incredibly amazed.

Then, a clear and steady voice echoed through the quiet classroom.

"I am Xiao Yan, level 46 soul power. Martial soul, Fuxi Zither."

The words landed.

The smile on Mu Jin's face at the podium froze instantly.

Li Dazhuang, in the front row, who was still reeling from the shock of level 31 soul power, opened his mouth wide enough to fit a duck egg, his chin nearly hitting the desk.

Ning Tian, who had just sat down confident that no one's soul power could surpass her own, stiffened abruptly. Her golden-blue eyes contracted sharply, and her neck turned mechanically as she looked at the boy in white behind her in disbelief.

As for Wu Feng, who had been cowering in her seat, her legs went weak, and she nearly slid under the table along with her chair.

Eleven years old.

Level 46.

What kind of concept was this?

This was terrifying data that would make the seniors in the Shrek Academy Inner Court, who prided themselves on being monsters, collectively jump off a cliff in despair!

This was an inhuman existence that completely shattered the common logic of soul master cultivation on the Douluo Continent!

The entire room fell into a dead silence.