The next morning, Lin Yao opened his eyes. His roommate still hadn't arrived, and he had no idea what was going on. Hopefully, he'd been assigned a room alone.
After Lin Yao washed up, someone knocked on the dormitory door. It was the teacher in charge of the dorms, who had come to tell him that Ye Guyi was waiting downstairs.
Lin Yao remembered their little taste of wine the night before—not enough to get drunk—and quickened his pace as he headed downstairs.
Ye Guyi was wearing a pale gold dress. When she saw Lin Yao, a smile lit up her eyes.
Lin Yao went to meet her. She smiled at him and asked, "How are you feeling after last night? Does your head hurt?"
Lin Yao shook his head nonchalantly, then said, "That little bit of wine was no different from not drinking at all. It was completely gone before I even got back to the dorm."
Ye Guyi nodded, then smiled at Lin Yao. "That's true. Just remember not to be late tomorrow morning. Shrek Academy isn't like the academies in the Dou Ling Empire."
Lin Yao smiled, and the two of them strolled across campus together. Ye Guyi was in a particularly good mood. She seemed to have enjoyed chatting with Lin Yao the night before, and now she walked with a spring in her step, almost like a little girl skipping along.
"How are you getting along with your roommate?" Lin Yao asked casually, watching Ye Guyi's cheerful expression.
At the mention of her roommate, Ye Guyi waved a hand. "So-so. She's a pretty strange girl—quiet and not much of a talker."
Lin Yao sensed a note of hesitation in her voice. He looked at Ye Guyi and said, "There's more to it than that, isn't there? Whatever it is, just tell me."
Ye Guyi hesitated, then said, "I don't know why, but I feel like there's a faint trace of darkness about her, too. But after talking with her, I found out that her Martial Soul isn't dark-attribute, and it's not an Evil Martial Soul either. It's strange."
After hearing Ye Guyi's description, Lin Yao furrowed his brow slightly. Then he asked, "What's her Martial Soul?"
Ye Guyi thought back for a moment. "I think it's some kind of fish. I can't remember exactly what it's called, but I'm sure the dark or evil power that gave me that feeling didn't come from her Martial Soul."
Lin Yao nodded, then said to Ye Guyi, "Then keep your distance from her. If the darkness isn't simply caused by her Martial Soul, that's actually more troublesome. Darkness that comes from a Martial Soul might be dispelled, but darkness that comes from within a person can't be."
Ye Guyi nodded. Lin Yao waved a hand at her and said, "It's almost certainly not aimed at us. My guess is that some faction or organization planted a spy in Shrek. Having to constantly remember that you were sent here undercover would inevitably lead to some dark thoughts."
Ye Guyi nodded, clearly convinced by Lin Yao's guess. She stretched and said with a helpless sigh, "If that's really the case, then I'm terribly unlucky. I was only assigned a freshman dorm, and I've already hit the jackpot."
Lin Yao smiled and said to Ye Guyi, "You've got it easy compared to me. My roommate still hasn't shown up. I don't even know what kind of person he'll be, but he probably won't be easy to deal with. Roommates who don't cause trouble usually don't arrive this late."
Ye Guyi was curious, too. "He still hasn't come? Registration closes this afternoon. If he doesn't show up before then, he won't be able to attend Shrek."
"Who knows what he's thinking?" Lin Yao said, completely unconcerned.
By the afternoon, Lin Yao still hadn't seen the student arrive. Instead, after registration had closed, the teacher in charge of the boys' dormitory came in and carried away the empty bed that had been assigned to Lin Yao's second roommate.
"Teacher, does this mean no one else is going to live in this room?" Lin Yao asked, looking up from the fruit he was peeling as the teacher carried the bed away.
"Yes. After consideration, the academy has decided to grant you the privilege of a dormitory all to yourself. Enjoy your life in the outer court, and strive to enter the inner court as soon as possible. Of course, given the talent you've shown so far, I don't think you'll be studying in the outer court for very long."
Lin Yao nodded, thinking, You don't think I'll be here long, and neither do I. I just plan to leave once I'm strong enough to rebel. Who knows what you have in mind.
Shrek Academy's methods were far too crude. Only the people in this world wouldn't think too much of it: the headmaster of an academy had come straight to Lin Yao's home, carrying an admission letter, and told him to enroll.
Put plainly, wasn't that just kidnapping?
If Lin Yao's family had even one Super Douluo, they would have put up a fight.
Unfortunately, the strongest person in Lin Yao's family was only a Soul Douluo. If they wanted to hold their heads high in front of Shrek Academy, they'd have to wait until Lin Yao grew stronger.
After that, Lin Yao moved his bed to the middle of the dorm room. The cramped, narrow space suddenly felt much more spacious.
The teacher had clearly been considerate of Lin Yao. He'd taken away only the unused bed, leaving behind the accompanying storage cabinets and other furniture.
That meant Lin Yao now had twice as many things to use.
The next morning, Lin Yao stepped out of his dormitory to find Ye Guyi already waiting for him.
The two of them had been assigned to the same class. They exchanged smiles, then set off together for the first-year teaching building in the outer court.
Freshman Class Nine was at the far end of the hallway. Lin Yao and Ye Guyi opened the door and went inside. Not many students had arrived yet, and most of the seats were still empty.
Shrek Academy didn't assign seats. You could sit wherever you liked.
It was a little like a university lecture system. Lin Yao and Ye Guyi sat together near the windows at the back.
Not long after they sat down, the students of Class Nine began to arrive one after another.
When the bell rang to signal the start of class, a brightly dressed, green-haired teacher walked into the classroom in high heels, her shoes clicking across the floor. She stood at the lectern, opened the blue folder in her hands, and glanced at its contents.
"Hello, everyone. Starting today, I'll be your homeroom teacher. My name is Mu Jin. I hope we'll work well together during these three months of the freshman period, and that all of you will be able to stay at Shrek Academy." Mu Jin briefly introduced herself, then placed a finger on the blue clipboard in front of her.
"Next, I'll take roll call so I can get to know you. When you hear your name, stand up and answer."
After calling the roll, Mu Jin swept her gaze over the class with satisfaction, then finally settled it on Lin Yao, who was sitting at the back...
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