Huo Yuhao and Jiang Nannan

"Since there's still quite a gap between everyone's cultivation levels, we won't be holding a vote for class monitor this time. I'm officially appointing Lin Yao to the position. Does anyone have any objections?"

Mu Jin's gaze lingered on Lin Yao for a moment before she addressed the students below the stage. The students in Class Nine glanced at one another, but no one spoke.

When Lin Yao had first enrolled, he had defeated a sixth-ring senior head-on despite having only four rings. That feat had been so eye-catching that not one of the students dared to question him.

One convenient thing about Douluo Continent was that people around you tended to be reasonable as long as you were strong enough. You wouldn't have someone who knew full well how powerful and famous you were, yet still didn't recognize you and picked a fight anyway.

Ye Guyi, standing nearby, also smiled at Lin Yao. He stood up and said calmly, "Thank you for thinking so highly of me, Teacher Mu."

Mu Jin nodded at him, then said to the rest of Class Nine, "The position of class monitor at Shrek Academy is temporary. If anyone thinks they're capable of being class monitor, they can challenge Lin whenever he's available. Whoever wins can become the new class monitor."

Everyone drew in a sharp breath. At that moment, they were all thinking the same thing: Are you even listening to yourself?

What did she mean, a student who was only in their twenties in rank should challenge a class monitor in the forties? And what did she mean, this class monitor had just beaten up a senior in the sixties?

Lin Yao, just stay class monitor until you die. Don't even think about handing the position down to any of us.

In this era, the title of class monitor at Shrek Academy wasn't nearly as valuable as it would be in later generations, nor would it affect your résumé after graduating from Shrek Academy.

Everyone was far less enthusiastic than they would be during the Douluo III era. Put simply, the class monitor was actually expected to do the work. The title just sounded nice when you told people about it.

Mu Jin's first class wasn't dull. After quickly appointing the class monitor, she explained some of the rules students had to follow around the Outer Court, such as where they could go and where they shouldn't wander off to.

She then went over the history of Soul Masters, comparing the professions available today with those from ten thousand years ago. She mixed in a few curious anecdotes from the Soul Master World, making the class far more worthwhile than those pointless university lectures.

After classes ended for the day, Ye Guyi said she was going to take a bath. Lin Yao left the school by himself, intending to see whether Huo Yuhao and the others had set up their stall yet. He could use that to gauge how far the plot had diverged.

He hadn't gone far from the main gate of Shrek Academy when he spotted a small stall already surrounded by people.

The previous night, when he had come out with Ye Guyi, the stall hadn't been there.

Lin Yao stepped closer and, sure enough, saw the familiar young man with Spirit Eyes fiddling with grilled fish beside the stove.

Lin Yao was curious about how delicious this supposedly exceptional grilled fish really was, so he took out some money and bought two.

It really did taste good. The fish had been grilled until it was crisp, like potato chips, and the bones were so crunchy he could chew them up and swallow them too.

Paired with the comparatively generous assortment of seasonings, it truly was an especially delicious meal for the ordinary natives of Douluo Continent.

Lin Yao felt that even the chefs at Lin Mansion didn't use as many seasonings when they weren't preparing banquet-level dishes.

Lin Yao bought two more fish to take away. The Outer Court students had already recognized him, and none of them competed with him. They silently stepped aside, and some even offered to give up their own grilled fish.

Huo Yuhao sized Lin Yao up. Seeing that they were close in age, he hesitated before asking, "Big Brother Lin, are you a new student this year too?"

Lin Yao nodded, then replied, "Your fish is pretty good, little brother."

Huo Yuhao smiled at him. "Thanks for the compliment, Big Brother Lin!"

There weren't many fish left at Huo Yuhao's stall, and just then, the big scene in Huo Yuhao's Shrek Academy life made its entrance.

Several female students in purple uniforms came out of Shrek Academy's main gate. The moment the young woman at the front appeared, she drew countless gazes.

She looked only fourteen or fifteen. Her figure was tall and well-proportioned, and her long golden hair fell in great waves down her back. Her skin was fair as snow, and her eyes were as clear as a pool of water.

When she glanced around, she radiated an elegant, lofty grace, like a crescent moon haloed in light or blossoms piled beneath snow. Her delicate, graceful movements only made her more beautiful, her peerless loveliness seeming to dim everything around her.

Seeing her walk out alongside several female students in purple, surrounded like the moon by stars, Lin Yao knew that the woman at the front was Jiang Nannan.

She was the most miserable background character, stitched together from the Martial Souls and Soul Skills of characters from the previous generation. She didn't have the powerful fighting techniques of Xiao Wu's Soft Bone Rabbit, but somehow had Zhao Wuji's gravity-control Soul Skill stitched into her kit.

In the end, she was neither an agility-type nor an assault-type Soul Master, and she didn't do much of anything later on. Just a supporting accessory.

Lin Yao quietly moved aside, leaving the stage to the true protagonist of this grand scene. Carrying his grilled fish, he headed back toward Shrek Academy.

Two grilled fish were enough to take care of Lin Yao's dinner. The other two were naturally for Ye Guyi.

After that came the immortal-like conversation between Huo Yuhao and Jiang Nannan. One had already decided to stop selling his grilled fish, yet still replied with a price.

The other was genuinely poor, but instead of haggling with a food stall at the academy, she negotiated over the price at a junior student's stall.

Then Xu Sanshi flew into a rage and attacked Huo Yuhao's stall, while Bei Bei and Tang Ya stood up for Huo Yuhao.

Of course, none of that mattered to Lin Yao anymore. He had already reached the dormitory entrance, told the dorm supervisor he was there, and then waited outside the dorm building for Ye Guyi to come down.

When Ye Guyi came downstairs, she had changed into a milky-white dress. The breeze followed her as she walked, carrying the fresh fragrance left behind by her bath and filling the air with a soothing scent.

"Come on. I found a hidden gem of a stall today. The fish is great—give it a try." Lin Yao called to her, then handed her the two grilled fish. Ye Guyi took them, one skewer in each hand, and bit into the belly of one fish. Her eyes immediately lit up like little stars.

"Delicious!" Ye Guyi said. She chewed for a moment, then commented as she ate, "This fish is grilled really well. The skin's crisp, and you can chew the bones right up without ruining the eating experience. It's really good."

Lin Yao smiled at her. The next moment, something suddenly appeared in his mouth, and the aroma of grilled fish flooded his senses...