Self-Introduction

Yue Ling watched her awkward expression, recalled the instructions Elder Mu had given him earlier, and relayed them to Ma Xiaotao word for word.

After hearing them, Ma Xiaotao frowned on the spot, her face full of disdain.

"Why do you sound so old-fashioned, like some elderly person?"

"Why are you so troublesome?"

"You!"

Ma Xiaotao glared at Yue Ling, her temper flaring instantly, and it looked like they were about to start an argument right there.

Gongyang Mo, standing to the side, quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Alright, alright, let's go back to the classroom and wait first. We can talk about it once the teacher returns."

"Hmph."

Ma Xiaotao crossed her arms, turned her head away without a word, and walked off on her own, leaving the two of them with nothing but a haughty back.

"Let's go too."

Gongyang Mo nodded, and the three of them walked toward the Freshman Class One classroom together.

Back in the classroom, the seating arrangement had changed temporarily due to Ma Xiaotao's arrival.

Yue Ling sat in the center of the front row, Gongyang Mo sat diagonally behind him, and Ma Xiaotao happened to be sitting to his left.

Having nothing better to do, he turned his head to glance at the young girl beside him.

Ma Xiaotao had very fair skin and striking, expressive features, and her shoulder-length, fiery red hair looked exceptionally sharp.

The plain white Shrek uniform she wore accentuated her slender and upright figure, though there was a hint of hostile, "stay away" energy in her eyes that made her look like someone not to be trifled with.

"What are you looking at?" Ma Xiaotao immediately raised her eyes to glare back, not backing down in the slightest.

Yue Ling smiled, raised an eyebrow, and said, "My eyes are on my face; I'll look if I want to."

He deliberately took another look, then spoke slowly, "But to be honest, you really are quite pretty."

Ma Xiaotao's cheeks flushed slightly, and she subconsciously lifted her chin, full of pride.

"This young lady has always been pretty. I suppose you have an eye for quality."

"However..." Yue Ling shifted his tone, his smile carrying a hint of teasing, "...you aren't my type."

"Hahaha!"

Ma Xiaotao's face turned from green to white in an instant, both embarrassed and angry.

"You're asking for death!"

She raised her hand and threw a punch, not using any soul power, but putting real force into it.

Seeing the fist about to land on him, Yue Ling raised his hand and firmly caught her wrist, stopping it with ease.

"Alright, alright, let's stop messing around."

He let go of her hand.

Ma Xiaotao sat back in her seat, pouting, rubbing her wrist with a look of grievance.

No matter how Yue Ling tried to strike up a conversation, she kept her mouth shut and ignored him, sulking in silence.

Just then, the homeroom teacher, Wu Ya, walked into the classroom.

"Ahem, quiet."

The noisy classroom fell silent instantly.

Everyone who managed to get into Shrek was a genius from their respective regions; even if they didn't know the rules, they knew how to restrain themselves and dared not act recklessly in front of a teacher.

"My name is Wu Ya, and I am the homeroom teacher for this freshman class."

"You've already seen my rules just now: if you have private grievances, you can resolve them on the spot, but try not to engage in internal friction with your own classmates."

"Fight more with other classes; I'll cover you if anything happens. In your own class, the most important thing is unity."

"As the saying goes, those who dare not cause trouble are mediocre. This is also a tradition Shrek has passed down for ten thousand years."

His tone was serious as he continued.

"In three months, there will be the freshman assessment, which is your first major hurdle. Those who don't pass will be directly eliminated and expelled."

"The rules are simple: everyone will form teams of three freely, for a total of three hundred teams. Each team will play ten point-based matches. The top one hundred and fifty teams will remain, and the top sixty-four will then play in a knockout tournament to decide the champion, runner-up, and second runner-up."

"Support-type and food-type soul masters must participate. The academy will match you with opponents of similar strength. It is strictly forbidden to use lethal force or cause serious injury to classmates."

Wu Ya scanned the whole class. "Are there any questions?"

Dai Yueheng, in the back row, raised his hand and stood up. "Teacher, do we choose our own teams, or will you assign them?"

"Good question." Wu Ya nodded. "If you have familiar teammates you get along with, form your own teams."

"If you don't have anyone you know and are left alone, I will assign you at the end."

"Understood, teacher." Dai Yueheng sat back down.

"You will all be spending a long time together, so don't stay like strangers. Starting from the front row, stand up one by one and introduce yourselves."

The first one happened to be Ma Xiaotao.

She stood up reluctantly, her tone casual and cold.

"Ma Xiaotao, martial soul Evil Fire Phoenix, thirty-second-level assault-type battle soul grandmaster."

As her words fell, the whole class erupted in an uproar.

Twelve years old, a thirty-second-level soul grandmaster!

Even Wu Ya was secretly surprised; this was definitely a top-tier genius!

"Next."

Yue Ling stood up in turn, his voice steady.

"Yue Ling, martial soul Wonder-Silk Heavenly Chrysanthemum, thirty-fourth-level assault-type tool soul grandmaster."

The gasps in the classroom were even louder than before.

Wu Ya nodded, his eyes full of approval.

Most of the class had seen his soul combat matches, but they were still shocked, to the point where a group of girls secretly looked at him with eyes full of admiration.

Ma Xiaotao, sitting beside him, watched the gazes directed his way and felt inexplicably irritated, so she simply laid her head on the desk to avoid seeing or hearing anything.

"Next."

"Wang Hai, martial soul Sharp-Breaking Sword, twenty-fourth-level assault-type battle soul master."

"Shishi, martial soul Lollipop, twenty-sixth-level food-type tool soul master."

One by one, the students introduced themselves, and soon it was Gongyang Mo's turn.

Yue Ling looked back at him and, seeing that he was a bit nervous and shy, couldn't help but chuckle.

"Next."

Gongyang Mo took a deep breath and spoke in a low voice.

"Gongyang Mo, martial soul Rainbow Dragon, twenty-eighth-level support-type battle soul master."

The class exploded again.

Rainbow Dragon? A support-type beast soul? And twenty-eighth level?

Wu Ya nodded to himself.

A twenty-eighth-level support-type soul master could be said to have not slacked off in his cultivation at all.

The foundation of this year's freshmen was truly excellent.

"Next."

"Xixi, martial soul Lightning Leopard, twenty-eighth-level agility-type battle soul master."

Exclamations of wonder rose and fell throughout the class; the uniqueness of their martial souls made them quite excited.

Just when everyone thought there wouldn't be any more soul grandmasters in the class, a steady and proud voice came from the last row.

"Dai Yueheng, martial soul Evil-Eyed White Tiger, thirty-first-level assault-type battle soul grandmaster!"

Wu Ya's eyes lit up.

Three soul grandmasters in total!

In all the years he had taught freshmen, no class had ever produced three soul grandmasters at once. In previous years, having even one was considered a top-tier class, and some years there weren't any at all!

Wu Ya was ecstatic inside, but his face remained calm.

"Very good, everyone basically knows each other now. Discuss the team formation privately and report to me before the next class. For those who are still alone without a team in three days, I will arrange the groups myself."

"Understood!"

"Class dismissed!"

The whole class responded in unison, and then the classroom instantly became lively. Everyone was discussing the five genius soul grandmasters revealed today, and every face was filled with pride.

Yue Ling packed up the things on his desk, intending to call Ma Xiaotao and Gongyang Mo to go out and find something to eat.

But just as he prepared to stand up, a figure stepped forward quickly and blocked his path.