Ning Tian looked at the figures near the back of the crowd who were practically running themselves to death on the field and nodded in firm agreement.
As the young sect master of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, she had once found time to study pharmacology under a senior in the sect.
Her studies had been brief, but she knew that the six years following a Soul Master's Martial Soul Awakening at age six were when the body developed fastest.
During those years, they needed ample nutrition. If they had the means, they needed to build the strongest foundation possible, so they could reach greater heights during the golden eight years of cultivation from twelve to twenty and set themselves up for life.
Exercise was good, but too much of it damaged the body's foundations.
Besides, even a year of running like this would do less for them than half a month spent nourishing their bodies with Soul Power, let alone the treasures made for that purpose.
As for building willpower?
Give her a break. What moment at Shrek Academy didn't test their willpower?
They would be better off spending that time in the Soul Fighting Zone or Soul Beast Fighting Zone.
Throughout the first class of the school year, Jiang Yu and Ning Tian watched from the sidelines.
Against a bunch of small fry mostly below level twenty, Wu Feng held every advantage: Martial Soul, Soul Power, physical strength, combat experience, and more. She dominated them so thoroughly that neither Jiang Yu nor Ning Tian needed to lift a finger.
By the end of class, Wu Feng was still bursting with energy.
As she put it, this was not even a third as grueling as when Jiang Yu had run her ragged back at the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Jiang Yu not only hit hard; he fought dirty. One moment of carelessness, and she would spend the whole day walking funny.
After five years of honing her reflexes and resilience under those conditions, Wu Feng had long wanted an outlet for her pent-up frustration and fighting spirit. These freshmen made excellent punching bags.
By the end of class, the strange looks directed at Jiang Yu and the two girls had vanished. Everyone now regarded them with one emotion: awe.
Mu Jin's expression was stern, but on closer inspection, the corners of his mouth twitched. He was clearly struggling to keep a straight face.
"See the gap between yourselves and real geniuses? Every one of you had better go back and rein in that arrogance. Shrek Academy has no shortage of elites. What it needs are true monsters, and you still have a long way to go."
When Mu Jin finished speaking, everyone except Jiang Yu and the two girls answered in unison. No one dared brush off his words anymore.
"All right. The rest of you can go rest or cultivate. Jiang Yu, Ning Tian, Wu Feng, you three stay behind."
Mu Jin spoke up.
After the others left, Mu Jin looked at the three standing side by side. He considered them for a moment, then said:
"..."
Life as a freshman was rather dull. Apart from one scheduled class each day, there was little to do but cultivate or fight.
Of course, with Nanmen Yun'er and Wu Feng, the two avid spectators of other people's drama, leading the way, Class Nine and the other classes quietly watched Class One make a spectacle of itself.
As for Jiang Yu, his conversation with Mu Jin that day had earned him quite a few privileges.
The most useful was that he could attend Mu Jin's classes when he wanted and do his own thing when he did not.
But nothing came for free. Mu Jin had granted Jiang Yu those privileges only after making a deal with him and the others.
Mu Jin had not stated his goal outright, but Jiang Yu could guess.
Whatever the case, Jiang Yu was determined to win the freshman assessment.
He cared little for the champion's prize, but core disciple status was crucial. With it, he could skip ahead and apply directly to the Inner Court once he reached Soul Ancestor.
Before that, though, Jiang Yu had another problem to solve. Admission to the Inner Court had age and cultivation requirements, and also required a recommendation from an Inner Court student.
Jiang Yu had yet to figure out that last step when trouble beat him to it.
One morning, Jiang Yu finished breakfast with Ning Tian and Wu Feng and walked out of the cafeteria.
Several days of drizzle had finally ended, leaving the sky clear. On a whim, Ning Tian led the other two toward Sea God Lake.
They passed through the lakeside woods, and a cool, damp breeze met them.
The sun was already out, but thick mist still hung over Sea God Lake. Even so, they could make out the clear blue water and the faint outline of Sea God Island in the distance.
Wu Feng let out a long breath and sighed.
"Shrek Academy may be a complete mess in every other respect, but the view of Sea God Lake almost rivals the sunset over Nine Treasure Mountain."
"Fresh air, lovely scenery, lovely company."
As she spoke, Wu Feng stole a glance at Ning Tian, then shot Jiang Yu a look of distaste.
Jiang Yu's mouth twitched. Before he could fire back, Wu Feng spoke again, sounding puzzled.
"Huh? Look over there. Why is the lake turning red?"
Jiang Yu thought little of it at first, but the moment he spotted that conspicuous red dot in the distant mist, his heart sank.
Oh no. It couldn't be that much of a coincidence, could it?
The red dot soon burst through layer after layer of mist, becoming a dazzling red glow. Jiang Yu's last shred of hope died...
Wait!
Something's off...
Jiang Yu narrowed his eyes.
Ma Xiaotao, whose Evil Fire had run out of control, did not seem to be heading for the three of them.
The direction she was going...
Jiang Yu turned his head and spotted two panicked figures in the thin mist about two hundred meters away.
Oh, she's after those two. Then we're fine.
As Ma Xiaotao drew closer, a terrifying surge of fire energy erupted. Even from nearly two hundred meters away, Jiang Yu and the two girls felt a blast of heat wash over them. It swept away the surrounding mist, bringing the scene into sharper focus.
"Th-that's terrifying. Is she a senior from the Inner Court? Why does she look like an Evil Soul Master...?"
Only now that Ma Xiaotao was closer did Wu Feng feel the fiery aura emanating from her, far beyond that of the Red Dragon.
The Red Dragon was merely a lesser dragon with fire dragon blood, while the Evil Fire Phoenix carried the blood of a true divine beast. The gulf between them was immense. And with her Evil Fire out of control, Ma Xiaotao was arguably the Soul Master closest to Ultimate Fire in the world.
"Wu Feng, for once, I agree with you."
Ning Tian rarely agreed with Wu Feng.
The reason was simple: this senior was drenched in blood-red and wore a mask like a vicious ghost. Ning Tian would have believed she was an Evil Soul Master—or even a demon crawled up from hell.
Jiang Yu said nothing. He watched Ma Xiaotao charge straight at Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong with the ferocity of a Ferocious Beast. But the scene he remembered, of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm possessing Huo Yuhao and felling her with one finger, never came.
Instead, the very next moment, time and space around them seemed to freeze.
Jiang Yu was the first to recover, thanks to his powerful mental strength. The instant he did, his expression changed drastically.
Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong had vanished from the shore of Sea God Lake, while Ma Xiaotao, her eyes blood-red, was charging toward Jiang Yu and the two girls.
Jiang Yu knew without a doubt that the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was behind this.
Damn you, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm! You dumped this trouble on us? You'd better hope I never catch you, or I'll make you pay.
Gritting his teeth, Jiang Yu wasted no time. He wrapped an arm around each of the still-unresponsive girls, feeling the striking difference between Wu Feng's and Ning Tian's slender waists. Then he pushed off and shot toward nearby Shrek Square with them both, turning into a streak of light...
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