He had never meant that at all! But when he saw the looks his classmates were giving him, he did not dare show weakness. How could a young master of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion admit defeat in public?
He gritted his teeth and could only steel himself and agree. "...Fine. Two hundred laps it is."
Without another word, Wang Dong turned and walked out. Dai Huabin froze for a moment, then hurried after him. The two left the classroom one after the other and reached the field.
Wang Dong walked lightly, as though out for a stroll. Following behind him, Dai Huabin grew angrier the more he thought about it and could not resist cursing under his breath:
"...What does this have to do with you? I only had to run a hundred laps!"
"Didn't you want to be the boss of the dorm? Naturally, the boss has to take the lead and run a little more."
Wang Dong did not even look back, his tone lazy.
Dai Huabin nearly spat blood in fury. "You!"
"Enough talk. Run," Wang Dong said, already picking up speed. "If we don't finish, we really won't be able to attend class today."
Gritting his teeth, Dai Huabin could only start running after him. Sunlight spilled across the field as the two boys, one ahead of the other-one with long pink-and-blue hair streaming behind him, the other with mismatched eyes flashing-began their two-hundred-lap run.
Before long, the classroom door was pushed open.
Wang Dong strode inside, neither flushed nor out of breath. Even his hair was still perfectly in place. He walked up to the lectern, stopped, and spoke evenly. "Reporting in. I've finished."
Zhou Yi nearly lost her grip on her teacup. She glanced at the clock on the wall. Less than an hour had passed. Two hundred laps, finished in an hour? What did that even mean?
Even a Soul Ancestor might not have managed it so easily.
She looked Wang Dong up and down. Seeing his steady breathing and normal complexion, with barely a few drops of sweat on him, she felt profound shock well up inside her.
Just what is this boy's martial soul?
Only after quite a while longer did Dai Huabin finally arrive. He was far more bedraggled than Wang Dong, drenched in sweat, his face pale and both legs trembling. He braced himself against the doorframe and panted for a long time before recovering.
A hundred laps would not have been much of a problem for him, but doubling that to two hundred was another matter entirely. Moreover, Wang Dong had beaten him up last night, and his injuries had yet to fully heal. Running only piled snow onto the frost.
He staggered into the classroom and dropped into his seat. As though all his strength had been drained away, he slumped over his desk, panting.
He stole a glance at Wang Dong. Seeing him sitting there as though nothing had happened brought another wave of pent-up frustration.
Zhou Yi glanced at the two of them without saying much and merely waved a hand.
"All right, sit down. Now, on to business... collecting your information. Everyone, report your martial souls and soul power levels so I can register them."
As she spoke, she took a stack of forms from the lectern drawer and handed them out. A rustling filled the classroom as the new students picked up their pens and filled in their information.
Before long, the results were in.
Looking at the forms in her hand, Zhou Yi raised her eyebrows slightly, her gaze moving back and forth among four people: Dai Huabin, Wang Dong, Huo Yuhao, and a green-haired girl sitting in a corner.
"The one with the highest soul power among us is Dai Huabin, a rank thirty-one Soul Elder." When Zhou Yi read his name, a murmur of amazement rippled through the classroom. A three-ring Soul Elder was absolutely an overwhelming presence among the new students.
"The lowest is Huo Yuhao, a rank eleven Soul Master."
The moment that number came out, the classroom erupted like a boiling pot.
"Rank eleven? Did I hear that right?"
"Isn't that way too low? Does Shrek just take anyone?"
"Isn't a rank eleven Soul Master just here to drag us down?"
Comments rose one after another, filled with undisguised contempt and ridicule. Dai Huabin even gave a derisive laugh, leaning back in his chair with an expression that said, "Just as I thought."
Huo Yuhao lowered her head without a word, her fingers turning slightly white around her pen.
Wang Dong frowned and was just about to speak when Zhou Yi continued reading. "Wang Dong, Soft Bone Rabbit martial soul, Clear Sky Hammer martial soul, twin martial souls. Soul power level... rank twenty-four."
The classroom fell silent again.
Twin martial souls? This ridiculously handsome fellow actually had twin martial souls? And his second martial soul was even the Clear Sky Hammer?
That was the inherited martial soul of the Clear Sky Sect, renowned throughout the Douluo Continent and hailed as one of the strongest offensive martial souls.
"Xiao Xiao, Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron martial soul, Nine Phoenix Comes to the Ceremony Flute martial soul, twin martial souls. Soul power level..."
Another uproar broke out. Two people with twin martial souls in one class? Those odds were far too absurd!
Everyone's eyes settled on Wang Dong and the green-haired girl, filled with envy, surprise, and a trace of wariness.
Wang Dong, however, remained perfectly composed. He had decided long ago that he would not play the pig to eat the tiger.
He had backing and strength, and this was Shrek Academy. The greater his talent, the more resources the academy would devote to cultivating him. Hiding it would only make others look down on him. Better to reveal it outright and let everyone know he was not someone to trifle with.
Zhou Yi read several more names before setting down the forms. Her gaze swept back and forth between Wang Dong and Dai Huabin several times. After a moment's deliberation, she spoke:
"Next, we'll choose a class monitor. As a rule, the strongest person usually takes the position, but you two each have your advantages, so I can't simply appoint one of you. Let's do this: the whole class will vote, and you'll canvass for votes yourselves."
As she spoke, she turned and wrote two names on the blackboard: Dai Huabin and Wang Dong.
Dai Huabin immediately stood and surveyed the class, his tone carrying an unquestionable arrogance:
"You can't go wrong choosing me. I have the highest soul power in the class, a three-ring Soul Elder. With me here, Class One will be the pride of our year. Anyone who votes for me will have my protection in the academy."
He spoke with complete confidence, and he did indeed have some grounds for it. His strength as a three-ring Soul Elder was plain to see, and quite a few new students looked hesitant.
Wang Dong, however, stood unhurriedly and smiled. "I think a class monitor has to be the face of the class first. A bruised and swollen face definitely won't do. As for looks... I won't stand aside for anyone."
The classroom went quiet for a moment, then burst into roaring laughter. Everyone looked at Dai Huabin's bruised face, then at Wang Dong's outrageously handsome one, laughing so hard they rocked back and forth.
Even the corner of Zhou Yi's mouth could not help twitching.
"Besides..." Wang Dong added, "I did speak up for everyone just now. You can't tear down the bridge once you've crossed the river, can you?"
At those words, the looks in quite a few people's eyes changed. Indeed, if Wang Dong had not stepped forward and argued his case with Zhou Yi, they might have been out on the field running a hundred laps by now. Whether out of gratitude or fairness, their votes ought to go to Wang Dong.
"I vote for Wang Dong!"
"I vote for Wang Dong too!"
"Wang Dong for class monitor!"
For a time, cheers filled the classroom. Dai Huabin stood there, his face livid and his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.
Never in his wildest dreams had he expected that he, a distinguished young master of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion and a three-ring Soul Elder, would actually lose to a face!
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