He had never meant that at all! But when he saw his classmates' gazes turn toward him, he dared not 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 headed outside. Dai Huabin froze for a moment, then hurried after him. The two left the classroom one after the other and arrived at the track.
Wang Dong walked with light steps, as though out for a stroll. Following behind him, Dai Huabin grew angrier the more he thought about it and could not help cursing under his breath:
"...What did this have to do with you? I only had to run a hundred laps!"
"Didn't you want to be the boss of our dorm? The boss should lead the way and run a little extra, of course."
Wang Dong did not even look back, his tone languid.
Dai Huabin nearly spat blood in anger. "You!"
"Enough nonsense. Run." As Wang Dong spoke, he was already picking up speed. "If we don't finish, we really won't get to attend class today."
Dai Huabin gritted his teeth and could only start running after him. Sunlight spilled across the track as the two boys began their two-hundred-lap marathon, one behind the other, one with long pink-and-blue hair streaming in the wind, the other with mismatched eyes flashing.
Before long, the classroom door was pushed open.
Wang Dong strode inside, neither flushed nor breathless. Even his hair was still perfectly in place. He walked up to the lectern, stopped, and said 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 effortlessly.
She looked Wang Dong up and down. His breathing was steady, his complexion unchanged, and he had barely broken a sweat. A profound shock rose within her.
Just what was this kid's martial soul?
It was quite a while later before Dai Huabin finally arrived. He was far more bedraggled than Wang Dong, drenched in sweat, his face pale and both legs trembling. He leaned against the doorframe and panted for a long time before recovering.
A hundred laps would not have been much trouble for him, but doubling that to two hundred was another matter entirely. Besides, Wang Dong had beaten him up the night before, and his injuries had yet to fully heal. Running only piled snow upon the frost.
He stumbled into the classroom and dropped into his seat, looking as though every last ounce of strength had been drained from him. He slumped over his desk, gasping for breath.
He stole a glance at Wang Dong. Seeing him sitting there as though nothing had happened left him seething with frustration all over again.
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 soul and soul power level so I can record them."
As she spoke, she took a stack of forms from the lectern drawer and passed them out. A rustling filled the classroom as the new students picked up their pens and filled in their information.
The results were soon in.
Looking at the forms in her hand, Zhou Yi raised her eyebrows slightly. Her gaze swept back and forth across four people: Dai Huabin, Wang Dong, Huo Yuhao, and a green-haired girl seated in a corner.
"The student with the highest soul power is Dai Huabin, a level thirty-one Soul Elder." As Zhou Yi read his name, a low murmur of astonishment rippled through the classroom. A three-ring Soul Elder was an absolutely overwhelming presence among the new students.
"The lowest is Huo Yuhao, a level eleven Soul Master."
The moment that number was announced, the classroom erupted.
"Level eleven? Did I hear that right?"
"Isn't that way too low? Does Shrek just accept anyone?"
"Isn't a level eleven Soul Master just here to drag us down?"
Comments rose one after another, laden with undisguised contempt and mockery. Dai Huabin even gave a derisive snort and leaned back in his chair, an "I knew it" expression on his face.
Huo Yuhao lowered his head without saying a word, his fingers paling slightly around his pen.
Wang Dong frowned and was about to speak, but Zhou Yi had already continued reading. "Wang Dong, Soft Bone Rabbit martial soul, Clear Sky Hammer martial soul. Twin martial souls. Soul power level...twenty-four."
The classroom fell silent again.
Twin martial souls? This ridiculously handsome guy actually had twin martial souls? And his second martial soul was the Clear Sky Hammer?
That was the Clear Sky Sect's inherited martial soul, 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 students with twin martial souls in a single class? What outrageous odds were those?
Everyone's gazes settled on Wang Dong and the green-haired girl, filled with envy, surprise, and a trace of wariness.
Wang Dong remained perfectly composed. He had long since decided not to play the pig to eat the tiger.
He had connections and strength, and this was Shrek Academy. The better his talent, the more resources the academy would devote to nurturing him. Hiding it would only invite contempt. 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 moved between Wang Dong and Dai Huabin a few times. After considering for a moment, she spoke:
"Next, we'll choose a class monitor. Traditionally, the strongest student takes the position, but you two each have your advantages, so I can't appoint one of you outright. Let's do this: the whole class will vote. 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 up and swept his gaze across the class, his tone carrying an overbearing certainty that brooked no argument.
"You can't go wrong choosing me. I have the highest soul power in the class, and I'm a three-ring Soul Elder. With me here, Class One will be the pride of our year. Whoever votes for me will have my protection at the academy."
He spoke with complete confidence, and he did have some grounds for it. His strength as a three-ring Soul Elder was undeniable, and quite a few new students looked hesitant.
Wang Dong, however, rose unhurriedly and smiled. "Personally, I think a class monitor first needs to be the face of the class. A face covered in bruises and swelling definitely won't do. And when it comes to looks...I'm the obvious choice."
The classroom went silent for a moment, then erupted into roaring laughter. Everyone looked at Dai Huabin's bruised and battered face, then at Wang Dong's impossibly 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 just stand up for everyone. You can't tear down the bridge after crossing the river, can you?"
At those words, the look in quite a few students' eyes changed. True enough, if Wang Dong had not stepped forward and argued his case with Zhou Yi, they might all be running a hundred laps on the track right now. Whether out of gratitude or simple 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!"
In an instant, cheers filled the classroom. Dai Huabin stood there, his face livid and his lips trembling, yet he could not utter a single word.
He had never imagined that he, a distinguished young master of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion and a three-ring Soul Elder, would actually lose to a pretty face!
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