Freshman Class One

Early morning.

The Freshman Class One classroom.

Zhang Lan and Wang Dong walked into the classroom, one after the other.

More than half the seats were already occupied.

As the two entered, quite a few gazes swung toward them in unison.

Once they got a clear look at their faces, many of the girls' eyes lit up.

Zhang Lan walked in front.

His white freshman uniform fit him exceptionally well, its crisp fabric accentuating his tall, straight figure.

His short brown hair was neatly groomed, its slightly soft ends resting against either side of his forehead and taking on a warm sheen in the morning light.

His features were not particularly sharp, but together they had an easy, perfectly balanced harmony, with a composure in his eyes and brows that did not belong to someone his age.

Simply standing there, he possessed a scholarly air that made people unconsciously look twice-not ostentatious, but enough to command the room.

Wang Dong followed half a step behind him.

His short pink-and-blue hair shone in the morning light like a gem washed clean by water, his skin was so fair it seemed almost translucent, and his features were exquisite to the point of seeming unreal.

Zhang Lan looked around.

More than half the classroom seats were taken. The middle seats in the front rows were almost full, with only a few still empty by the windows at the back.

His gaze swept over the crowd and settled on an aisle seat in the third row.

Nan Qiuqiu sat there beside a petite girl with short dark-green hair and round cheeks, who had her head turned toward Nan Qiuqiu as she said something.

Zhang Lan walked over and sat in a window seat in the row behind them.

Wang Dong followed right behind and sat beside him without hesitation, shifting his chair half an inch toward Zhang Lan as though afraid anyone might fail to realize he was with this boy in glasses.

"Young master."

Nan Qiuqiu turned around, her voice quiet and her tone brisk.

Calling him Alliance Leader at school would not do; young master was the most suitable title.

Shrek Academy had no shortage of young masters from various sects. No one would ask another question.

Zhang Lan nodded.

"How have you been settling in these past few days?"

"Pretty well."

Nan Qiuqiu leaned back against her chair and folded her arms across her chest, looking completely at ease.

"The cafeteria's food tastes better than the Earth Dragon Sect's, and the library's Soul Beast encyclopedias are more comprehensive than ours."

"I've scouted out the training grounds, too. The soul power concentration is much higher than on the outskirts. I ran three laps this morning. It felt pretty good."

Her brows lifted slightly as she spoke, her tone crisp and free of polite formalities.

The little girl who had quietly huddled behind her mother five years ago had now grown into her looks. Her eyes and brows were the very image of Nan Shuishui in her youth, and her fiery streak was even fiercer than Nan Shuishui's.

"Are you the young master Qiuqiu mentioned?"

The girl beside Nan Qiuqiu leaned forward, looking at Zhang Lan with sparkling eyes. Her clear voice held undisguised curiosity.

She tilted her head and studied Zhang Lan for two seconds, then looked at Wang Dong beside him, her gaze lingering a moment longer on Wang Dong's pink-and-blue hair.

"Hello, I'm Xiao Xiao."

She extended her hand with an easy confidence, her smile carrying a friendliness that put people at ease.

"I'm Qiuqiu's roommate."

Zhang Lan reached out and shook her hand.

Xiao Xiao's hand was small, but her grip was firm. Thin calluses covered the pads of her fingers; one glance was enough to tell she had trained.

"Zhang Lan."

"I know."

Xiao Xiao withdrew her hand, her eyes curving with her smile.

"Qiuqiu told me about you."

"You two blew up the crystal balls during registration yesterday. Word's spread through the entire freshman building."

"I was wondering who could be so impressive, and it turns out you're sitting right behind me."

Nan Qiuqiu gave a soft huff beside her.

"She pestered me for a whole hour last night, insisting on asking about you two. So annoying."

"You're the annoying one."

Xiao Xiao turned and glared at her, sounding entirely justified.

"I'm showing concern for our new classmates."

Nan Qiuqiu rolled her eyes and ignored her.

Zhang Lan watched the two bicker without much reaction, his gaze passing over Xiao Xiao to settle outside the window.

The classroom windows faced east, and the morning light streamed in, bathing the row of desks beside them in warmth.

Outside was a flagstone path, where freshmen walked toward the teaching building in twos and threes, their steps hurried.

Wang Dong sat beside him without saying a word the entire time.

He placed his schoolbag on the desk, unzipped it, and took out a palm-sized notebook. He turned to a blank page, then produced a pen, looking ready to listen attentively in class.

But he turned the pages a touch more forcefully than usual, and his pen knocked against the desktop when he set it down.

Zhang Lan did not look at him, but he did not need gravitational perception to sense the I'm unhappy air radiating from him.

Nan Qiuqiu noticed Wang Dong, too.

She looked at Wang Dong, then at Zhang Lan. The corner of her mouth twitched, but she said nothing and turned back to continue chatting with Xiao Xiao.

The classroom gradually filled up.

Voices clamored as students who knew one another gathered to chat and laugh, parents leaned against the windows to peer inside, and several boys clustered together to discuss who had been assigned to which class yesterday.

Zhang Lan took out the freshman handbook he had received yesterday and placed it on the desk. He casually opened it to a page and rested his gaze on it; only he knew whether he was actually taking any of it in.

A few more people came through the door, and gazes drifted toward the entrance in waves.

The freshmen arrived one after another, and the empty seats grew fewer and fewer, until only a handful at the front and in the corners remained.

Then the light at the classroom entrance dimmed for an instant.

A figure appeared in front of the lectern.

It was an elderly woman of average build, with wrinkled skin and crane-white hair. Her graying hair was coiled atop her head, and she wore a white robe.

She looked at least sixty or seventy, but her eyes were exceptionally bright. Her black eyes flashed with a piercing light, as though she could see through every person there.

The still somewhat disorderly classroom fell silent in an instant. Everyone's gaze fixed on the lectern.

The elderly woman stood behind it, her calm gaze sweeping from left to right.

Everyone felt as though she were looking directly at them, as though none of their thoughts could hide from her.

"My name is Zhou Yi. I'm your homeroom teacher."

Her voice had an unpleasant rasp, like a cracked gong, and sounded especially grating in the quiet classroom.

"I don't know how many of you will make it through the coming year with me."

"But I will tell you this: in my class, no trash will ever pass the assessments."

"I intend to cultivate monsters, not fools."

The classroom was so quiet that not even a crow or sparrow could be heard.

No one spoke. Zhou Yi swept her gaze around the classroom, then suddenly said something none of them had expected.

"Anyone who has been in a fight during these past few days of registration, stand up."

The entire class froze.

These students had only just been admitted. Who would go looking for a fight in the academy for no reason?

Even if they had fought, who would stand up and admit it?

Wang Dong glanced at Zhang Lan beside him.

He nudged him with his elbow, asking whether they should stand.

Zhang Lan said nothing and promptly rose to his feet.

Seeing this, Wang Dong stood up from his seat as well.

Out of the class's hundred students, only the two of them had stood.

At once, like cranes standing among chickens, they became the focus of the entire class's attention.