"Today's the first day of class. Hurry up, don't be late." Blushing, Wang Dong'er took Qian Ran's hand and pulled him outside at a run. Ever since Qian Ran had subdued her last time, she had always felt something unusual toward him.
Over the past few days, she had seen Qian Ran go out alone, then return carrying the scent of girls on him, and she had been silently sulking at him.
Whenever Qian Ran returned in the evening, Wang Dong'er greeted him with a cold face, but she still diligently cleaned their dorm room, washed his clothes, and even bought his meals.
By the time Qian Ran and Wang Dong'er reached the classroom, it was already full. They found seats toward the back.
Someone entered through the classroom doorway. She was an old woman with wrinkled skin and crane-white hair, her graying locks coiled atop her head. Of average build, she wore a white robe. Her eyes were exceptionally bright, sharp light gleaming in their black depths.
Qian Ran had been assigned to Class 1, Year 1, and this woman, Zhou Yi, was its homeroom teacher.
Their class was actually quite good. The academy had deliberately assigned some of the more talented students to Zhou Yi's class.
Because Zhou Yi was strict in her teaching, thirty percent of those who graduated from her class could enter the inner court. That proportion was astonishing. Even someone with Tang Ya's talent struggled with the advancement assessment. Without Qian Ran's help, she definitely would not have been able to enter the inner court.
The girls in this class really were pretty. Although there were no more beauties on the level of Tang Ya or Wang Dong'er, the overall standard was not lacking in the slightest.
And the quality of this year's new students seemed exceptionally high.
Let me think...
There was Xiao Xiao, a Twin Martial Souls Soul Master whose two Martial Souls were the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron and the Nine Phoenix Comes to Etiquette Flute.
There was Ning Tian, heir to the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, another pretty girl. At first, she had liked Wang Dong'er, who dressed as a boy. In the end, probably unable to bear the blow of discovering that Wang Dong'er was a pretty girl, she had undergone a trial in Qiankun Asking Love Valley and become a man.
Wu Feng, who possessed the Red Dragon Martial Soul, was also a member of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, probably Ning Tian's study companion, responsible for protecting her. Through their companionship day after day, she had fallen in love with Ning Tian, a woman. After Ning Tian eventually became male, the two had lived a life that envied neither mandarin ducks nor immortals. But that relationship would no longer exist in the future. If Ning Tian became a man, wouldn't that mean he would have to engage in cockfighting later?
There was also Zhu Lu of the Zhu Family. That was right, the very same Zhu Family Zhu Zhuqing belonged to. He just did not know whether she had inherited the Zhu Family's traits. After all, the sisters Zhu Zhuqing and Zhu Zhuyun had started at 36D and could later develop into enormous G cups. Beautiful girls with 36D breasts at twelve were exceedingly rare. He wondered whether those fine qualities of the Zhu Family had disappeared after ten thousand years.
Besides Zhu Lu, that brat Dai Huabin was here too. Judging from Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai's melodramatic relationship, it should be obvious that Zhu Lu and Dai Huabin had also been engaged since childhood. Moreover, Dai Huabin was the wastrel who had caused the death of Huo Yuhao's mother, Huo Yun'er. Huo Yuhao's mother, Huo Yun'er, had been a beauty too, yet he had not even known to cherish fragrant flowers and tender jade.
Still, ten thousand years had passed, and these families were actually still around.
Truly, dynasties flowed like water while great families stood forged from iron.
Ten thousand years ago, most of Spirit Hall's Titled Douluo had not come from great families. After all, those powerful Martial Soul families and Spirit Hall had been as incompatible as fire and water. Back then, Spirit Hall had also nurtured quite a few powerful commoners.
Qian Ran only had to learn a little about the new students to understand how pitiful the commoners of this world were. Every path upward had been completely sealed off.
On the surface, Shrek Academy did not consider family background when admitting students, but ordinary commoners without any resources could never meet its admission requirements. Anyone who could attend Shrek Academy at least came from a family with some means.
However, Zhu Lu, Ning Tian, and the others were not in Class 1. He probably would not be seeing them for the time being.
Zhou Yi swept her gaze over the students below, exerting tremendous pressure.
"Everyone, stand up."
"Qian Ran, come with me. Everyone else, run a hundred laps around the field. Anyone who fails to finish will be expelled immediately."
Zhou Yi spoke coldly, though her gaze softened slightly as she looked at Qian Ran.
"I object. Why doesn't he have to run?" Someone stood up and spoke indignantly.
"You object? He's stronger than all of you, so he deserves special privileges. Is that a problem? Of course, if you can beat him, those privileges will be yours." Zhou Yi smiled without warmth.
"What if I beat him, then?" the boy continued defiantly. The new students who came to Shrek Academy all had a baffling confidence in their own strength. It could not be helped; before arriving here, they had all been geniuses at their respective academies.
As he spoke, he released his Martial Soul outright.
Two Soul Rings and rank twenty-nine Soul Power made him fairly formidable within Class 1. His Martial Soul was a white wolf, and his strength was unremarkable. In any case, Qian Ran had never heard of this person in the original story, so he was probably some nameless extra.
"If you want to fight, take it outside. This is no place for you to fight," Zhou Yi said coldly.
"Teacher Zhou, it'll be fine. Let's do it right here. I won't let the classroom be damaged. Just give me one second to deal with him," Qian Ran said. He had no intention of being pleasant toward someone who had deliberately provoked him.
Qian Ran's breezy voice made everyone pause. Was he really that confident?
Zhou Yi was taken aback too. He knew Qian Ran's strength. But unless Qian Ran could defeat that person instantly, damaging the classroom would bring punishment, and might even get him expelled. Of course, with Qian Ran's talent, that was impossible.
Is this fellow getting too cocky?
Instantly defeating a Soul Grandmaster who's nearly a Soul Elder is impossible.
Zhou Yi shook her head, somewhat disappointed.
"Make your move." Qian Ran looked at the fellow who had challenged him and spoke lightly.
"In that case, I won't hold back. Remember, my name is White Wolf." The white wolf Martial Soul behind him merged with his body through Martial Soul Possession, and he charged at Qian Ran.
"Fall!"
Qian Ran stood there and smiled faintly.
Only the few people watching him closely could see what seemed to be a glimmer of golden light in his black eyes.
That golden light vanished in a flash. Only the few who had kept their eyes fixed on Qian Ran saw it, including Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao.
At that very moment, White Wolf felt a piercing pain erupt inside his head.
His entire face instantly twisted.
"Aah!"
White Wolf screamed and fell straight to the floor.
"It hurts." White Wolf clutched his head with both hands, feeling as though it would split apart.
The sudden change caught everyone off guard. What had happened to White Wolf? Why had he suddenly fallen?
"You lost!"
Qian Ran walked up to White Wolf and kicked him aside.
With his current level of spiritual power, a spiritual attack alone was enough to give these people a bitter cup to swallow. It could be said that, so long as he wished it, Soul Masters below Soul King would find it difficult even to touch him.
Before you continue