While Qian Renxue stood waiting for classes to end in the shade of a tree downstairs, she saw the students of Freshman Class One stream out of the teaching building and start running laps around the field.
Wang Dong was the last to come down. Her normally fair cheeks were flushed red, and her large pink-and-blue eyes smoldered with suppressed anger. It looked like she had clashed with Zhou Yi again.
Once Wang Dong came downstairs, she actually summoned her Light Goddess Butterfly to possess her and flew around the field at top speed.
Qian Renxue was surprised. Was this really how Shrek Academy taught its students?
Just running? Without even any additional measures?
Ten thousand years ago, Spirit Hall had known to simulate extreme conditions such as gravity to place extra pressure on Soul Masters, then supplement the training with medicinal baths.
Yet after ten thousand years, had Shrek Academy's teaching methods actually regressed?
Qian Renxue felt increasingly certain that her decision had been the right one.
Time passed. Qian Renxue kept count: the vast majority of the students ran a hundred laps, while Wang Dong managed to fly a full two hundred laps around the field before time was up, twice as many as everyone else.
It seemed Zhou Yi had failed to establish her authority at Qian Renxue's expense and had turned around to use Wang Dong instead.
A hint of amusement flashed in Qian Renxue's eyes.
Establishing her authority at the expense of Sea God Tang San's daughter?
Interesting!
Once everyone finished running, Zhou Yi's roar rang out across the field.
"Cheng Cheng, Tai Long, Yun Xiaopiao... step forward!"
"A bunch of trash! You even tried to cut corners on a hundred laps! You don't deserve to be students of Shrek Academy! Pack your things and get out!"
Under the pressure of Zhou Yi's imposing presence, the students could only slink away.
Zhou Yi's sharp gaze turned to Wang Dong. "Wang Dong, step forward!"
Wang Dong was panting as she glared at Zhou Yi.
Zhou Yi snapped, "I told you to run two hundred laps. Who told you to fly? Are you deaf? If there's a next time-"
"Old hag! I'm done!"
Wang Dong couldn't stand it anymore and exploded. "I get into one fight, and you make me run two hundred laps! Hmph, you just wait! If I don't tear this lousy Shrek down, I'll take your surname!"
Wang Dong turned and walked away.
Zhou Yi's face darkened, and her Soul Power erupted in full. "Wang Dong, stop right there!"
"Just try stopping me!"
Wang Dong brought out her Clear Sky Hammer, holding her head high and puffing out her chest.
At the sight of the Clear Sky Hammer, Zhou Yi went numb.
This time, she had kicked an iron plate.
With twin martial souls, Wang Dong had to hold a high position in the Clear Sky Sect.
Zhou Yi had only wanted to establish her authority. Who would have thought that Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong would be prouder than the other, neither willing to suffer the slightest grievance?
Had they come to Shrek to be students or to be treated like lords?
It was all Huo Yuhao's fucking fault. If not for him, would she have been so full of pent-up anger that she wanted to take it out on Wang Dong?
Resentment welled up in Zhou Yi's heart. With a stern face, she watched Wang Dong leave.
Wang Dong stormed toward the exit of Shrek Academy, moving like a raging wind.
When she spotted Qian Renxue in the shade, she changed direction.
"Hey, weren't you leaving Shrek Academy? Why are you still here?"
Wang Dong wore a scowl.
Qian Renxue pointed at the teaching building for the upper-year students nearby. "I'm waiting here to say goodbye to someone. What about you? Did someone from the Clear Sky Sect like you get expelled too?"
Wang Dong planted her hands on her hips, raised her chin, and thumped her chest.
"I wasn't expelled by Shrek Academy. I expelled Shrek Academy! Hmph, I'm going straight back to tell First Daddy and Second Daddy to tear this lousy Shrek down!"
As she spoke, she remembered something else and rolled her eyes at Qian Renxue, resentment creeping into her voice.
"And you, you snitching dog! You actually reported me! Don't you have any sense of loyalty?"
Qian Renxue inwardly marveled that the Clear Sky Sect was still so powerful in this era, actually strong enough to tear Shrek down. At the same time, she spun a story.
"I was only making reasonable use of the rules. Besides, you're a girl and I'm a boy. It wouldn't be proper for us to share a dorm room. There would always be times when you weren't careful, and if I accidentally took advantage of you, wouldn't you be the one to suffer?"
Wang Dong thought it over seriously for a moment-just a moment-then nodded. "You have a point. Fine, I forgive you."
"By the way, why did you dress as a boy to enter Shrek Academy?" Qian Renxue asked curiously.
Wang Dong frowned in thought for a moment, then said hesitantly, "Maybe I thought it would be fun?"
Seeing Wang Dong's reaction, Qian Renxue's gaze grew deep.
This was Tang San's daughter; Qian Renxue couldn't help thinking further, especially when she recalled what Tang San's divine consciousness had said to itself that night-
Clearly, Tang San had sent Wang Dong into Shrek Academy disguised as a boy with Qian Renxue as his target-or rather, the original Huo Yuhao!
"All right, I'm going back to tell on them!"
Wang Dong waved goodbye to Qian Renxue. After taking two steps, she turned back and took out a token engraved with the mark of the Clear Sky Hammer.
"Oh, right. We got to know each other through a fight, so I guess you're my friend now. Take this token. If you run into trouble, you can go to Moonlight Pavilion in Heaven Dou City. It belongs to our Clear Sky Sect, and they'll pass a message on to me."
Moonlight Pavilion?
Qian Renxue thought of Moonlight Pavilion and Tang Yuehua from ten thousand years ago as she accepted the token.
After watching Wang Dong leave, Qian Renxue looked at the token again, feeling an inexplicable emotion.
Aside from being a little spoiled and proud, Tang San's daughter was quite good in other respects.
What a pity.
Before long, the bell rang. Qian Renxue spotted Jiang Nannan coming out of the classroom and waved.
Jiang Nannan's eyes immediately lit up. With a gentle leap, her graceful divine body floated over to Qian Renxue.
On the second-floor corridor of the teaching building, two figures had just walked out of the classroom side by side.
Bei Bei caught sight of Jiang Nannan and nudged Xu Sanshi beside him.
"Sanshi, look! Your goddess Jiang Nannan is going over to that junior!"
Xu Sanshi hurriedly craned his neck to look downstairs, then declared with absolute certainty:
"You don't understand, Bei Bei. He must just be Nannan's younger brother. Nannan is a good girl!"
A look of reminiscence flashed in Xu Sanshi's eyes, and his face took on a lovestruck expression.
"Since Nannan enrolled, have you ever seen her get close to any boy? She's always kept them at a distance without giving them so much as a smile! I'm the only one she's ever praised, saying, 'You're a good person.'"
Bei Bei gave Xu Sanshi a look that was hard to describe. "Is it possible Jiang Nannan was rejecting you?"
Xu Sanshi was adamant. "I'm different! I offered Nannan a Mystic Water Pill, and she turned it down, but she praised me for being a good person! I knew then that she had me in her heart, but she's a good girl and didn't want to owe me for such a valuable gift, so she turned me down! She was thinking of me!"
Bei Bei didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He laughed and scolded, "You simp turtle! Jiang Nannan was clearly rejecting you!"
Xu Sanshi shot Bei Bei a sidelong glance. "What about you? Have you won Tang Ya over?"
Bei Bei's expression stiffened. He first gave a bitter smile and sighed softly, then shot Xu Sanshi a sidelong glance of his own. "I haven't won her over, but I'm doing better than you!"
Xu Sanshi's eyes widened, his face full of envy, jealousy, and resentment. "Holy shit, you actually won her over? Wait, what? Is Tang Ya blind? How could she let a guy like you win her over? Take your brother's advice: Tang Ya isn't right for you. Break up with her! Don't make your brother get on his knees and beg!"
Bei Bei's face was expressionless. "I haven't won her over yet."
Xu Sanshi immediately beamed. "That's what I thought! How could you possibly get there before me? Impossible, absolutely impossible! Looks, strength-which of them am I not better at than you? If I haven't won her over, there's even less chance you have!"
Bei Bei glanced at Xu Sanshi's stocky build. How could that compare to his own?
He curled his lip. "I'm still doing better than you. At least my relationship with Xiaoya has taken a step forward."
Xu Sanshi lowered his voice, a lecherous look on his face. "So, you two have held hands?"