Across the vast Shrek Square, more than seventy students were running, their heads drenched in sweat.
At that moment, they had only one goal: to finish a hundred laps.
Huo Yuhao's steps were steady as he stayed in the very middle of the group, breathing once every three steps in a regular rhythm.
Xiao Xiao still had plenty of stamina and quietly followed beside him. Staying near Huo Yuhao gave her a thorough sense of security.
Except, of course, when he called her Little Potato.
Wang Dong snorted as she watched the two of them. When she ran past Huo Yuhao, she shot him a fierce glare before heading straight to the front.
"Hey, Huo Yuhao, do you know that handsome guy?" Xiao Xiao asked.
Huo Yuhao glanced at Wang Dong, who had run ahead in a sulk, and said mildly, "My roommate. Why, Little Potato?"
"Hmph! If you call me Little Potato again, I'm never talking to you again," Xiao Xiao said angrily.
"All right, all right. And here I was going to treat Little Potato to a burger."
"Just this once. You're not allowed to call me that next time."
"Sure, Xiao Xiao the Little Potato..."
Huo Yuhao picked up his pace a little and slipped into the group.
Xiao Xiao was speechless. She circulated her Soul Power and hurried after him.
For Huo Yuhao, running like this was simply too easy. Of all his training exercises, running could be ranked dead last. Never mind a hundred laps-even a thousand was something he could finish in the blink of an eye.
Zhou Yi stood quietly watching everyone run. She paid no attention to the students at the front; instead, her gaze turned to those trailing behind.
Most of these students had weaker Soul Power or support-type Martial Souls. They were largely students who had hovered around the passing mark in the entrance test.
Running out of spite, Wang Dong led far ahead on her own and soon caught up to the students at the very back with ease.
Before long, he caught up to Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao.
Wang Dong smiled smugly and came straight to Huo Yuhao's side, sandwiching him between herself and Xiao Xiao.
"By the way, Huo Yuhao, what's your Martial Soul?"
Suddenly remembering yesterday's fight, Wang Dong realized she really had not managed to identify Huo Yuhao's Martial Soul and asked curiously.
Hearing this, Xiao Xiao grew curious too. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and blinked at Huo Yuhao.
Looking at the curious pair, Huo Yuhao helplessly pointed at his eyes. "My Martial Soul is my eyes. Mental Attribute. It doesn't have much offensive power."
"A Body Martial Soul! Mental Attribute! What a shame. You only have a Ten-Year Soul Ring..."
Wang Dong sighed helplessly.
"Forget it. Since we share a dorm room, I'll protect you from now on. You'd better work hard. I'm going ahead..."
With that, Wang Dong accelerated again and ran far ahead.
Listening to their conversation, Xiao Xiao had not expected Huo Yuhao to have only a Ten-Year Soul Ring either.
She had not expected him to be so optimistic. Maybe calling her Little Potato was something she could forgive after all.
Then she recalled everything that had happened between them yesterday.
Xiao Xiao stared at Huo Yuhao's profile. There was a slightly different sort of charm in his every breath.
She said timidly, "Huo... Huo Yuhao, I... I can protect you from now on, but you can't call me Little Potato."
Huo Yuhao froze for a moment, then quickly recovered and reached out to ruffle her hair. "Sure, got it. I'll treat you to a burger after class."
"Mhm!" Xiao Xiao nodded, absolutely delighted.
She had long since forgotten their unpleasantness and was even beginning to enjoy Huo Yuhao patting her head.
Suddenly, Xiao Xiao's heart jolted!
Could I have fallen for Huo Yuhao? No, no, it must be an illusion...
Xiao Xiao slapped her cheeks hard with her little hands and looked at Huo Yuhao.
Noticing her gaze, Huo Yuhao asked, "What's wrong?"
Like a startled fawn, Xiao Xiao whipped her head away, her pretty face flushed bright red, just like a kettle heated red-hot.
"N-nothing!"
Xiao Xiao circulated her Soul Power, picked up speed, and shot ahead.
Huo Yuhao scratched his head in confusion and continued running at his own pace.
An unknown amount of time passed.
Zhou Yi walked onto the square, and a voice projected through Soul Power rang in every student's ears.
"Speed up. Use my position as the finish line."
Whoosh!
As her words fell, Wang Dong charged straight across the finish line, her face slightly flushed as she took small, panting breaths. She slowly walked another lap before finally stopping.
Then the students in the leading group crossed the line one after another, each finding somewhere to rest.
Only fifteen minutes remained before time was up.
Huo Yuhao panted heavily, his steps unsteady, as Xiao Xiao dragged him by the sleeve and slowly ran toward the finish.
"Whew!"
"I can't! I can't go on! My lungs feel like they're going to explode! I'm dying!"
Panting in great gulps, sweat pouring off him like rain, Huo Yuhao collapsed straight onto the ground. He had finally crossed the finish line.
He did his utmost to control his surging Soul Power, using it to stimulate his sweat glands into producing sweat and accelerate his blood flow, creating the outward signs of strenuous exercise.
He was terrified that a moment's inattention would bring his performance to ruin at the final hurdle and expose a flaw.
"All right... Yuhao, you should get some more rest."
Xiao Xiao stood by his head, blocking some of the sunlight for him, her hands braced on her knees as she kept steadying her breathing.
Zhou Yi did not notice anything amiss. She merely looked at Huo Yuhao and assessed him inwardly. Though he was not outstanding enough, at least he had finished the entire run. He could still be considered someone worth molding.
Soon, only scattered handfuls of students remained on the square.
A little while later, all the students finally crossed the finish line and completed their hundred laps.
The students stood loosely gathered on the square, still not having caught their breath.
Zhou Yi took out the roll book expressionlessly. Looking at the students, she said flatly, "Next, those whose names I call, step forward. Cheng Cheng, Shangguan Chengtian, Lin Zeyu, Zhuge Yun, Tai Long..."
She called nine names in total. Even though none of them had introduced themselves, Zhou Yi still called out their names.
The nine slowly stepped out of the crowd.
"From this moment on, you can go back and pack your bags. You're expelled," Zhou Yi said expressionlessly.
"Teacher, why?! I clearly ran a hundred laps! Why am I still being expelled?!" the boy named Tai Long demanded from among the nine.
Zhou Yi's gaze sharpened, and she said coldly, "Did you really run a hundred laps? Before I arrived at the square, you secretly walked two laps. You only started running after I came out. You ran just ninety-eight laps in total!"
Tai Long's face instantly flushed red. His throat bobbed as he shouted with difficulty, "But you can't expel me just because I ran two laps short!"
Zhou Yi moved her hand, and a projection-type Soul Tool displayed footage recorded of each person during the run.
"Shrek Academy doesn't need students who take shortcuts and game the system. People who have strength but lack the right mindset and character will only become a menace in society."
With no options left, the nine could only make their own way toward the dormitories.
Watching the nine leave, Xiao Xiao could not help feeling a little worried.
With such a strict homeroom teacher, would she be the next one eliminated? Among the nine who had just left, some even had higher cultivation than hers.
Huo Yuhao propped himself up, leaned close to Xiao Xiao's ear, and lowered his voice. "Don't worry. The academy will give them a chance. Even if they really are eliminated, they'll most likely enter the Soul Tool Department to study."
His hot breath brushed her earlobe, and Xiao Xiao went weak, nearly collapsing to the ground. Her little face flushed bright red, and she quickly covered her cheeks with her hands, keeping the others from noticing.
Watching the two, Wang Dong snorted again.
Just when had these two hooked up?!
"All right, everyone else, go back and get ready for class."
With a sweep of her hand, Zhou Yi left first. The students hurried after her, terrified that she might expel them if anything displeased her.
Next came the dull, tedious hours of class.
Huo Yuhao continued secretly squeezing his hand gripper, sitting through class in utter boredom.
Xiao Xiao, meanwhile, stared at him without blinking, her pretty face reddening now and then, looking just like a girl who had newly fallen in love.
Time passed quickly, and class was soon over.
"Yuhao, when are we going for burgers?" Xiao Xiao clung to Huo Yuhao without letting up.
"No! Huo Yuhao, it's your turn to clean the dorm today!"
Wang Dong, beside them, objected vehemently and moved to drag Huo Yuhao back to the dorm as she spoke.
"If nothing else works, we can all go together!"
"No means no!"
Huo Yuhao let them pull at him, his eyes already vacant, his thoughts drifting who knew where.
Suddenly, a woman's voice came from behind him, its tone full of mockery.
"Oh my, isn't this the Third Young Master? Still carrying that lousy sword of yours on your back?"