The classroom door creaked open.
A sharp-eyed woman dressed in dark robes stepped in, her gaze instantly sweeping across every student seated. With an expression as cold as winter frost, she declared,"I am Zhou Yi, your homeroom teacher. I don't care how 'genius' you were in your hometown, nor do I care who your family is. In my class, trash won't pass. I raise monsters, not fools."
Her words dropped like thunder in the silent room.
Murmurs and protests erupted almost immediately—after all, everyone here had been hailed as prodigies. But now they were being flat-out called garbage?
Who wouldn't be angry?
Well—two students, that's who.
Wang Dong'er sat quietly, her expression unchanged. She'd heard all this from Xu Xingyu already, so it wasn't shocking.
As for Huo Yuhao? He simply stared at his desk, calm as ever. To someone who'd long grown accustomed to being underestimated, Zhou Yi's words weren't anything new. He knew the rules: work harder, or get left behind.
"Silence."
Just one word—and everyone instantly shut up. A crushing soul power pressure swept through the classroom, weighing down like an invisible boulder.
Zhou Yi's voice rang out again.
"Stand up if you've gotten into a fight since enrollment."
Everyone blinked.
Fights? School just started!
Yet two figures stood up without hesitation.
Wang Dong'er and Huo Yuhao.
The others looked around, confused and annoyed.
But their confusion quickly turned into regret.
Zhou Yi's icy gaze scanned the seated students. "So you mean to tell me, aside from these two, none of you have any spine? No blood in your veins?"
The next thing they knew, the rest of the class had been sentenced to run one hundred laps around the training field before dismissal. The two who fought? They stayed behind.
Zhou Yi folded her arms.
"You. Why'd you fight?" she asked Huo Yuhao.
He spoke up honestly. "I had a conflict with my dorm mate, Yuanen Tiandong."
Zhou Yi's eyes narrowed.
Yuanen Tiandong… also from Class One. So why didn't he stand when I asked who fought?
Zhou Yi had already made up her mind. That coward doesn't belong in Shrek.
She turned to Wang Dong'er. "And you?"
"It wasn't a real fight," she replied, calm as always. "My roommate and I are friends. We were just sparring, testing each other's progress."
Zhou Yi actually looked pleased—until she heard the next part.
"I lost."
"Lost?" Zhou Yi's brow twitched. "Who's your roommate?"
"…Xu Xingyu."
The temperature in the room dropped several degrees.
Her student is that boy's disciple? Zhou Yi grit her teeth.
"Friends or not, you lost to someone from another class," she spat. "A spar is no excuse to lose! This academy is a battlefield, and your classmates are your only allies. Everyone else is your enemy!"
Wang Dong'er tried to defend herself. "It was a mutual spar. We both held back, but we fought seriously."
"Oh really?" Zhou Yi sneered. "Then why don't I see a single scratch on you?"
She dismissed them with a flick of her hand.
"Huo Yuhao, return to the field. One hundred laps. Wang Dong'er, make that one hundred and twenty."
Wang Dong'er looked like she wanted to argue, but remembered Xu Xingyu's advice and quietly turned to leave.
As she ran, her frustration simmered.
Is this woman even teaching strength—or just training bullies?!
It was clear: Zhou Yi didn't punish her for fighting—but for losing to someone from another class.
Wang Dong'er gritted her teeth and completed the laps. Her stamina, honed from intense training, let her finish quickly. Huo Yuhao, despite being a mere rank 15 Soul Master, arrived moments before the deadline.
Wang Dong'er raised an eyebrow.
He didn't look strong, but somehow… he made it?
What she didn't know was that Huo Yuhao's mysterious black pearl had vastly improved his physical stats. Even without high soul power, his body was on par with a rank 25 Soul Master.
Soon, Zhou Yi returned to the field.
She called out ten names.
"All of you, pack your bags and leave. You're expelled."
"WHAT?!"
The named students were furious. "Why?!"
Zhou Yi's voice was as sharp as a blade. "You were slacking during the run. I don't teach slackers."
Her pressure as a Soul Emperor burst forth again. The students had no choice but to storm off toward the Dean's office in protest.
All except one.
Yuanen Tiandong.
He stood firm. "I swear on my Martial Soul—I didn't slack."
Zhou Yi narrowed her eyes. "You didn't stand when I asked who fought."
"That's why you're expelled."
He clenched his fists. "I'm not leaving."
Zhou Yi didn't argue. Instead, she upped the pressure again.
Shockingly, Yuanen Tiandong endured. Despite the pain, he stood tall.
Zhou Yi raised an eyebrow. "Fine. You can stay. But only if you defeat the strongest student in this class—Wang Dong'er. Beat her, and you're the new class monitor."
Yuanen Tiandong smirked.
He accepted instantly.
Because his real goal… was Xu Xingyu.
He wanted to defeat him—and win Wang Dong'er's heart.
Yes, even after Xu Xingyu broke both his arms years ago, this guy still hadn't given up.
Back then, he'd earned the approval of Er Ming—one of the Ten Great Savage Beasts.
Ironically, Wang Dong'er once asked Er Ming to teach the Yuanen Clan a lesson. But when the giant Titan Ape arrived… he realized they were his own descendants. In the end, he took Yuanen Tiandong in as a disciple.
He saw in him the same fiery obsession he once had chasing Xiao Wu.
And he didn't approve of Xu Xingyu's betrothal to Wang Dong'er.
Not because of hatred—but because Xu Xingyu was too fickle. Er Ming didn't believe someone like him could give Wang Dong'er the love she deserved.
What Er Ming didn't know… was that Wang Dong'er loved Xu Xingyu, genuinely and completely.
To her, their engagement wasn't forced. It was sacred.
As for Yuanen Tiandong? She only saw him as a persistent, dangerous fool.
And so, when the duel began, Wang Dong'er held back nothing.
Yuanen Tiandong expected a friendly match. He thought she'd go easy—maybe even flirt a little.
Instead, she came at him like a storm.
He lost—badly.
Zhou Yi didn't even spare him a glance. "Get out."
Defeated and humiliated, Yuanen Tiandong walked away—toward the Dean's office, wondering if there was still a place for him at Shrek.
Meanwhile, over in Class Nine…
After parting ways with Wang Dong'er and Jiang Nannan, Xu Xingyu arrived with Xu Yuxue.
Their entrance was… explosive.
The moment they stepped in, a wave of gasps filled the classroom. Their looks were so stunning, it was like a drama scene come to life.
"Wow! What's your number?"
"Are you two dating?"
"Is he your brother or your boyfriend?"
Xu Yuxue frowned, clearly annoyed.
"I only like Xu Xingyu. Don't waste your breath."
The boys of Class Nine glared daggers at him.
Xu Xingyu sighed.
He'd expected this. Beautiful little sister, cold public confession? Instant enemy of all the boys.
As expected, if he didn't suppress them with strength, chaos would follow.
Just then, the classroom door opened.
A graceful young woman in her thirties walked in.
Mu Jin, homeroom teacher of Class Nine.
Her calm demeanor silenced the crowd. After introductions, she jumped straight into the rules.
"Every exam here matters. Fail one—and you're expelled. Shrek doesn't want ordinary geniuses. We want monsters."
The room fell into silence.
Mu Jin smiled in satisfaction.
Then she dropped another bomb.
"Today, no class. We're picking a class monitor."
She looked directly at Xu Xingyu. "With the highest soul power, you'll be our class monitor."
That set the class ablaze again.
Before chaos could erupt, she added, "Anyone who's not convinced—challenge him. Win, and the title is yours."
Xu Xingyu frowned. He wasn't interested in this nonsense.
He raised his hand. "Teacher Mu, I decline. Please choose someone else."
Mu Jin blinked, surprised.
Boys this age usually love glory. Why is this one so… mature?
The answer was simple.
Xu Xingyu had lived three lives. His soul, already jaded, had no interest in meaningless vanity.
Then—
"Tch. Pretty boy's got no spine."
A red-haired girl sneered.
Wu Feng, her name was. And the one she supported? Ning Tian.
A delicate golden-haired girl with a Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul—known as the strongest auxiliary-type in the world.
Ning Tian already had thirty-one levels of soul power. She was also heir to the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, once led by Ning Rongrong.
But unlike Ning Rongrong, Ning Tian hadn't yet evolved her martial soul.
Still, she was a powerful supporter. According to Wu Feng, the class monitor should be her.
After being mocked, Xu Xingyu's lazy air vanished.
"I take it back," he said, standing tall. "I'll keep the position."
"You—!"
"What? Want it? Come get it. Or shut your mouth."
"You're dead! Soul Arena! Now!"
She was already rolling up her sleeves—but Xu Xingyu stopped her.
"I said both of you. If Ning Tian wants to be monitor, she better prove herself. She's not just a pretty flower hiding behind you, right?"
"You—!"
As Wu Feng fumed, Ning Tian let out a helpless sigh.
Her friend meant well… but had no brakes.
As the heiress of her sect, she couldn't afford scandals or distractions. But Wu Feng's affection for her was obvious—and frustrating.
After all, two girls couldn't produce heirs.
She had a duty to continue the legacy of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda.
At the Soul Arena, the duel began.
Wu Feng's martial soul: Crimson Flame Dragon. Rank 22 Soul Grandmaster. Two hundred-year soul rings.
Ning Tian: Rank 31 Soul Elder. Three rings—yellow, yellow, purple.
Xu Xingyu?
Three rings: purple, purple, black.
The moment his soul rings flared, the crowd gasped.
Thousands of years old.
Everyone's heart sank.
Even Ning Tian's face turned pale.
Who is this guy?!