Chapter 51: The First Day of School

Shrek Academy has officially started its new term.

During the daytime, the students who usually wandered about everywhere suddenly vanished, while all sorts of noisy commotions echoed from inside the teaching buildings.

There were teachers driven to their breaking points by students, instructors reprimanding their classes, and pupils shouting in dissatisfaction over teacher decrees—chaos reigned in every imaginable way.

Yet all of this had nothing to do with Ning Wuque, for he couldn't even be bothered to show up for a simple class attendance check. Ever since that day when he spoke with Mu Jin and secured his special privileges, he had completely abandoned any notion of experiencing the childlike routine of classroom life.

There was simply no need; with that kind of time, he might as well squeeze in another session of extreme physical training.

He remained on the athletic field, doing push-ups while carrying that block of Soul-Nourishing Jade on his back. Ever since Ning Tian had lent it to him, she had rarely taken it back.

While they were still back within the sect, she had at least put on a show of propriety, but upon arriving at Shrek, she didn't even want to act anymore and never once brought the matter up, implicitly letting Ning Wuque keep it for his perpetual use.

"Seriously, why is our homeroom teacher some old hag like that?"

"One hundred laps? How on earth is a Supporting-type soul master supposed to finish running that!"

"Dammit, I'm going to have my dad file a complaint against that old hag Zhou Yi and get her fired, humph!"

Suddenly, just as Ning Wuque was silently continuing his push-ups, a burst of noisy discussion drifted into his ears, closely followed by a chaotic clatter of running footsteps.

Dust-covered memories awakened in his mind; Ning Wuque remembered that this was the plotline where Zhou Yi conducted the first round of eliminations for her class.

He didn't hold any particular opinion on the matter. After all, this wasn't his homeroom teacher, so he only needed to mind his own business.

However, his lack of interest didn't mean others felt the same way.

As he carried on with the Soul-Nourishing Jade strapped to his back, doing push-ups, a peculiar, elderly female voice suddenly rang out beside him:

"This student, which class are you from, and where is your teacher?"

"My teacher gave permission."

Giving this simple, concise reply, Ning Wuque couldn't even be bothered to raise his head. Hearing his answer, the woman simply turned and walked away in silence.

Zhou Yi had originally intended to question why Ning Wuque wasn't attending class, but since his instructor had already approved it, there was nothing left to say.

She walked over to the edge of the running track and watched the students of her own class as they performed their laps.

The interaction between the two was extremely brief, as neither had any reason to prolong it.

Soon enough, students trickled in as they finished their hundred laps and rested on the spot. Sitting not far from Ning Wuque, they caught their breath while discussing him:

"Look at that guy, isn't his name Ning Wuque? It feels like ever since the semester started, I've never seen him when he wasn't training, or else he's off at the Great Soul Arena fighting someone."

"Oh my god, a piece of Soul-Nourishing Jade that size—even a Tier 2 Beast Soul Master would struggle just to carry it while transformed. He's insanely strong; I can't believe a freshman like that is in the same year as us."

"You didn't go watch his soul matches! That lunatic fights Tier 3 Soul Elders without even releasing his martial soul, just slamming his physical body directly into the opponent!"

"I heard his first two soul rings are both millennium-level? His constitution is terrifying. Is he a Body-type Soul Master?"

"Not sure, hey—wow, look over there! What an unimaginably gorgeous martial soul!"

Amidst their chatter, a brilliant, dazzling display of radiance suddenly burst forth, shining magnificently even under the blazing sun, instantly drawing everyone's gaze toward it.

Even Ning Wuque couldn't help but turn his head to take a couple of glances.

The Bright Goddess Butterfly! One of the most legendary and beautiful soul beasts in existence, which also manifested strictly as a martial soul exclusively among female soul masters.

Unless one had a deep personal interest in soul beasts as a category, this piece of lore would likely only be recognized at a glance by seasoned veterans.

A faint smile suddenly curled the corners of Ning Wuque's lips. He figured that letting Yuhao in on this piece of news would be rather enjoyable; it could create some distance between the boy and certain people, preventing him from getting tangled up with a certain blue-haired fellow whenever curiosity about soul fusion techniques arose.

Then again, even if he did get tangled up, it wouldn't matter much. Once Huo Yuhao headed over to the Body Sect, those people had plenty of strength and methods to make him forget all about romance and focus entirely on combat—or simply forge a brand-new bond instead.

As for squaring off against that blue-haired individual, Ning Wuque wasn't entertaining such thoughts at the moment. It wouldn't be too late to ponder that after he managed to successfully detonate his ninth soul ring.

For now, thinking too much about it would only bring needless trouble.

*Whoosh—whoosh—*

The wind whistled past his ears, quickly dying down after passing Ning Wuque for the twelfth time.

Not far away, Zhou Yi's voice rang out, calling for an assembly:

"All right, everyone gather around! Now, when I call your name, step out of line:

Cheng Cheng, Qiu Jianrao, Tang Dao, Shangguan Chentian, Lin Zeyu, Zhuge Yun, Tailong, Tang Ling, Yun Xiaopiao.

The nine of you can pack your bags and get lost. Starting today, you are no longer students of Shrek Academy!"

The names of the Nine Fiends echoed in Ning Wuque's ears, accompanied by a wave of arguments and protests. Ning Wuque, however, had no intention of standing up to plead their case.

Besides, Shrek was always like this; if you had connections up top, anything could be justified. You'd have to be out of your mind to drop what you were doing just to handle such an intensely troublesome affair.

Last and most importantly, his identity was entirely inappropriate for meddling in this. He was merely Ning Tian's bodyguard; at least on the surface, the only person who could call the shots was Ning Tian. If anything needed addressing, he only needed to mention it to her.

Leaving aside Ning Wuque, who continued his silent training:

Out on the field, Huo Yuhao stood amidst the crowd, watching Zhou Yi and the group of expelled students, a series of complex thoughts welling up inside him.

Perhaps influenced by Ning Wuque's prior warning, or perhaps recalling his own past hardships, a deep sense of aversion stirred in him toward Zhou Yi's actions. Treating the fates of others with such casual arbitrariness... it was truly... utterly sickening!

Yet he did not step forward. For one thing, among the students just expelled by Zhou Yi, someone had already singled him out to shift the blame; for another, he was simply too weak—so weak that his own destiny could only be dictated by others.

That was how it used to be, and that was how it remained today!

He turned his head to glance at Ning Wuque, who was still quietly exercising not far away, and suddenly understood why the older boy had remarked that night: *[You can't learn these things at Shrek.]*

Indeed, the instructors here seemed to value strength and absolute obedience above all else. While one couldn't judge the entire place by a single aspect, this was undeniably the reality he could feel on his very first day of school.

"Forget it... I'll trouble Big Brother Wuque with this in a few days."

Muttering these thoughts to himself, Huo Yuhao decided not to lean on Ning Wuque just yet, choosing instead to experience Shrek Academy more thoroughly before coming to any conclusions.

Perhaps this was merely an isolated incident? One shouldn't generalize an entire institution, just as Ning Wuque hadn't immediately sought to seize his fortuitous encounters upon learning of them—after all, both good and bad things had their exceptions!

"Now, everyone dismissed! Gather back in the classroom in a quarter of an hour!"

Zhou Yi's voice rang out once more, and instantly the students on the field scattered in all directions.

The entire playground seemed to revert to its previous tranquility, leaving only Ning Wuque alone to carry on with his extreme training, as though he were an indispensable permanent fixture of the landscape itself.