Chapter 51: To Destroy Someone, First Let Them Go Mad
Beneath the shade of a tree, Lin Yun lay lazily on the grass, dappled sunlight falling across his body—a scene that could almost stir childhood summer memories.
If not for the dozens of students in iron vests running nearby like prison laborers, it would have been perfect.
"Tsk, tsk… tragic." Lin Yun plucked a stalk of Blue Silver Grass, stuck it between his teeth, and chewed idly.
Sitting beside him in a duck-like squat, Xiao Xiao watched the misery of Class One's students with the same reluctance to look too closely.
"I finally understand why, the first time I met you, you called Teacher Zhou a perverted old auntie. This really isn't human treatment!" Xiao Xiao rubbed her small face, unable to hold back a complaint.
Thanks to Lin Yun's protection, ever since the old auntie started adding extra load to the physical training, he had simply refused to participate. In the afternoons, he either skipped entirely to eat and drink outside or lounged at the edge of the training field to watch the show.
And he had dragged Xiao Xiao along with him.
At first, Xiao Xiao had been hesitant, thinking she shouldn't skip class. But after just one session of physical training, she changed her mind. That evening, she had been so drained she was like a limp noodle, unable to muster any strength.
Xiao Xiao: Abandon the grind, embrace the slacker life!
The harsher the training class was, the sweeter it felt to slack off with Lin Yun. The little loli was even starting to become addicted to the easy life.
Zhou Yi: "Lin Yun, why aren't you attending physical training?"
Lin Yun: "Physical training? I don't need that. Or are you saying you want to test my stamina yourself—to see if my fists are hard enough?"
Zhou Yi: …
That said, Xiao Xiao wasn't quite like Lin Yun. In Class One, apart from him and Huo Yuhao, she didn't really talk to others, so she had virtually no friends.
Actually, Xiao Xiao had quite a few friends in Class One—her petite, cute looks, high appearance value, and good talent made her well-liked among the students.
Watching those "friends" suffer under the blazing sun, the little loli felt a twinge of pity… and took another sip of her iced drink.
"Ahhh… this is the life!" Xiao Xiao's big eyes curved into crescent moons as a cute smile spread across her face.
Lin Yun rolled his eyes and spat out the Blue Silver Grass. "Never doubt my words. A king never speaks idly!"
"Pfft… you and your 'king.'" Xiao Xiao laughed, reaching out to feel his forehead. "No fever, so why so chuunibyou?"
Under the dappled shadows, her smiling face looked hazy yet beautiful, making Lin Yun's gaze lose focus for a moment.
Realizing his reaction, a sudden tension rose in him. If not for the Golden Dragon King bloodline granting him exceptional physical self-control, his heart would probably be pounding by now.
"Go, go, little girl, what do you know?" Lin Yun pretended to be annoyed, batting her hand away and rolling over to show her the back of his head.
Xiao Xiao said nothing, her large emerald eyes glimmering with unspoken thoughts.
Elsewhere—
Wang Dong cast a glance at Lin Yun and Xiao Xiao "flirting" under the tree, his fists instantly clenching.
We're here sweating and struggling, and you two not only get out of training but also sit in the shade chatting while watching us suffer?
Utterly inhuman!
Some students had tried to protest to Zhou Yi, but she had shut them all down with a single sentence.
"If you can absorb soul rings across ranks like Lin Yun, if you can defeat a sixth-year student in three moves like he can, then you can skip physical training too." Zhou Yi's face had been dark when she said it, but her meaning was crystal clear.
With her six soul rings flaring into view, those who had been grumbling instantly fell silent.
In the entire Class One, perhaps only Huo Yuhao was still genuinely training. Whatever assignments Zhou Yi gave, he followed them to the letter.
He understood all too well the gap between himself and the others. It wasn't just Lin Yun—Huo Yuhao was far behind even most of his classmates.
Shrek's entry requirement was to be under twelve years old with soul power at least at the fifteenth rank. Yet Huo Yuhao was still only at the twelfth rank, and that one-rank improvement had only come because Beibei had swindled a Xuan Shui Pill from Xu Sanshi for him.
The weakest student in Class One was above the fifteenth rank, and Lin Yun had already reached a staggering thirty-seventh rank. That twenty-five rank difference made it impossible for Huo Yuhao not to feel pressured. With poor innate talent, the only thing he could do was work harder—be more diligent than anyone else.
Fortunately, the vast origin power of the Tian Meng Iceworm was constantly nourishing his body. Without it, training at such intensity would have crippled him within half a year.
Every day, Huo Yuhao pushed himself to the limit before dragging his exhausted body back to the dormitory. It was through this relentless effort that he even managed to figure out how to operate the Xuan Tian Gong without meditation, something he'd never done in the original timeline.
Bang—
A slim girl collapsed weakly on the track. The heavy clatter of her iron vest hitting the ground was so loud that even Lin Yun and Xiao Xiao, lounging in the distance, heard it clearly.
"Yingying!" The boy who had been running beside her stopped in a panic and rushed to lift the fallen girl into his arms.
The moment he touched her, he felt the searing heat. Under the scorching sun, the iron vest's temperature had long since risen beyond human tolerance. Yingying's once fair face was now flushed an unhealthy red, her lips cracked and dry, and her whole body burning hot to the touch.
Dehydration combined with heatstroke—she was already unconscious.
Looking down at the unresponsive Yingying in his arms, Guo Miao's eyes reddened with fury as he turned on Zhou Yi. "I told you long ago—Yingying is an auxiliary-type soul master. Her body has always been frail and can't handle this kind of high-intensity training. But you still insisted on forcing her. What kind of teacher are you?"
"You're not fit to be a teacher—you're committing murder!"
The commotion drew the attention of the other students. Everyone stopped running to watch the scene unfold, even Huo Yuhao.
Zhou Yi frowned and barked coldly, "What are you looking at? Keep running! Anyone who stops will be expelled!"
Her voice was accompanied by the soul power pressure of a Soul Emperor—something these one- or two-ring students could barely withstand. One by one, they cast indifferent glances at Zhou Yi before resuming their laps.
Only Guo Miao remained half-kneeling on the ground, cradling Yingying and glaring up at Zhou Yi in rage.
"I told you—my class doesn't need useless trash. If you two can't complete the training I assign, then you don't belong here." Zhou Yi's gaze was cold and unyielding.
"Will you walk out on your own, or should I throw you out?"
(End of Chapter)
Hey readers! If you're eager to dive into advanced chapters, consider joining our Patreon. By joining, you'll get access to 20 chapters ahead and enjoy 8 new chapters per week. Plus, we have 8 more exciting fics with the same chapter release rate, giving you a total of 64 chapters per week! Join now and keep the adventure going!
Patreon: https://patreon.com/anish_44