"Thanks, Boss."
"Go on, go on."
Even before reaching the academic building, Chen Junting and Gao Ming parted ways with Qin Lan. In Qin Lan's own words: "A soul bone stirs the heart—if I can absorb it sooner, I'll rest easier."
After asking Chen Junting to request leave from his homeroom teacher, he dashed toward the dormitory—so eager he even activated his martial soul to speed up.
Chen Junting didn't mind. After all, to reach Class One, he had to pass through Class Two's corridor anyway.
After saying goodbye to Gao Ming at the door of Class Three, he stopped by Class Two to deliver Qin Lan's leave request. Perhaps because Qin Lan had just been named a Provisional Core Disciple—or perhaps because the teacher was simply easygoing—he granted the request without hesitation.
When Chen Junting arrived at the entrance of Class One, he hadn't even spoken yet—but through the open doorway, he met the gazes of both Mujin and Wang Yan, along with the curious stares of the entire class.
"Reporting in," he called.
His eyes swept the room.
Of the four classes he'd passed, Class One had the fewest students.
On the blackboard behind the two teachers, two large characters were already written: Assault-Type and Control-Type.
Beneath "Control-Type," a list of names had been tallied—and among them, Chen Junting recognized Cao Jinxuan, Lan Susu, Lan Luoluo, and Xiao Xiao.
This was the class monitor election.
Cao Jinxuan's name led by a wide margin in the Control-Type category.
Clearly, they hadn't waited for Chen Junting's vote—likely assuming he wouldn't care.
As for the Assault-Type section…it remained completely blank.
"Come in quickly," Mujin said.
Beside her, Wang Yan smiled and gestured for Chen Junting to find a seat.
"Got it."
Chen Junting strode into the classroom, ignoring the curious glances of his future classmates, and settled into the empty seat beside Dugu Xin. He leaned over and whispered, "Aren't you running?"
"Only eight months left—no point," Dugu Xin shook his head, his expression tinged with resignation and quiet sorrow.
"You're really leaving."
"Yeah."
Chen Junting's eyes flickered. His fingers traced the Starlight Sapphire ring on his hand, lost in thought.
As soon as he sat down, Wang Yan tapped the blackboard to gather everyone's attention. "Now that we're all here, let's begin the Assault-Type monitor election. Since some of you weren't present earlier, I'll explain again."
He turned and wrote names under "Assault-Type": Chen Junting, Dai Huabin, Wu Feng, Wang Dong, and others. "Our class has two monitor positions—Chief Monitor and Deputy Monitor—filled monthly by one Assault-Type and one Control-Type soul master. You've already elected Cao Jinxuan as Control-Type monitor. Now, write the name of your chosen Assault-Type candidate on the paper being passed around."
Most had already voted once, so the process was smooth. The sheet quickly made its way to Chen Junting.
He glanced at Dugu Xin beside him.
On the paper: Chen Junting.
"You voted for me?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Dugu Xin waved the slip, then nodded toward the rest of the class.
Chen Junting looked around—and saw many eyes subtly fixed on him.
Wang Dong and Wu Feng were especially blatant. One gave a thumbs-up; the other waved wildly, even sticking out her tongue toward Dai Huabin.
Clearly, Wu Feng was determined to block Dai Huabin's election.
From the corner of his eye, Chen Junting saw Dai Huabin glaring at him—face dark with fury, his ballot crumpled in his fist like he'd just caught Chen Junting stealing his wife.
"He looks awfully unconvinced," Chen Junting remarked.
"More than just unconvinced," Dugu Xin replied. "But what can he do? He's weaker—so he has to swallow it."
Chen Junting shrugged carelessly, then boldly wrote his own name on the slip.
As for the usual complaints about monitor duties being tedious and troublesome…
Well, if he became Chief Monitor, wouldn't he have a perfectly capable Deputy Monitor to handle the work? And when it was his turn to be Deputy… Well, shouldn't the Chief Monitor do the work anyway?
After Wang Yan collected all the ballots, he and Mujin tallied the votes on the podium.
The result was no surprise.
Chen Junting's name led by a landslide.
Dai Huabin, in second place, had only a handful of votes.
Mujin beamed in Chen Junting's direction. The entire class's attention converged on him.
"After the vote, the student with the most votes for Assault-Type monitor is Chen Junting! For the next month, he will serve as Chief Monitor of Class One."
"The monitor," Cao Jinxuan turned around with a cheeky grin, winking exaggeratedly at Chen Junting. His best friend Zhou Sichen immediately slung an arm around Cao Jinxuan's neck and declared with mock solemnity, "Monitor, I swear loyalty to you alone! Cao Jinxuan? He's nothing but air to me! Feel free to boss him around anytime!"
"Get lost!" Cao Jinxuan shoved Zhou Sichen playfully—but puffed his chest proudly, making his stance clear.
To him, monthly rotations meant nothing. In his eyes, Chen Junting was Class One's one and only true monitor. After all, Shrek Academy valued strength above all—and Chen Junting, champion of the trials and breaker of fusion skills, had earned his complete respect.
"Really?" Chen Junting arched a brow, amused.
Well, if you're offering yourself up…
"Really."
"Then from now on, all class duties and tasks to assist the teachers are yours," Chen Junting said, clapping Cao Jinxuan on the shoulder with a cheerful smile. "I have great faith in you."
"Huh?"
Cao Jinxuan froze, bewildered.
"What about you?"
"Naturally, I'll be the hands-off boss."
"…"
With both monitor positions settled, formal lessons resumed for the rest of the morning.
Compared to Mujin's familiar teaching style from the past three months, Wang Yan's lecture offered Chen Junting a refreshing experience. In just a few sentences, Wang Yan revealed profound knowledge—truly worthy of his title as a Senior Instructor at Shrek Academy.
As the day passed, evening soon arrived.
That night, Chen Junting's group reunited with Bei Bei, Tang Ya, Xu Sanshi, and Jiang Nannan for another lakeside feast by Sea God Lake. It was also then that everyone learned from Dugu Xin: he would be leaving Shrek Academy after the first year.
When pressed by Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, Dugu Xin only answered with silence. Only Chen Junting and Ning Tian, who knew the truth, understood the weight behind his words.
On the walk back to the dorms, Chen Junting and Ning Tian lagged behind the group. Under the night lamps, their shadows stretched long and close.
After a while, Chen Junting spoke softly.
"Xiao Tian, I've made my decision."
Ning Tian, arm looped through his, nodded gently.
"Then give it to him before the holiday break. We've been partners this long. If we have the means to help but choose not to… I'd never forgive myself. To win trust, you must first offer sincerity. Those who deal only in interests… are always second-rate."
"Is that the sect's philosophy?"
Recalling how the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect had treated him over the years, Chen Junting nodded in agreement—but then frowned. "Wait… I've never seen that in the sect's official rules."
"Of course you haven't," Ning Tian said with a playful tongue-out. "Because it's something Dad privately summarized from ten thousand years of the sect's experience!"
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