Shrek Academy's white-walled dormitories were silent in the early morning mist. Lin Feng stood by the window of Room 108, looking out at the sprawling campus. Beside him, Huo Yuhao was already up, sitting cross-legged and practicing the Purple Demon Eye technique as the first rays of the sun hit the horizon.
"The spiritual energy here is ten times denser than in the forest," Yuhao whispered, his eyes flashing with a faint violet hue. "I can feel my Spirit Eyes evolving, Feng. It's like they're thirsting for more."
Lin Feng nodded, but his attention was on his own internal state.
[System Notification:]
Daily Task: Complete 100 laps around the Shrek Plaza.
Reward: 100 System Points, +1% Golden Body Purity.
Progress: 0/100.
"Don't get too comfortable, Yuhao," Lin Feng warned. "Today is our first class. From what Bei Bei told me, our teacher is Zhou Yi. They call her the 'Devil Teacher.' She doesn't just teach; she culls."
The Encounter: Room 108's New Resident
Just as they were about to leave, the door to their dorm room swung open. A young boy—if you could call him that—stepped in. He had short, wavy blue-gold hair and eyes that looked like shimmering pink-blue diamonds. His skin was so fair it made Lin Feng's "Bronze" disguise look like rough leather.
This was Wang Dong.
Wang Dong stopped, his eyes sweeping over the room with a look of mild disgust. "Two of you? Hmph. Listen up. I have rules. Don't touch my bed, don't use my things, and keep the noise down. If you can't handle that, leave."
Huo Yuhao frowned. "We were here first. And this is a shared dorm."
Wang Dong's eyes narrowed, a brilliant blue light flickering behind them. "Strength makes the rules here. Do you want to try me?"
Lin Feng stepped between them. He felt the familiar weight of the Clear Sky Hammer in his soul vibrating. He looked Wang Dong in the eyes—eyes that hid a goddess's soul.
"Yuhao, let's go," Lin Feng said calmly. "We have class. If the 'Young Master' here wants to fight, he can do it on the training grounds where the teachers can see how much arrogance he actually has."
Wang Dong's face flushed. "You—! What's your name?"
"Lin Feng," he replied, not looking back. "And remember it. Because if you ever cross Yuhao, you'll find out why they call my Martial Soul a 'Body' soul."
The Devil's Classroom: Zhou Yi
Class 1 was dead silent. An old woman with a face like withered parchment stood at the podium. Her eyes were cold, scanning the hundred students as if she were looking at pieces of meat.
"I am Zhou Yi," she rasped. "In my class, there are no 'geniuses.' There are only those who survive and those who are expelled. Everyone, out to the plaza. Now."
The students scrambled. Outside, Zhou Yi pointed at the massive running track.
"One hundred laps. Within two hours. You may use your Spirit Power. Those who do not finish will be expelled immediately. Move!"
The students groaned, but the sight of Zhou Yi's flickering six spirit rings—two of which were black (10,000 years)—shut them up instantly.
The Trial of Endurance
The first twenty laps were easy. But as the sun rose, the heat became oppressive. By lap fifty, students were collapsing. Huo Yuhao was among the struggling, his breathing ragged, his face pale.
Lin Feng was at the front, his pace steady, his heartbeat slow. Every step he took, his Golden Spirit Body absorbed the heat of the sun, converting it into a faint golden light that reinforced his muscles.
[Simulation System: Optimal Pacing for Group Efficiency...]
Result: Create a 'Wind Tunnel' effect. Run directly in front of Huo Yuhao to reduce his air resistance by 30%.
Lin Feng slowed down, pulling alongside Yuhao. "Yuhao! Sync your breathing with my steps. Left, right, inhale. Left, right, exhale. Use the Mysterious Heaven Skill to guide the heat away from your heart."
"I... I can't..." Yuhao gasped.
"You can. Think of the Tang Sect. Think of your mother," Lin Feng said, his voice dropping to a low, commanding tone.
Suddenly, a streak of blue and gold light passed them. Wang Dong was soaring through the air, his butterfly wings (Radiant Butterfly Goddess) not yet fully deployed, but his speed was immense. He looked back at them with a smirk. "Too slow, commoners!"
Lin Feng's eyes flashed. "Oh? You want a race?"
"System! Activate Absolute Gravity on a 5-meter radius, target: Self and Surroundings!"
[Warning: Using Hammer Skill 'Absolute Gravity' will increase your weight to 2,000kg. Ground impact will be severe.]
"Just do it for one second!"
BOOM!
As Lin Feng stepped down, the stone tile beneath his foot shattered. The sudden surge of gravity created a localized vacuum. Lin Feng launched forward like a golden cannonball. He didn't just catch up to Wang Dong; he created a slipstream so powerful that it sucked Huo Yuhao forward with him.
For the next forty laps, Lin Feng was a force of nature. He ran with Yuhao literally being pulled by his wake.
The Final Lap: The Golden Body's Radiance
By lap 99, only a handful of students were still running. Zhou Yi stood by the finish line, her watch in hand.
Wang Dong was gasping, his pride stung that he couldn't shake off the "beggar" with the Bronze body.
Lin Feng felt the Golden Spirit Body reach its limit. The disguised "yellow" ring flared.
"Yuhao, the finish line is right there! Jump!"
As they crossed the line with seconds to spare, half the class collapsed. Lin Feng stood tall, steam pouring off his golden-tinted skin. He looked like a statue of a god carved from bronze.
Zhou Yi walked over to him. She didn't look at his exhausted classmates. She looked at the cracks in the stone where Lin Feng had run.
"Lin Feng," she said, her voice like sandpaper. "Your 'Bronze Body' seems to weigh more than an iron mountain. Tell me, what kind of training allows a Level 14 to pull a dead weight for fifty laps?"
Lin Feng wiped his forehead, his eyes meeting hers without flinching. "In the mountains, Teacher, if you stop moving, the beasts eat you. I just didn't want to be eaten."
Zhou Yi stared at him for a long moment, then a terrifying, thin smile touched her lips. "Good. At least one of you isn't a waste of space. Everyone who didn't finish—pack your bags. You're expelled."
[Task Complete: Survive the Devil's First Day.]
Reward: 500 System Points.
New Feature Unlocked: Spirit Bone Simulation. (You can now simulate the effects of any Spirit Bone before buying/absorbing it).
Lin Feng sat down next to Yuhao and Wang Dong. Wang Dong was staring at him, his initial arrogance replaced by a confused, burning curiosity.
"That move you did... that gravity surge..." Wang Dong whispered. "What was that?"
Lin Feng looked at his hands, feeling the 15% Hammer Fusion humming in his veins. "That? That was just me... getting serious."