Chapter 8: Ye Chen — I'll Take the Whole Class
All of Class Nine assembled on the training grounds.
Although Shrek Academy's field was large, it still couldn't accommodate all ten classes—several thousand students—training at once.
At this hour, only six classes were using it.
By coincidence, Class One was among them.
About a hundred meters away, an old woman stood on a raised platform, face stern, shouting orders as her students jogged laps.
Ye Chen spotted Huo Yuhao among them.
Huo Yuhao had already consumed the Profound Water Pill and Soul Ascension Pill, raising his cultivation to rank 16. With the boost from his Xuan Tian Technique, he was no longer the weakest of the bunch.
However, Ye Chen didn't see the pink-blue-haired Wang Dong. Probably, since their morning run was almost over, Wang Dong had already finished early and gone to rest at the sidelines.
"Faster!"
"No slacking!"
"Anyone caught slacking will be expelled on the spot!"
"Ten more minutes! If you can't finish, get out of my class! I don't teach trash!"
Zhou Yi barked coldly, her voice echoing across the training field.
Before her, a group of students in weighted armor ran laps, drenched in sweat, faces twisted in exhaustion.
Still, not one dared to stop—no one wanted to end up expelled.
Several had already been kicked out, serving as a warning to the rest.
Joining Shrek Academy was like being admitted to Qinghua or Beida in Ye Chen's past life—it carried the pride of one's entire village. No one wanted to be cast out.
Most classes still had over a hundred students, but Zhou Yi's class had dropped to ninety-something.
Less than a month had passed since term started, and she'd already purged more than ten students.
…
"No wonder in the original story Zhou Yi's class had a 100% exam pass rate," Ye Chen realized suddenly.
"She directly expelled all the failures ahead of time! Of course her pass rate looked perfect."
He recalled that Zhou Yi's class only had sixty-seven students remaining by the time of the freshman assessments—nearly forty percent gone already.
The academy's overall elimination rate was fifty percent—half of the freshmen would fail.
Zhou Yi simply preempted the process, manually cutting away that bottom half herself.
Being the head of Class One meant her students were already top-tier. With their higher starting level, plus the fact that she expelled anyone below rank 15 or so, ensuring everyone left was around rank 20—it was easy to boast a 100% pass rate.
Ye Chen suspected she did the same thing even in the advanced grades.
The sixth grade only had about twenty students per class. If one of them entered the Inner Court, that meant a five percent advancement rate.
But if Zhou Yi expelled fifteen students first—then one made it through—that suddenly became a twenty percent rate.
Statistical manipulation at its finest.
So yes, her elite "success rate" was technically true.
But that underhanded method had drawn huge backlash from noble families whose children had been expelled—those who had spent fortunes to get into Shrek, only to see their heirs thrown out arbitrarily.
After repeated formal complaints, Shrek couldn't maintain its image. Yet due to her ties with Fan Yu, they couldn't expel her directly, so she was demoted to instructing freshmen instead.
New students, after all, were a mixed bag—mostly unrefined. Even if she expelled half of them, few would care.
…
"Don't stare too long," said Mu Jin, suddenly appearing behind Ye Chen. Watching Zhou Yi's regimented training, she thought Ye Chen might be intimidated, so she gently patted his shoulder.
Her tone carried reassurance—but inwardly, she was secretly pleased.
No matter how ruthless that old witch Zhou Yi trained her students, she could never produce someone stronger than Ye Chen.
Mu Jin had always looked down on Zhou Yi's brutal, exploitative style. Sure, her students might perform well during the Freshman Tournament, but once they left her supervision, they'd regress immediately.
True prodigies didn't need to be forced—they thrived on their own.
Mu Jin preferred freedom in her teaching. Cultivation was personal.
If a student wasn't diligent, getting eliminated was simply natural selection.
But if they had the talent, background, and drive, they'd shine regardless of how strict the class was.
"I think Teacher Mu Jin's way is much better," Ye Chen said with a bright smile.
"Hehe~ I'm glad you think so." Mu Jin giggled softly, clearly delighted.
How could any teacher not adore such a student?
It was almost a shame about the age difference—otherwise…
"Ugh, what am I thinking…" she coughed lightly, blushing, and quickly pushed aside that stray thought.
"Alright, Ye Chen. For combat class, we're doing actual battles today. You'll need to face different styles of opponents in the upcoming freshman tournament, so let's test your ability.
How many opponents do you think you can handle at once? I can assign a few for you, just to let everyone see your strength."
Ye Chen pondered briefly. "I could probably handle… the whole class."
He wasn't joking. His Ultimate Ice martial soul specialized in wide-range attacks, utterly overwhelming at his level.
Against lower ranks, it would be a massacre unless he held back.
"You—you sure?" Mu Jin blinked. That was… bold.
But then she thought about it again—it actually made sense. Their class didn't even have a single Soul Elder. Ye Chen was already a Soul Sect, and not just any Soul Sect—he had the Ultimate Ice.
So yes—he probably could fight everyone.
Her eyes gleamed as she glanced toward Zhou Yi still barking orders nearby.
Ah, perfect timing.
Showtime.
A top student wasn't just a blessing—they were a statement.
She could already imagine the look on that old bat's face!
"Alright then," Ye Chen added, "but anyone below rank 19 should sit out. I don't want to accidentally hurt them."
Ultimate Ice wasn't something ordinary body fortitude could withstand.
Even if suppressed, it still carried the risk of frostbite—or worse.
"Understood. Let's begin then."
Mu Jin clapped her hands, then turned to the rest of the class.
"Everyone! Today's special exercise: Ye Chen will battle all students of rank 19 and above!"
"What?! He's fighting all of us?!"
"Even a Soul Elder wouldn't dare say that!"
"He's not a Soul Elder—he's a Soul Sect!"
"Oh. Well, that's fine then…"
"Fair enough. He qualifies."
"Hmph, so what if he's a Soul Sect? There are over sixty of us! If we coordinate, we might not lose!"
"Yeah! We've got numbers—let's see if he can handle that!"
A chorus of determined voices rose. Even those who doubted him were full of fighting spirit.
After all, there were over sixty rank-19 students in their class, including twelve full Soul Grandmasters and Ning Tian herself—a peak rank-29 Soul Grandmaster.
They were all top-tier disciples from respected families or sects.
Working together, they genuinely believed they could challenge this so-called prodigy.
"Alright, everyone to the stage!" Mu Jin waved her hand grandly.
The training ground was vast, its center filled with several sparring platforms over fifty meters in diameter—large enough for all students to stand.
Within moments, dozens of students stepped onto the circular stage.
The sight alone drew attention from other classes around the field.
Even the teachers paused their own training sessions to come over.
(END CHAPTER)
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