Today is a big day for twelve-year-old Zang Xin—the first day of school at Shrek Academy. Entering his dream school, encountering more rivals, and meeting stronger teachers—everything is so exciting that he barely slept last night. Of course, this is also related to his martial soul; the existence of the Amorous Sword allows him to fully experience emotions, including his own. So last night, the more excited he became, the more excited he felt, and the more excited he felt… the final result, of course, was that he couldn't sleep.
When Cao Dezhi nudged him awake for the fourth time, who was sleeping on his desk, he groggily saw the digital clock on the screen; there was one minute left before class. So he stretched, a few sleepy tears still clinging to his eyes, then sat up straight in his seat and gave the person next to him a thumbs-up—thank you, bro, I don't want to leave a bad impression on the teacher in the first class.
Sitting next to him was Cao Dezhi, Zang Xin's childhood friend, whose martial soul was the Ruthless Sword. It was strange, really. Despite having no relation whatsoever, being childhood sweethearts, the two of them awakened a couple's martial soul during their awakening. If it were a boy and a girl, their families would probably have arranged a marriage on the spot. But the problem was that they had built a deep brotherhood over the previous six years, always going wherever each other went, and always addressing each other as brothers. Suddenly being told that he and his buddy had a couple's martial soul… felt a little odd.
Fortunately, both of them possessed exceptional talent, being born with full soul power; they were also highly competitive, constantly thinking about cultivating their abilities; and coincidentally, cultivating together yielded twice the results with half the effort. So what else was there to say? Together was the way to go. Thus, they never separated from the moment they met, progressing from the primary academy to the intermediate academy and finally being jointly admitted to Shrek Academy. They even shared a dormitory for the sake of convenience in their cultivation.
As the possessor of the Ruthless Sword Martial Soul, Cao Dezhi's already reserved nature became even more pronounced after awakening his Martial Soul. He was aloof and taciturn, often needing Zang Xin to act as an external translator to explain things to him. But ruthlessness also had its advantages: he was rarely affected by the emotions of others and didn't easily express his own feelings, thus maintaining his composure in crucial moments and restraining the hot-tempered Zang Xin. In short, the two shared a remarkable level of understanding and tacit agreement.
The bell rang, and the previously noisy classroom gradually quieted down. Everyone turned to look at the door, eager to see what their new teacher would be like.
About ten seconds later, a splash of blue appeared in the students' field of vision. A tall, slender young man walked onto the podium and looked down at the students. Very handsome. This was Zang Xin's first impression of the new teacher, but he couldn't discern any emotion in his eyes, and being extremely sensitive to emotions, he couldn't immediately judge the teacher's personality. The other freshmen were also excited to see their teacher: medium-length blue hair, pale skin, and an aloof expression—he was undeniably a handsome man. As the saying goes, just looking at a handsome person can make one feel good. Many girls began to stir, and the person on stage had to clear his throat.
"Hello everyone, my name is Huo Dong. From today onwards, I will be in charge of you first-year students." Huo Dong gave a faint smile and glanced around the classroom. "You can ask me any questions you may have. The class requirements are the same as those written in the course schedule. You need to explain in advance if you want to be absent. Under normal circumstances, you are not allowed to be late. If there are any special circumstances, please contact me at any time." He paused and continued, "However, before the class officially begins, I have one more rule to explain."
All the students in the classroom turned to look at him.
"From now on, you'll need to run 50 laps around the track downstairs every day before class. It all depends on your self-discipline, but I'll be watching you from where you can't see. Of course, if any of you want to know what the consequences will be if you don't do it, you're welcome to do so as well."
50 laps?! Did I hear that right?! At this moment, all the students were internally complaining. This teacher looked pleasing to the eye, but in reality, he was so ruthless. There were even whispers among the students, showing that everyone was somewhat dissatisfied.
But Mr. Huo Dong's expression remained unchanged. He simply tapped his lesson plan lightly on the table twice, and the classroom returned to silence. He continued, "You don't need to run around today. I'll give you some time to prepare. Next, we'll begin our Soul Master theory class. Please open your books."