The next day, early morning.
The rising sun cast a golden glow over Shrek Academy.
This year's freshman class, ever since defeating Class 1 of Grade 2, had been crowned the strongest freshman class in a century.
The class was filled with talent, boasting not only Fang Yang's Zero Class team but also the Genius Squad with Luo Guixing and Wu Siduo.
These dozen or so top students shone like brilliant stars, far ahead of the rest, filling other students with pressure while simultaneously igniting unprecedented fighting spirit.
The entire class was permeated with a positive, upward atmosphere—everyone was desperately chasing, eager to catch up to the leaders' footsteps.
This healthy competition filled Class 1 of Grade 1 with vibrant vitality.
In the classroom of Class 1, Grade 1, during class.
Shen Yi had just finished today's lesson and closed her lesson plan.
Sitting in the back row, Wu Zhangkong timely stood up and walked to the podium with steady steps.
His gaze swept across several students he was paying close attention to below, finally settling on Fang Yang, Luo Guixing, and the others.
"Zero Class team, Genius Squad, come to my office after class."
Wu Zhangkong's voice was as cold and clear as ever, carrying undeniable authority.
"Understood, Teacher Wu."
Fang Yang, Luo Guixing, and the others responded in unison.
Wu Zhangkong nodded slightly and left the classroom alongside Shen Yi.
As the two teachers departed, the classroom immediately erupted in whispered discussions.
The students speculated about the reason for this sudden summons—some envious, some curious.
Fang Yang stood up and spoke indifferently: "Let's go, we'll find Teacher Wu."
"Alright."
Gu Yue and Xu Xiaoyan nodded, following closely behind.
"By the way, why is Teacher Wu suddenly looking for us?" Xie Xie scratched his head, asking with a face full of confusion.
Tang Wulin looked at him helplessly: "Xie Xie, are you serious? You don't know this?"
"Wulin, what do you mean?" Xie Xie retorted, not convinced.
Tang Wulin sighed, shaking his head with feigned solemnity: "Such poor memory at a young age—truly worrying for this father."
"Tang Wulin, you..." Xie Xie was about to retort when Zhang Yangzi interrupted.
"Alright, Wulin, stop bullying Xie Xie."
Zhang Yangzi said, holding back a smile, "Xie Xie is already silly enough, and you're still bullying him."
Wang Jinxi, listening from the side, couldn't help but nod, the corner of his mouth rising slightly.
"Zhang Yangzi, Wang Jinxi, you guys..."
Xie Xie glared at them angrily, which only drew light laughter from everyone.
"You forgot about the Grade 1, 2, and 3 exchange competition?" Fang Yang turned back and reminded him lightly.
"Oh right, I remember now!"
Xie Xie suddenly realized, "But weren't we banned from that? So..."
"Alright, let's go."
Fang Yang interrupted his explanation and walked out of the classroom.
And so, the Zero Class team and the Genius Squad went together to Wu Zhangkong's office.
Inside the office, Wu Zhangkong was standing by the window, sunlight streaming through the glass onto his tall figure.
"Find somewhere to sit." Wu Zhangkong turned and said.
The teachers' offices at Shrek Academy were quite spacious, enough to accommodate these dozen or so students.
Hearing this, everyone found a place to sit down.
"Do you know the strength of Grade 3?" Wu Zhangkong got straight to the point.
"I don't know."
Xie Xie shook his head honestly.
"Move over there a bit—I'm mainly explaining to the Genius Squad." Wu Zhangkong pointed to a spot nearby.
Xie Xie immediately blurted out upon seeing this, "It's over, Teacher Wu doesn't want us anymore."
"Xie Xie..." Wu Zhangkong's face darkened.
The next moment, his hand directly knocked on Xie Xie's head.
"Teacher Wu, that hurts..." Xie Xie hugged his head and wailed.
The Zero Class team and Genius Squad fell silent, a hint of amusement in their eyes.
Wu Zhangkong cleared his throat and said seriously: "The rules of this exchange competition are point-based, with a total of ten points available."
"Specifically, three one-on-one matches, each worth one point; one two-on-two match, worth two points; and the final seven-person team battle, worth five points. Six points wins the match."
Luo Guixing, hearing this, spoke up: "Teacher Wu, we're representing Grade 1 in the competition, but what about Grade 2?"
"Your Teacher Shen went to Grade 2."
Wu Zhangkong explained, "This exchange competition will have the best students from both Grades 1 and 2 participating."
"You must remember not to underestimate your opponents. Grade 3 students have two more years of cultivation than you—their strength cannot be underestimated."
"Understood, Teacher Wu." Luo Guixing and the others responded in unison.
Just then, the office door was gently pushed open. Shen Yi walked in with seven students from Grade 2.
Fang Yang and the others looked up to discover they were all old acquaintances.
The Grade 2 team was led by Yuanen Yehui, with six other members including Le Zhengyu following behind her.
"Good, now that everyone's here."
Wu Zhangkong said after seeing Shen Yi bring the people in, "You two teams discuss the roster for challenging Grade 3 in the team battle."
"Understood."
Luo Guixing and the others nodded.
"How should we arrange the numbers?"
Yuanen Yehui didn't waste words, asking directly.
Luo Guixing thought briefly before speaking: "From Grade 1: me, Wu Siduo, Zhou Hanyou, Zhou Tian'er, and Xu Yucheng will compete."
"From Grade 2: Yuanen Yehui and Le Zhengyu."
Yuanen Yehui was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Good, I agree."
Both teams had no objections to this lineup arrangement.
Among the crowd, however, a barely perceptible shadow flashed across Xu Lizhi's eyes.
He lowered his head, his hands unconsciously clenching tight as he thought darkly: "Good, you forced my hand."
It turned out that not long ago, Darkness Hummingbird, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Holy Spirit Cult, had secretly contacted Xu Lizhi.
Outside Shrek Academy, in a hidden corner.
Darkness Hummingbird's low voice echoed: "Xu Lizhi, as a support-type soul master, you can't get anywhere without sufficient resources. Why not join our Holy Spirit Cult?"
Xu Lizhi had refused decisively at the time: "No, I'm a student of Shrek Academy. I cannot associate with you evil soul masters."
"Oh? Don't you want revenge?"
Darkness Hummingbird continued to tempt, his voice carrying a strange allure: "Think about those who look down on you, think about those who excluded you from the inner circle..."
Xu Lizhi's resolve clearly wavered upon hearing this: "Can you make my buns have offensive power?"
"Of course."
Darkness Hummingbird vowed confidently, "Our Holy Spirit Cult has plenty of ways to give your food-type martial soul powerful killing power. By then, who would dare underestimate you?"
Xu Lizhi pondered for a long time before finally saying: "Wait for me to go back and make my decision."
"Good, I look forward to your joining." Darkness Hummingbird finished speaking and disappeared into the shadows.
"It's decided then."
Wu Zhangkong's voice pulled Xu Lizhi back from his thoughts, "Next, the competing members from your two grades need to intensify your coordination and familiarize yourselves with each other's combat styles."
Yuanen Yehui and Wu Siduo exchanged glances, both seeing the fighting spirit in each other's eyes.
This cross-grade exchange competition was not only an opportunity for Grades 1 and 2 to prove themselves but also to compete for spots in the upcoming Star Luo Continent exchange program.
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