"Xiao Ya!" called Yu Beibei outside the classroom.
"Beibei," Tang Ya replied cheerfully, as she and her group walked toward him.
"Let's go eat," Zhu Ziyang said, taking the lead toward the cafeteria.
Jiang Nannan quickly followed him, and Tang Ya and Yu Beibei weren't far behind.
"Ziyang, you don't seem nervous at all," Tang Ya said, looking curiously at Zhu Ziyang's calm expression. "Are you really that confident about beating Wang Qiao this afternoon?"
"Of course," Zhu Ziyang answered with certainty.
"What happened?" Yu Beibei asked, intrigued by their conversation.
Tang Ya quickly explained the situation to him. Yu Beibei was surprised and looked at Zhu Ziyang with new respect.
"So that's what's going on… Looks like you've got it in the bag."
Zhu Ziyang just smiled without answering.
That afternoon
Classroom of Class Four
"Everyone's here. Follow me," Teacher Xia Yu said, his expression laced with hidden amusement as he led the way outside.
Zhu Ziyang led the students of Class Four as they followed him to the Dueling Grounds.
Since it was still class time, only a few upper-year students were present in the dueling area. But with the arrival of all 100 freshmen from Class Four, the place suddenly became lively.
"This is the Shrek Academy Dueling Grounds. Here, as long as you pay the fee, you can hold any kind of match," Xia Yu explained as he led them to a standard arena.
"The basic entry fee is ten gold soul coins per contestant."
"Wow! Shrek really knows how to make money!" Tang Ya exclaimed in shock.
"Seriously!" Jiang Nannan nodded in agreement beside her.
"In the Dueling Grounds, each victory earns you points," Xia Yu continued, unfazed by the students' chatter.
"These points become extra credit in your promotion exams. Starting in the fourth year, these points will be required to move up. For example, advancing from fourth to fifth year requires at least ten victories against same-year students, or a total of 100 dueling points. The fifth-to-sixth-year requirements are even more demanding."
"Teacher, how exactly do the points system and rewards work?" asked a graceful-looking girl—one of the previous class president candidates.
"The point system is quite simple," Xia Yu replied with a smile.
"As new students, all of you begin with zero points. Each win grants you one point, and losses don't reduce your total."
"However," he continued, "if you defeat someone from a higher grade, that's called a 'cross-rank duel.' A lower-grade student who wins receives five points, while the higher-grade student loses one point. If the higher-grade student wins, they still gain one point, and the lower-grade opponent loses nothing."
"In short, the academy encourages bold, cross-rank challenges."
He even cast a playful glance at the nearby upperclassmen. The older students who caught his look shivered subconsciously.
Zhu Ziyang listened attentively. As he considered the rules, he thought of similar point-based combat systems he had seen in arena tournaments run by nobles across the continent.
He couldn't help but wonder if Shrek had actually copied the system from those arenas—which had existed much longer than the academy.
After all, dueling had always been a favorite pastime among nobles.
"Oh, one more thing," Xia Yu added with a grin.
"Watching matches also requires a fee—one silver soul coin per person. But since this is your first time, I'll cover today's cost. You can all watch the Zhu Ziyang vs. Wang Qiao match for free."
"Yay!" the Class Four students cheered excitedly.
Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan exchanged glances, marveling again at how Shrek found ways to monetize everything.
"By the way, winners also receive half of the spectator revenue," Xia Yu said.
"So if you're short on money, dueling is a great way to earn—assuming you have the strength and popularity to back it up."
He then led the students to the front row of the audience seats, where Zhu Ziyang and Wang Qiao were already standing inside the ring, prepared for the match.
For this particular duel, Xia Yu had even paid their entrance fees.
Zhu Ziyang now understood—his homeroom teacher, though plain in appearance, was definitely wealthy.
Because the match was scheduled during class, the massive Dueling Grounds were mostly empty, save for Class Four and about a dozen curious upper-year students, who were quite interested in seeing a freshman showdown.
—
In the arena...
"Ready to get beaten?" Zhu Ziyang asked Wang Qiao with a smile.
"What did you say?" Wang Qiao flared up, furious.
"Are you mocking me, you lowborn trash?! You've really pissed me off now! Get ready to beg for mercy!"
"A match between Year One's Zhu Ziyang and Wang Qiao is about to begin. Are you ready?" asked a kind-looking middle-aged man standing between them.
He was the official referee for the duel.
Both contestants nodded.
"Begin!" the referee shouted. In the blink of an eye, he vanished from the arena center and reappeared outside the ring—impressing quite a few new students with his speed.
But Zhu Ziyang and Wang Qiao weren't impressed in the slightest.
As soon as the match started, Wang Qiao summoned his martial soul. His body grew bulkier, and his arms turned into large, furry red claws. His red hair lengthened and flared outward like fire, and two yellow soul rings floated behind him, giving him a fierce aura.
"My martial soul is the Blazing Flame Lion! Soul Grandmaster, level 23!" he declared proudly.
Eleven years old and already level 23—it was indeed something to be proud of.
Zhu Ziyang, however, recognized the martial soul right away. The Blazing Flame Lion was a high-tier beast martial soul, and a former general of the Dou Spirit Empire had possessed the same one.
Clearly, Wang Qiao was a descendant of nobility.
A true noble soul master.
Zhu Ziyang's lips curled into a faint, mocking smile. He looked at Wang Qiao, hands behind his back, and said lightly,
"Go ahead—make your move."
"Huh?" Wang Qiao was caught off guard.
"Where's your martial soul?"
"No rush," Zhu Ziyang said calmly, though his words were filled with unshakable arrogance.
"I'll summon it... if I need it."