Douluo Continent II: The Dragon King Suppresses the World!

Chapter 6 Awakening

"By the way, Nana, how much of your strength did you retain after you transformed into a human?" Ye Qi'an asked as he nimbly jumped off the bed.

Gu Yuena gently shook her head and said, "Due to my injuries, I have sealed away almost all of my divine power. My current strength is about the same as yours, only slightly stronger, at level twenty-four."

Ye Qi'an frowned and stared intently at Gu Yuena, saying, "I have every reason to suspect that your current soul power is intended to suppress me."

"Isn't it obvious?" Gu Yuena tilted her head, looking at Ye Qi'an with bright eyes, her tone playful.

"Whatever makes you happy. By the way, with the help of the Dragon God Core, how long will it take for you to fully recover?" Ye Qi'an seemed to have resigned himself to the situation and then inquired about Gu Yuena's recovery.

"Without the Dragon God Core, it would take me at least ten thousand years to recover on my own. Now that you are by my side, and with the assistance of the Dragon God Core, the recovery time will definitely be greatly shortened. However, I cannot be sure of the exact duration required." Gu Yuena shook her head slightly, her expression somewhat helpless.

"Judging from the current situation, everything is developing in a positive direction. As for what changes will occur in the future, who can accurately predict them?" Ye Qi'an gazed at Gu Yuena as the two talked, and then stepped out of the dormitory and slowly walked towards the teaching building.

The classroom for freshman class was already packed ten minutes before the afternoon bell rang. The classroom was unusually quiet, as the seating wasn't clearly assigned. This time, Wang Dong sat with Ye Qi'an and two others. As for why Wang Dong made this choice, that would probably be a question for Huo Yuhao.

The moment Zhou Yi slowly stepped into the classroom, the atmosphere in Class 1 of the freshmen class suddenly became tense.

"Everyone stand up and assemble in the square." Unexpectedly, after Zhou Yi entered the classroom, she only said this once before turning around and leaving.

No one dared to slack off in the slightest. The group of students quickly left the classroom and followed Zhou Yi in an orderly and quiet manner, all the way to Shrek Square.

A pile of iron chains had been stacked up in Shrek Square at some point, and the trainees quickly and neatly lined up at Zhou Yi's command.

"Wang Dong!" Zhou Yi called out loudly.

"Yes." Wang Dong responded and stepped forward.

Zhou Yi addressed all the students, saying, "As of now, Wang Dong's cultivation level is the highest among you. Therefore, I hereby declare that from this moment on, he will be the class monitor of Class One of the new students..."

"Understood," the students responded in unison.

Zhou Yi pointed to the iron chains in front of her and said loudly, "These are iron suits, specially prepared to improve your physical fitness. After you are dressed, immediately run laps around the square. Start now and continue until the bell rings to signal the end of get out of class. During this time, you may use your soul power, but the use of soul skills is strictly prohibited. You will be ranked according to the number of laps you run, and the last place will be expelled from Class 1 of the freshmen. Today, the number of people will be reduced from ninety to ninety. Begin now."

Having said that, Zhou Yi lightly flicked her toe, and an iron suit woven from thick iron chains flew to Wang Dong's front. Wang Dong quickly caught it and put it on. The moment the iron suit was on, his expression changed slightly. This iron suit weighed at least thirty pounds!

Upon hearing the rule of elimination for the last place, the trainees dared not hesitate for a moment and quickly stepped forward to put on their armor.

Ye Qi'an weighed the iron armor in his hand, turned to look at Gu Yuena, and said, "Thirty jin."

"It'll be passable," Gu Yuena replied as she took the iron armor from Ye Qi'an.

Zhou Yi didn't show the slightest surprise when she heard Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena's conversation. She had carefully reviewed their enrollment information; Ye Qi'an's martial soul was the Golden Dragon, while Gu Yuena's martial soul was her true form, the Silver Dragon King, which she publicly claimed to be the Silver Dragon martial soul.

Seeing that everyone was ready, Zhou Yi immediately shouted, "Start now, run laps!"

Despite harboring many complaints and grievances against Zhou Yi, none of the trainees dared to disobey her. Led by Wang Dong, they all rushed to the track at the edge of the square, carrying heavy iron suits, and began to run with all their might.

Wang Dong took the lead, charging at the very front of the group. Despite wearing heavy iron armor, his speed did not noticeably decrease. The male students who had hoped to compete with him also exerted all their strength, rushing out at high speed and closely following behind him.

Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena did not rush to speed up. From the beginning, they understood that this run was not simply a competition of speed, but a test of endurance, since they had to keep running until the bell rang for the end of get out of class, and the afternoon classes lasted for two hours.

Huo Yuhao, whose physical abilities were relatively weaker, naturally noticed this as well, and followed Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena at a leisurely pace. As a result, their starting speed was noticeably slower than the other trainees. However, the three of them showed no signs of panic, maintaining a steady pace and running forward steadily.

Zhou Yi stood expressionless in the square, her gaze quietly fixed on the running figures of the students. No one could guess what she was thinking at that moment.

When Ye Qi'an and his two companions reached the fourth lap, Wang Dong, who was in the lead, had already overtaken them by a full lap.

When the three ran their tenth lap, Wang Dong, who was in the lead, had left them far behind, by a full three laps. Other trainees had also overtaken them by at least one lap, and many even cast disdainful glances at the three of them.

Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena could only shake their heads helplessly. What good was running fast now? Could they maintain that speed until the finish line?

From the start, Huo Yuhao stayed close behind the two, never falling too far behind. Huo Yuhao himself was puzzled; despite his poor physical condition, he didn't feel any strain following Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena.

As expected, the pace of the trainees running ahead gradually slowed down. The longer it went on, the heavier the burden of the iron suits became increasingly apparent. Wang Dong, who was running at the front, was now drenched in sweat and looked utterly exhausted.

A slender female student suddenly collapsed to the ground with a thud. She struggled to get up, but was too weak.

Just then, Wang Dong ran to her side, quickly reached out to help her up, and gave her a concerned look. The female student shook her head helplessly, then plopped down on the square, resolutely refusing to get up again.

Once the first one appeared, a second followed. Perhaps because they knew Ye Qi'an and his two companions would be at the rear, everyone sprinted with all their might from the start, carrying heavy iron armor, quickly exhausting their soul power. Their physical abilities alone were insufficient to sustain them for the remainder of the journey. An hour later, at least half of the students had collapsed to the ground.

Zhou Yi remained standing in place, expressionless, and did not urge the others to continue.

At this point, Ye Qi'an and his two companions, who had been running at a steady pace at the back from the beginning, were no longer at the bottom in terms of the number of laps.

Despite persevering for a long time under the guidance of Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena, Huo Yuhao was gradually feeling his strength waning, and his vision was blurring. The heavy iron armor and school uniform constantly rubbed against his skin, sending waves of burning pain through him.

Huo Yuhao strained to channel his soul power into his spiritual eye, which sent a cool sensation through it, slightly clearing his mind. Just then, he suddenly felt a warm current rising in his lower abdomen. Although his soul power was almost exhausted, this warmth slowly flowed through his limbs and bones, slightly relieving the soreness in his muscles.

Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena naturally noticed Huo Yuhao's condition. The two of them were capable of guiding Huo Yuhao forward, and the aura emanating from them could also stimulate Huo Yuhao's potential. As for whether Huo Yuhao could seize this rare opportunity, that was beyond their control.

More and more students collapsed around Shrek Square. Even those who were at the forefront were gradually losing their strength, and the sound of their armor hitting the ground echoed everywhere.

Wang Dong swept past the three of them once again, his steps now heavy and labored. He was far ahead in total laps, but his physical condition was also nearing its limit.

An hour and a half passed, and the time for the bell to ring for the end of get out of class was drawing ever closer. Zhou Yi had been closely watching the three who had been running at a steady pace from the beginning. If Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena were running at full speed, Wang Dong would probably be unable to keep up. Clearly, the two had deliberately slowed down because of Huo Yuhao, who was running at the back.

"Thump, thump..." Two more trainees couldn't hold on and fell to the ground.

Their fall triggered a chain reaction, with several more trainees collapsing in succession. One of them happened to bump into Wang Dong, who was passing by. Wang Dong stumbled, his already weak and aching legs unable to support his weight, and he collapsed to the ground.

At this point, only three people remained running: Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena, who had initially fallen behind, and Huo Yuhao, whose soul power cultivation was the weakest. This caused the many students to look at them with astonishment and surprise.

Gradually, the playful glint in the eyes of the fallen trainees vanished. One by one, they struggled to their feet. The entire freshman class gritted their teeth, lifted their stiff legs, and, enduring the pain, forced themselves to step back onto the track.

"Ding-ling-ling—"

The bell rang abruptly, signaling the end of get out of class. This time, a large group of students instantly collapsed to the ground. Their metal uniforms clattered violently against the earth, creating a series of loud thuds. The fallen students of Class 1 kicked up a cloud of dust. Gu Yuena and Ye Qian ran a few steps before stopping.

Zhou Yi took a slow, deep breath and waved towards the distance. A man dressed in white gracefully arrived, and dazzling spirit rings instantly rose beneath his feet—two yellow, two purple, and three black. He raised his hands, and exactly ninety-one emerald green leaves shot out, landing precisely on the ninety-one freshmen of Class One.

A cooling sensation instantly spread throughout the body, and both the extremely sore muscles and the wounds chafed by the iron armor were healing at an astonishing speed.

The Golden Dragon King primarily focused on physical strength and power, so this level of intensity was barely manageable for Ye Qi'an. Gu Yuena, on the other hand, had it much easier; she was simply playing along.

Gu Yuena gazed at the towering tree and murmured softly, "Although they are both trees of life, the difference between them is far from insignificant."

After releasing the ninety-one leaves, the man in white nodded slightly to Zhou Yi, who then bowed respectfully to him. The man then turned and left.

Looking at the trainees who were standing up one by one, Zhou Yi said calmly, "Today, no one will be eliminated."

Upon hearing this, the students could not contain their joy, and cheers resounded through the sky.

"Originally, I had prepared the punishment you deserved. The task I assigned was for you to run until the bell rang to signal the end of get out of class before counting the laps. Apart from Ye Qi'an, Gu Yuena, and Huo Yuhao, none of you were able to finish from start to finish. However, since you were able to get up again and continue, I will let you off this time. Wang Dong, step forward."

"Teacher." Upon hearing the voice, Wang Dong quickly stepped forward. Zhou Yi said coldly, "As class monitor, you only cared about striving forward yourself, but failed to set a good example. From now on, I am stripping you of your position as class monitor, and Huo Yuhao will take over. Until the next physical education class, Huo Yuhao will be the class monitor of Class One. If anyone challenges him, Wang Dong, you will be responsible for accepting the challenge."

After hearing Zhou Yi's words, Wang Dong was slightly taken aback, but after turning to look at Huo Yuhao, he nodded.

Zhou Yi nodded slightly and said, "Dismissed. Everyone take your iron armor back with you."

"Yes," all the students replied in unison.

Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena went straight back to their room, with Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong following behind them. When the two of them saw Gu Yuena and Ye Qi'an enter a dormitory together, they couldn't help but be slightly taken aback.

Huo Yuhao was surprised, but didn't think too much about it. Since the two of them were sharing a room, they must have received permission from the academy. Wang Dong, however, had a different idea. Others might not know, but he knew in his heart that his situation with Huo Yuhao was actually similar to that of Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena. The only difference was that Gu Yuena wasn't pretending, but acting spontaneously, unlike him who was so secretive.

Back in her dormitory, Gu Yuena noticed the look in Ye Qi'an's eyes and instantly understood his thoughts. Immediately, Gu Yuena created a separate space and built a pool within it.

Ye Qi'an really didn't want to bathe with everyone else, so he jumped into the pool and soaked comfortably, his face full of ease and enjoyment.

Gu Yuena smiled gently as she watched Ye Qi'an relax. As a dragon, she was not bound by worldly formalities, and since Ye Qi'an himself didn't seem to mind, why should she care?

Ye Qi'an soaked in the pool, letting out a long, contented sigh, and said with a grin, "Aren't you coming along?"

Gu Yuena frowned and replied, "Don't force me to beat you up when you're happiest, you brat. What are you thinking about all day?"

Ye Qi'an chuckled to himself, thinking to himself that if it weren't for the Dragon God and his own special status as the Golden Dragon King, Gu Yuena wouldn't be communicating with him so peacefully. If anyone else dared to speak so frivolously to Gu Yuena, they would probably be sent to meet their ancestors in the next second. Sometimes, special favoritism depends on the person.

"Don't be so fierce, I was just joking."

Gu Yuena rolled her eyes at him and said reproachfully, "This joke isn't funny."

Ye Qi'an stretched his body in the water and said, "I'll take you to eat something delicious later. Of course, I'm only paying. As for the money, I'll have to trouble you, rich lady, to pay for it."

Gu Yuena raised an eyebrow slightly and readily replied, "If you want to eat, I'll pay."

Ye Qi'an quickly finished washing up and changed into a clean school uniform. Soon after, the two were ready and left the dormitory. The gate of Shrek Academy was the east gate of Shrek City, and the area outside the east gate was always bustling with activity, filled with numerous vendors and a dazzling array of delicious food. Moreover, Ye Qi'an's main purpose this time was to take Gu Yuena to try the fish grilled by Huo Yuhao.

(End of this chapter)