Douluo Continent: The Ruler of Time, Reigning Supreme

Chapter 54 Zhang Lexuan and Han Ruoruo

While eating the food that did taste good and contained a small amount of energy, Yin Chen was mentally ranting:

'This Shrek Academy, with its millennia-long tradition and status as the continent's number one, how come it's filled with these inexplicable, stinky rules and quirks? They can't even afford a seat for a meal? They call it tempering the will? Or are they just plain stingy?'

Looking at the freshmen around him, some standing and some squatting, all "dealing with" dinner, a sense of absurdity welled up within him.

'The top academy on the continent, in some ways it acts like a hermitage, or like it's short of funds, really...'

He swallowed the food in his mouth, a sharp glint flashing deep in his eyes.

"Just wait. Once I become the Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion and take control of this place, the first thing I'll do is change all these inhumane and formalistic rules. How can we talk about pursuing the pinnacle of Soul Masters when even basic living comforts can't be guaranteed?"

This idea grew stronger in his heart.

He came to Shrek not to adapt to its old ways, but to... conquer it and reshape it to his own will.

Under the cover of night, Poseidon Island is tranquil and peaceful. The rich life force and the primal energy of heaven and earth intertwine, making the night on the island even clearer than the outside world.

On the lakeside, two stunningly beautiful women with distinct personalities stood side by side, enjoying this rare moment of tranquility.

One of the women had long, glossy black hair and a cool, ethereal air, like a fairy under the moon. She was Zhang Lexuan, the head of the inner courtyard disciples.

She looked at her friend beside her, another woman with long, flowing flaxen hair and a gentle, intellectual air, and smiled:
"Sister Ruoruo, you'll be serving as a freshman class advisor in the School of Foreign Languages ​​in a couple of days. How does it feel? Any pressure?"

The woman called Sister Ruoruo is none other than Han Ruoruo, who is quite famous in the inner courtyard.

Upon hearing this, a helpless, bitter smile appeared on her face:

"Le Xuan, please stop teasing me. I really didn't expect the academy to suddenly assign me such a task. Although I have occasionally assisted with teaching in other academies before, those were all temporary class leadership or management assistance. This is the first time I have officially served as the class teacher of a freshman class, and I was completely unprepared."

Zhang Lexuan's smile faded slightly, turning into a soft sigh, and her tone became serious:

"There's nothing we can do about it, Sister Ruoruo. As you know, our inspection team is already stretched thin. There are only so many inner court disciples, but in recent years, the number of 'resurrected' Nirvana corpses on the continent has been increasing, and the chaos they cause is growing day by day."

"Although the three great empires have also established special agencies to deal with such incidents, we all know the true colors of those nobles. Not to mention their inefficiency, they often only care about their own interests. If we rely on them, countless innocent civilians in remote areas will suffer at the hands of the Nirvana Corpse."

She paused and continued:

"Therefore, after discussion, the academy's higher-ups decided to change their strategy and begin training disciples from the outer academy."

"Flowers that stay in a greenhouse all the time will never truly grow up. It's time to let them experience the cruelty and reality of this world in advance."

"Going forward, the academy will gradually assign some low-risk field missions, led by experienced teachers, so that students from other academies can also participate in the operation to exterminate low-threat Nirvana Corpses."

"Of course, it's all voluntary."

Zhang Lexuan emphasized, "The academy will not force any student to take risks, but for those disciples who are willing to take responsibility and go out to carry out missions, the academy will give them more resources and will give them priority consideration when they are assessed for admission to the inner academy."

"In fact, if the contribution to the mission is outstanding enough, even if the soul power level or talent is slightly inferior, the academy may make an exception and admit them into the inner academy. Apart from you, Sister Ruoruo, most of the other inner academy disciples who graduate and are willing to stay in the academy will be sent to the outer academy to serve as 'field mentors' and be responsible for leading and protecting the outer academy disciples."

"This serves both as training for outer court disciples and as a way to greatly alleviate the pressure of manpower shortage among our inner court disciples."

Han Ruoruo nodded, her expression solemn:

"I understand. I have no objection to the academy's decision. The number of outer academy disciples is huge, and there are many promising talents among them. If they can experience practical combat training as early as possible, it will indeed be of great benefit to their future growth."

"It's just... things happened rather suddenly, and I haven't fully adapted yet."

As an elite member of the inner court, she had naturally carried out missions to exterminate Nirvana Corpses and was well aware of their dangers.

She rubbed her temples, her tone tinged with heaviness and confusion:

"However, how exactly did these Nirvana Corpses appear? The academy has used such a vast intelligence network, yet it has failed to find any trace of their origin. It's as if they appeared out of thin air, which is really strange."

She recalled the Nirvana Corpse she had faced, its insatiable thirst for life, its body as tough as metal and stone, and its terrifying self-healing ability, all of which left her with lingering fear.

Zhang Lexuan shook her head, a hint of helplessness flashing in her beautiful eyes:
"Even the elders of the Sea God Pavilion are probably still investigating this. I am already a Soul Douluo, but I am still not qualified to touch the secrets behind it."

"After all, there has been more than one Title Douluo-level existence among the Nirvana Corpses. Every time such a monster appears, it takes the elders to personally deal with it. The cause and effect behind it is beyond our comprehension."

She changed the subject, a smile returning to her face, trying to dispel the somewhat heavy atmosphere:

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Sister Ruoruo, the academy has high hopes for you this time. There are several real 'little monsters' in the class you're leading this time."

Zhang Lexuan recalled the freshmen's information she had seen today, especially some of the truly impressive statistics, and her tone was filled with amazement:

"Whether it's talent, strength, or the quality of their martial soul, they all deserve the title of 'monster,' and some of them even have talent that surpasses ours back then."

"That's what makes it even more of a headache for me."

Han Ruoruo gave a wry smile, her tone filled with worry.

"Geniuses are often proud and have strong personalities. I really don't know if I can keep those kids in check. Teaching students is not just about having strong abilities; it requires patience, methods, and guidance."

"We can't just act like that infamous Professor Zhou from the Foreign Languages ​​Department, who uses expulsion as a means of reprimand all the time, can we? That would be a huge loss for the college."

Zhang Lexuan had obviously heard of Zhou Yi's "renowned reputation" and said helplessly:
"The academy's higher-ups must have considered this as well. I heard that none of the geniuses at the Soul Venerable level among this year's freshmen were assigned to the first freshman class. They were worried that Teacher Zhou was being too... radical. If he were to expel such geniuses at will, that would be a burden that Shrek Academy could not bear."

(End of this chapter)