A Show of Force

Ji Lin frowned, still somewhat displeased and speechless at Zhou Yi's sweeping condemnation.

After hearing her words, quite a few students showed indignation on their faces. Having passed the examinations to become students of Shrek Academy, they had all been carefully selected from across the continent's nations. Among their peers, they absolutely deserved to be called elites. Yet in Teacher Zhou's mouth, they had become trash and idiots.

"Anyone who has gotten into a fight since registering, stand up." Zhou Yi's next words shocked the entire class once again. These students had only just been admitted. Who would pick a fight at the academy for no reason? Even if they had, who would admit it?

Just as the entire class remained silent, two people stood up: Wang Qiuer and Wang Dong'er.

It was not because they were honest, but because they felt that Teacher Zhou did not play by the usual rules.

Out of a class of one hundred students, only the two of them stood up. They instantly became the center of everyone's attention, standing out like cranes among chickens.

Seeing their nearly identical appearances, the entire class was somewhat stunned. What was going on? Two sisters fighting on the first day of school? What kind of grudge was that?

Even Zhou Yi's eyes twitched.

"Only two?" Zhou Yi raised an eyebrow and broke the silence.

"What a bunch of trash. Don't you know that those who dare not cause trouble are mediocrities? Other than those two, everyone else, get out and run one hundred laps around Shrek Plaza. Anyone who fails to finish will be expelled immediately."

The entire class erupted at those words. It was only the first day of school, classes had not even begun, and they were being punished just because they had not fought. Who could accept that?

At once, a student stood up. "Teacher, I refuse to accept this. Why should we be punished for not fighting?"

Zhou Yi said blandly, "Because I said so. If you refuse to accept it, you can get lost. As your homeroom teacher, I have the authority to expel any student. I'll give you one minute. If I don't see you running around Shrek Plaza within one minute, the entire class will be expelled."

As she spoke, a terrifying aura suddenly surged from her body. The overwhelming Soul Power fluctuations left every student present feeling as though they could barely breathe. Rings of Soul Rings rose from beneath Zhou Yi's feet.

Two yellow, two purple, and two black—six Soul Rings burst forth with an indescribably powerful aura. Teacher Zhou was actually a Soul Emperor-level powerhouse, and she possessed two Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings. Without exaggeration, if she wanted to deal with the hundred young students before her, it would be effortless.

Of course, Ji Lin and Wang Qiuer might have been able to put up a fight, but neither intended to be the one to stick their neck out.

These students were freshmen after all. Under such pressure, who would dare resist any longer? They all got up dejectedly and headed outside. Ji Lin rose and walked out as well. It was only running, and that was nothing to him. Ji Lin knew that even if he argued with Zhou Yi, he would not be expelled. His Ultimate Fire talent was there for all to see, and Shrek Academy still owed him a favor. But as he had said, there was no need to clash with a teacher over such a trivial matter, only to use up the favor Shrek Academy owed him to settle it. The loss would outweigh the gain.

Zhou Yi withdrew her Soul Rings as quickly as she had released them, watching the students leave the classroom with an expressionless face.

"Let me remind you that you only have one shichen. After one shichen, anyone who has not completed one hundred laps will be deemed unqualified. This is your first assessment after entering the academy. Those who fail will be expelled."

Hearing that, the students immediately moved faster. Once outside the classroom, they quickly ran onto the field.

Wang Qiuer and Wang Dong'er exchanged a glance. At this point, they were the only two students left in the classroom. Zhou Yi's expression seemed to soften considerably as she beckoned to them.

Wang Qiuer and Wang Dong'er walked over together.

Looking at the two of them, Zhou Yi nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad. At least there are still two children here with some spirit. Tell me, who did you fight, and why?"

Just as Wang Qiuer was about to speak, Wang Dong'er answered first. "Reporting to Teacher, we're roommates. We had a conflict over a small matter and got into a fight."

Zhou Yi seemed quite interested. "Oh? Not only sisters, but roommates too. Good fight. That creates competition and promotes mutual progress."

Zhou Yi seemed to have misunderstood their relationship.

But neither Wang Qiuer nor Wang Dong'er had any intention of explaining. Instead, both felt a chill down their backs as cold sweat broke out. This Teacher Zhou had been far too overbearing just now. And sure enough, she did not play by the usual rules! Her way of thinking was completely different from that of ordinary people.

A smile even uglier than a cry appeared on Zhou Yi's face, and her aged features seemed to twitch.

"Fighting is a good thing, but I don't particularly like my own students fighting each other. Remember, if you fight next time, fight students from other classes. Shrek Academy's school rules have always been lax in order to foster the students' individuality. The academy has always turned a blind eye to fighting. However, there are certain restrictions, so let me explain them. Upperclassmen are not allowed to deliberately provoke or attack lowerclassmen. Anyone discovered doing so will be expelled immediately. However, lowerclassmen may challenge upperclassmen, provided that a teacher is present to ensure the upperclassman is not bullying them. As for students in the same year, fight as you please. So long as no one dies, the academy will not interfere. Combat is one of the best ways to improve your own abilities."

"If you can advance to the second year in the future, you can compete in the Soul Fighting Area. If you win often enough, the academy will even give you rewards. But for now, you can go run as well."

Wang Dong'er froze. "Teacher, didn't you say we had spirit?"

Wang Qiuer also looked completely puzzled.

Zhou Yi continued smiling. "But I never said you didn't have to run! You fought with your roommate on the very first day of school. You two are certainly promising. Since you're so promising, the assessment should naturally be a little harder for you than for the others. Besides, you should share hardship and joy with your classmates. Your deadline to finish one hundred laps is the same as everyone else's. Oh? Somehow, quite a while has already passed!"

Wang Dong'er wanted to say something else, but Wang Qiuer directly grabbed her and ran outside. Though Wang Dong'er felt frustrated, she still followed her out.

"Why did you pull me away? Teacher Zhou is practically insane."

Wang Qiuer said calmly, "If you know she's insane, why argue with her? Can you beat her? Can you outtalk her? Or do you want to be expelled?"

Wang Dong'er fell silent. Zhou Yi had indeed scared her a little.

Outside the freshman teaching building was Shrek Plaza. Shrek Plaza was not particularly large, with one lap measuring roughly three hundred meters.

For ordinary people, running one hundred laps around the plaza was absolutely no easy task.

But for these young students with the foundation of Soul Masters, it was not actually that difficult. As long as they ran seriously, they could finish within one shichen.

Once Wang Qiuer and Wang Dong'er joined the crowd of runners, several boys immediately tried to approach and curry favor with them. After all, they were two great beauties. However, neither of them paid those boys any attention. They were already a quarter of an hour behind and had to hurry.