Hearing this, Zhao Zilong's pupils contracted slightly. From beginning to end, he had viewed the Shrek Seven Devils, Yu Xiaogang, and the others from a godlike perspective. He had disliked Yu Xiaogang's self-contradictory nature when reading Douluo Continent in his previous life, and even after transmigrating, he still disliked him.
Could it really be my problem? In my previous life, all I read was a book, just depictions of certain characters and their personalities. It seemed I had never even considered fitting in with them! Zhao Zilong fell silent.
Seeing Zhao Zilong's silence, Yu Xiaogang's lips curled into a smile. But the next second, Zhao Zilong looked at him and said with some anger, "Master, I must apologize to you first, because what I am about to say may offend you."
Yu Xiaogang froze upon hearing that. This was not what he had expected at all!
Zhao Zilong continued, "I respect you as an elder and a teacher, and you are also an instructor invited by the dean. Logically speaking, as students, we should accept a teacher's criticism. But that does not mean teachers can speak carelessly. What you just said was completely irresponsible, excessively rash, and arbitrary. I refuse to accept it."
The others were stunned as well. They had not expected Zhao Zilong to be so tough, directly butting heads with Master.
Yu Xiaogang looked at Zhao Zilong. He wanted to hear how Zhao Zilong intended to refute him. Though he was deeply displeased, his pride as a scholar kept his anger in check as he asked, "Oh? Then tell me, how was my conduct just now rash, arbitrary, and irresponsible?"
Zhao Zilong looked at Yu Xiaogang coldly. "Master, you only arrived at Shrek Academy yesterday. You have barely spoken to us at all. Do you truly understand us? You could say you do, but you could also say you do not understand us whatsoever. Your knowledge of us students comes only from Dean Flender and the other teachers' verbal accounts."
"But we new students have only been at Shrek Academy for a little over ten days. Even Dean Flender and the others cannot possibly understand every one of us completely. Besides, every teacher and every person has different views. Each teacher has their own standards and sees every student differently."
"Yet you merely gathered the teachers' opinions and views of us, lumped them together, and then began judging me recklessly. Is that not too rash? Is that not too dictatorial?"
"Furthermore, you painted me as an unruly, arrogant, and conceited person. With such irresponsible words, what will my classmates think of me? Your irresponsible remarks will cause me to be ostracized at the academy. Let me tell you, I am very angry that you said something so irresponsible. As a teacher, I will not demand that you apologize. I only hope you will retract what you just said."
Yu Xiaogang's face turned red, then purple with anger. He did not know how to refute him. Flender walked over from nearby, and upon hearing Zhao Zilong's words, he said angrily, "Zi Long, what are you saying? Master is your training instructor. How can you be so disrespectful? Apologize to Master at once."
"Before saying all that, I had already apologized." Zhao Zilong looked utterly unafraid, stubbornly holding his ground. "Besides, Master is allowed to be angry, but we students are not? If the dean insists on taking sides, then there is nothing we students can do. It will only set a bad example for us."
Tang San, listening below, was also furious. In his eyes, elders could never be wrong. Even if they were wrong, it only meant he himself had failed to understand them properly. Yet Zhao Zilong had openly opposed a teacher like this, making the teacher lose face in front of everyone. No matter how reasonable his arguments were, it could not change the fact that he had humiliated his teacher. Tang San began to resent him. After all, Master was the person he respected most. Over the years, Tang San had long regarded Master as a father.
"You brat, are you never going to stop? Go run fifty laps around the academy. No food until you finish!" Flender was becoming embarrassed as well. This boy was a textbook troublemaker. When they returned from the Star Dou Great Forest, Zhao Wuji had told Flender that Zhao Zilong had refuted his remarks so thoroughly that even Flender had been left speechless. Now, he had even argued Master into having no answer.
Zhao Zilong did not argue. He turned and headed off to run, but he still stopped before Master and said, "Master, I apologize once again for what I said just now. However, I still ask that you retract your words. Forgive me, but I cannot accept such words. Even if I am expelled, I will not accept them."
"You're really pushing it, aren't you?" Flender knew Master cared deeply about his pride. Because of his talent, his Soul Power would never be able to cultivate past rank 30, which had made him extremely insecure. Yet academically, he was exceptionally proud. As his elder brother, Flender usually indulged him. "Do you want to run a few more laps?"
"There is no need for the dean to arrange it. I have already added ten more laps for myself." After saying that, Zhao Zilong ran off directly.
Hearing Zhao Zilong's hardheaded words, Flender's eye twitched. He was so angered that he shouted, "Go run a hundred laps! No food until you finish!"
Seeing Zhao Zilong run off, Zhao Wuji came over and said, "Hey, Boss, isn't that a bit too much? The kid is still growing. How can he go without food?"
Flender gritted his teeth in anger, then looked at Yu Xiaogang and decided to let him make the call. "Master, what do you think?"
Yu Xiaogang sighed inwardly. Geniuses really are difficult to teach!
Yu Xiaogang had never had much teaching experience. Even at Nuoding Academy, he rarely gave lectures. Even when he did, he simply lectured on his own, not caring whether the students below understood. Tang San was the only disciple he had truly taught with care.
Tang San had been very sensible, so Yu Xiaogang had never needed to worry much. But now that he had arrived at Shrek Academy, he had immediately encountered a troublemaker—and one he had no choice but to teach.
Yu Xiaogang looked at the other Little Monsters. He had originally planned to establish Master's authority today so that teaching them afterward would be easier. He had not expected to hit a wall on the first day. Plans truly could never keep up with changes.
With his hands clasped behind his back, Yu Xiaogang said arrogantly, "Little Monsters, remember this: you are a team. If one person makes a mistake, the entire team will be punished. All of you will run fifty laps. Start running."
Hearing Yu Xiaogang's words, they were not hardheaded enough to argue back. One after another, they turned and began running.
Before you continue