Anything Can Be

"First of all, your teacher is right here, and I want to apologize to you. This was indeed my fault; I spoke out of turn. I've grown accustomed to the teaching methods I've used for many years. I didn't do it on purpose, and I'll definitely change my approach from now on and teach each student according to their needs."

Zhou Yi continued, "At the same time, I want to thank Teacher Naiya for reminding me and helping me realize my mistake. Every student is an individual with independent thoughts and a unique personality..."

Zhou Yi went on at length. She really was eloquent—she'd said so much without pausing once.

"I'll reflect on my mistakes, and I hope we can all learn from this together."

After speaking, Zhou Yi bowed deeply once more to the hundred students below the stage.

Seeing this, the other teachers finally breathed a sigh of relief. They thought the matter had ended perfectly, and began to leave.

But aside from Xia Linyuan's Inverted Clone, standing off to the side, no one saw the resentful expression on Zhou Yi's face as she bowed, or the unidentified glint that kept flashing in the corner of her eye.

Xia Linyuan watched her in silence, his gaze cold.

After taking such a huge loss, someone else might have learned to behave. But was this woman still planning to cause trouble?

He'd thought that as long as she stopped causing trouble, they could leave each other in peace. But if she kept pushing, then they'd just have to see who could outplay whom.

After apologizing, Zhou Yi didn't make the students of Freshman Class One run around Shrek Plaza again. She was afraid of stirring up the boys' and girls' rebellious streak once more, so she began teaching theory instead.

Xia Linyuan was happy to slack off at the back of the classroom.

"Huo Yuhao, stand up."

"Teacher Zhou." Huo Yuhao quickly stood.

"State your Soul Power Level."

"My Soul Power is level eleven." Despite his pitiful level eleven Soul Power, Huo Yuhao wasn't the least bit timid or ashamed.

He might not be as strong as the others yet, but with Brother Sky Dream's help and ten times their effort, he was certain he'd make something of himself.

When Wang Dong heard that Huo Yuhao's Soul Power was only level eleven, she covered her handsome face in embarrassment.

How humiliating! She'd lost to someone with only level eleven Soul Power! It was so embarrassing!

"You may be wondering: doesn't our academy require applicants to be under twelve and have at least level fifteen Soul Power? How did Huo Yuhao pass the entrance assessment and get into the academy with only level eleven? I'll answer this once. He's a specially admitted student, so he didn't need to take the assessment when he entered the academy."

"All right, Huo Yuhao, sit down."

Zhou Yi turned and wrote two words on the blackboard: "Offense" and "Defense." "For today's first lesson, I'll tell you about the offensive and defensive approaches of Spirit Masters."

"Since ancient times, Spirit Masters have belonged to many different schools, whether in terms of Martial Souls or team combat. Some pursue extremes, while others seek balance."

"Xia Linyuan, answer this: among the different types of Spirit Masters, which are more inclined toward offense, and which toward defense and support?"

She'd intended to use the running assessment to put these students in their place. Who could have expected what had just happened? She'd tried to show off, only to end up apologizing to her students. How could she not seize this opportunity to restore her authority?

In her eyes, Xia Linyuan, with the highest Soul Power Level, was the ideal person to make an example of. But Xia Linyuan wasn't going to let her get away with unreasonable behavior just because she was a teacher.

When Zhou Yi called his name, Xia Linyuan raised his eyes toward the lectern, then stood and said calmly, "Teacher Zhou, I don't know why you're asking me a question based on a false premise. But I can tell you this: whether before or after the Sun Moon Continent collided with the Douluo Continent, anything can be inclined toward offense, defense, or support."

Zhou Yi frowned. "Are you serious?"

"Whether I'm serious or not is beside the point. That's my answer."

"You're half right, and only half right. The other half goes against the experience that Spirit Masters throughout history have spent tens of thousands of years proving with their lives. That's downright heretical!" Zhou Yi said, her voice growing sharp.

Xia Linyuan wasn't intimidated. "Teacher Zhou, I already said that your question is based on a false premise."

"In this era of highly developed Soul Tools, the current state of Spirit Masters and their cultivation paths have long since become blurred. You can no longer judge which path a Spirit Master should pursue based on the characteristics of their Martial Soul. But as long as they have the right Soul Tool, any Spirit Master can become any type of Spirit Master."

"Four thousand years ago, or even earlier, the methods for making Soul Tools had already been lost on the Douluo Continent. But does that mean there were no Soul Tools or similar external aids? Take the Tang Sect Hidden Weapons and poisons, for example."

"Of course, the two are different in certain respects. Take the Godly Zhuge Crossbow: even an ordinary person can use it effectively. Soul Tools can't do that yet. The more powerful the Soul Tool, the stronger the Spirit Master needed to operate it."

"You say Soul Tools have now advanced to the point where they can threaten high-level Spirit Masters. But didn't the Tang Sect Hidden Weapons include weapons capable of threatening high-level Spirit Masters, too? They're just harder to make than Soul Tools of comparable power."

"Except for Martial Souls with special limitations, most Martial Souls can choose what kind of Spirit Rings to absorb and what path to cultivate. But once you find a way around those limitations, anything can be inclined toward offense, defense, or support. I won't waste time giving any more examples."

"Does my explanation still seem heretical to you, Teacher Zhou? If you want me to give examples and prove my point, I'm happy to—as long as you don't think it'll take too much time away from your lesson."

Xia Linyuan's startling speech left Zhou Yi speechless.

She'd actually forgotten about the Tang Sect Hidden Weapons.

So in the end, she was the one who'd made a fool of herself?

"Sit down." It took Zhou Yi a long time to force out those words.

She was utterly vexed. Why wouldn't Xia Linyuan play by the usual rules?

The Tang Sect had declined so long ago that people barely mentioned it anymore and had all but forgotten about it. Yet Xia Linyuan still remembered it so clearly.

Seeing Zhou Yi's vexed expression, the students below the stage were all secretly delighted, though none of them showed it.

She'd tried to show off, only to run into someone who wouldn't back down. That was what people meant by showing off and getting struck by lightning.

The class passed quickly.

Although Zhou Yi's teaching methods and conduct were bizarre, some of her ideas about combat were undeniably sound. It was just that her thinking was still stuck on how an individual Spirit Master, as a member of the ruling class, could strengthen themselves as much as possible.