We Are Not Reconciled

At the time, Zhou Yi hadn't looked closely, assuming the records from the Martial Soul department were exaggerated. After all, how could anyone possibly reach the Soul King rank at twelve years old?

However, looking at it now, the students recruited by the Outer Court hadn't exaggerated at all; if anything, they might have underestimated him.

Xu Yanli was definitely beyond level fifty. He was likely a high-level Soul King, and since he had just claimed to possess an Ultimate Attribute, it meant his Soul King soul power could potentially erupt with the combat strength of a Soul Saint.

Zhou Yi's face flickered between pale and dark, and her imposing aura quickly withered.

"You, you, you sit down first." Zhou Yi swallowed hard, forcing herself to maintain her authority as a teacher. "We'll discuss this matter later. Class starts now."

"Class? Weren't we supposed to be running?" Instead of obeying and sitting down, Xu Yanli took two more steps toward the podium.

Xu Yanli reached the front of the podium, tapped the desk in front of Zhou Yi, and smiled. "Teacher Zhou, it seems you haven't answered my question yet. A teacher's duty is to impart knowledge, resolve doubts, and teach the way. Please, Teacher Zhou, resolve my doubts."

Seeing that Zhou Yi didn't react, Xu Yanli turned to the rest of the class and smiled. "Fellow students, are you willing to accept this? She came in, scolded you all, and before anything else was done, punished you with a hundred laps."

Xu Yanli paused, scanned the expressions of the other students, and continued: "One hundred laps today, but what about tomorrow? The day after? What if one day Teacher Zhou is in a bad mood—can she just find any excuse to punish us? Punishing us is one thing, but what if we accidentally offend her and get expelled?"

"We aren't willing!"

It was unclear who shouted first, but the chorus of agreement grew rapidly.

Xu Yanli looked at Wang Dong with some surprise; it was clear that Wang Dong had been the one to start the chant.

"That's right, why should we!"

"She can't expel us without cause!"

"This teacher is being unreasonable."

The commotion in the classroom grew louder, and the expression on Zhou Yi's face behind the podium naturally grew uglier.

In all her years of teaching at Shrek Academy, Zhou Yi had never encountered a situation like this.

Previously, students who were expelled simply left. Her husband, Fan Yu, was one of Shrek Academy's rarest geniuses in Soul Tools and had always helped Zhou Yi suppress any fallout, preventing such incidents from escalating.

Under her iron-fisted rule, every student had been submissive. She never expected that a few words from one student would incite the entire class to rebel against her.

"All of you, shut up!" Zhou Yi slammed her hand onto the podium, shattering it instantly. She appeared absolutely furious. "Are you trying to stage a mutiny?!"

"Mutiny?" Xu Yanli chuckled. "Why, Teacher Zhou? Are you an Empress? That's a bit of an exaggeration. We are simply asking for fair treatment."

"If you can answer the question I just asked, we will go run without a word. But if you can't..." Xu Yanli pointed toward the window, a faint smile in his eyes.

"You! What do you think you can do? You are nothing but a student, and your talent..." Zhou Yi said coldly.

Xu Yanli gave a dry laugh, his eyes turning cold. "You are right, I am just a student. But we could go find the Dean of Shrek Academy to reason this out. After all, I am a twelve-year-old level fifty Soul King."

"You!" Zhou Yi was trembling with rage, yet she felt utterly helpless.

Zhou Yi knew very well that if this matter blew up, it would do her no good.

Furthermore, Xu Yanli was right. Given his talent, even if it meant offending Fan Yu, Shrek Academy would never expel such a genius just for Zhou Yi's sake.

If this matter escalated, it would likely be she who was held accountable and expelled. To be precise, she didn't dare risk it.

However, she couldn't bring herself to admit defeat in front of the entire class.

At that very moment, the classroom door was pushed open.

A middle-aged man dressed in a pure white robe walked in.

Xu Yanli glanced at Yan Shaozhe. He had to admit, Yan Shaozhe really did look quite similar to Ye Xishui, though he didn't look as good as her.

"What is all this noise? What's going on?" Yan Shaozhe scanned the classroom, his gaze lingering on Xu Yanli and Zhou Yi. "I could hear your class shouting from far away. You are the loudest in the entire teaching building. What is happening?"

Zhou Yi looked as if she had just seen a savior and hurried forward. "Dean, you've come at the right time. This student, Xu Yanli, has no respect for his elders and is inciting the students to defy their teacher. I request that the school handle this strictly!"

Yan Shaozhe turned his gaze toward Xu Yanli, his eyes carrying an unreadable expression.

Ignoring Zhou Yi, Yan Shaozhe looked Xu Yanli over a few times before asking softly, "Student Xu Yanli, is that how it is?"

Xu Yanli's eyes were dark and inscrutable, but he quickly performed a half-bow, neither servile nor overbearing. "Greetings, Dean. As for the student, I was merely asking Teacher Zhou a few questions and, incidentally, seeking justice for my classmates. Or rather, not quite justice—I was simply pointing out some unreasonable things and asking for clarification."

The other students, clearly possessing common sense, chimed in one after another to recount what had just happened. They didn't embellish or exaggerate; they simply stated the facts.

After listening, Yan Shaozhe's gaze toward Zhou Yi grew filled with dissatisfaction and scrutiny.

Zhou Yi opened her mouth to retort, only to realize there was nothing she could argue against. The other students had recounted facts, and she had indeed said those things.

"Dean, this is just one of my teaching methods. I am doing this to cultivate their discipline..."

"I think you are trying to stifle the spirit of these students. Besides, the point they raised is correct: why is it that the students you expel end up becoming geniuses elsewhere?" Yan Shaozhe said with dissatisfaction.

From the very beginning, Yan Shaozhe hadn't liked Zhou Yi much. After all, her husband was the Vice Dean of the Soul Tool department, which had little to do with his Martial Soul department.

As it happened, Yan Shaozhe had never liked Soul Tools, though mostly he disliked those designed for aggression.

However, he was quite interested in the Soul Tools from Xu Yanli's Xiaoyao Pavilion, as those items had indeed made their lives much more convenient.

"Teacher Zhou Yi, I know you may have good intentions in wanting to hold your students to high standards, but that is not how education works." Yan Shaozhe's opening statement directly negated Zhou Yi's approach.

He didn't put it too harshly, however, as he still had to give her some face in front of others.

Yan Shaozhe turned toward the rest of the students in the class.