A Show He Couldn't Ask For

"That will be all for today. There is no need to run; you may all return to your classes. I will have another teacher cover for now. Teacher Zhou Yi, come with me," Yan Shaozhe said.

As he reached the door, Yan Shaozhe suddenly added, "Student Xu Yanli, I have a small matter I would like your help with after class. Come to my office whenever you are free."

Yan Shaozhe turned and walked away without a second glance at Zhou Yi behind him.

As for Zhou Yi, her face was ashen as she followed Yan Shaozhe out of the classroom.

The classroom, which had been deathly silent upon Yan Shaozhe's arrival, erupted into cheers the moment they were certain he had left.

"Xu Yanli! Xu Yanli!"

The students crowded around him excitedly, chattering away. Were they thanking him, or was there a sense of admiration for his ability to win against a teacher and defy such overbearing authority?

"Brother Yanli, you're amazing! Even that notorious old witch from the outer courtyard, Zhou, didn't dare talk back to you!"

"Exactly! Thanks to you, otherwise we really would have had to run those 100 laps. We would have been crippled by the end of it."

"Brother Yanli, you're our boss from now on! We'll go wherever you point us!"

"That's right, that's right!"

Xu Yanli smiled and returned to his seat, with the other students following closely behind.

"Alright, alright, everyone go back and sit down. The teacher has only left temporarily; we should have a new one coming to teach us soon," Xu Yanli said, crossing his legs and waving a hand.

The other students returned to their seats with giggles and chatter, though the way they looked at Xu Yanli had changed.

"Hello, classmate. My name is Xiao Xiao," a petite girl sitting next to Xu Yanli said with a smile.

Xu Yanli turned to look at her, nodded, but said nothing.

Xu Yanli sat there bored, spinning his pen while waiting for the next teacher to arrive.

However, his attempt at looking profound lasted only two minutes before it was interrupted by Tang Ling beside him.

Tang Ling leaned in close and whispered, "Brother, you were so cool back there, but you offended a teacher at Shrek Academy. Won't she make things difficult for you in the future?"

Xu Yanli chuckled, a meaningful look flashing in his eyes. "She'd have to have the chance to do so first."

Tang Ling blinked, then scratched his head. He didn't seem to fully grasp the meaning, but he didn't press the issue.

Meanwhile, in Yan Shaozhe's office.

"Zhou Yi, every time you expel a student on a whim, you use your husband to suppress the matter. Shrek Academy has helped you cover these things up time and again, but this time, you went too far," Yan Shaozhe said with a huff.

Zhou Yi's eyes held a stubborn, resentful glint. "So what? He just has a bit of talent, doesn't he? Dean, if we keep such a thorn in our side, he'll be a disaster sooner or later! For all we know, he isn't even truly committed to Shrek Academy; he could be a spy from the Sun Moon Empire."

It must be said that Zhou Yi had stumbled upon the truth, but how could anyone possibly believe her?

Shrek Academy was in desperate need of geniuses who could hold their own right now.

"Hmph, can't beat them, can't out-argue them, so you start slinging mud? What kind of person would use a 12-year-old level 50 Spirit King as a sleeper agent?" Yan Shaozhe scoffed coldly. "Especially in that godforsaken place, the Sun Moon Empire. If he had that kind of talent, they would have been worshipping him already."

Disappointment flickered in Yan Shaozhe's eyes; he found Zhou Yi increasingly foolish.

Of course, part of the reason was the guarantee provided by Mu En and Xuan Zi. After all, it had been said that the boy's mother had connections to that person in the Star Luo Empire.

Naturally, there was another reason he kept protecting Xu Yanli: Elder Mu had said that the flame within Xu Yanli's spirit was infinitely close to Ultimate Fire.

This meant little to him, but it was of extreme importance to his disciple, Ma Xiaotao.

Xu Yanli likely never imagined that the old masters of Shrek Academy would have already dismissed the most accurate conclusion.

He also never considered that his mother had been so famous back in the day, as he had never met her.

"Zhou Yi, take some time to reflect on things. Your teaching methods need to change. This class will be handed over to Mu Jin," Yan Shaozhe said.

Zhou Yi gritted her teeth and remained silent, her fists clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her palms without her noticing.

Xu Yanli soon saw their new teacher: it was Wang Yan.

After the lesson, Wang Yan asked Xu Yanli to stay behind.

"Student, may I ask about the capabilities of your spirit?" Wang Yan adjusted his glasses, his voice gentle.

"It is healing, but it also includes control, defense, and offense," Xu Yanli replied calmly.

"A hexagonal spirit?" Wang Yan gripped the corner of his glasses, his voice trembling slightly—presumably with excitement.

Night fell, and in Dorm 108, Tang Ling lay on his bed, excitedly recapping the "heroic feat" of the day with Xu Yanli.

"Brother Yanli, do you think Teacher Zhou will come back tomorrow? Will she try to cause trouble for us? No, wait—if she dares to cause trouble, we'll just go to the Dean again! The Dean clearly favors you!"

Xu Yanli flipped through his book and said faintly, "She won't. The Dean already gave her a warning today. If she's smart, she'll lay low for a while. At the very least, she won't make things difficult for us openly."

Tang Ling nodded, then remembered something. "Right, Brother Yanli, do you think Teacher Zhou might secretly tamper with the assessments? I heard she has a very powerful backer..."

Xu Yanli closed his book, a meaningful smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"That would be perfect."

Tang Ling froze. "Perfect? What do you mean?"

Xu Yanli didn't answer, only smiled.

He certainly wasn't going to tell Tang Ling that he hadn't come to Shrek Academy just to graduate peacefully.

If Zhou Yi truly dared to tamper with the assessment, that would be the very spectacle he was hoping for.

The bigger the commotion, the more opportunities he would have to poach talent.

After all, the more the reputation of Shrek Academy stank, the more geniuses would be willing to follow him to the Sun Moon Empire.

Xu Yanli looked up at the moon in the sky, a relieved smile appearing in his heart.

Zhou Yi...

She was actually unimportant; what he wanted was a certain degree of autonomy, and at the same time, he wanted to test the extent of Shrek Academy's tolerance toward him.

He hadn't expected it to exceed his expectations; he had assumed Shrek Academy would harbor some suspicions.

The moonlight outside the window was like water, spilling across the glass.

Xu Yanli suddenly thought of someone, Kong Deming, as well as that senior sister from the Inner Court, Zhang Lexuan.

Both of their Martial Souls seemed to be the Silver Moon Martial Soul; there had to be some connection.

And then there was his cousin, Xu He, also known as He Caitou—if he remembered correctly, this person should possess Twin Martial Souls, right?