Zhou Yi's Humiliation

Just as Xiao Xiao wanted to speak again to say a few more words to Huo Yuhao—

Tap, tap, tap...

A crisp, rhythmic sound of high heels slowly echoed from the end of the corridor.

The sound was not loud, yet it carried an invisible penetrative force, piercing through the clamor and drilling straight into the ears of everyone in the classroom.

The classroom, which had been buzzing with whispers and chatter, gradually fell silent under the pressure of those encroaching footsteps.

Many new students who had seen the bulletin board knew that their homeroom teacher was named Zhou Yi.

Upon hearing the distinctly feminine footsteps, a few quick-witted boys felt their eyes light up with anticipation, unable to help but secretly fantasize:

Could it be a young, beautiful, gentle, and generous female teacher?

Amidst gazes filled with expectation and curiosity, a foot clad in a black high heel was the first to step over the classroom threshold.

But what followed was not the figure of the beauty they had imagined.

Instead, it was a face covered by a cold, rigid mask, revealing only a pair of sharp, icy eyes and two thin, harsh lips.

Expectations shattered in an instant.

"Uh..."

"You've got to be kidding..."

The smiles on the faces of the boys who had been full of longing just moments ago froze instantly, their complexions turning a sickly shade of pale, their eyes filled with disillusionment and despair; some even couldn't help but let out a low groan.

Zhou Yi was long accustomed to such reactions. Without even lifting an eyelid, she ignored the group of teenagers with ugly expressions and walked with a stiff, cold gait to the center of the podium, picked up a piece of chalk, and wrote two characters heavily on the blackboard—

Zhou Yi

Chalk dust fell in a flurry.

"My name is Zhou Yi, and I am your homeroom teacher."

She turned around, her icy gaze sweeping across the room like a blade, her voice devoid of any warmth, "I am not certain how many of you will be able to make it through this coming year with me.

But I will lay it out for you right now—I only cultivate monsters, and I only cultivate absolute geniuses.

Any idiots, mediocrities, or trash will be kicked out of Class One without mercy, or even kicked out of Shrek Academy entirely!"

The word "idiots" slammed into the room, silencing everyone.

Who among those present wasn't a genius who had fought their way up from their respective regions? Who among them wasn't proud and arrogant?

When had they ever been so publicly trampled upon in their dignity?

Many of their expressions changed on the spot, anger and defiance churning in their eyes.

Even Huo Yuhao was slightly taken aback.

In his previous life, he had seen countless teachers and mentors—strict, harsh, or pedantic—but never one like Zhou Yi, who treated her students like enemies from the very start, constantly spewing words like "trash" and "idiots."

Just as the atmosphere reached a breaking point, Zhou Yi spoke again, her voice as cold and sharp as a knife:

"Since the days of registration, those who have fought, stand up."

The sentence was like a boulder crashing into a lake.

The classroom fell into dead silence; everyone looked at each other, no one daring to make a move.

Swish—

Swish—

Only two figures stood up almost simultaneously.

One was Lin Yan, and the other was Wang Dong.

Wang Dong looked somewhat reluctant, but he still straightened his back and stood up.

Zhou Yi's gaze swept coldly over the two of them, then scanned the rest of the room. After confirming that no third person was going to stand, the corners of her mouth curled into a sneer of utter contempt:

"Only two? Heh... what a bunch of trash and cowards!"

"Have you never heard of the rules of Shrek? If you don't dare to cause trouble, you are a mediocrity!"

"Except for these two, everyone else, now, immediately, get out to the playground and run one hundred laps! If you don't finish before noon, get out of Class One!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole class exploded.

Anger, like a raging fire, instantly burned through everyone's restraint.

A straightforward boy slammed his desk and stood up, shouting furiously: "I don't accept this! Why should we be punished with running when we didn't even fight?"

Zhou Yi glanced at him indifferently, her tone so cold it was chilling:

"Because I am your homeroom teacher.

What I say is the law.

If you don't obey, I have the authority to expel you on the spot."

"I'll give you one minute. Anyone who hasn't appeared on the playground to start running within one minute—will be expelled."

The moment her words fell.

BOOM—

An incomparably terrifying aura of soul power suddenly erupted from within her!

The massive pressure descended like a collapsing mountain, nearly suffocating every new student present.

Six brilliant soul rings rose slowly from beneath her feet—

Two yellow, two purple, two black.

A standard Soul Emperor configuration.

To a group of freshmen who were only at level ten or twenty, this power felt like an insurmountable abyss.

The entire room instantly fell deathly silent.

The young man who had just spoken up in rebuttal turned pale, his body trembling as he already began to contemplate retreat.

Yet, this pressure that left everyone else gasping for air felt as light as a gentle breeze against Huo Yuhao.

In his past life, he had been but a single step away from godhood; what kind of might had he not witnessed?

This mere Soul Emperor aura from Zhou Yi did not even qualify to move him.

Shrek... to think it still has such a foolish teacher.

Huo Yuhao shook his head inwardly.

Only now did the fragments of Wang Teng's memories regarding Zhou Yi fully align.

He had been somewhat skeptical before; how could a place like Shrek, which prided itself on only accepting monsters, tolerate a teacher who only knew how to use intimidation and threats of expulsion to crudely discipline students?

Everyone who managed to step into Shrek had exhausted their family's resources and put in countless hours of sweat just to obtain a recommendation letter.

How many had poured out countless Gold Soul Coins and sacrificed their entire childhoods just to earn an entry ticket?

Yet with a single word, Zhou Yi could erase over a decade of their hard work and crush their futures underfoot.

How was this any different from blocking a person's path or killing their parents?

Just as everyone was cowed by the pressure, preparing to obediently head to the field for punishment—

A calm, clear voice, carrying a trace of faint coldness, rang out slowly through the deathly silent classroom.

"Teacher Zhou, I actually have a question."

Every gaze snapped toward Huo Yuhao, pinning him in place.

Even Zhou Yi was stunned for a moment.

She had intended to establish her authority and suppress them, forcing these arrogant brats to completely submit.

She never expected that the first one to dare stand up and defy her would be such an unremarkable-looking youth.

Zhou Yi's expression turned gloomy, her voice as cold as ice:

"What do you mean by that?"

Huo Yuhao sat in his seat, his posture straight, meeting that icy gaze with calm eyes as he spoke unhurriedly:

"According to Teacher Zhou's logic just now—those who dare not cause trouble are mediocre.

Then I would like to ask, as a Soul Emperor, does Teacher Zhou dare to actively seek out a Soul Saint or a Contra for a fight?"

One sentence, striking the fatal flaw.

The entire class suddenly realized.

That's right!

If you don't dare to provoke those stronger than you, what right do you have to demand that we must cause trouble?

If you don't dare to cause trouble, aren't you also mediocre?

With Huo Yuhao taking the lead, several students with strong backgrounds who were already dissatisfied gathered their courage and spoke up one after another:

"Teacher Zhou, my father is Zhou Changlin, a Soul Saint. Should I invite him over to spar with you?"

"My grandfather is a Contra. Although he is getting on in years, he is still more than capable of practicing with you!"

One sentence followed another.

Zhou Yi's complexion shifted from gloomy to livid, then twisted into a hideous scowl.

Her gaze, sharp as a blade, first swept over the few students who had spoken up—she knew they had deep-rooted backgrounds. While she could afford to offend them, there was no need to.

The next moment, those cold eyes locked onto Huo Yuhao with undisguised malice.

She snatched up the freshman information booklet from the podium, her fingertips flipping through the pages with a rustle until they stopped firmly on a thin line of text:

Huo Yuhao

Soul Power: Level 13

Innate Soul Power: Unknown, estimated at less than level 3

Did not meet Shrek's minimum admission standards; admitted by special exception via Shrek Token.

A cold light surged in Zhou Yi's eyes, and she made her decision in an instant.

No family background, no strength, no backing.

A solitary figure through and through.

If she didn't use him to make an example of, who else would she use?

"Huo Yuhao, is it?"

She sneered, her voice sharp and grating, like fingernails scraping against sheet metal. "A mere rank thirteen Soul Power, with an Innate Soul Power not even reaching rank three. You aren't even fit to touch the threshold of Shrek, yet you dare to quibble and talk back to your instructor here?"

"I am now officially announcing—you are expelled."

Upon hearing these words, not a ripple appeared on Huo Yuhao's face, nor did his gaze even flicker.

He had never intended to stay at Shrek for long anyway.

The only reason he had enrolled in the first place was because of a prying gaze from the Tang God King above, forcing him to play along.

Now that he was being legitimately expelled by the academy, he could leave in a justified manner; even if that God King were still watching from the shadows, he wouldn't be able to find a single fault.

He slowly stood up, tidied his neat white school uniform, and stepped toward the classroom door.

His demeanor was calm, so composed that it didn't look like an expulsion, but rather a voluntary departure.

Seeing Huo Yuhao remain silent, without even a half-sentence of defense, Zhou Yi became even more convinced that he had no one behind him and was timid and cowardly.

The fury from having lost face in public earlier completely shattered her reason at this moment. All her spite and malice were no longer held back, and she shrieked, every word like a poisoned blade, stabbing directly at the most inviolable place in Huo Yuhao's heart:

"With trash talent like yours, you wouldn't have even touched the edge of Shrek in your entire life!

You picked up a Shrek Token from who knows where and luckily snuck into the academy, yet instead of being grateful and cherishing it, you dare to provoke a teacher.

You really are an uneducated piece of trash!

I suspect your mother was a lowly, base woman as well, for only she could raise a thing like you who knows nothing of respect or rules!"