Zhou Yi stood below the platform, her chest heaving violently, her breathing as heavy as an ox's. She fixed a gloomy stare on Huo Yuhao.
Seventy-one people.
A full seventy-one students, all defeated by Huo Yuhao alone.
From level twenty-three to level twenty-seven, from second-years to third-years—not one had lasted three moves.
Most were finished in a single move. A few had made it to the second, but that was all.
Was this guy even human?
Zhou Yi's nails dug into her palms, and blood trickled between her fingers, but she didn't notice.
In all her years as a teacher, she had seen geniuses, monsters, and freaks destined for greatness from birth—
But she had never seen anything like this.
Level thirteen, beating level twenty-seven in one move.
Was this damn kid really level thirteen?
Tell me, was this really level thirteen?
Zhou Yi took a deep breath, struggling to calm the emotions surging inside her.
Her gaze swept over the crowd, settling on the students who had yet to fight but already looked afraid.
The students who had once obeyed her every command and sworn to avenge her now all had their heads lowered, their eyes darting away as they avoided her gaze.
They were afraid.
Huo Yuhao had beaten the fear into them.
Zhou Yi gritted her teeth. Anger surged through her, but she had nowhere to vent it.
She had originally taught third-years, but her methods were excessively harsh and her teaching style too strict. She liked expelling students, and as a result, only one-tenth of her class made it into fourth year.
After students reported her again and again, she was demoted to become a homeroom teacher for freshmen.
But she hadn't changed. If anything, she had become even more extreme.
Throughout all the years she had taught freshmen, she still expelled them at the slightest problem. If they didn't meet her standards, she expelled them.
In simple terms, it was: You aren't geniuses, so you don't deserve to be taught by me, Zhou Yi.
A freshman class originally had around a hundred students. Zhou Yi could cut that down to only a dozen or so.
Those dozen or so were all exceptionally talented. Even if other teachers taught them, they could still pass the Freshman Assessment and their advancement exams.
So, she hadn't actually taught that many students to success—just over a hundred in total.
Most had a Soul Power Level somewhere between ten and twenty. Only a very few had reached the thirties on the strength of their talent.
But because of her teaching methods, most of the students who reached level thirty had suffered irreparable injuries. Their Soul Power improved slowly, and their futures were ruined.
Zhou Yi didn't care.
In her eyes, those students were nothing more than numbers on her teaching record.
If they succeeded, it was thanks to her. If they were ruined, it was because they hadn't worked hard enough.
She had never thought she was in the wrong.
But now, faced with Huo Yuhao—the one variable she hadn't accounted for—she was experiencing helplessness for the first time.
Seventy-one students, all taught by her, and not one of them could defeat a level-thirteen freshman, even in a battle of attrition.
If word got out, how could she ever show her face at Shrek Academy again?
Worst of all, she had made a bet with Huo Yuhao. If she lost, she would have to apologize to him in public at Shrek Square—that was a humiliation she absolutely couldn't accept.
So she had to win.
Even if she had to use some...special methods.
"Teacher Zhou, I'm here!"
A steady voice sounded from behind her, interrupting her thoughts.
Hearing that familiar voice, Zhou Yi's face lit up. She whirled around to look at the newcomer.
He was a burly young man, around fifteen or sixteen years old, well over six feet tall, with broad shoulders and a thick back. Muscles bunched across his arms as he stood there like an iron tower.
His skin was a dark bronze, as if coated in a metallic sheen—the mark of years spent tempering his body.
His features were rugged, with thick brows and large eyes, and a layer of dark stubble along his chin.
His eyes were as sharp as a beast's, yet there was also a hint of simple, honest warmth in them.
"Wang Gang!"
Zhou Yi's eyes brightened, and a long-lost smile appeared on her face.
Wang Gang was among the students with the highest Soul Power Levels in her class—a level-twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster, just one step away from level thirty and advancement to fourth year.
But his most terrifying quality wasn't his Soul Power Level. It was his Martial Soul.
Wang Gang's Martial Soul was a Mutated Beast Martial Soul called the Thousand Jun Steel Ant.
As the name suggested, the Thousand Jun Steel Ant was renowned for its strength.
This Martial Soul gave Wang Gang terrifying power far beyond that of Soul Masters at the same level. Combined with his body, honed into steel and iron through relentless training, it made him an astonishing fighter.
Thanks to his Mutated Martial Soul, Wang Gang was no weaker than an ordinary level-thirty Soul Elder.
Taking on opponents of a higher level was as easy as breathing for him.
Zhou Yi looked at Wang Gang, brimming with confidence.
So what if there were seventy-one of them?
So what if they had worn him down one after another?
None of that mattered in front of Wang Gang.
Level twenty-nine against level thirteen. The advantage was mine!
This battle was in the bag.
Zhou Yi's spirits soared, and the gloom on her face vanished.
She hurried over to Wang Gang, patted his sturdy arm, and said in a low voice:
"Wang Gang, I'm leaving him to you."
Wang Gang nodded, his gaze passing over Zhou Yi and settling on the lean figure atop the Soul Fighting Platform.
His expression was calm and steady. He showed neither contempt nor fear, simply studying Huo Yuhao in silence.
Seventy-one students, one after another, and not a scratch on him.
This guy was no ordinary opponent.
Wang Gang quietly raised his guard.
He might have been honest, but he wasn't stupid.
Anyone who could leave Zhou Yi in such a state and send seventy-one students home defeated couldn't possibly be ordinary.
Just as Wang Gang was about to step toward the Soul Fighting Platform, Zhou Yi suddenly reached out to stop him.
Wang Gang paused and turned to look at her.
Zhou Yi said nothing. She simply took something from her pocket and pressed it into his hand.
It was a pill.
It was bloodred, like congealed blood.
Dark-red patterns shimmered faintly across its surface, and it gave off a powerful, bloody scent. Even just holding it, he could feel the violent power within.
The Blood Soul Pill.
Wang Gang's pupils contracted slightly.
He knew this pill.
The Blood Soul Pill was an extremely potent forbidden drug.
It worked by burning the user's blood essence to forcefully increase their Soul Power and strength, causing their combat power to surge for a short time.
But the price was horrendous. The user would enter a berserk state and lose all reason. After the drug wore off, their Martial Soul Origin would be damaged, their talent would plummet, and they would never make another breakthrough for the rest of their life.
It was poison that killed a thousand enemies at the cost of eight hundred of your own.
Zhou Yi lowered her voice and leaned close to Wang Gang's ear, speaking through telepathy:
"If you can't beat him, swallow this pill."
Her voice was quiet, but each word drove into Wang Gang's ears like a nail.
"Ruin him."
Zhou Yi's gaze passed over Wang Gang and settled on Huo Yuhao. A glint of cruelty and murderous intent flashed in her eyes.
"I'll make sure Shrek Academy doesn't expel you."
Her voice was calm and certain, as if she were stating a fact.
With her connections and influence, covering up an "accidental injury" to a freshman would be no difficult matter.
"And I'll give you a large sum of Gold Soul Coins, so your mother and little sister can live comfortably."
Wang Gang's body stiffened slightly.
His mother...his little sister...
He lowered his head, looking at the bloodred pill in his palm. His throat bobbed.
Wang Gang had come from a poor family. His father had died early, leaving his mother to raise him through hardship, while he also had a little sister to care for.
If he hadn't been lucky enough to awaken the Thousand Jun Steel Ant, a Mutated Martial Soul, along with innate Soul Power at level seven, a passing teacher from Shrek Academy might never have noticed him or brought him to the academy.
He had come to Shrek Academy to make something of himself and give his mother and little sister a better life.
Zhou Yi had helped him when he was at his lowest. She had provided him with cultivation resources so he could focus on training.
He had always remembered that kindness.
So when Zhou Yi had sought him out and asked him to deal with Huo Yuhao, he hadn't refused.
But—
He hadn't expected Zhou Yi to give him this.
Wang Gang clenched the pill in his hand until his knuckles turned white.
He took a deep breath, tamping down the emotions roiling inside him, then raised his head and looked at Zhou Yi.
Zhou Yi was watching him, her eyes full of expectation and certainty.
In her view, Wang Gang had no reason to refuse. She had offered him gratitude, money, and a future.
Wang Gang was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.
He said nothing. He simply held the Blood Soul Pill tightly in his palm and turned toward the Soul Fighting Platform.
As he walked, he murmured to himself—
"I won't need this pill to deal with a level-thirteen Soul Master."
He didn't want to use this pill.
He still had a bright future ahead of him.
Once he broke through to level thirty, he could advance to fourth year. He could take higher-level assessments and steadily become stronger.
He didn't want to ruin his future over one fight.
He didn't want to disappoint his mother and little sister.
So—
He would win.
He would win this battle with his own strength.
Wang Gang stepped onto the Soul Fighting Platform, his strides steady and firm.
He stopped ten meters from Huo Yuhao and fixed his gaze on him.
Only when he saw the boy up close did he realize that he was much younger—and much thinner—than he had imagined.
Was this the person who had defeated seventy-one opponents?
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