"Class dismissed!"
Zhou Yi left those words with a cold expression and turned to leave the training grounds.
Her movements were brisk and decisive,
without a hint of hesitation, as if she couldn't bear to stay even one second longer.
On the training grounds,
the students left through several exits in groups of two or three, while some stayed behind to wait.
It was the last class of the morning.
Most of them watched Zhou Yi's departing figure,
and only after she had disappeared completely
did everyone finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"She finally left..."
The few students who had been standing still began to move, slowly following after her.
They were heading down the same path.
"Man... Going to class every day feels like going to a funeral."
In the crowd, a male student held his shoulder and rolled his arm,
then sighed:
"If it were a normal training regimen, I could handle it, but this is obviously just torture..."
"Making us run in fifty-pound iron armor until class ends, then making the control system fight the power attack system head-on. I know we're supposed to train by targeting our weaknesses, but forbidding us to dodge is going too far, isn't it?"
"Yeah..."
A male student beside him chimed in:
"I'm exhausted. I don't even have the energy to meditate at night anymore..."
A whole crowd of them complained bitterly.
Ever since that day,
Zhou Yi's attitude toward her students had been nothing short of hostile, and her methods had grown even more ruthless.
If anyone raised an objection,
that was fine. Zhou Yi's attitude was perfectly pleasant: "Then go to the Academic Affairs Office and tell them you're useless, that you can't keep going and want to drop out. You're welcome to do so. It's not like I have the authority to expel you..."
She had been reported for expelling students arbitrarily.
Now she had changed. She no longer expelled people indiscriminately,
and it was true that no one reported her anymore,
but that wasn't the reason.
The other teachers at Shrek Academy kept their training at a reasonable level. Ordinary people wouldn't report a teacher for no reason.
If they reported her on the grounds that "the training is too intense,"
they would be publicly admitting that they were useless.
Zhou Yi was indeed a notoriously sadistic teacher, but the students who really wanted to use that to mock others didn't care about any of that.
They only cared about the outcome.
These scions of prominent families didn't dare bring shame upon themselves in public.
Even before, they had only reported her for expelling students at will.
Now she was even more of a monster.
The students truly had no way to voice their grievances.
"Here."
A small, fair hand offered him a cup of orange-red fruit tea. Cool droplets had gathered on its transparent sides, and a red-and-white straw poked out of the top.
Lu Ran's thoughts were interrupted.
He turned his head and saw Ning Tian standing prettily beside him, her smooth, platinum-blonde hair falling down her back.
She smiled brightly in the sunlight.
"Here, have a drink..."
Lu Ran glanced at the fruit tea.
Oranges, watermelon, coconut, and all sorts of other fruits had been mixed together. The ice brought out a pure, layered sweetness, and he could imagine the effort the person behind it had put into recreating that taste.
It must have gone something like this: Hmm, maybe there's a little too much orange. Should I slice the watermelon thinner? Should I add coconut flesh or coconut water...
Then, after making it for the first time and tasting it: Hmm, this tastes pretty good. This one's a keeper!
It was just a matter of cutting up some fruit, after all...
Lu Ran shifted his gaze to Ning Tian's bright, watery eyes, ignoring Wu Feng, who was practically baring her teeth behind her.
"...You do know that I own that milk tea shop, right?"
"Of course I do."
Ning Tian tilted her head slightly, as if it were only natural. Her long eyelashes fluttered, and her smile grew brighter.
"But I think it tastes really good, and I wanted to share it with you."
Her long eyelashes cast shadows over her clear, crescent-moon eyes.
"Ugh..."
A suppressed, low sound, as if someone were trying to hold it in, came from behind her.
Wu Feng was grinding her teeth.
She clenched her fists again and again, the knuckles beneath the fair skin on the backs of her hands appearing and disappearing.
It was... It was supposed to be me first!
She had discovered that milk tea shop first. She had thought it tasted good and excitedly invited Ning Tian to try it.
She had even wanted to go pet the Cloud Cluster Ground Rats with her.
Their fluffy fur felt so good!
But...
Wait, wasn't she supposed to have a drink with me?
Why?!
What do you mean, you own that milk tea shop?
You own it?!
Why didn't you say so earlier?!
No... Young Lord, I was wrong. I shouldn't have taken you to the milk tea shop... Can't we just forget about it?
Ugh, Young Lord...
Lu Ran accepted it gladly.
He took it and had a sip. The crisp sweetness and fruity aroma spread across his tongue.
It really did taste good.
This was the shop's most luxurious Century Fruit Tea, made with Sweet Honey too. Only ten cups were available each day, and they were expensive and sold on a first-come, first-served basis.
"Ugh, Young Lord..."
Wu Feng reached out with one finger and stamped her foot, but only dared to gently poke Ning Tian.
She was so anxious she could hardly keep still.
"Mm, mm, mm..."
Ning Tian sighed helplessly, took two fresh cups of fruit tea out of her Soul Tool, and handed one over.
"Here. I didn't forget about you."
The anxious look on Wu Feng's pretty face vanished at once, replaced by a brilliant smile.
She reached out to take it, as if basking in the morning breeze.
"Ugh, I knew my Young Lord was the best to me..."
She hurriedly took a big sip.
"Wow, mine's the sweetest one!"
"Hehehehehe..."
The sweet taste made her squint, sinking into bliss.
Lu Ran shook the cup in his hand.
The ice cubes gently clinked together, ringing out crisply.
"I'm going to the cafeteria for lunch. Want to come?"
"Sure."
Ning Tian smiled sweetly and naturally fell into step beside Lu Ran.
Wu Feng pressed close to Ning Tian, afraid her Young Lord might be stolen away.
Lu Ran took another sip of fruit tea.
At the moment, the milk tea shop could earn several thousand Gold Soul Coins a day, more than enough to ease his finances.
But he couldn't stay at the shop every day.
So, in exchange for a share of the profits, he had entrusted its operation to Shrek Academy.
The Cloud Cluster Ground Rats were still at work, serving as both mascots and staff.
They worked three days a week, and for one and a half of those days they sat on display.
All they had to do was sit there. Some customers even came specifically to feed them, stuffing their mouths full because they loved watching them eat.
They worked four to five hours each day.
Their pay was one Blue Silver Green Wood Vine per day and two hundred pounds of Delicious Nut per month. Those who did especially well also received five pounds of Sweet Honey.
Rat Boss helped run the shop too, since it was the leader.
The Cloud Cluster Ground Rats needed it to give them orders.
Now he only had to restock regularly,
and the milk tea shop could get on track and bring in a steady stream of cash.
The Soul Guidance Department.
A quiet, detached residence reserved for teachers.
Inside the metal-scented room,
Fan Yu, broad-shouldered and powerfully built, sat at his workbench,
concentrating on carving a piece of crimson metal.
The metal, roughly the size of his palm, was etched with intricate, mysterious lines, like a component from a complete Soul Tool.
Five similar pieces of metal lay on the workbench before him,
each a different size and color.
"Tap, tap, tap..."
Footsteps drew nearer, and Zhou Yi walked in.
Her unreadable face was covered in a layer of ice.
"Damn it. No matter what I try, he can handle it."
"Why?!"
She gritted her teeth as she spoke.
"Even if he's capable, he's still just an ordinary three-ring Soul Master!"
"Why?!"
The methods she had used to put students through the wringer in the past—long-distance running, combat, endurance training...
None of them worked on Lu Ran!
Fan Yu sighed and continued carving,
his broad chest rising and falling with each breath.
"Why not just teach your classes properly?"
"You're a teacher. You can't deliberately target a student..."
"Besides, Lu Ran's from the Inner Academy, and he has a good relationship with Dean Yan. I've even heard that Xuan Zi looks out for him too..."
"It wouldn't look good if things really got out of hand..."
Before you continue