Du Weilun

"Change teachers! Change teachers!"

"Tch..."

Wang Dong clicked her tongue, crossed her arms, and turned her face away. She thought it was terribly embarrassing to chant along with these people.

Huo Yuhao, meanwhile, had only just caught his breath and still hadn't figured out what was going on.

Running a full hundred laps around the field—and having to do it right away—was far too difficult for a Control System Soul Master like him. What was more, he'd been bullied by people from the Duke's Mansion when he was little and had suffered from malnutrition, so his physical condition was already worse than that of his classmates.

Even the students with ordinary Power Attack System or Agility Attack System Martial Souls found running a hundred laps extremely difficult, let alone him.

He'd made it this far almost entirely by using Purple Demon Eye to inflict Psyshock on himself and keep himself alert. The consequence was that Huo Yuhao now looked remarkably thickheaded and exceptionally oblivious.

"Wang Dong, why are they saying they want to change teachers?"

After watching for a while, Huo Yuhao scratched his head and asked his roommate. Wang Dong turned her head away, refusing to look at the blue-haired boy, as if she were still sulking over what had happened yesterday.

"They're saying Zhou Yi doesn't deserve to be their teacher and are demanding that Shrek send someone else to teach Class One."

"Ah... but isn't Teacher Zhou Yi pretty good?"

Huo Yuhao froze, then continued scratching his head as he asked.

In his view, Teacher Zhou Yi was rather fierce, but she'd made them run a hundred laps to improve their physical fitness. She'd done it for their own good.

"Are you really stupid, or just pretending? Figure it out yourself."

Wang Dong clicked her tongue and ignored Huo Yuhao. With no other option, he turned his gaze toward Xiao Yan, who stood not far away, hoping to find the answer there.

As he watched the students of Class One shout themselves hoarse and Zhou Yi slump on the ground, having given up completely, Xiao Yan—the instigator of this whole farce—merely flicked his sleeve. Like a wisp of cloud leaving no trace, he slipped behind the crowd and edged over near Mu Jin.

By the time Director Du Weilun heard about the commotion and hurried over, the scene had already calmed down.

Except for Zhou Yi, who was still sprawled there, refusing to budge.

Du Weilun was a stern-faced middle-aged man in a teacher's uniform. Unfortunately, he wasn't bald; otherwise, he would have perfectly matched Xiao Yan's stereotypical image of a director of studies.

"Zhou Yi! What do you think you're doing?"

The director's voice was stern, as if he were suppressing his anger.

"And you! You're students of Shrek Academy, yet you openly make a scene and defy your teacher! What kind of behavior is that?"

This was his usual tactic: the academy's authority could not be challenged, and these students would never dare to resist them.

This time, however, the students didn't back down.

A boy from Class One plucked up his courage, stepped forward, and called out loudly.

"Director Du! We're not making trouble for no reason! Teacher Zhou Yi's conduct has made her unfit to serve as a role model!"

"That's right!" another student chimed in. "To get Xiao Yan from Class Nine transferred to Class One, Teacher Zhou Yi knelt before him several times in front of us. It was a disgraceful sight. She even tried to use Martial Soul Possession and attack him!"

"She doesn't have the dignity or character a teacher should have. We demand that the academy assign us a new homeroom teacher!"

The students recounted what had just happened, one after another, clearly describing the whole affair.

In fact, the events themselves were so shocking that there was no need for them to exaggerate.

The longer Du Weilun listened, the darker his expression grew. Finally, he looked toward Class Nine and Mu Jin.

"Teacher Mu Jin, which one is Xiao Yan?"

Mu Jin quickly pointed him out.

"Hello, Director. I'm Xiao Yan, the vice class monitor of Class Nine."

"Mm. They said you used your Martial Soul against Teacher Zhou Yi?"

Du Weilun began by pinning the blame on him. The accusation of defying authority and attacking a teacher was enough to give Shrek Academy a legitimate reason to expel a student.

Hearing this, Xiao Yan gave a scornful laugh.

"Heh. Director Du, that depends on where Shrek Academy draws the line for using a Martial Soul."

"I never attacked Teacher Zhou Yi of my own accord. In fact, she was so agitated that she tried to attack me and abduct me. My Martial Soul sensed her hostility and, in response, released Dragon Might, which affected Teacher Zhou Yi. For that, I sincerely apologize."

"But let me ask you, Director Du: do Shrek Academy's rules really allow a teacher to activate her Martial Soul against a student who has done nothing wrong, with malicious intent?"

"Or perhaps Teacher Zhou Yi didn't have malicious intent after all? Perhaps she wasn't trying to abduct me and take me to Class One, but wanted to carry me off-campus for experiments. Was Teacher Zhou Yi actually a spy from the Holy Spirit Cult, an Evil Soul Master?"

The corner of Xiao Yan's mouth curled upward. If they were going to pin accusations on someone, anyone could do it.

Du Weilun froze. The whole affair had started because Zhou Yi had taken a fancy to a promising student and behaved disgracefully. Xiao Yan, meanwhile, had been going about his business in his own classroom from beginning to end. Zhou Yi had been the one to approach him—and she'd been too weak to resist Dragon Might, which had scared her to her knees.

It seemed there really was no way to blame Xiao Yan.

Du Weilun clenched his teeth. As the director of studies, this was the first time he'd encountered a student so difficult to handle. Was this kid really only nine years old?

Watching Du Weilun's expression shift again and again, Xiao Yan let the corner of his mouth lift and continued unhurriedly:

"Director Du, perhaps Teacher Zhou Yi was only confused for a moment. I can let her offense go."

"But as you can see, she has completely lost the trust and respect of her own students."

"How can a teacher educate students if they have no faith in her?"

The more Xiao Yan spoke, the more stirred up the students of Class One became.

God, Xiao Yan was absolutely right!

How could someone like her be their teacher?

"If Director Du insists on keeping Teacher Zhou, it'll only worsen the conflict between teachers and students and make Class One a laughingstock throughout the academy. I imagine that would tarnish Shrek Academy's reputation, built over ten thousand years."

Xiao Yan spoke as if he had no stake in the matter, calmly analyzing it from an outsider's perspective. Yet every word cut deep.

He didn't defend himself. He simply stood in the academy's shoes and laid out the pros and cons for Du Weilun.

A fine sheen of sweat broke out on Du Weilun's forehead. As he looked at the boy before him, a storm of shock raged in his heart.

Was this really a nine-year-old child? His judgment, his eloquence, and his grasp of the situation were simply astonishing!

He knew that if he mishandled this today, only Shrek Academy would lose face.

Take out his frustration on Xiao Yan? He had no grounds. Punish every student in Class One? That would only drive them further away.

The only sticking point was Zhou Yi.

After taking a deep breath, Du Weilun made his decision.

His eyes swept over the limp Zhou Yi, and he announced gravely:

"Upon investigation, Zhou Yi, homeroom teacher of Freshman Class One, behaved inappropriately while teaching and seriously damaged the academy's reputation. Effective immediately, she is suspended from all teaching duties pending an academy investigation! The teaching duties for Class One will temporarily be overseen by Teacher Mu Jin, the homeroom teacher of Class Nine!"

The students of Class One erupted into cheers they'd been holding back.

As for Zhou Yi, it was as if the last of her strength had been pulled away. She collapsed completely onto the ground.

Two members of the academy's disciplinary squad stepped forward and hoisted her up.

As they led her off the field, she glared daggers at Xiao Yan, her venomous gaze seeming ready to devour him whole.

And so, the farce came to an end.

Du Weilun waved for the students to disperse, but before leaving, he walked up to Xiao Yan and looked him over carefully.

"You're an interesting new student. I hope your abilities are as impressive as your words."

"Shrek doesn't accept students who know nothing but how to play clever tricks."

It was a warning, but also a kind of tacit acknowledgment.

Xiao Yan didn't care in the slightest. He merely smiled faintly.

In the stands where Class Nine had been watching, Teacher Mu Jin let out a soft sigh of relief. She looked at the composed boy before her, her expression complicated.

She cleared her throat and said gently:

"All right, everyone. The commotion is over. Now, let's take care of class business... first, we need to elect a class monitor."