Confronting Zhou Yi

There were significantly more students exercising on Shrek Square than usual.

The theoretical courses for the first half of the freshman semester were nearing their end, and various classes were transitioning into the physical conditioning phase.

Lin Feng had also just received a notification from Teacher Mu Jin to come for extra training.

As soon as he stepped onto the track, he spotted two familiar figures.

Huo Yuhao was gritting his teeth, his face pale as he jogged forward, his breathing heavy and his footsteps already somewhat unsteady.

Not far ahead of him, Wang Dong was unfurled those dreamlike Radiant Goddess Butterfly wings, hovering at a low altitude and glancing back at him from time to time; the wings shimmered with the luster of a vast, clear sky under the sunlight.

Even though it wasn't his first time seeing them, Lin Feng's gaze was still involuntarily and firmly drawn to them.

In fact, on the entire track, almost everyone—boys and girls alike—was just like him, finding it difficult to tear their eyes away from those magnificent wings.

It was too beautiful.

Every flap of the wings scattered fine, glowing particles, as if she had draped a streak of the galaxy behind her.

It was not just a visual feast, but a beauty that seemed to strike directly at the soul.

No wonder it was hailed as the most beautiful beast martial soul on the continent...

Lin Feng exhaled softly, collected his thoughts, and walked toward the starting line of the track.

As he passed by Huo Yuhao, he raised a hand and pressed it against the boy's sweat-soaked shoulder, quietly channeling a strand of gentle soul power into him.

"Adjust your breathing and follow the rhythm. Don't just look ahead; watch your footing."

Huo Yuhao was startled; he looked up at him, nodded while gasping for air.

Up ahead, seemingly sensing Lin Feng's approach, Wang Dong turned gracefully. Her butterfly wings retracted slightly as she hovered in mid-air, her gaze meeting Lin Feng's from a distance.

Under the sunlight, the corners of her lips seemed to curl up ever so slightly, carrying a hint of provocation.

Lin Feng caught up to Wang Dong's side in a few swift strides, running shoulder-to-shoulder with her, and asked, "Want to race?"

"Who's afraid of whom? Don't go crying to Dean Yan if you lose."

"Just don't go tattling to that old hag Zhou Yi if you lose; that's someone I can't afford to provoke."

"Hmph!" Wang Dong said no more. Her butterfly wings suddenly flapped, her speed increased sharply, and she instantly put a small distance between herself and Lin Feng.

Lin Feng remained unhurried, his pace steady. As his soul power circulated, his speed quietly caught up, and soon he was running neck-and-neck with her again.

One had to admit that Wang Dong, possessing the ability to fly, had a significant advantage in speed; the first hundred laps were a breeze for her.

But the person she had encountered today was Lin Feng, who possessed a body martial soul.

When they passed the hundred-lap mark, Lin Feng's breathing was even, his complexion remained normal, and he even had the spare energy to tilt his head and look at her.

"Are you... really a freshman? How can you run so much?"

Wang Dong's breathing had become slightly rapid, and she couldn't help but speak up; the luster of the butterfly wings behind her seemed to have dimmed a bit due to the consumption of soul power.

"Guess?" Lin Feng's lips curled upward, and his speed underfoot increased once again. "Keep up!"

"Hey! How can you still accelerate?! I, I give up!"

Wang Dong finally slowed down at the one-hundred-and-twentieth lap, bracing her hands on her knees as she gasped for air and watched the figure still sprinting on the track.

Lin Feng ultimately finished at one hundred and fifty laps, having accelerated continuously throughout the final fifty.

Wang Dong watched his steady breathing even after he stopped, stunned for a moment.

They were clearly the same age... this gap was just too exaggerated.

"Convinced?"

As Lin Feng spoke, he walked over to the rest shed and skillfully took off his sweat-drenched top, revealing the well-defined, chiseled physique underneath.

"Hey! Why, why are you changing clothes in public!" Wang Dong abruptly turned her head away, her ears turning bright red, her voice filled with obvious panic.

"There are no girls around here, just the two of us. What are you being shy about?"

Lin Feng tossed his wet shirt onto the railing, picked up his clean clothes in a leisurely manner, and let his gaze sweep over her flushed profile, a hint of faint amusement in his tone.

"Who, who's being shy! I'm leaving!" Wang Dong acted as if her tail had been stepped on; she stomped her foot, turned, and walked away, her pace so fast it was almost like fleeing.

After all, this wasn't her dormitory; she couldn't use "dorm rules" to constrain Lin Feng the way she did with Huo Yuhao.

A voice suddenly coming from not far away made Lin Feng frown involuntarily.

"Those whose names I call, step forward: Tang Si, Xiao Liu, Ma Lu... Huo Yuhao."

Zhou Yi stood before the Class One formation, her voice cold and hard.

"You have failed to meet the standards for physical training multiple times. Starting tomorrow, you don't need to come to class anymore. You have been expelled from the academy."

"Teacher Zhou, please give us another chance!"

"Don't do this, Teacher..."

The seven students who stepped out of the ranks were pale, and three of the girls had already begun to cry.

Huo Yuhao kept his head down, his hands clenched tightly at his sides, his knuckles turning white.

Lin Feng hadn't intended to concern himself with the affairs of another class, but when he heard the name "Huo Yuhao," his footsteps came to a halt.

After all, he was his senior brother; although his aptitude was lacking, he still held some value for cultivation.

He looked toward the arrogant old woman, his eyes growing cold.

A mere Soul Emperor, relying on her husband Fan Yu's status in the Sea God Pavilion and the Soul Tool Department to act so tyrannically in the Outer Court.

It was said that the passing rate of the classes she taught was exceptionally high, but now it seemed that was nothing more than expelling all the slightly underperforming students early on, leaving only the geniuses behind.

Turning the mediocre into the talented—that would be true skill. What did her methods even amount to?

"Teacher Zhou Yi," Lin Feng's voice was not loud, yet clear enough for the entire crowd to hear, "I suggest you had best not expel students so casually."

"Are all the students taught by Mu Jin this disrespectful to their elders?" Zhou Yi's gaze swept over like a cold blade.

"If you insist on doing so, I don't mind reporting this to Dean Yan," Lin Feng met her gaze, his tone calm, "Demoted from teaching the sixth grade to the first-year freshmen—any further demotion would mean losing your teaching qualifications."

"How dare you—!"

Stung in a sore spot, Zhou Yi erupted into a rage.

Two yellow, two purple, and two black Soul Rings rose from beneath her feet, and the formidable pressure of a Soul Emperor swept outward.

The dozen or so students standing nearby turned pale and scrambled backward.

Lin Feng did not retreat even half a step, instead releasing his own Body Martial Soul directly.

Not a single Soul Ring appeared, yet an aura as heavy as a mountain and as scorching as fire rose steadily from his body, actually standing toe-to-toe with Zhou Yi's pressure without falling behind.

Zhou Yi's pupils constricted, her heart shaken.

This freshman could actually withstand her pressure without changing his expression?!

"Don't lose face for Dean Yan! Lin Feng."

"Well done! Truly worthy of being Teacher Mu's student."

"Brother Lin, please don't start a fight!"

Voices inciting the conflict drifted from the crowd of onlookers in the distance; they clearly wanted to see the chaos unfold.

Wang Dong's eyes were wide, her face full of disbelief. She finally had a sense of the weight behind the words "Dean Yan's personal disciple."

After a few moments of stalemate, Zhou Yi's expression shifted several times.

Her gaze swept past Huo Yuhao behind Lin Feng and landed back on the unfathomable youth before her, finally letting out a cold snort as she slowly retracted her pressure.

"Fine, very good. Dean Yan has truly taken in a good disciple." Her voice was loud, yet carried a cold compromise, "I know Huo Yuhao is your fellow disciple. For the sake of Dean Yan and Fan Yu, he can stay. But the others, no."

"Agreed." Lin Feng also retracted his aura, "I have no objections."

Since the other party had offered a way out, he would no longer be aggressive.

Some things were more effective when left at a point of restraint rather than tearing the mask off completely.

"Lin Feng, thank you!" Huo Yuhao ran over immediately, his eyes filled with sincere gratitude.

"We are fellow disciples; no need to say such things." Lin Feng patted his shoulder, his voice softening, "But you must perform well with Teacher Fan Yu from now on. If there is a next time, I may not be able to protect you."

"I know, I will!"

"Lin Feng." A clear voice rang out from behind him.