The First Strike Wins

"You were far too ruthless; you scared that child so badly he couldn't even speak."

Zhang Lexuan chided him. Even she had been shocked by that last strike. This kid always managed to pull out some inexplicable moves that left onlookers dazzled. Just how many Self-Created Soul Skills did he actually have?

"You can't blame me for that. If he had just trusted me a little more, he wouldn't have been scared like that. Look at Xiao Xiao; she wasn't afraid at all."

Facing Zhang Lexuan's eye-roll, Su Qing spread his hands. This was a blatant injustice; someone as kind-hearted as him would naturally never deal a lethal blow to a classmate.

"He hasn't seen you use fire-type soul skills before, so who knew you could control them? Don't forget, you all were nearly roasted by Ma Xiaotao last time. Maybe that left him with some psychological trauma."

"Oh~ then that's all Ma Xiaotao's fault!"

Hearing Zhang Lexuan's explanation, Su Qing shifted the topic entirely, ignoring the embarrassment on the face of Yan Shaozhe, who had yet to leave the arena.

"Shh, Dean Yan is still here..."

No sooner had Zhang Lexuan finished speaking than Yan Shaozhe's voice reached their ears.

"Lexuan, could you let me have a private word with Su Qing?"

There was a hint of pleading in his voice, which made Zhang Lexuan glance at him sideways. Since when did Yan Shaozhe act like this? Based on her years of experience handling Inner Court affairs, she sensed something was twelve parts wrong.

"Dean Yan, is there something I shouldn't know?"

"Very well, then."

Seeing that Zhang Lexuan did not want to leave him alone with Su Qing, he had no choice but to voice his thoughts right there.

"It's like this: you should know that my disciple, Ma Xiaotao, has been tormented by Evil Fire for many years. I learned by chance not long ago that Su Qing has a way to control the Evil Fire, so I was hoping he could help her. If possible, I would like them to spend more time together."

As he went on, Yan Shaozhe's voice grew quieter. Su Qing's eyes widened in disbelief. Was he just handing his disciple over to him? And poaching him right in front of Zhang Lexuan?

"Dean Yan, how could you have the nerve to say such things in front of me!"

Whether out of anger or speechlessness, Zhang Lexuan's tone was icy.

"But, as far as I know, you aren't the only girl Su Qing has a relationship with."

Yan Shaozhe was utterly confused. Su Qing wasn't exactly a one-woman man, was he? If Zhang Lexuan could accept Xiao Xiao, there was no reason she couldn't accept Ma Xiaotao. Ma Xiaotao wasn't lacking, either—she had the figure and the looks.

"I can accept that Su Qing and others might have mutual feelings, but if that affection is laced with calculation, I won't accept it, and neither will Su Qing."

If Yan Shaozhe had offered appropriate compensation to ask Su Qing to help suppress Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire, Su Qing likely wouldn't have refused. But the idea of forcing them together just to suppress the fire was something neither Su Qing nor Zhang Lexuan would tolerate. Wasn't that just treating Su Qing like a tool?

"This..."

Yan Shaozhe was at a loss for words. It seemed Mu En was right after all. Who would have thought that he, a master of the romantic arts, would end up sabotaging himself today?

Seeing that Yan Shaozhe had nothing more to say, Zhang Lexuan took Su Qing and left the assessment grounds.

"Sister Lexuan? Where are we going?"

Zhang Lexuan's purposeful demeanor left Su Qing full of questions. It was broad daylight; surely she wasn't taking him for a stroll around Sea God Lake?

"To your dormitory."

Zhang Lexuan's back-glanced smile was shocking, and Su Qing felt as if he'd been struck by lightning. In the middle of the day, to the dormitory, for what?!

Before he could ask, Zhang Lexuan spoke for herself: "You know, I learned something from Bei Bei."

"What is it?"

Su Qing was baffled. Could one really learn anything from that dense blockhead, Bei Bei? Was she joking? If he were actually capable of teaching anything, would he and Tang Ya still be where they were?

"For things that haven't found their owner yet, you have to strike first!"

"What?"

Before the shock could fade from Su Qing's face, he was dragged into the dormitory. The moment Zhang Lexuan pulled the door shut behind them, he lost the ability to speak...

"Yuhao, do you think Teacher Zhou will really expel us?"

Xiao Xiao was worried. Although she was happy Su Qing won, she really disliked Zhou Yi's ugly, sour face! Would that old hag really kick them out? Su Qing's moves were definitely beyond their ability to block; wasn't it normal to lose?

"Probably not, unless she's an idiot."

Compared to Huo Yuhao's caution, Wang Dong was much more casual. If Zhou Yi actually dared to expel him, his Big Dad and Second Dad would come to the school the next day and drag her out for a beating. He guaranteed that even if they beat Zhou Yi until she couldn't take care of herself, the Shrek higher-ups wouldn't dare say a word.

"You bunch of trash! I should have expelled you sooner!"

As they spoke, Zhou Yi's angry shouting came from outside the classroom. How could she not be angry? Not only did she lose the championship, but she also lost a soul bone in the process. What the hell was this? Was she losing her wife and her army?

She couldn't figure out how Mu Jin had such good luck, managing to have a powerhouse like Su Qing assigned to her class, while her own class didn't even have a single Soul Elder. The more she thought about it, the more she felt this was a conspiracy by the Martial Soul Department against her. As for the reason, it must be because she was Fan Yu's wife—a tactic to suppress the Soul Tool Department!

"What a pity, what a pity. Now that she has encountered Huo Yuhao, a treasure born to eat the bowl of rice that is Soul Tools, I believe it won't be long before the Soul Tool Department makes a complete comeback."

In just a few minutes, Zhou Yi attributed everything to the targeting of the Martial Soul Department.

"Although you didn't win the championship, it wasn't easy to make it to the final arena. I won't arrange for you to run today. Huo Yuhao, come with me."

The students in the class looked at each other. Was Zhou Yi truly a madwoman? She hadn't spoken like this outside just a moment ago; how did she become so radiant the moment she entered the classroom? But thinking of her calling Huo Yuhao out alone, they couldn't help but mourn for him. They didn't know what kind of medicine this old hag was selling in her gourd, but it certainly wouldn't be anything good.

"Yuhao is so pitiful..."

Even Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong couldn't help but feel a touch of sympathy for Huo Yuhao.

"Teacher Zhou, where are you taking me?"

Compared to the others' disgust for Zhou Yi, Huo Yuhao's reaction was completely different. He felt that Zhou Yi had pushed him to break through his own potential, and he even felt a lingering sense of gratitude toward her.

"To the place where I took you before, the Soul Tool Department's training ground. I believe the Martial Soul Department is intentionally targeting us. Although you made it to the finals this time, they likely won't grant you the status of a core disciple. Rather than that, it would be better for you to join the Soul Tool Department early and become a core disciple there, giving your talent room to shine."

Zhou Yi said earnestly. Although she hadn't read the script, she knew from Huo Yuhao's performance in the arena that those guys who didn't understand his soul skills would at most treat him as Wang Dong's accessory. Forget core disciple status; he might not even get core disciple treatment.

"So that's how it is."

Huo Yuhao felt his worldview being shattered. Didn't the Soul Tool Department and the Martial Soul Department both belong to Shrek Academy? How could one side be suppressed by the other? Could it be that this world was just one giant Duke Mansion?