A Promise with Tang Ya! Yan Shaozhe's Fury

"Su Chen!"

"Brother Su Chen!"

Two urgent, worried calls rang out almost simultaneously from the edge of the dispersing crowd.

The crowd was roughly pushed aside, and a petite figure in purple darted out first like a nimble swallow. It was Tang Ya! Bei Bei followed behind her, his face full of helplessness and concern.

Tang Ya nearly threw herself in front of Su Chen. Her beautiful purple eyes brimmed with undisguised worry and lingering fear as she examined him from head to toe, as carefully as if she needed to make sure he hadn't lost a single strand of hair. Her slender, pale fingers instinctively grabbed his sleeve, but she immediately let go as if she'd been shocked, afraid she might hurt him.

"Bei Bei and I had just finished the fourth-year advancement assessment. As soon as we came out, we heard what happened here!" Tang Ya spoke rapidly, her voice trembling with urgency. "How are you? Are you hurt? Where? Is it serious?"

Her questions came in a rapid-fire barrage, the concern in her eyes practically spilling over.

Bei Bei hurried over too, his gaze carefully sweeping over Su Chen. His composed face held unmistakable shock and disbelief.

"Brother Su Chen, you... you really fought Teacher Zhou Yi? And... and you injured her?" Bei Bei's voice was a little hoarse. Even after seeing the wrecked training field and Zhou Yi's wretched state as she was taken away, he still could hardly believe it. "Zhou Yi is a bona fide Six-Ring Soul Emperor! How... how did you manage that?"

As one of the top students in the outer court, Bei Bei knew all too well how vast the gap was between a Soul Emperor and a Soul Grandmaster. It was practically an insurmountable chasm! Yet Su Chen had accomplished what seemed like a mythical feat!

Su Chen smiled faintly at Tang Ya and replied casually, "I'm fine. I just used up a lot of Soul Power and took a little shock. I'll be all right after I rest and regulate my breathing."

But the worry in Tang Ya's eyes didn't fade completely. Instead, Su Chen's "casual" attitude only made her more irritated and concerned. She couldn't help stamping her foot.

"But... that was Zhou Yi! A Soul Emperor! Her Soul Power Level is so much higher than yours! What if... what if something had gone wrong? What if you'd made a mistake?" Her voice dropped, trembling with lingering fear. "I... Bei Bei and I nearly jumped out of our skin when we heard!"

She'd nearly blurted out "I was so worried about you," but managed to change course in time. Even so, her cheeks flushed faintly.

Bei Bei had also recovered from his shock. He said seriously, "That's right, Brother Su Chen. Teacher Zhou Yi... has an extreme way of doing things. After what you did to her in front of everyone today, she definitely won't let it go. Be very careful at the academy from now on."

Su Chen felt warmed by their sincere concern, but his smile remained calm. "Don't worry. I knew what I was doing. Besides, I'm perfectly fine, aren't I?"

He paused, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "As for Zhou Yi's revenge? Let her come. Do you think I, Su Chen, am afraid of her?"

Bei Bei sighed. He knew Su Chen was resolute and had a mind of his own, so he didn't try to talk him into backing down. Instead, he warned him, "It's good that you have that kind of courage, Brother Su Chen. But Zhou Yi is still a senior teacher at the academy, and her husband, Fan Yu, is a key figure in the Soul Guidance Department with a special standing. Open spears are easy to dodge, but hidden arrows are hard to guard against. You still need to be careful. If you run into trouble or need help, come to me and Xiao Ya."

He spoke sincerely. What Bei Bei didn't know was that his friend Su Chen was the very person who had stolen away the woman he loved most, Tang Ya.

Su Chen nodded. "Bei Bei, I understand. Thanks. I'll be careful. But if I'd been too afraid of the connections behind her to fight back today, wouldn't that mean anyone could walk all over me from now on? Give in once, and there'll be a second time. When it's time to stand firm, you can't go soft."

Seeing how determined Su Chen was, Tang Ya knew there was no talking him out of it. She dropped the gloomy subject. Her eyes shifted, and she suddenly broke into a smile, leaning closer as her bright purple eyes fixed on Su Chen. Her voice held a hint of coquettish insistence.

"Enough, enough. Let's not talk about that anymore! Even if Zhou Yi really dares come after you, Bei Bei and I are here. We're not pushovers!" She patted her not particularly ample chest, striking a pose that said she had everything covered.

Then she blinked, softening her voice with obvious anticipation. "Su Chen, you must be exhausted after today, and you must have been scared, too. Tonight... let me treat you to something delicious!"

As she spoke, she suddenly stepped closer, almost pressing against Su Chen. Under Bei Bei's startled gaze and Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao's instantly riveted stares, she rose onto her toes and brought her warm lips to Su Chen's ear. In a whisper only the two of them could hear, full of playfulness and secrecy, she said quickly,

"Tonight, I'll wait for you at the entrance to the Freshman Dormitory Building... just the two of us. I won't bring Bei Bei."

After saying that, she swiftly stepped back, her face bright with a trace of shyness.

"Okay." Su Chen's expression didn't change as he nodded calmly.

Tang Ya's smile grew even brighter at his affirmative answer, like a little fox who'd stolen a piece of candy. "Then it's a promise! See you tonight. Don't be late!"

She waved to Su Chen, then smiled politely at Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao before turning to leave. She pulled along Bei Bei, who still hadn't quite come to his senses and kept glancing at Su Chen and then Tang Ya with a complicated look. Her footsteps were light and brisk.

Watching Tang Ya and Bei Bei walk away, Wang Dong, who had stood beside Su Chen and witnessed the whole scene, finally couldn't hold back.

She pouted, sidelong glancing at Su Chen with her pinkish-blue eyes. Then she slung an arm around his neck as if they were the best of buddies, her tone sour with obvious teasing and... a hint of something she couldn't quite explain.

"Honestly, Su Chen, look at you! You've really made something of yourself!"

She counted off on her fingers and began to "scold" him. "First, our little beauty Xiao Xiao took the initiative to sit with you and fuss over you~" She glanced at Xiao Xiao, whose little face had flushed at her words as she lowered her head and played with her fingers.

"And now a pretty upper-year student comes running over in front of everyone to shower you with concern~" Wang Dong drew out her words, her jealousy practically wafting two miles away. "Su Chen, isn't your luck with girls a little too good? When are you going to introduce a pretty girl to your roommate here? You can't keep all the 'happiness' to yourself, can you?"

She'd said it jokingly, but there was something off about her tone, something... not quite sincere. Even Wang Dong herself couldn't fully understand why seeing Tang Ya act so close to Su Chen made her feel as though a wad of cotton were stuck in her chest—heavy, irritating, and... unsettling in a way she couldn't explain.

At those words, Xiao Xiao buried her head even lower, the tips of her ears turning red. Her hands unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes, and her blue-green eyes stole a glance at Su Chen's profile. She felt both shy and a little disappointed. Wang Dong was right. Senior Tang Ya was beautiful and bold. Would Su Chen...

With Wang Dong's arm around his neck, Su Chen turned his head toward her, a little helpless. This girl sure was jealous. Maybe she didn't even realize it herself.

"Don't go making things up." Su Chen tried to explain. "I met Tang Ya and Bei Bei by chance in the Star Dou Great Forest a few days ago. I helped them out a little back then. She's just showing gratitude and the goodwill of a fellow student."

"Yeah, right." Wang Dong snorted, clearly unconvinced. Her pinkish-blue eyes brimmed with certainty that said, "I saw right through everything." "A man's words are lies! An explanation is a cover-up, and a cover-up means it's true! The way Senior Tang Ya looked at you was clearly more than just 'gratitude'~"

She deliberately leaned closer to Su Chen's face and stared into his eyes, as if trying to catch him in a lie.

Looking at her finely featured face, close enough to touch, puffed up with indignation and curiosity, Su Chen suddenly felt mischievous. He raised an eyebrow and lowered his voice to a level only the two of them could hear, replying with a teasing question,

"Wang Dong, since we're both 'men,' why would I lie to you? Hmm?"

He put particular emphasis on the word "men," his gaze seeming to drift over Wang Dong's chest. Her uniform was loose, but when she got worked up, it still couldn't fully hide certain curves. His eyes then moved to her unusually fair, delicate neck.

"..." Wang Dong froze at his words and the meaningful look in his eyes. Then, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, she abruptly released his neck and hopped back a small step. Her cheeks flamed red in an instant, even the tips of her ears turning scarlet.

"You... what are you talking about! Who said we were both... Hmph! I'm not talking to you!" Her eyes darted away, her heart inexplicably beating faster. Blushing with embarrassment and annoyance, she turned her face aside and pretended to admire the scenery, but her bright red ears gave her away.

Xiao Xiao watched their sudden exchange, charged with a subtle, strange atmosphere, and blinked her big eyes, only half understanding. She looked down at her own still "unremarkable" figure, then secretly compared it with Wang Dong's more shapely curves, though not by much. Then she looked at Su Chen's handsome profile and Wang Dong's red ears...

The little girl puffed out her cheeks like an angry hamster, silently convincing herself, It's fine, it's fine. Xiao Xiao, you're still young and still growing! In the future... in the future, you'll definitely be more impressive! Su Chen... Su Chen is just a nice person, that's all!

Dean's Office

The atmosphere was so tense it seemed as if you could wring water from it.

Du Weilun stood upright in front of the wide rosewood desk, reporting everything that had happened that afternoon on the freshman training field to Yan Shaozhe, who sat behind it. He described the shocking confrontation from beginning to end, including its cause, course, and outcome, as well as Su Chen's baffling Martial Soul and Soul Ring Configuration. His account was clear and orderly.

When Du Weilun mentioned that Su Chen, with the body of a twenty-eight-level Soul Grandmaster, had not only withstood Zhou Yi's Soul Emperor attack head-on but had also left a wound on her with a single "Holy Light Slash," forcing her to kneel and apologize in front of everyone, Yan Shaozhe—who had maintained his composed bearing all along—finally showed his shock.

"What did you say?!" Yan Shaozhe leaned forward slightly. His usually gentle, refined eyes widened, glittering with disbelief. "Su Chen? That twelve-year-old freshman at level twenty-seven? He... he injured Zhou Yi? A Six-Ring Soul Emperor?!"

His voice rose slightly with astonishment. "And... are you sure his Martial Soul is the... Six-Winged Angel? That divine Martial Soul that disappeared ten thousand years ago? Director Du, this is no small matter. Did you see it clearly?"

Du Weilun nodded firmly, his expression grave. "I saw it with my own eyes, Dean. There's no doubt. The boy's back was spread with six pure white wings. His sacred aura was pure and powerful, far beyond that of ordinary light-attribute Martial Souls. His Soul Ring Configuration was even more bizarre: the first ring was a thousand-year purple ring, and the second... was an unprecedented golden color. Its aura was ancient and vast, nothing ordinary."

"I held back!" a hoarse, resentful voice suddenly cut in.

Zhou Yi, who had been standing off to one side with her head bowed like a mere backdrop, still bearing the marks of her disheveled state, abruptly raised her head. Humiliation and indignation filled her face as she cried sharply, "Dean Yan! If I hadn't been mindful of the academy's rules and worried that killing a student by accident would cause trouble, I would've gone all out from the start. That ignorant little bastard would've been dead already!"

"How could he have hurt me at all?! He only won because of his special Martial Soul and a little luck..."

"Enough, Zhou Yi!"

Yan Shaozhe slammed his hand down on the desk with a loud bang, cutting off her defense. The gentle expression had vanished from his face, replaced by stern fury. His gaze shot toward Zhou Yi like lightning, full of undisguised condemnation.

"You have no right to speak here!" Yan Shaozhe's voice was cold, carrying the authority of a man long accustomed to high office. "Do you not know what you did? You bullied someone weaker than you, couldn't bear to lose, and even tried to kill him. In the end, a student forced you to kneel in front of everyone... You've brought shame on Shrek!"

He stood and walked to the window, turning his back to them. His voice carried a trace of heaviness and anxiety. "Zhou Yi, do you not understand the situation facing the continent? Evil Soul Masters are growing increasingly rampant, and behind them, there are signs of the Sun Moon Empire. They're becoming ever more brazen, using sinister and vicious methods that pose a grave threat to ordinary Soul Masters and civilians alike! Shrek is powerful, but our strength is limited. Often, all we can do is hold our ground in one region."

He turned around, his sharp gaze fixed on Zhou Yi, and his tone hardened. "The Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul possesses ultimate sacred and purifying attributes. It's a natural nemesis of Evil Soul Masters! Its return could have immeasurable strategic significance for the Soul Master World across the entire continent and in the fight against Evil Soul Masters!"

"And you? Not only did you fail to recognize such a talent and guide him properly, you nearly drove him to ruin over a personal grudge—and may even have created a future enemy for the academy! What on earth were you thinking?!"