Pervert! She's a pervert!

Zhou Yi watched the reactions of the students below, the displeasure in her eyes deepening. She slammed her hand onto the podium, her icy voice ringing out once more: "I see that you lot are simply in need of tempering! Since you lack such spirit, I shall give you your first lesson today!"

"Everyone, assemble at the track immediately! Twenty kilograms of weight, one hundred laps of cross-country running! Anyone who fails to finish within two hours will be expelled! Now! Immediately! At once!"

As soon as these words left her lips, the classroom erupted into a chorus of wails.

Twenty kilograms of weight, one hundred laps! The track at Shrek Academy was a full kilometer per lap! One hundred laps meant one hundred kilometers! And to finish it within two hours! For a group of boys and girls no older than twelve, this was an impossible task!

"Teacher Zhou! That is completely unreasonable!"

A tall, sturdy boy couldn't help but stand up. His face flushed red as he loudly challenged her: "We are all new students. Even if we are geniuses, most of us only have around twenty levels of soul power. A hundred-kilometer weighted run in two hours is simply forcing us beyond our limits! This isn't tempering; it's deliberate harassment!"

"Oh? You think I am harassing you?" Zhou Yi looked coldly at the boy, her eyes devoid of ripples, flickering with a bone-chilling coldness.

"Isn't it?" The boy stiffened his neck, bracing himself to speak.

"Shrek Academy is a place to cultivate soul masters, not a gym for physical training! We are here to learn soul master knowledge and combat techniques, not to be laborers running laps!"

"Very good. Having the guts to question me is better than being a bunch of cowards." A cold arc curled at the corner of Zhou Yi's mouth. In the next second, her figure vanished from the podium.

With a dull "thud," the boy who had been standing to challenge her was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily against the back door of the classroom. He didn't even let out a groan before fainting on the spot.

The classroom fell into a deathly silence. All the new students were pale with fright, not daring to even draw a full breath.

They hadn't even seen how Zhou Yi moved; they only saw a ring of yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, and black soul rings suddenly ignite in the room. The six rings swirled with terrifying radiance, and the pressure of a Soul Ancestor-level expert descended like Mount Tai, enveloping the entire classroom.

Zhou Yi slowly withdrew her hand, her icy gaze sweeping across the room, her voice devoid of warmth: "Does anyone else think I am harassing you?"

The classroom was deathly silent. Everyone kept their heads bowed, trembling, no one daring to utter a single word of dissent.

This seemingly hunched, elderly woman was a genuine Soul Ancestor!

"Since no one objects, get out and run!" Zhou Yi barked sharply.

"If I don't see you on the track within three minutes, you will all be treated as expelled!"

The new students panicked, scrambling from their seats and rushing out of the classroom like madmen, terrified that being a second late would lead to immediate expulsion by Zhou Yi.

Amidst the chaos, only Gu Yuan and his three companions remained steadily in their seats, showing not a hint of panic.

Zhou Yi's gaze fell upon the four of them. She frowned and said coldly: "You four, why aren't you moving? Do you think that because you have a recommendation from Douluo Hall, you don't have to follow my rules?"

Gu Yuan stood up slowly, and Gu Yuena, Huo Yuhao, and Jin Ruiqiu followed suit.

Facing Zhou Yi's icy glare, Gu Yuan's expression remained calm.

He raised his hand slightly, and a vast, ancient aura began to emanate from his body.

Hum— A low dragon roar echoed through the classroom.

A massive, dragon-shaped phantom slowly took form behind Gu Yuan. The dragon was chaos-colored, its head majestic, its scales shimmering with nine-colored light. It possessed both the ultimate power of creation and the ultimate threat of destruction, containing all the laws from the dawn of the universe. The mere phantom caused the space in the classroom to tremble slightly.

Zhou Yi's Red Dragon martial soul trembled violently; the absolute suppression of bloodlines left it unable to act out. Zhou Yi fought the urge to kneel, forcing herself to maintain a look of indifference.

Yet, the shock in her heart was beyond measure. A new student possessing such strength, and a martial soul that had surely reached the pinnacle of the Douluo Continent—even the Radiant Sacred Dragon martial soul of Pavilion Master Mu En did not possess such suppressive power.

Following this, four soul rings rose slowly from his feet: one yellow, two purple, one black. The astonishing soul ring configuration swirled with brilliant light around him. He released his simulated level 45 Soul Ancestor soul power without reservation.

Almost simultaneously, Gu Yuena, Jin Ruiqiu, and Huo Yuhao also released their martial souls and soul rings.

Behind Gu Yuena, a Silver Dragon phantom soared into the air, its purple-gold dragon eyes overlooking all living things. Her four soul rings were also one yellow, two purple, and one black. Her level 45 Soul Ancestor soul power surged forth, and the laws of life and creation enveloped the room, causing tender green sprouts to emerge from the surrounding desks and chairs.

Around Jin Ruiqiu, golden light erupted. The phantom of a Golden Dragon flickered behind her, its aura of auspiciousness calming the terrified students. She also displayed the optimal soul ring configuration of one yellow, two purple, and one black, with the level 41 soul power of a Soul Ancestor, both agile and vast.

Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eye martial soul ignited between his brows. Pale blue light swirled as his ultimate mental-attribute soul power spread out. Two soul rings rose—one white-gold and one purple—shining brilliantly in the sunlight. Though his level 23 Soul Grand Master aura was not as vast as the other three, it was incredibly solid and carried ultimate penetrating power.

The martial soul phantoms behind the four echoed one another, and the light from their soul rings illuminated the entire classroom.

Even though Zhou Yi had seen their files and prepared herself mentally, seeing the four of them release their martial souls and rings—especially Gu Yuan's Chaos Dragon—made her heart tremble violently. Her hand, clutching the roster, tightened involuntarily.

What shocked her even more was that the oldest of the four was only twelve, and the youngest was only ten, yet all of them possessed soul rings that exceeded the optimal configuration! Three twelve-year-old Soul Ancestors and one ten-year-old Soul Grand Master with ultimate attributes! This was unprecedented in the entire history of the Douluo Continent!

Outside the classroom, the new students who hadn't run far also saw the scene inside. They stood frozen, their faces filled with shock and horror.

Whispers rose and fell. As everyone looked at the four in the classroom, their eyes held nothing but ultimate awe.

Even the boy who had challenged Zhou Yi, now awake and supported by his companions, stared at the scene in a daze, unable to utter another word.

Just as the entire room was stunned, Gu Yuan spoke slowly.

His voice was calm and gentle, every word clear and carrying undeniable power. He met Zhou Yi's gaze directly, refuting her without a hint of servility.

"You say that a soul master must have spirit and the courage to fight. On that point, we agree."

"But to claim that not wanting to fight is a lack of spirit—that standard of judgment is simply laughable."

Gu Yuan's gaze was clear as he looked straight into Zhou Yi's icy eyes.

"Shrek cultivates soul masters who will stand at the pinnacle of the continent, not laborers with high endurance."

This Zhou Yi was just like that Yu the Grandmaster, only knowing how to make students run. Yu the Grandmaster called it "training physical fitness," while this Teacher Zhou claimed it was "training willpower." If running alone could lead to improvement, then wouldn't one become a god just by running across the entire continent?

Gu Yuan's words, one by one, rang clearly into the ears of everyone present.

All the new students, both inside and outside the classroom, were stunned.

The things they dared not think or say had been spoken, word for word, by Gu Yuan right to Zhou Yi's face.

Every sentence struck a chord in their hearts, leaving them feeling both nervous and filled with irrepressible admiration.

Zhou Yi stood where she was, watching the twelve-year-old boy before her. The icy coldness in her eyes faded bit by bit, replaced by an unconcealable appreciation.

Zhou Yi looked at Gu Yuan, remaining silent for a full dozen seconds. Inside and outside the classroom, there was not a sound; everyone held their breath, waiting for Zhou Yi's reaction.

They all assumed Zhou Yi would fly into a rage and severely punish the boy who dared to contradict her in public.

Yet, contrary to everyone's expectations, not only was Zhou Yi not angry, but as she looked at Gu Yuan, the corners of her mouth actually curled into a faint, almost invisible smile.

Her hoarse voice held less coldness and more approval: "Very good. Very well said."

"I have been teaching for over thirty years, and you are the first freshman who has dared to refute my teaching methods to my face."

"Your name is Gu Yuan, correct? Chaos Dragon martial soul, level 45 Soul Ancestor. Very good, truly excellent."

Gu Yuan nodded slightly: "Teacher Zhou, I was merely stating my own perspective."

Zhou Yi raised an eyebrow, looking at him with a strange expression: "Even if you think my arrangements are unreasonable, you are my student now, and you will execute whatever I say. Do you understand?"

As her words fell, Gu Yuan felt quite helpless. This eccentric old woman was truly unique; she knew her own demands were unreasonable yet insisted on enforcing them by virtue of her position as the homeroom teacher.

Gu Yuan had a good temper, but he could only take so much arrogance. However, constrained by the current situation, he had to submit to her tyranny for now; he would just have to return the favor to this Teacher Zhou later.

He turned to look at the three people beside him and smiled slightly: "Let's go. Since Teacher Zhou wants us to run, we shall obediently 'listen'."

"Right!" Huo Yuhao immediately straightened his back, his eyes firm.

"We'll run together!"

"It's just one hundred kilometers! I can definitely finish it!" Jin Ruiqiu lifted her chin, looking proud.

A soft smile flashed through Gu Yuena's cold eyes; she did not speak, but her actions made her stance clear.

The four of them exchanged a glance and walked out of the classroom side by side.

Zhou Yi stood on the podium, watching the four figures leave together, a triumphant smile appearing on her aged face.

Even such prodigies still had to listen to her, Zhou Yi. The goal of establishing her authority had been achieved.

She muttered to herself, her voice filled with unconcealable delight: "Geniuses from Douluo Hall! This batch of freshmen is interesting, truly interesting."

She turned to look at the freshmen standing blankly inside and outside the classroom, her expression returning to its icy state as she barked sharply: "What are you still standing there for?! A twelve-year-old Soul Ancestor has already gone to run, and you are still standing here? Do you want to be eliminated? Get to the track immediately!"

All the freshmen snapped back to reality instantly. No longer daring to complain in the slightest, they rushed toward the track like madmen.

The morning sun rose higher and higher, casting golden light across the track of Shrek Academy.