Zhou Yi

After breakfast, Beibei led Feng Tianyu toward the classroom for Grade 1, Class 1. Despite hurrying, they were still a step too late.

They were late and had failed to reach the classroom before the bell rang.

When Beibei and Feng Tianyu arrived at the doorway, a middle-aged woman wearing moon-white robes with a stern expression and icy eyes was already standing on the podium, lecturing the other students.

Beibei's face soured. He clearly recognized this woman; her name was Zhou Yi, and she was known throughout the academy as the "Devil Teacher," famous for her high-pressure teaching methods.

Although her annual promotion rate was high, it was only because she expelled every student who lacked sufficient talent.

In a sense, she was the epitome of Shrek Academy's elite education, having mastered the essence of the academy's teaching style to perfection.

Shrek Academy only accepted monsters, not ordinary people. As long as the geniuses called "monsters" didn't die prematurely, most of them would eventually become powerhouses.

Then, Shrek Academy could shamelessly claim that these powerhouses had grown up under the academy's cultivation.

Thus, a positive cycle was formed!

The more geniuses they recruited, the more powerhouses they cultivated; the more powerhouses they cultivated, the more geniuses they could attract!

Zhou Yi was incredibly shrewd; she had grasped the essence of Shrek Academy. By expelling the underachievers, the remaining top students made the promotion rate look spectacular.

At the classroom door!

Beibei glanced at Feng Tianyu. He was older, so if anyone was going to get scolded, it should be him.

"Report!"

Beibei announced their presence, but Zhou Yi acted as if she hadn't heard him, continuing to lecture the students below.

The students in the room didn't even dare to lift their heads. Some eyes showed sympathy, while others showed schadenfreude; they had all experienced the terror of Zhou Yi.

Now, they only knew that these two late students were in for a rough time.

Three minutes, five minutes, ten minutes!

Every minute felt as long as an hour. For ten full minutes, Zhou Yi ignored Beibei and Feng Tianyu at the door.

Feng Tianyu's sword-like brows knitted together. It was his first day of class, and the teacher was already giving him a "welcome" show of force. He figured the next few years wouldn't be easy.

Beibei caught a glimpse of the frowning Feng Tianyu out of the corner of his eye and knew he couldn't remain silent any longer. Taking a deep breath, he spoke loudly again:

"Report!"

"I'm sorry, Teacher Zhou, we are late!"

As if annoyed by Beibei's voice, Zhou Yi stopped her lecture and whipped her gaze over like a blade, her voice as cold as the permafrost of the Far North:

"What are you shouting about!"

"As two transfer students who got in through connections, you should know you've had great luck to even study in my class!"

"Yet you still arrived late. Are you looking down on me, or looking down on Shrek Academy? Don't think that just because you have some connections, you can act recklessly!"

"I, Zhou Yi, don't buy that act. No matter who stands behind you, if you annoy me, I will expel you from Shrek Academy!"

"Even if the heavens themselves came down today, you two aren't stepping into this classroom. My class has no need for late students!"

Her stern tone made it sound as if Beibei and Feng Tianyu had committed some unforgivable crime!

Being lectured and threatened with expulsion for being late on the first day, and acting so aggressively toward two children—Zhou Yi certainly had plenty of momentum!

Beibei's eyes turned red. At the end of the day, he was only ten years old. He had been pampered by Mu En since he was small, and Zhang Lexuan had always granted his every request; he had never been scolded like this before.

He gritted his teeth tightly, his body trembling slightly in spite of himself, but he stubbornly refused to talk back.

Seeing this, how could Feng Tianyu let Beibei take the hit alone? He stepped forward, his voice clear and crisp:

"Teacher, one person acts, one person takes the blame!"

"It was because of my mutated external martial soul that people were crowding around in the dormitory, which delayed us from reaching the classroom on time!"

"If you want to punish someone, punish me alone. Don't drag Beibei into this!"

Beibei, eyes still red, pulled Feng Tianyu back:

"Tianyu, we are roommates. If we aren't allowed in, we aren't allowed in. Don't talk about dragging anyone down!"

While Beibei and Feng Tianyu were tugging at each other, Zhou Yi clicked her high heels toward the door and saw that, besides the two boys, there was a large grey wolf standing upright outside.

A mutated external martial soul?!

The thought flashed through Zhou Yi's mind. Then, looking at Feng Tianyu's face—he looked only six or seven years old—to be specially recruited into Shrek Academy as a transfer student at such a young age...

What did this represent?

Zhou Yi was no fool. A moment's thought told her that this Feng Tianyu must have extraordinary talent, the kind of material that would have a chance to enter the Inner Court in the future!

Initially, Zhou Yi had assumed that the two transfer students arranged for this term were just aristocratic children with deep connections coming to gild their resumes.

Now, it seemed that was not the case.

These two children seemed qualified to receive her, Zhou Yi's, instruction.

However, Zhou Yi's high-pressure teaching method required her to maintain her authority at all times, suppressing her students in every aspect so they wouldn't dare to harbor any thoughts of resistance and would obediently follow her running drills.

Zhou Yi kept a cold face, her eyes as frigid as a frozen pool, her tone so cold it seemed capable of turning water into ice:

"I haven't said I forgive you yet, and you two are already busy pushing the blame onto each other!"

"My word is final. None of you are stepping foot into this classroom today. You will stay outside and learn your lesson well!"

"Not everyone is qualified to receive instruction from me, Zhou Yi. Whether you stay or go depends entirely on your performance!"

Zhou Yi then pointed a finger at Grey Wolf:

"Since this thing is your Martial Soul, why haven't you retracted it into your body instead of summoning it to parade around in public?"

"Does having people gawk at it in the dorms and drawing attention to yourself at the academy give you some kind of sense of accomplishment?"

"At such a young age, you don't learn anything good. Do you enjoy the feeling of being the center of attention that a mutated external Martial Soul brings you?"

"You like to show off, you like to grandstand. If you want to study in my class, you will drop these bad habits immediately!"

"Retract your Martial Soul right now, or based on your track record of poor character, I will immediately petition the academy to have you expelled!"

Zhou Yi's presence was overwhelming. As the renowned "Tyrant Flower" of Shrek Academy, her word was law in the classroom. Her imperious temper and unquestionable tone felt like a mountain pressing down on Feng Tianyu's shoulders.

Feng Tianyu's brows knit together, his young face taut. Even under the immense pressure, he shook his head with absolute resolve:

"No!"

"I promised Grey Wolf that I would give it freedom. I will not force it back into my body without its permission!"

"This is my partner, my comrade-in-arms. I summon it to stay by my side not to show off or grandstand, but out of respect for my partner and comrade!"

Feng Tianyu's refusal made Zhou Yi feel that her authority had been challenged. Even with his explanation, it did nothing to quell her fury; her voice rose by eight octaves:

"You dare defy my instructions?"

As Zhou Yi roared in anger, the many students in the classroom craned their necks to look over, their faces filled with excitement as they watched Feng Tianyu with genuine admiration.

To actually dare defy the old hag's orders—the students cheered for Feng Tianyu in their hearts, and some even gave him a thumbs-up.

Zhou Yi looked down at him, glaring fiercely at Feng Tianyu as a powerful aura erupted from her body. Red light burst forth, coalescing into a red dragon behind her.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black—five soul rings in the optimal configuration rose from beneath her feet. The terrifying pressure of a Soul King slammed down onto Feng Tianyu's shoulders.

A Soul King in her thirties bullying a six-year-old little Soul Master; only Zhou Yi would stoop so low.

She was determined to win this power struggle today and force this little thing to bow before her.

Zhou Yi issued a naked threat:

"I don't care for your excuses. I will ask you one more time: are you going to retract this thing or not?"

"Defy my instructions again, and I will immediately petition the academy to expel you from Shrek Academy, ensuring you lose the chance to study here forever!"