Zhou Yi

Two days later. Early morning.

Freshman Class One classroom.

Lin Yaoyang and Wang Dong walked into the classroom one after the other.

More than half the classroom was already filled. When the two entered, quite a few eyes immediately turned toward them.

Once everyone got a clear look at them, many of the female students' eyes lit up.

Lin Yaoyang wore a white school uniform. His short orange-red hair framed his face, with loose bangs falling across his forehead and just covering part of his brow bone, making him look sunny and handsome.

At 1.8 meters tall, he was considered quite tall among his peers. He walked with a crisp, decisive air, and his whole body radiated a masculine energy that felt comfortable to be around.

Wang Dong, behind him, was also dressed in a white school uniform, but she gave off an entirely different impression.

Her pinkish-blue short hair was especially eye-catching. Her skin was impossibly fair, and her features were so exquisite she scarcely seemed real. Yet her chin was slightly raised, and her haughty demeanor made her seem somewhat difficult to approach.

The two had very different temperaments, but both were exceptionally good-looking.

Lin Yaoyang swept his gaze around the classroom, pausing briefly on a window seat in the back row before walking straight over and sitting down.

Wang Dong followed closely behind and sat beside him without hesitation.

Lin Yaoyang glanced at her but said nothing.

His gaze passed over the heads of several students in the front rows and landed on a thin, frail-looking boy sitting beside the aisle in the second row.

Short black hair, delicate features, and a somewhat pale complexion. He sat there quietly, like an inconspicuous little animal.

Huo Yuhao.

Lin Yaoyang withdrew his gaze, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

Just then, he noticed a girl in one of the front rows repeatedly turning around to look at him.

The girl looked very petite, with twin ponytails. She was not stunningly beautiful, but her features were delicate and pleasant, the kind that grew more attractive the longer one looked.

Her gaze sneaked over to him, then quickly darted away again, like a little rabbit peeking its head out.

When she turned around once more, Lin Yaoyang gave her a faint smile.

The girl's face instantly turned red. She hurriedly spun back around, even the tips of her ears burning pink.

I got caught...

She lowered her head so far that she wished she could burrow right into her desk.

Wang Dong saw the scene beside him. The corner of her mouth twitched as she muttered softly, "Drawing bees and butterflies."

Lin Yaoyang ignored her.

"Ring, ring, ring—"

The class bell rang.

Someone entered through the classroom door.

It was an elderly woman, with wrinkled skin and white hair. Her graying hair was coiled atop her head, and she wore a long white robe. She was of average height.

She looked at least sixty or seventy years old, but her eyes were exceptionally bright. Sharp light flashed in her black pupils, as though she could see through every person before her.

The previously noisy classroom instantly fell silent. Everyone's gaze focused on the podium.

The old woman stood behind the podium, her calm gaze sweeping from left to right. Everyone felt as though she were looking directly at them, as if none of their thoughts could be hidden from her.

"My name is Zhou Yi. I am your homeroom teacher."

Her voice was unpleasantly hoarse, like a broken gong being struck, especially piercing in the silent classroom.

"I'm not sure how many of you will make it through the coming year with me. But let me tell you this: in my class, no trash will ever pass the assessment. What I intend to cultivate are monsters, not idiots."

The classroom was deathly silent. No one dared speak.

Zhou Yi's gaze swept across the classroom before she suddenly said something no one had expected.

"Those who have gotten into fights since registration began, stand up."

The entire class froze.

These students had only just been admitted. Who would pick a fight at the academy for no reason? And even if they had, who would admit it?

Wang Dong nudged Lin Yaoyang with her elbow. Her beautiful eyes blinked, her meaning obvious: Were they standing or not?

Lin Yaoyang shrugged.

He dared to act, so he dared to own up to it.

He stood.

Seeing this, Wang Dong stood as well.

Out of the hundred students in the class, only the two of them stood up. They immediately stood out like cranes among chickens, becoming the center of everyone's attention.

"Only two?" Zhou Yi raised an eyebrow. Her gaze passed over them, and an unreadable smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

Then she turned to the others, her tone suddenly turning cold. "What a bunch of trash. Don't you know the saying, 'Those who dare not cause trouble are mediocre'? Other than those two, all of you get out and run one hundred laps around Shrek Square. Anyone who fails to finish will be expelled immediately."

The entire class erupted in an uproar.

It was only the first day of school. Class had not even begun, yet they were being punished for not fighting? Who could accept that?

At once, a boy seated in the front row stood up, his face flushed red. "Teacher, I refuse to accept this! Why should we be punished for not fighting?"

Zhou Yi gave him an indifferent glance, her tone as calm as if she were stating something perfectly ordinary. "Because I said so. If you refuse to accept it, you can get lost. As your homeroom teacher, I have the authority to expel any student. I'll give you one minute. If I don't see you running around Shrek Square within one minute, the entire class will be expelled."

The boy's face went from red to white. His lips trembled a few times, but in the end, he did not dare say anything more.

Zhou Yi then looked at Lin Yaoyang and Wang Dong, seemingly quite pleased by their willingness to own up to what they had done.

"You two..."

"Teacher Zhou."

Lin Yaoyang spoke.

His voice was not loud, but it carried with exceptional clarity through the spacious classroom.

Zhou Yi raised an eyebrow slightly and looked at him.

Meeting her gaze, Lin Yaoyang said, "You're only half right."

Zhou Yi's eyes narrowed.

"Shrek's motto is to accept only monsters, not ordinary people. It does not mean it only accepts thugs who actively provoke trouble."

"Making those who didn't fight run laps—are you encouraging us to bully the weak? How is that any different from an Evil Soul Master?"

The classroom fell silent for a moment.

Wang Dong's eyes widened as she stared at Lin Yaoyang in disbelief.

What was he saying? Was he talking back to the homeroom teacher?

Zhou Yi clearly had not expected anyone to dare speak to her like that. After teaching for so many years, not a single freshman had ever dared refute her so directly to her face.

She froze for a moment, then her expression darkened.

"Are you questioning my teaching methods?!"

The instant she spoke, a terrifying aura surged from her body!

That overwhelming Soul Power pressure made both Lin Yaoyang and Wang Dong feel as though they could barely breathe. Ring after ring rose from beneath Zhou Yi's feet.

Two yellow, two purple, two black.

Six-Ring Soul Emperor!

The two Ten-thousand-year Spirit Rings radiated a heart-palpitating pressure, and the air throughout the classroom seemed to freeze. It was no exaggeration to say that if she wanted to deal with these two young students, it would be effortless.

Wang Dong's expression changed. She instinctively moved a little closer to Lin Yaoyang.

But Lin Yaoyang's expression did not change in the slightest.

Standing where he was, facing the pressure of a Soul Emperor, he gave a cold laugh. "A Six-Ring Soul Emperor? As expected, at Shrek, the strong have always had the final say."

His voice was neither loud nor soft, but every word was crystal clear.

"You use Soul Power to suppress us freshmen. How are you any different from the mediocre fools you mentioned, or those Evil Soul Masters outside? You're merely using your strength to bully others."