The office was quiet and solemn, yet the air was taut with a hint of oppression.
Su Ming stood upright and proper off to one side, his expression calm but somewhat restrained.
He knew that, no matter who had been right about the cause, he had been the first to get into a physical and Soul Power altercation with an instructor.
Strictly speaking, he had indeed violated the academy rules and could not claim to be entirely in the right, so he showed no trace of arrogance or defiance.
Du Weilun rubbed his aching temples as he looked at the teacher and student locked in a standoff before him. Irritation welled up inside him, and he said sternly,
"Tell me what happened. You openly fought on academy grounds without permission, disregarding the academy rules. Do you understand what you did wrong?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Yi stepped forward first. Anger and grievance showed on her face as she hastened to defend herself, her tone firm:
"Director Du, I wasn't at fault here. It was all Su Ming acting recklessly! He openly talked back to a teacher, interfered with my class without permission, questioned me maliciously, and disrupted my teaching.
"He even spoke rudely and insulted my qualifications and ability to teach! He kept pressuring me at every turn. I had no choice but to discipline a student who had broken the rules!"
Her words turned right and wrong upside down. Su Ming's gaze immediately turned cold, and he refuted her without hesitation, his voice forceful and composed:
"Zhou Yi, you're being far too one-sided! If I hadn't been fed up with your ridiculous teaching methods, why would I have questioned you in front of everyone? If there are serious flaws in your methods, are students not allowed to point them out?"
Su Ming looked straight at Du Weilun, speaking clearly and reasonably as he voiced all his dissatisfaction and doubts:
"Director Du, please judge for yourself! What top academy, what qualified instructor, would make students run endless high-intensity laps on the first day of their first year?"
"Any new student who couldn't meet the Power Attack System's exercise requirements was immediately declared unfit and expelled without a word! That isn't how you select talent. It's a blatant waste of it!"
Su Ming pointed toward the group of new students who had followed them to the door. His voice grew louder:
"These students you disqualified are simply weaker physically and unable to keep up with the Power Attack System's training intensity!"
"But some of them are gifted auxiliary or control-system Soul Masters! Physical strength has never been the same thing as Martial Soul talent or future potential. How can you deny them everything and cut off their chance to study based on a single fitness run?"
His words rang out like a heavy bell, striking straight at the hearts of all the expelled students.
The new students, who had endured the situation in silence, were now swept up in anger and indignation. They stepped forward as one, pleading their case to Du Weilun, their faces full of grievance and resentment.
A youthful-looking new student with a healing staff Martial Soul spoke with red-rimmed eyes:
"Director Du! I'm a pure auxiliary-system Soul Master, and my Soul Power is devoted to healing. A weak constitution is just my nature! Teacher Zhou made us run beyond our limits by the standards for Power Attack System Battle Soul Masters. There's no way we could meet them!
"If she doesn't want auxiliary-system students, she could just say so. Why make things so difficult and humiliate us by expelling us for failing to meet her standard?"
Several more new students chimed in, each voicing their deep grievances. They laid bare Zhou Yi's harsh, biased, and completely misguided teaching methods.
Du Weilun listened quietly as their complaints piled up, his brows drawing tighter. He already understood the whole situation.
He had long heard about Zhou Yi's extreme, almost obsessive teaching methods.
For years, he had turned a blind eye and indulged her, on account of her husband, Fan Yu, having worked tirelessly for the academy's Soul Tool Department and made great contributions, and because Zhou Yi had never let matters get out of hand.
She had always kept things confined to the classroom. But he had never imagined that, at the start of this semester, Zhou Yi would go even further and make such an absurd selection process public.
She had arbitrarily disqualified new students based on her personal preferences, stirred up a major teacher-student brawl, and thoroughly damaged the academy's teaching environment.
Du Weilun shook his head inwardly, exasperated. Zhou Yi had taught for many years and had enough seniority and decent ability.
Yet she had never managed to become a senior teacher. Others might not know the reason, but she herself seemed to have not the slightest self-awareness! With such a biased, dogmatic attitude and no understanding of how to teach students according to their abilities, she didn't deserve the honor of being a senior teacher!
He turned helplessly toward Zhou Yi, meeting the director's gaze, which held both reproach and a clear understanding of the whole situation.
The confidence Zhou Yi had shown moments earlier faltered. She lowered her head slightly, flustered, and avoided his eyes.
Du Weilun then slowly looked over the new students, all hoping for justice. His expression grew grave as he settled on an appropriate course of action.
Du Weilun's face turned cold. His voice carried an unquestionable authority as he addressed Zhou Yi, enunciating every word:
"Zhou Yi, as a senior teacher at Shrek Outer Court, you failed to distinguish right from wrong and abused your authority to maliciously expel innocent students.
"When faced with reasonable advice, you not only refused to reflect on yourself but also attacked a student. Your conduct was appalling. I'm hereby ordering you to suspend your duties immediately and reflect on your actions. You may not return to the classroom until you've fully recognized your mistakes and submitted a written confession."
He paused, his gaze growing sterner. "The academy will assign another senior teacher to temporarily take over the class you were responsible for.
"Go back and reflect in private. Think carefully about how a teacher should conduct herself and treat others."
Zhou Yi's face filled with defiance, anger surging in her chest as she bristled at the injustice. She wanted to argue her case and defend herself further.
But when she met the impatience and cold irritation in Du Weilun's eyes, most of her fierce resolve vanished.
The words of protest caught in her throat. In the end, she could only clamp her mouth shut in frustration and clench her fists, swallowing her grievances without daring to say another word.
After reprimanding Zhou Yi, Du Weilun slowly withdrew his gaze and turned to Su Ming.
All the students who had come with him held their breath. Their faces were filled with tension and worry as they stared anxiously at the director, afraid he would punish Su Ming severely.
Just as the atmosphere grew unbearably taut, Huo Yuhao stepped forward and pleaded sincerely and resolutely:
"Director Du, Su Ming didn't do anything wrong from beginning to end. He stopped Teacher Zhou from unfairly expelling our classmates. He was only standing up for fairness for us students. He did it all for everyone's sake."
As soon as Huo Yuhao spoke, the other students around him joined in to plead for Su Ming. One after another, they stood up for him, said good things about him, and earnestly asked the director to go easy on him.
Seeing so many students rally around one person, Du Weilun's face darkened.
He could only sigh inwardly. Good grief, this one not only dared to talk back to a teacher and get into a fight with her, but afterward he even had all these students wholeheartedly pleading on his behalf.
If he severely punished Su Ming, he would only chill every student's heart and lose all his authority in the Outer Court, creating endless trouble in the future.
Du Weilun considered the matter in silence for a moment, weighing the pros and cons before finally announcing the punishment:
"Su Ming, as a student of the Outer Court, you openly got into a fight with one of the academy's teachers. Under normal circumstances, you should be dealt with strictly.
"But the incident had its reasons, and you had no ill intent. You weren't looking for trouble without cause. I'll therefore go easy on you. You are to clean all the dormitory buildings for one week as punishment."
The punishment was extremely light, barely more than a slap on the wrist.
Everyone present breathed a sigh of relief. Their faces brightened with joy, and they praised Du Weilun for being fair and reasonable.
Only Zhou Yi's face turned livid. Her heart brimmed with anger and resentment. When she heard the verdict, she could no longer contain her fury. She flung her sleeve, slammed the door shut, and stormed out of the office.
After settling all the disputes, Du Weilun waved for everyone to leave.