Zhou Yi's Targeting

"What did you mean by that?"

Hearing Qiangu Qitian's words, Tang Ya's smile immediately stiffened. Her heart, which had been thrilled at the prospect of reviving the Tang Sect after recruiting a genius like Beibei, sank once more.

"Little Ya, Qitian's identity is rather special. He is destined to never join the Tang Sect."

"There are some people in Shrek Academy with particularly special identities. None of them can join the Tang Sect. You need to be cautious, or this will bring disaster upon both you and the declining Tang Sect."

Beibei knew perfectly well just how much some of the elders of Shrek's Sea God Pavilion valued Shrek's honor. If they learned that a future Sea God Pavilion Master or Sea God Pavilion member had joined the Tang Sect, Tang Ya would definitely suffer for it.

Beibei had joined purely because Mu En stood behind him. Out of respect for Mu En, no one would make an issue of it.

But if Tang Ya kept pushing her luck, those elders would not show mercy.

"Is... is that so?"

A trace of embarrassment crossed Tang Ya's face, followed by a hint of disappointment.

That was right. How could a genius like Qiangu Qitian possibly lack a faction behind him? Having Beibei willing to join the Tang Sect and revive it alongside her was already an immense blessing. How could she continue to ask for more?

After finishing lunch, Qiangu Qitian took the initiative to say goodbye.

He had no interest in watching the romantic games of young men and women any longer. Right now, all he wanted was to cultivate with all his strength.

He planned to properly train in the technique of Weight of Ease.

If he could master it, his combat strength would receive an enormous boost in the battles ahead.

With that thought in mind, Qiangu Qitian quickly returned to his dormitory. Only after thoroughly comprehending the technique of Weight of Ease did he find a secluded clearing and begin training.

Compared to the difficulty of gathering momentum for the Indomitable Staff Technique, Weight of Ease was downright exacting in its control over force every single time. Even Qiangu Qitian could not control it perfectly.

As he cultivated diligently day after day, time passed in the blink of an eye. Recruitment had ended, and Qiangu Qitian was about to begin his first day of study in the Outer Academy.

There were ten freshman classes in total, each with roughly a hundred students. Shrek recruited around a thousand students every year, and Class One, where Qiangu Qitian had been assigned, was led by Zhou Yi.

Although he had already seen Zhou Yi's attitude and methods for leading a class in the original story, Qiangu Qitian truly wanted to witness them in person.

She had nothing more than a Level Eight Soul Engineer, Fan Yu, behind her. He wanted to see just how arrogant this Zhou Yi really was.

Qiangu Qitian was holding an imperial decree now. Mu En had said that if it truly came to it, he could beat up Outer Academy teachers. Wasn't that practically telling him he could act without worrying about the consequences?

Since that was the case, he would have no need to hold back. He truly wanted to test Zhou Yi's abilities—though that was only if Zhou Yi was foolish enough to come looking for trouble with him.

The class bell rang through Shrek's Outer Academy. After parting with Beibei, Qiangu Qitian arrived alone at the entrance of a white teaching building. Freshmen wearing the same white uniforms as him filed inside, each with a small green monster emblem pinned to their chest.

Looking at that green emblem, Qiangu Qitian still found it a little ugly, even though he had seen it countless times.

Thinking aimlessly as he followed the crowd, Qiangu Qitian made his way to the classroom with practiced ease and casually found a seat.

The moment he sat down, Qiangu Qitian's brows rose, because he had spotted someone familiar.

Jiang Nannan, dressed in a white uniform and carrying books in her arms, strolled into the classroom.

He had never known that Jiang Nannan was actually Zhou Yi's student. It truly came as a surprise. Or perhaps his arrival had triggered some sort of butterfly effect.

Qiangu Qitian let his thoughts wander, but soon shook his head. What did any of this have to do with him?

He just did not know whether Jiang Nannan had completed her deal with Xu Sanshi yet. If not, he could recruit her directly into Shrek Academy and make her fully one of Shrek Academy's people.

Jiang Nannan's talent was undeniably quite good. In Qiangu Qitian's view, she had at least innate Level Eight Soul Power.

In this era, with even a little nurturing, she would be a promising candidate for a Title Douluo.

He was now the future heir to the position of Sea God Pavilion Master. Winning Jiang Nannan over meant helping himself find a future subordinate.

With a Soul Master's sharp senses, Jiang Nannan noticed Qiangu Qitian as well. She immediately smiled faintly and nodded at him, but instead of sitting beside him, she went to a corner.

Qiangu Qitian did not say anything. There was no rush in recruiting Jiang Nannan.

Just as Qiangu Qitian was observing Jiang Nannan, footsteps sounded in the hallway.

The footsteps drew nearer and nearer, immediately attracting everyone in the class amid curious gazes.

At last, someone entered through the classroom door.

It was an elderly woman with skin like chicken and hair like a crane's, her hair streaked with white.

Her brows were tightly furrowed, giving her an air of sternness and harshness. The moment she entered the classroom, she faintly released the aura of her Soul Power.

There were still a full three years before the beginning of the original story. At this point, Zhou Yi was not yet a Spirit Emperor powerhouse, but merely a High-Rank Spirit King.

Seeing a teacher enter, the previously noisy classroom fell silent in an instant.

Under everyone's gaze, Zhou Yi strode onto the podium. Her Soul Power condensed into invisible pressure that instantly spread throughout the entire classroom, clearly intending to intimidate the students through her strength.

Aside from Qiangu Qitian, a Soul Ancestor, the students of Class One were mostly only around Level Ten or Level Twenty. Under Zhou Yi's gaze, they involuntarily lowered their heads, not daring to meet her eyes.

Only Qiangu Qitian remained completely unaffected by Zhou Yi's aura and met her gaze directly.

Seeing this, Zhou Yi's brows rose, and a strange look appeared on her face. She had not expected someone among this batch of students to withstand her aura, much less appear entirely unaffected by it.

Yet this only stirred Zhou Yi's temperament. Her aura instantly surged toward Qiangu Qitian, Covering Heaven and Earth, intending to intimidate this rather capable student.

Zhou Yi's teaching method was intimidation—making these students willingly obey her words.

She had no need for useless students who refused to follow orders, nor should they appear in her class.