First Display of Sharpness

Cao Longyan slowly stood up.

There was no arrogance, no defiance; he first bowed slightly toward Zhou Yi on the podium, his posture respectful yet not servile.

"Teacher Zhou, I apologize. I did not intend to defy you, but I cannot agree with your methods."

A single sentence, both well-mannered and sharp, plunged the entire room into silence.

Even Zhou Yi was taken aback.

This was not at all what she had imagined...

Given her usual temper, if anyone dared to speak to her like that in class, she would have already used her soul power to force them into silence.

Yet, facing the calm, ripple-free blue eyes of Cao Longyan, she uncharacteristically suppressed her anger and, with forced patience, said coldly.

"Oh? Then tell me, what exactly is wrong with my methods?"

The surrounding freshmen were completely stunned, their eyes wide and their mouths hanging open, forgotten.

That was the notorious devil teacher, Zhou Yi! Rumored to have a fiery temper, she was strictly demanding of her students and would expel anyone at the slightest provocation. Yet now, she was actually listening patiently to a freshman's reasoning?

Was the person on the podium really the Zhou Yi they knew?

Cao Longyan stood straight, his gaze never leaving Zhou Yi, his tone cool but not offensive.

"You demand strict standards from your students to temper their character—that is fine. Shrek only keeps the strong; I agree with that."

"But you threaten expulsion at every turn, using a one-size-fits-all punishment to suppress everyone without giving freshmen a chance to adapt or correct their mistakes. That is wrong."

"Furthermore, soul masters of different departments have different physical constitutions, and those of different cultivation levels vary as well. For you to demand the same standard from everyone—that is also wrong!"

Zhou Yi raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued.

"Continue."

"Freshmen are new to Shrek; their characters are unformed and they are unfamiliar with the environment. To destroy them over minor, baseless mistakes is not teaching; it is suppression and bullying the weak."

Cao Longyan met her gaze calmly.

"Moreover, you should know better than anyone why you are teaching first-years instead of continuing with the third-years..."

The final sentence was a direct, devastating blow.

Zhou Yi froze, her pupils constricting sharply as a chill surged through her heart.

The entire class gasped; no one expected Cao Longyan to be this bold!

However, they also admired him for daring to stand up to the devil teacher... because they wouldn't dare, at least not to her face like this.

Zhou Yi stared at him for a moment, then suddenly smiled, a look of intrigue and testing in her eyes.

"You brat, you're interesting... Tell you what, I'll give you a chance. If you can last one incense stick's time against me, I will change my methods."

"But I will only use soul power and soul skills equivalent to your cultivation level. That's fair, isn't it? I wouldn't want word to get out that I'm bullying a child."

Everyone thought Cao Longyan would surely refuse.

She was a six-ring Soul Emperor. Even with equalized soul power and skills, their combat experience and techniques were far beyond what an eleven or twelve-year-old freshman could handle.

But Cao Longyan simply smiled and nodded decisively.

"Fine, I accept."

The classroom erupted. Everyone found it incredible that Cao Longyan had agreed.

Zhou Yi gave him a deep look, said nothing more, and shouted to the class.

"Everyone, gather at Shrek Plaza!"

With that, she turned and walked out of the classroom.

Cao Longyan followed closely behind.

Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao took half a second to react before rushing to catch up, grabbing him by either side.

"Cao Longyan, have you lost your mind? That's a Soul Emperor!"

Wang Dong's voice was frantic.

Huo Yuhao also looked grave.

"Longyan, it's too dangerous. How about... the three of us go together? At worst, we'll be punished together."

The two had already made up their minds to stand by him.

Cao Longyan patted their shoulders, smiling without a word, and shook his head gently, declining their kindness.

The surrounding students watched his back; beyond shock, there was only pity, and a few even wore expressions of watching a clown.

Shrek Plaza.

Zhou Yi and Cao Longyan stood facing each other. She took an incense stick and a small tripod from her soul tool, inserted the incense, and used her soul power to control the tripod, slowly lowering it in front of the entire class, led by Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong.

"Are you ready?"

"Anytime."

Cao Longyan said calmly.

Zhou Yi flicked her finger, and the incense ignited.

At that very moment, Cao Longyan's soul power erupted with a roar.

"Hum—"

The phantom of the Ice Dragon King martial soul manifested behind him, his entire body wreathed in icy blue aura.

The next instant, three pitch-black, ten-thousand-year soul rings rose slowly from beneath his feet, arranged in perfect order, their light deep and intimidating.

"Ten-thousand-year soul rings?! Three of them?!"

"A three-ringed Soul Master at eleven or twelve years old?!"

Someone cried out in shock on the spot.

The truly terrifying part was yet to come.

The frigid air of the Ultimate Ice swept across the plaza in an instant, freezing the air into white mist.

The bloodline pressure of the Ice Dragon King spread invisibly, causing many freshmen with beast martial souls to go weak in the knees, nearly collapsing to the ground.

The plaza fell into a deathly silence, save for the sound of heavy breathing.

Zhou Yi's pupils constricted sharply.

Ultimate Ice?! A True Dragon martial soul?! Three ten-thousand-year soul rings?!

Furthermore, his soul power seemed to be nearing level forty!

She finally understood—this was no ordinary freshman; he was a monster through and through!

When did the academy recruit such a monster?!

Not daring to be the least bit careless, she focused her attention entirely, suppressing her output to only her first three soul skills and the soul power of a Soul Master as she pressed toward Cao Longyan.

A Soul Emperor's combat techniques, experience, and control over soul power far surpassed this group of freshmen, even when their soul power levels were equal.

Yet, Cao Longyan handled it with absolute composure.

"First soul skill, Ice Dragon King Storm!"

"Second soul skill, Ice Dragon King Breath!"

"Third soul skill, Ten Thousand Mile Ice Seal!"

"Self-created soul skill, Wrath of the Ice Dragon King!"

Cao Longyan used only these four moves to easily counter Zhou Yi's attacks, without even tapping into the power of the Ice Empress, the Sky Dream Ice Worm, or Electrolux, nor did he use his three soul bones of ultimate quality.

If they knew he still had so many trump cards left unrevealed, one wondered if the other students would fall into despair, or if Zhou Yi would begin to doubt her own life.

Under the tense gaze of everyone present, the incense stick slowly burned to its end.

When the final spark flickered out, the plaza completely erupted.

"He... he actually held out?!"

"A three-ringed Soul Master withstood three soul skills from a Soul Emperor? Is he even human?"

"Three ten-thousand-year soul rings... Ultimate Ice... True Dragon martial soul..."

Zhou Yi took a deep breath, withdrew her soul power, and looked at Cao Longyan with a completely changed expression, one carrying a clear smile.

"Very well, I lost. A bet is a bet; from today on, I will change my methods."

It would have been shocking enough if it ended there.

But Cao Longyan shifted the tone, speaking calmly, which left everyone stunned once more.

"Teacher Zhou, running laps for exercise is still necessary, but there is no need to use a one-size-fits-all approach."

"Those who fail to finish can be recorded, and only expelled after three cumulative offenses, giving the freshmen room to adapt and make mistakes."

He paused, looked at the students who were now eager to try, and added indifferently.

"If anyone does not wish to run, they can do as I did: survive under your attacks for the duration of one incense stick to be exempted. It is fair and voluntary; no one is forced."

After he finished speaking, Zhou Yi's eyes lit up.

The strictness remained, but so did the humanity; it maintained Shrek's intensity without appearing harsh or heartless.

For a moment, she felt a twinge of shame; having taught for so many years, she hadn't seen things as clearly as a child. She had truly lived in vain...

"A good idea. We shall do as you say."

Zhou Yi looked at the students nearby, whose eyes were sparking with fire as they looked at her, then back at Cao Longyan, her gaze filled with overflowing admiration.

He was the class monitor she had been looking for!

A small, green figure stood within the crowd, her cheeks flushed, her gaze never leaving Cao Longyan, though he remained completely unaware.