Zhou Yi's words were like a spark dropped into a powder keg. Many students below looked furious. After all, those who managed to enter Shrek Academy were generally the cream of the crop, selected from across the various nations. Yet Zhou Yi had bluntly called them trash and idiots.
"Anyone who's gotten into a fight since registration began, stand up." Zhou Yi's next words shocked the entire class once again.
Lin Shuo slowly rose to his feet. Seeing him stand, Wang Dong'er gave a huff and immediately stood up too.
"Just the two of you?" Zhou Yi paused, the corners of her mouth lifting in a cold smile.
"A bunch of good-for-nothings. Don't you know that those who don't dare stir up trouble are useless? Everyone except those two, run a hundred laps around Shrek Plaza. Anyone who can't finish will be expelled."
The classroom fell into a brief silence. After hearing Zhou Yi's words, Lin Shuo immediately asked her, "Teacher, what's the point of running laps? And why are you punishing students for no reason when they haven't done anything wrong?"
Zhou Yi froze, seemingly surprised that Lin Shuo was the one who had asked. Then she snorted. "Because I said so. If you don't like it, you can leave. And if you still want to stay at the academy, go run two hundred laps. As the head teacher, I have the authority to expel any student." As she spoke, a powerful aura surged from her. The oppressive fluctuations of her Soul Power made everyone present feel as if they couldn't breathe—everyone except Lin Shuo. Six Soul Rings, two yellow, two purple, and two black, rose from beneath Zhou Yi's feet.
As if he hadn't seen the six Soul Rings, Lin Shuo continued asking, "Teacher, if I beat you, then I don't have to run, right?"
The atmosphere in the classroom suddenly grew tense.
Wang Dong'er and Huo Yu'er's expressions changed. They knew Lin Shuo was strong, but Zhou Yi was a Six-Ring Soul Emperor, while Lin Shuo was only a Soul Elder. The gap of three rings was like the difference between heaven and earth. They had just started to rise and stop him when Zhou Yi's voice rang out.
"Hmph, how arrogant. You want to challenge me? Fine. You don't have to beat me. Just withstand three moves from me, and you won't have to run. But if you can't..." Zhou Yi stared at Lin Shuo. "You'll leave Shrek Academy immediately."
"We don't need to go to the Beast Fighting Arena. We can do it right here in the classroom." Zhou Yi snorted. Without giving Lin Shuo a chance to refuse, she immediately activated Martial Soul Possession.
"Red Dragon, possess me!"
Seeing Zhou Yi activate Martial Soul Possession, Lin Shuo slowly rose from his seat. Three pitch-black Soul Rings appeared one after another beneath his feet.
"Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings! How is that possible? And he has three of them!" Everyone in the classroom was stunned; only Huo Yu'er had seen them before, while Soul Hunting.
Though Zhou Yi was somewhat shocked to see three Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings, she immediately said, "Even if you have three Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings, I'll show you the difference between a Soul Elder and a Soul Emperor..." Before she could finish speaking, her voice abruptly cut off.
The instant the Seven-Colored Dragon King appeared, a shiver from deep within her blood ran through her entire body like lightning. Her Red Dragon Martial Soul let out a low, almost mournful growl. It wasn't angry—it was afraid. It was the instinctive terror etched into the depths of its soul and every drop of dragon blood: the fear a lesser dragon felt when facing a true dragon.
Zhou Yi couldn't even put up a fight.
Her knees buckled against her will, and her back bent involuntarily. It was as if an invisible mountain had crushed down on her, forcing her to prostrate herself on the ground. Her forehead touched the cold floor as sweat streamed down her face. Her hands trembled against the ground, her knuckles white with effort, but no matter what she did, she couldn't lift her body even an inch.
She tried to release a Soul Skill, but the Soul Power inside her was like a pool of stagnant water. No matter how she tried to channel it, there was no response. The next moment, her Martial Soul shattered. The backlash made Zhou Yi spit out a mouthful of blood before she fainted.
The classroom fell into deathly silence. Everyone with a Beast Martial Soul felt a natural suppression.
Lin Shuo withdrew his Martial Soul and fell into thought. His Martial Soul naturally suppressed Beast Martial Souls, especially those of the dragon race—but could it really be this overwhelming? Or was it...? Lin Shuo thought of his God-Bestowed Soul Ring and glanced outside. He had indeed suspected that it had been bestowed by the Dragon God, but he hadn't expected the Dragon God to be watching over him all along.
Lin Shuo shook his head and casually asked a classmate to find Du Weilun, the director of studies. Huo Yu'er and Wang Dong'er ran over from across the room.
"Big Brother Lin, are you okay?" Huo Yu'er's delicate face was full of concern.
Wang Dong'er didn't ask, but she looked at him with worry too.
Lin Shuo shook his head. "I'm fine. Let the school handle it."
"What? You're saying Zhou Yi was knocked unconscious by a student in your class?" Hearing the student's report, Du Weilun's first reaction wasn't to worry about Zhou Yi, but to wonder if he'd heard wrong. The strongest freshman this year was Lin Shuo, at Level 35, while Zhou Yi was a Six-Ring Soul Emperor! And Zhou Yi's Martial Soul was a Red Dragon of excellent quality. How could a freshman possibly defeat her?
"I understand. Go back for now. I'll deal with it shortly." Seated behind his desk, Du Weilun tapped his fingers against the desktop without thinking, each dull knock echoing through the office.
If a freshman really could defeat Zhou Yi, it could only be the Level 35 Lin Shuo. Lin Shuo was the freshman Dean Yan Shaozhe had specifically told him to look after. But Zhou Yi's husband was Fan Yu, the vice dean of the Soul Guidance Department!
Du Weilun took a deep breath and stood up. This matter was beyond his authority to handle; he had to report it to Yan Shaozhe first. He found a healing-type Soul Saint to treat Zhou Yi, then hurried toward the dean's office.
"Dean, regarding Lin Shuo, the student you asked me to keep an eye on: just now, Zhou Yi challenged him in Freshman Class One. But the moment her Martial Soul came into contact with the aura of Lin Shuo's Martial Soul, it shattered on its own. Zhou Yi suffered a backlash from her Martial Soul and fainted on the spot."
Yan Shaozhe's brows slowly furrowed.
"Her Martial Soul shattered just from sensing his aura?" According to Shrek's records, even when an Ultimate Martial Soul faced ordinary elements, it could only suppress the opponent's ability to release Soul Power and fight back. There was no record of a Martial Soul shattering.
"It seems Lin Shuo's dragon bloodline is exceptionally powerful. The Red Dragon is already one of the better dragon Martial Souls, yet it couldn't resist this boy at all. Even Mu En's Bright Sacred Dragon is probably far inferior to this boy's Martial Soul." Realizing this, Yan Shaozhe spoke with excitement. After all, Mu En had been hailed as the strongest person Shrek Academy had seen in nearly a thousand years. Lin Shuo's Martial Soul and cultivation were both stronger than Mu En's had been at the same age. As long as Shrek Academy kept him, no one would be able to shake the academy's position for the next three hundred years.