Su Ling stood tall with his chest out, his left hand clasped behind his back and his right finger jabbing at Cheng Kai as he berated him. He had already claimed the moral high ground.
Even Xuan Zi, watching from the shadows, couldn't help giving him a thumbs-up. He took a sip of wine and chuckled.
That brat Su is starting to care about Shrek's honor. This is a good sign. Suddenly, he turned to look at Cheng Kai, his eyes shifting to disgust.
Hmph. He's throwing his weight around at Shrek just because he has a trash Titled Douluo backing him. Looks like he needs to be taught a lesson.
Though this sort of bullying happened every day in corners of the Outer Court the teachers never saw, as long as things didn't go too far, they chose to turn a blind eye.
After all, this wasn't the Inner Court.
But things were different now that Su Ling had joined in. Xuan Zi absolutely wouldn't allow this to happen again.
If Su Ling got a bad impression of Shrek and grew disgusted with it, turning his back on the academy, Xuan Zi would have nowhere to cry!
"You, go get Du Weilun."
Xuan Zi casually picked out a sixth-year student.
"Yes, Elder Xuan!"
The student had clearly recognized Xuan Zi and was instantly overcome with honor. He dashed off at a run.
Back in the cafeteria.
Seeing Su Ling stand up for her, all the grievances Cui Yajie had kept bottled up inside burst forth in an instant.
She fought back tears, her eyes misty as she looked at Su Ling. Her voice caught in her throat. "Thank you, thank you... I..."
Su Ling turned to her with a gentle smile, just right for the moment, and nodded softly as he wiped away the tear at the corner of her eye.
He said nothing, yet it seemed he had said everything.
[Cui Yajie's Favorability +20, received 200 Strategy Points] [Cui Yajie's Favorability +15, received 150 Strategy Points] [S-Rank Goddess—Cui Yajie's Favorability has reached 20. Would the host like to bind with her?] "Bind." [Ding! Binding successful!]
The accusations around them grew louder and louder.
The claims were getting more and more outrageous, too.
Cheng Kai realized he couldn't let this continue. If this reached Shrek's higher-ups, he'd be done for.
Forget about him.
His entire family, the Cheng Estate, might get dragged into it—and even his uncle, Cheng Gang!
Su Ling was about to pile on some more.
Cheng Kai panicked.
"Shut your mouth!!"
Cheng Kai glared furiously, activated his Martial Soul, and swung a fist at Su Ling!
A phantom appeared alongside Cheng Kai's fist.
It was a massive, pitch-black ant.
"Look out!!"
Cui Yajie cried out in alarm. Her Nine-Tailed Fox Martial Soul possessed her at once, and she prepared to use Bewitchment to stop Cheng Kai.
Su Ling gave Cui Yajie a reassuring look. His smile never wavered; he didn't take Cheng Kai seriously at all.
"Whoosh—"
The fist whistled toward him.
Su Ling lifted one hand and easily caught the fierce punch. No matter how hard Cheng Kai strained, he couldn't budge it in the slightest.
"That's impossible!!"
Cheng Kai's face blanched with panic. It felt as if his hand had been clamped in an iron vice.
The people around them were dumbstruck. The pinkish allure in Cui Yajie's eyes went out, only to be replaced by a dazzling light.
Everyone knew Cheng Kai's Martial Soul was the Thousand-Force Ant Emperor!
It was famed for its strength, ranking among the very best of the many strength-type Martial Souls.
And on top of that, he was a Level 26 Soul Grandmaster.
Even the Outer Court teachers wouldn't dare underestimate a punch from Cheng Kai while his Martial Soul was possessed—not to mention a new student!
But what were they seeing right now?
Su Ling had caught it barehanded, using nothing but his own body! And from the way he stood, he wasn't even breaking a sweat!
Was this really a new student??
Yet two seconds later, an even more shocking sight unfolded.
The smile in Su Ling's eyes suddenly turned sharp. He twisted his hand into a grip, pivoted, and stepped behind Cheng Kai, hurling him toward an empty seat.
The sequence was clean and precise, his movements astonishingly fast.
Crash—
Cheng Kai sent two tables toppling as he slammed into them.
The cafeteria fell utterly silent. Only the faint clatter of tables and chairs came from where he had landed.
Cheng Kai pushed himself up and staggered to his feet.
Suddenly, he spat. A bloodied tooth hit the floor with a tap, bouncing twice.
"Pfft—"
Someone couldn't hold back a laugh. It was like a domino effect: one after another, people burst into ridicule and laughter.
As the laughter rang in his ears,
Cheng Kai's eyes turned bloodshot, and he panted like a bull.
He was furious—completely and utterly furious!
Two yellow Soul Rings lit up beneath his feet. He unleashed two Soul Skills in succession, determined to smash Su Ling to pieces and sate his rage.
Just as he took a step forward,
"Stop!"
A command rang out, carrying immense pressure.
Cheng Kai's Martial Soul vanished in an instant. He collapsed to his knees, his forehead pressed against the floor, as if an invisible hand were holding him down.
Before anyone could react to what had happened,
a tall, clean-shaven teacher with a dark complexion hurried over, followed closely by two teachers from the Academic Affairs Office.
"Cheng Kai! How dare you!!"
"You caused a disturbance in the cafeteria, bullied a fellow student, and even threatened his family's safety! You dared to attack him in broad daylight with your Martial Soul activated! Do you think the director of the Academic Affairs Office doesn't exist!?"
Du Weilun's chest heaved as he pointed at Cheng Kai on his knees and shouted furiously, looking as though he'd been beside himself with anger.
"Effective immediately, you're expelled. Shrek doesn't need a student with such vile character. And one more thing: go back and tell Giant Strength Douluo that Shrek demands an explanation for what happened today!"
With that, Du Weilun waved his hand.
The two teachers behind him stepped forward and carried Cheng Kai out of the cafeteria like a dead dog.
The whole thing unfolded smoothly, without a hitch.
"Sorry, children. I frightened you. This is the academy's compensation."
Du Weilun hurried over to Su Ling and the two girls, then pulled three exquisite little boxes from inside his robe.
Zhu Lu pointed at herself, surprised. "Huh? I get one too?"
"Yes. The academy has specially approved these for you. Take them."
The three of them accepted the boxes. Su Ling opened his just a crack.
Inside lay a pill of pure jade-green.
"A Soul Ascension Pill?"
Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie cried out at the same time.
As its name suggested, the Soul Ascension Pill boosted Soul Power. Its effects were gentle and easy to absorb, but it could only be taken once in a lifetime and only benefited Soul Masters below Level 40.
Still, for new students, a Soul Ascension Pill that could raise their Soul Power by one level without any side effects was an exceedingly rare treasure!
Seeing how the two girls were reluctant to let go of their pills, Du Weilun glanced at Su Ling and saw that he had no objections. He breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
Then he turned around to face the students, his expression solemn. "Children, rest assured. From now on, I'll strictly supervise matters like this and make sure such vile incidents never happen again!"
After speaking, he bowed deeply to the students, his sincerity unmistakable.
"Director Du is wise!"
"With a teacher like you, Shrek will surely thrive!"
The students all started flattering Du Weilun.
Du Weilun accepted their praise without reservation, greeting them all with a smile.
The farce came to an end.
The students who had gathered to watch dispersed one after another. Du Weilun gave Su Ling a slight nod, then left the cafeteria as well.
"Um, thank you. Here, this is for you..."
After working up her courage for a long while, Cui Yajie gently tugged at Su Ling, her voice soft.
"I have one already. There's no use giving me yours, so keep it."
Su Ling shook his head and refused the little box she held out. It was the Soul Ascension Pill Du Weilun had just given her.
"This is the best thing I have. You can trade it for other resources.
"I just wanted to thank you. Other than Lulu, you're the first person who's ever helped me."
Besides, you're the best-looking boy I've ever met...
Of course, she only said that in her heart.