Master of Class One

(P.S. This differs somewhat from the original work—butterfly effect.)

Shrek Academy, Outer Court Academic Affairs Office.

Du Weilun sat behind his desk, unconsciously rubbing the personnel transfer order bearing the Sea God Pavilion's wax seal. A thin layer of sweat had already formed on his forehead.

Two people stood before him.

One was a female teacher around forty, stern-faced with a sharp, imposing air between her brows. She was Zhou Yi, a senior teacher of Shrek Academy's Outer Court Martial Soul Department and a six-ringed Soul Emperor.

She had long used the spiritual mimicry of her Red Dragon martial soul to disguise herself as a wrinkled, gray-haired old woman. But with her emotions in turmoil, that layer of disguise had become faintly unstable, revealing a corner of her true face.

The other was a young man.

He looked no older than twenty-four or twenty-five, dressed in white with black hair, standing with his hands behind his back. He did nothing at all, yet the pressure in the entire office seemed to drop several degrees.

"Director Du, say that again?" Zhou Yi's voice was hoarse, each word like an iron nail hammered into wood. "I've been teaching Class One just fine, and now you're removing me just like that? Handing it over to an outsider who doesn't even have a file?"

Du Weilun wiped away his sweat. "Teacher Zhou, this was Elder Mu's personal order. Mr. Huo Chen is a Rank 99 Ultimate Douluo—"

"Ultimate Douluo?" Zhou Yi turned to Huo Chen, her gaze sharp as a blade. "You?"

Huo Chen did not argue.

He merely released a wisp of his aura.

Just a wisp.

The temperature in the entire office plummeted. Zhou Yi only felt an invisible pressure bearing down on her, as though a mountain had settled on her shoulders, leaving her almost unable to breathe.

Her legs began to tremble faintly, and the Red Dragon martial soul within her let out an uneasy growl—an instinctive reaction of a low-level soul beast facing a high-level predator.

Du Weilun was in even worse shape. His face turned pale, and he could barely remain standing by gripping the corner of the desk.

Fortunately, Huo Chen released his aura for only an instant before withdrawing it.

"Do you believe me now?" he asked calmly.

Zhou Yi gasped for breath. There was now a trace of wariness in the way she looked at Huo Chen, but even more unwillingness.

"So what if you're an Ultimate Douluo?" she said through gritted teeth. "Teaching and nurturing students isn't something strength alone can accomplish! I've taught those kids in Class One for half a year. I know every detail about them. You come in and pick the fruit just like that—what gives you the right?"

"Because I can give them something better." Huo Chen's tone was calm, yet it carried an undeniable force. "Teacher Zhou, I do not deny your ability as a teacher. But your problem is that you treat elimination as a teaching method."

Zhou Yi's expression changed.

"Last semester, Zhao Mingxuan from your class had a Gale Wolf martial soul and was Rank 15 when he enrolled. Three months later, he was still Rank 15 because his mother was critically ill. Every night, he stayed at the hospital to care for her, then dozed off during class in the daytime. You never asked him why, never adjusted his schedule, and never even gave him a chance to explain. In front of the entire class, you called him 'trash,' then personally signed off on his expulsion."

Zhou Yi's lips pressed into a thin line.

"He later returned to the countryside and worked as a merchant's runner. He encountered a soul beast, and they couldn't even recover his full remains." Huo Chen looked at her. "Teacher Zhou, you have taught for twenty years, with students everywhere. But have you truly ever cared about the futures of those students you expelled?"

The office was terrifyingly silent.

After a long while, Zhou Yi spoke hoarsely. "...Shrek is not a charity. I don't play favorites. Shrek protects monsters, not pitiful people."

"You say you don't play favorites." Huo Chen looked at her. "But what you protect is your own rules, not the students. You use elimination to create the illusion of an outstanding success rate, treating 'weeding out the weak' as 'nurturing the strong.' And you call that teaching?"

Zhou Yi's chest heaved violently, yet she could not say a single word.

Because he was right.

She could not refute him.

In the end, she forced out through clenched teeth, "...Class One is yours. I want to see what kind of results you can produce."

She turned and slammed the door behind her as she left.

Du Weilun let out a long breath and gave a bitter smile. "Teacher Huo, you've offended Teacher Zhou badly this time."

"Doesn't matter." Huo Chen picked up the student roster from the desk. "I didn't come here to get along with her."

He opened the roster, and his gaze lingered on the first page for a moment.

Class One, first-year advanced class, thirty-seven students.

His gaze passed over several names—Xiao Xiao, Wang Dong, Ning Tian, Wu Feng, Cui Yajie.

Then he closed the roster and walked out of the office.

The next morning, in the Class One classroom of Shrek Academy's teaching building.

When the bell rang, Huo Chen pushed open the classroom door.

Thirty-seven pairs of eyes turned toward him in unison.

Curiosity, appraisal, scrutiny—every sort of look was there.

Huo Chen walked up to the podium, placed the roster on the desk, and swept his gaze across the class.

"My name is Huo Chen. Starting today, I will be Class One's homeroom teacher."

He wrote his name on the blackboard, then turned around.

"I know what you're thinking. This new teacher is so young—is he reliable? Did he get in through connections? What can he teach us?"

Several boys exchanged glances. He had clearly hit the mark.

"I don't intend to answer those questions with words." Huo Chen's gaze swept over the class. "I will answer them with my actions. But before that, I want to get to know all of you."

He picked up the roster and read out the first name.

"Xiao Xiao."

A girl with short black hair stood up.

She was not very tall, with a round face and a pair of clear, bright eyes that gave her a gentle, well-behaved air. Her voice was soft and sweet, like melting snow in spring.

"Present. Hello, Teacher. My name is Xiao Xiao. My martial souls are the Three-Lives Soul-Calming Cauldron and the Nine-Phoenix Flute. Rank 26, two rings, twin martial souls."

Huo Chen's gaze lingered on her for a moment.

Xiao Xiao. Eleven years old, a twin martial soul genius. In the original story, she had a gentle and kind personality and was one of the team's most dependable companions.

But because she was introverted and never fought for attention, she had always remained on the fringes of Zhou Yi's class. Zhou Yi liked the kind of "monsters" who blazed with sharp brilliance, not honest students who worked quietly.

"Xiao Xiao, please take your seat." Huo Chen nodded mildly and made a mark on the roster.

"Wang Dong."

A "boy" with short pink hair stood up.

He was said to be a boy, yet that face was almost too exquisite—fair skin, thick golden eyelashes, and large, lively eyes gleaming with mischief.

She was tall for her age, and her school uniform hung loosely on her, giving her a casually dashing air.

"Present. Wang Dong. Martial soul: Light Goddess Butterfly. Rank 27, two rings—one yellow, one purple."

Her voice was crisp and pleasant, carrying an innate confidence.

Quite a few girls in the class secretly glanced her way. After all, Wang Dong's looks were universally acknowledged as the best in Class One.

Huo Chen looked at the girl disguised as a boy before him. As the Eye of Destiny swept lightly over her, he sensed the seal attached to the surface of her soul. Its technique was exceptionally subtle, like a thin veil. If he had not inherited the power of the God King of Reincarnation, he would never have noticed it.

Tang San's handiwork.

He sneered inwardly, but his expression remained unchanged.

"Wang Dong, please take your seat."

As Wang Dong sat down, she felt that this new teacher's gaze had lingered on her for an instant longer than necessary, making her inexplicably uncomfortable.

"Ning Tian."

A gentle-looking girl stood up.

Her long black hair was tied with a pale blue ribbon. Her bearing was graceful and proper, making it obvious at a glance that she came from a distinguished family. Her voice was steady and soft, reflecting her excellent upbringing.

"Present. Ning Tian. Martial soul: Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. Rank 31, three rings. Auxiliary-type tool soul master."

Huo Chen nodded.

Ning Tian, a direct descendant of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. In the original story, she possessed outstanding talent, but because she was an auxiliary-type soul master, she had always been looked down upon in Zhou Yi's class. Zhou Yi revered offensive strength and believed that auxiliary types only "held everyone back."

"Ning Tian, please take your seat."

"Wu Feng."

A red-haired girl stood up.

She was tall and slender, with a cold, striking face and an unruly air between her brows. Her voice was deeper than that of most girls her age, carrying a hint of wildness.

"Present. Wu Feng. Fire Dragon martial soul. Rank 25, two rings. Assault-type."

There was a faint provocation in her tone, as though she were saying: I'm not someone to mess with.

Huo Chen glanced at her without paying any mind to her attitude, merely making a mark on the roster.

"Cui Yajie."

A seductive-looking girl stood up.

She had curly pink hair, and there was an innate charm in the way her eyes moved. Her voice was sweet and alluring.

"Present. Cui Yajie. Martial soul: Nine-Tailed Fox. Rank 25, two rings. Agility-attack type."

Huo Chen nodded.

He had remembered all five girls.

He closed the roster and swept his gaze across the class.

"Alright, I know everyone now. Next, let's discuss serious business."

He walked down from the podium and slowly paced along the aisle.

"I know that Zhou Yi was your teacher before. I'm well aware of Teacher Zhou's teaching style—high intensity, high pressure, high elimination. The fact that you've spent half a year under her without being kicked out proves that all of you have a solid foundation."

He stopped and turned around.

"But I need to tell you that, from today onward, the rules of Class One have changed."

The classroom fell silent, and everyone pricked up their ears.

"First: in my class, there is no such thing as 'trash.' No matter whether you are strong or weak right now, and no matter what type of martial soul you possess, as long as you are willing to work hard, I am willing to teach you."

"Second: I will not use last-place elimination. I will not expel you simply because you rank near the bottom in the final assessment. The purpose of assessments is to identify problems, not to weed out students."

"Third: I will create a personalized training plan for every student. I will analyze your martial soul's characteristics, your combat style, and your future direction one by one, then tailor a plan specifically for you."

Whispers began to spread through the classroom.

Personalized training plans? That was a privilege reserved for core disciples!

"Teacher, is that really true?" a boy raised his hand and asked.

"Of course it's true." Huo Chen smiled. "But there's a condition: you have to behave. If anyone refuses to listen, I won't expel them—but I have plenty of ways to make them regret ever being born."

He said it in a casual, easygoing tone, yet for some reason, every student felt an invisible pressure settle over them.

This new teacher was definitely not as simple as he appeared.

After class, Huo Chen called Xiao Xiao to his office.

"Sit." Huo Chen pointed at the chair opposite him.

Xiao Xiao sat down cautiously, placing both hands properly on her knees. She seemed rather nervous.

"Don't be nervous. I just want to talk." Huo Chen poured her a glass of water. "I've read your file. Twin martial souls, level 26 with two rings, and two hundred-year soul rings. That setup isn't outstanding in Class One, but it isn't bad either."

Xiao Xiao lowered her head, her voice soft. "I know... my talent isn't very good..."

"Who said that?" Huo Chen cut her off.

Xiao Xiao froze for a moment, then looked up at him.

"Your twin martial souls are proof of your talent in themselves," Huo Chen said seriously.

"Your problem isn't talent, but that you haven't found the right cultivation method. The Xiao Cauldron is a defensive tool martial soul, while the Nine Phoenix Flute is a soundwave attack-and-support tool martial soul. The cultivation paths for these two martial souls are completely different. If you use the same method to cultivate both, you'll naturally get half the results for twice the effort."

Xiao Xiao's eyes gradually brightened. "Then... then how should I cultivate?"

"Starting today, I'll guide you personally." Huo Chen took out a prepared training plan and handed it to her.

"This is a training plan tailored to the characteristics of your martial souls. Follow it for a week first, then we'll make adjustments after that."

Xiao Xiao accepted the plan and glanced down at it. Her eyes suddenly reddened.

"Teacher Huo... thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?" Huo Chen smiled and waved a hand. "You're my student. Teaching you is only natural."

Xiao Xiao nodded hard. She stood and walked to the door, then turned back to look at Huo Chen once more.

"Teacher Huo, were the things you said... true? What you said in class this morning—that as long as we're willing to work hard, you'll teach us?"

"Of course they were."

Xiao Xiao smiled, a brilliant smile.

"Then I'll work hard."

With that, she turned and ran out.

Huo Chen watched her retreating figure, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.

He lowered his eyes to the class roster on his desk and made a small check beside the name "Xiao Xiao."

The first one.

Four more to go.

Outside the window, plane tree leaves were swept up by the wind, brushing against the glass before falling away.

At the end of the corridor, an elderly woman with skin like chicken and hair like a crane leaned in the shadowed corner against the wall. Her withered fingers held an unlit pipe, while her sharp black eyes peered through the crack in the door, taking in everything that happened inside the office.

Zhou Yi remained silent for a long time.

In the end, she tucked the pipe back into her waistband, turned, and walked away without a sound.

You've got some nerve, youngster.

But if you really lead this bunch of brats astray...

This old lady's rules are still waiting for you.