A Face Reflects the Heart

"Excuse me, Teacher Zhou, did the academy appoint you as the assistant homeroom teacher or the actual homeroom teacher?"

Jiang Bai sat below with one leg crossed over the other, calmly asking Zhou Yi on the podium a question.

Jiang Bai's posture, combined with his careless expression, wasn't very damaging, but it was immensely insulting.

The sight instantly sent Zhou Yi into a rage!

"What did you say?!"

Zhou Yi glared furiously at Jiang Bai, her eyes wide as she shouted harshly. What was this brat saying?!

Was he questioning whether she was qualified?

Who knew why the academy had made Wang Yan the actual homeroom teacher? With that level of strength, perhaps he could serve as an ordinary teacher, but what gave him the right to be the homeroom teacher?

The homeroom teacher position was clearly hers! She should have been the homeroom teacher!

Looking at the enraged, aged face before him, Jiang Bai found it truly ugly.

A face reflected the heart. Although the original story claimed Zhou Yi was beautiful, perhaps she had put on that mask because she felt her heart suited its current face.

Feeling Zhou Yi's gaze, as though she wanted to kill him, Jiang Bai looked right back without giving an inch.

"Do you understand respect for teachers and elders?"

Zhou Yi's expression darkened. Six Soul Rings emerged behind her, and the terrifying pressure of a Soul Emperor spread throughout the classroom. In an instant, the entire room fell silent.

Once the six Soul Rings appeared, most of the students in the classroom lowered their heads.

Even Dai Huabin, who had been so arrogant moments earlier, didn't dare provoke Zhou Yi.

Of course, there were exceptions among the crowd.

"Respect for teachers and elders?"

Jiang Bai's puzzled voice reached Zhou Yi's ears, followed by even more arrogant words.

"Heh, a teacher who improves the class promotion rate by expelling ordinary students and keeping the promising ones, then uses the cultivation of a six-ringed Soul Emperor to suppress students? You're lecturing me about respecting teachers and elders? I don't see anything worthy of respect in a teacher like that."

Jiang Bai didn't care in the slightest about the oppressive aura of a mere six-ringed Soul Emperor.

Xiao Xiao beside him had also undergone special training against pressure. Unless it was the aura of a titled-level powerhouse or someone directly used Soul Power to suppress her, it would have little effect on her.

However, Zhou Yi's target was Jiang Bai. As Jiang Bai's deskmate, Xiao Xiao was naturally caught in Zhou Yi's pressure as well. As a two-ringed Soul Master, she wasn't having an easy time under it.

At that moment, only four people in the classroom had their heads raised.

Xiao Xiao and Jiang Bai, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong.

Wang Dong wasn't in much better condition than Xiao Xiao. She merely kept her head raised because she wasn't afraid.

The only two who appeared completely unaffected in the classroom were Jiang Bai and Huo Yuhao.

Jiang Bai's spiritual power, will, aura, and Soul Power had merged into one, achieving harmony between man and nature. Trying to suppress him with mere aura was impossible for a six-ringed Soul Emperor.

Huo Yuhao beside him relied on Tian Meng's spiritual power to become immune to Zhou Yi's aura.

All four of them looked at Zhou Yi at the same time.

Those four gazes made Zhou Yi feel that her authority as both a teacher and a six-ringed Soul Emperor was being challenged.

This was absolutely a provocation! A provocation against her authority!

"Good, very good! You four!"

After saying "good" four times in a row, Zhou Yi's anger had reached its peak. Her fists cracked as she clenched them, and just as she was about to sternly announce the expulsion of all four, Wang Yan finally spoke from beside her.

"Teacher Zhou Yi, I am the homeroom teacher of Class One. If anyone is to be expelled, it must be with my approval. If you question my qualifications as homeroom teacher, you may submit a report to the Academic Affairs Office. Now, please leave the classroom!"

Wang Yan was extremely calm, but he was also extremely angry. Before this, he had thought Zhou Yi was merely bad-tempered and strict in her teaching, with no serious issues overall. But now, it was clear that wasn't the case at all!

What kind of teacher released their Soul Rings to suppress students after arguing with them? What did she think this academy was?

Seeing Zhou Yi's actions, Wang Yan couldn't help questioning whether someone like her was truly fit to be a teacher.

After hearing Wang Yan's words, Zhou Yi's face became even darker. Even beneath that ugly mask, Jiang Bai could tell.

Hearing Wang Yan's voice suppressing his anger, Zhou Yi gritted her teeth.

But when she remembered that Wang Yan's position as homeroom teacher had been granted by the academy, she didn't dare say anything more.

She truly had no authority to expel students!

To avoid humiliating herself further, Zhou Yi left the classroom with a dark expression.

After the old woman left, Wang Yan looked over the students below. Only those four still had their heads raised, and they seemed particularly dissatisfied.

Sensing their indignation, Wang Yan rubbed his brow with a slight headache before explaining to everyone below, "I've already learned about and resolved the matter involving Jiang Bai and Huo Yuhao. Don't make wild guesses."

"Continue your activities as usual. The advancement assessment will be held this afternoon."

After saying that, class was dismissed. Wang Yan also needed to deal with Zhou Yi's matter.

Teacher Wang Yan was really capable. Stone hadn't actually come looking for trouble? In the original story, Stone had refused to let Huo Yuhao go.

Jiang Bai looked at the scene ahead and thought about how, in the original story, Huo Yuhao had needed to produce his second-level Soul Engineer badge and reveal that he was Fan Yu's disciple to avoid expulsion.

Of course, Stone had caused most of the trouble behind the scenes, but her absence this time was probably Wang Yan's doing as well.

In truth, Stone had originally planned to investigate after returning. After all, this was Zhou Yi's class, and Jiang Bai and Huo Yuhao had no background to speak of.

Although she had taught Jiang Bai before, Jiang Bai was now under Zhou Yi's authority.

Expelling those two would be a perfect way to slap Zhou Yi in the face.

However, after Wang Yan said the matter had already been resolved, Stone didn't say anything further.

Though Stone didn't know Wang Yan's identity, she knew it was anything but ordinary, so she gave up on causing trouble for Huo Yuhao and Jiang Bai.

Wang Yan was Xuan Zi's grand-disciple, wasn't he? Thinking of that, Jiang Bai couldn't help sighing inwardly.

Having connections really was nice.

"Jiang Bai, what Soul Beast are you going to choose?"

His deskmate Xiao Xiao asked him. The advancement assessment was in the afternoon, and the score was extremely important.

"Can't I just choose any hundred-year Soul Beast and defeat it?"

Jiang Bai asked in confusion. Wasn't that how it worked? Couldn't he just find any hundred-year Soul Beast and control it?

"Then your score will be very low."

Xiao Xiao couldn't help worrying. Jiang Bai was currently a provisional core disciple, and if he failed to become official, he would lose many resources.

"Low is low. Isn't passing enough?"

Jiang Bai didn't care. What was wrong with scores as long as he passed? It wasn't as if getting full marks in this advancement assessment would earn him a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone. If that were the reward, he might actually be interested.

He had never seen a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone, though he had seen quite a few Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones. He had dug them out of the snow.

Of course, most of those Soul Bones had gone toward researching Huo Yuhao's "Divine Outfit," and Jiang Bai had researched a set of his own as well.

Strictly speaking, it should count as "Soul Armor" developed based on Battle Armor research, but it was very expensive. One set required an entire Soul Bone, which was far too wasteful.

If he had the chance in the future, Jiang Bai wanted to see what it felt like to wear Battle Armor.

"Why are you so unambitious?"

Xiao Xiao was speechless. Jiang Bai was far too unambitious. How had he cultivated to level thirty like this?

"I've always been ambitious."

Jiang Bai said firmly. He had always been ambitious; he just wasn't ambitious about showing himself off. Revealing too much would get him killed.

"Good, then."

Time passed, and soon it was afternoon.

The Beast Fighting Area, advancement assessment! It was about to begin!

Classes One and Two arrived one after another under the guidance of their respective teachers.

Nearly a hundred second-year students from the two classes would be fighting in the Beast Fighting Area. For the students' safety, Shrek Academy had stationed many teachers around the area to supervise. One purpose was to protect the students, while the other was to observe the matches from every angle.

"Our class is first today. Who plans to go first?"

Wang Yan asked the students of Class One. Class One would definitely be first—otherwise, why would it be called Class One?

The order of appearance in this assessment was one way to stir up fighting spirit. Wang Yan naturally wanted to inspire everyone's determination and help them achieve better results.

Of course, in Wang Yan's eyes, his class didn't need to compete with other classes for anything. They only needed to show their best selves.

"I..."

Dai Huabin, among the Class One students, was about to speak when Huo Yuhao, standing farther ahead, beat him to it.

"Teacher, I'll go first."

His words were decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

Wang Yan considered it and nodded. "Then Yuhao, you go first."

Zhu Lu behind them wanted to say something, but Dai Huabin stopped her. Staring at Huo Yuhao ahead, he wanted to see what kind of Soul Beast this Huo Yuhao would choose.

He was only a two-ringed Soul Grandmaster, and a control-type one at that.

Noticing Dai Huabin's provocative gaze, Huo Yuhao returned an even more hostile one.

"Hmph."

Huo Yuhao stepped out and arrived before the two referees.

"What type?"

"Control type."

"Choose your Soul Beast. The age range is one hundred to one thousand years."

"Do you mind standing a little farther away from me?"

Among the Class One students watching from the front, Xiao Xiao stood beside Jiang Bai, while Wang Dong was next to him on the other side.

"What? Why should I stand farther away?"

Seemingly provoked by Jiang Bai's words, she moved even closer to him.

"Uh..."

Hopefully, when Huo Yuhao released his Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring to simulate the Ice Empress's aura later, she wouldn't be frightened.

At that moment, a hundred-year Soul Beast and Huo Yuhao had already appeared in the arena.

"A hundred years?"

Xiao Xiao was already shocked. Why was it only a hundred-year one? Wang Dong beside her also looked surprised, but she still chose to trust Huo Yuhao.

"It's coming."

Jiang Bai narrowed his eyes and looked at the Soul Ring Huo Yuhao released in the arena.

The instant Huo Yuhao's second Soul Ring flashed, a blood-red pressure swept across the entire Beast Fighting Arena!

Scarlet red! A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring?!