Withdrawal?

"What happened?"

The arrivals were none other than Du Weilen, who had heard the explosion, along with the head teachers of the other eight freshman classes.

They hurried to the square and were all stunned when they saw "Zhou Yi."

Why was this woman showing her real face today?

Before they could react, "Zhou Yi" darted through the crowd like a ghost, moving so fast that only an afterimage remained.

Then identical black boxes appeared on their bodies.

Du Weilen looked down at the pitch-black object on his chest, and his face instantly turned ashen.

Just as he was about to demand an explanation, he discovered that "Zhou Yi" had vanished without a trace, not even leaving behind a shadow.

With a dark expression, Du Weilen roared at the Class One students who were still running for their lives, "Stop running! I'm Du Weilen, the Dean of Studies! What exactly happened?"

When Wang Dong heard that, she turned around and froze in disbelief.

Wait, where was Zhou Yi? Where was their demon of a head teacher?

She simply stopped running and rushed over to Du Weilen in a few strides, frantically recounting everything that had happened.

Du Weilen's eyelids twitched wildly as he listened, and he reached out to tear off the black box on his body.

But strangely, no matter how hard he pulled, it would not come off. Even taking off his outer robe did nothing.

The black box seemed to be glued firmly to his skin, making even the robe impossible to remove.

Something was wrong!

That was not Zhou Yi! Zhou Yi was only a Soul Emperor. How could her speed be so fast that even he, a Soul Douluo, could not see her clearly?

"Beep, beep..."

A burst of urgent electronic beeping rang out, and everyone simultaneously lowered their heads to look at the black boxes on their chests.

The numbers on them were rapidly ticking down and had already reached ten seconds.

Mu Jin was the first to break down, her voice shrill enough to tear through the air.

"Zhou Yi! You lunatic, you'll die a horrible death!"

Her shout seemed to light the fuse.

Teachers and students alike began cursing Zhou Yi's ancestors for eighteen generations, hurling every filthy insult imaginable.

Xiao Xiao sat down directly on the ground, tears streaming down her face.

"It's over. I haven't even had a sweet romance yet, and now I'm going to be blown to death by that crazy woman?"

Several girls beside her began crying as well. They huddled together and sobbed miserably.

Huo Yuhao stood among the crowd, his face pale and his forehead drenched in cold sweat.

He looked down at the black box on his chest. The number had already reached five.

Five.

Four.

His heartbeat accelerated with every changing number, pounding like it was about to burst from his chest.

He instinctively looked toward Wang Dong and found that she was looking at him too.

Their gazes met in the air, and each saw the same emotions in the other's eyes.

Fear.

Unwillingness.

And a trace of indescribable regret.

Three.

Two.

The number ticked down to the final second.

Everyone held their breath and closed their eyes.

Some had even collapsed to the ground, waiting for death to descend.

Then...

"What do you call Daddy's daddy? Daddy's daddy is Grandpa!"

Half the black boxes began playing a cheerful children's song, while the other half clicked open, revealing slips of paper inside.

Du Weilen froze. He reached out, took out the slip, and unfolded it. A line was written on it.

"If Shrek does not settle Zhou Yi's debts, the bombs will be real next time."

Everyone knew what the note was referring to.

It was nothing more than retaliation from the parents of students Zhou Yi had expelled.

Du Weilen's face was black as the bottom of a pot. Gritting his teeth, he forced out a sentence through the gaps between them.

"Zhou! Yi! Where is she?"

Wang Dong shrank back and said quietly, "I don't know. She only told us to come run, and after that, we never saw her again."

Du Weilen trembled with rage, but had nowhere to vent it. He could only stomp down hard, leaving a deep footprint in the ground.

Meanwhile, over in the Soul Guidance Department, the atmosphere was completely different.

Xian Lin'er, Qian Duoduo, and Fan Yu surrounded Xuan Xiao, looking as though they wanted to swallow him alive.

Xuan Xiao had just proven his ability. He had completed a Grade Three Soul Tool thruster in less than half an hour, and its quality was practically flawless.

Its smooth lines, precise engravings, and stable energy output were no worse than what they themselves could produce.

For the remaining time, the three of them simply circled around Xuan Xiao and examined him as though he were some rare beast.

Fan Yu was the most direct. He grabbed Xuan Xiao by the shoulder so hard that his fingers dug into flesh, his voice trembling with barely restrained excitement.

"Kid, tell me the truth. Where exactly did you learn this?"

Fan Yu's grip made Xuan Xiao's shoulder ache. He frowned, but still answered calmly.

"I taught myself."

Taught himself?

Fan Yu's mouth twitched. Could self-study really reach this level?

Then hadn't they old geezers who had immersed themselves in the Soul Guidance Department for decades lived like dogs?

Xian Lin'er did not care about that. She stepped forward directly, her eyes burning as she looked at Xuan Xiao, her tone filled with unquestionable resolve.

"Are you willing to take me as your master? If you do, the entire Soul Guidance Department will be yours from now on."

The moment those words came out, Yan Shaozhe, who had been hiding in the shadows, exploded.

He had originally planned to observe a little longer and test this Xuan Xiao further, to see whether he was truly as outstanding as his teacher had said.

But now, he could not sit still.

Test him?

Test my ass!

If he kept testing him, his disciple would be stolen away!

Yan Shaozhe charged out from the shadows and rushed to Xian Lin'er in a few steps, roaring red-faced, "Lin'er, he is my disciple!"

Xian Lin'er sneered, folding her arms across her chest as she gave him a sidelong glance.

"Your disciple? What have you taught him? Have you ever given him a single lesson? You haven't even met him, and you dare call him your disciple?"

Yan Shaozhe was left speechless, but he still refused to concede.

"He is still a student of the Martial Soul Department! According to academy rules, freshmen are under the Martial Soul Department's jurisdiction during their first year. Your Soul Guidance Department has no right to interfere!"

Xian Lin'er let out a contemptuous laugh.

"Rules? You want to talk rules with me now? Then tell me, what resources has the Martial Soul Department provided him? What guidance? Nothing! You think you can tie someone to your Martial Soul Department with nothing but an enrollment form? Dream on!"

Yan Shaozhe's face turned livid with anger. His chest heaved violently, and even his voice began to shake.

"Xian Lin'er! Don't go too far! I respect you as the dean of the Soul Guidance Department, but you cannot brazenly steal people like this!"

Xian Lin'er refused to back down. She stepped forward until she was nearly in Yan Shaozhe's face.

"I'm going too far? You're the one going too far! Leaving such an outstanding talent in your Martial Soul Department is nothing but a waste! Do you know how gifted he is with Soul Tools? You don't understand at all!"

Qian Duoduo stood to one side, watching the two argue fiercely. He opened his mouth, intending to mediate, but swallowed his words again.

When these two big shots were fighting, he was better off staying out of it.

Fan Yu also looked helpless. He looked at Yan Shaozhe, then at Xian Lin'er, before finally turning his gaze toward Xuan Xiao.

Then he saw Xuan Xiao turn and leave without looking back.

Fan Yu froze for a moment, then hurriedly called out, "Where are you going?"

Xuan Xiao stopped and turned around. His trademark smile hung on his face, but his eyes were cold as ice.

"I'm withdrawing! I'm going to the Sun Moon Empire!"

The entire room fell silent the moment those words were spoken.

Yan Shaozhe and Xian Lin'er's argument came to an abrupt stop. Both turned toward Xuan Xiao and stared at him in utter disbelief.

Withdraw?

Go to the Sun Moon Empire?

Was this kid insane?