Died for Nothing

Shrek Academy, beside Sea God Lake.

Ling Luochen sat slumped by the lake, her strength spent, gasping for breath.

Not far ahead, Ma Xiaotao approached her step by step, her eyes bloodred.

"Ma Xiaotao, snap out of it! What are you trying to do?"

Ling Luochen forced herself upright and shouted at her.

But Ma Xiaotao seemed unable to hear. As though she had lost all reason, she greedily inhaled the cold air radiating from Ling Luochen.

Just then, someone came sprinting from a distance. At the sight before him, his expression changed drastically.

"Stop!"

He rushed between the two women, trying to block the out-of-control Ma Xiaotao.

Ling Luochen recognized him. Surprise flashed in her eyes before she urgently warned, "Teacher Wang Yan, get out of here! Ma Xiaotao's completely lost control. It's too dangerous!"

"Go tell Dean Yan and the others to come!"

Wang Yan looked at Ling Luochen's pale face with concern. "But you're in terrible shape yourself. If I leave..."

"I can hold her off a little longer," Ling Luochen cut in. "Fighting isn't your strength. Staying would put you in even more danger."

Wang Yan gritted his teeth and shook his head.

"A teacher doesn't abandon his student. No matter the danger, I should be the one standing in front."

"Don't worry. With a disturbance this big, someone will be here soon. Besides, Xiaotao is Dean Yan's disciple. Even if she's lost control, surely she won't hurt people indiscriminately inside the academy."

Ma Xiaotao paused midstep and stared blankly at Wang Yan, who stood in her way.

But an instant later, her expression grew even more savage, and the Soul Power swirling around her took on a trace of pitch-black, sinister energy.

Before Wang Yan could react, Ma Xiaotao roared and lunged straight at him.

Wang Yan had never been much of a fighter. Caught off guard, he had no time to dodge.

Ling Luochen was horrified. She had never imagined Ma Xiaotao would attack again after coming to a stop.

In desperation, she immediately activated a soul skill. "Third soul skill: Ice Prison!"

Several pillars of ice erupted from the ground, instantly trapping Ma Xiaotao.

But the newly formed prison shattered under the onslaught of the raging evil flames before it could last even a second.

"Oh no!"

Ling Luochen's heart sank. As she watched Ma Xiaotao unleash Phoenix Piercing Cloud Strike, her face went deathly pale.

"No!!!"

A piercing scream rang out. After several seconds, it stopped abruptly.

Red-and-black flames surged everywhere. Wang Yan was swallowed in an instant and reduced to ash.

At the same time, the dismissal bell had just rung in the second-year teaching building.

Lan Susu quietly tapped Xiao Xiao's shoulder and asked in a low voice, "Xiao Xiao, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong withdrew from school. Do you know what happened?"

Xiao Xiao's face fell. "I don't know either."

"How could this happen...? They're both gone. What am I supposed to do on my own?"

Lan Luoluo looked deeply disappointed. "What a shame. We finally had one good-looking boy in our class, and now she's gone."

Cao Jinxuan, sitting nearby, took offense at once. "Lan Luoluo, what's that supposed to mean? Am I not handsome?"

"Please!" Lan Luoluo scoffed. "You? You think you can compare to Wang Dong?"

"You're not even as good-looking as Huo Yuhao!"

Cao Jinxuan bristled and snorted. "What good did their looks do them? They still chose to leave school."

"But I heard they left because the academy treated Huo Yuhao unfairly..."

"Shut up!"

Zhou Yi, who had just left the classroom, suddenly returned to the doorway. Her icy gaze landed on Cao Jinxuan.

"Huo Yuhao failed to appreciate the chance to study at Shrek Academy, a sacred place for soul masters. That's his loss."

"If he couldn't endure a little hardship, he was never going to amount to anything."

"With his aptitude, he only got to stay because I made an exception after seeing how hard he worked. And he had the nerve to be ungrateful."

"And Wang Dong. Does she really think she's such a genius? Outside Shrek, she's nothing."

"I'd wager that within a year, they won't even measure up to you."

"Huh? What do you mean, 'even me'?" Cao Jinxuan looked aggrieved, but the moment he met Zhou Yi's icy gaze, he obediently lowered his head and dared not argue.

Zhou Yi swept her eyes across the class and said coldly, "Remember this, all of you. Do not speak recklessly about the academy. Violators will be severely punished."

In the classroom next door, Class Two.

Zhu Lu hurried back to her seat and rushed up to Dai Huabin, panting and unable to hide her delight. "Huabin, good news! Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong withdrew and left Shrek!"

Dai Huabin's eyes lit up. He sprang to his feet and gripped Zhu Lu's shoulders. "Is that true?!"

"Excellent! Hahahaha!"

Zhu Lu lowered her voice. "Should we... take the opportunity to do something?"

A cold smile curled Dai Huabin's lips, and his eyes turned vicious.

"Of course!"

"If they'd stayed at Shrek, there really wouldn't have been anything I could do to them."

"But since they chose to leave, the academy shouldn't interfere in their personal affairs anymore."

"What happened last time isn't over. They humiliated me, and they'll pay for it."

No sooner had he spoken than a sharp rush of air sounded outside the teaching building.

Zhou Yi, Dai Huabin, and the others all looked up toward the windows.

"Is that... Dean Yan?" Zhou Yi looked surprised. The academy's senior staff rarely flew like that on campus.

"What happened out there?"

Beside Sea God Lake.

The Soul Power of Yan Shaozhe's Light Phoenix erupted around him. Its overwhelming power of light instantly suppressed the pitch-black, sinister energy surrounding Ma Xiaotao.

Ma Xiaotao's legs gave way, and she collapsed heavily to the ground. The bloodred hue slowly faded from her eyes as she gasped for breath and gradually regained her senses.

Ling Luochen lay weakly on the ground. When she saw Yan Shaozhe arrive, the tension inside her finally eased.

"Dean Yan... Ma Xiaotao... she accidentally killed Teacher Wang Yan."

Yan Shaozhe followed her gaze to a charred mark on the ground. His face darkened completely.

"Xiaotao, Xiaotao. How did you let it come to this?"

Ma Xiaotao trembled. Her eyes went vacant, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Teacher, I didn't mean to..."

"I just wanted to train faster and get stronger. I never wanted to hurt anyone... Sob..."

"I never thought that even Ling Luochen couldn't suppress the evil fire inside me anymore..."

Yan Shaozhe's brows drew tight. After a long moment of helpless silence, he sighed heavily.

"I told you long ago to slow your training and rest until we found a way to cure the evil fire. Why were you so impatient?"

Ma Xiaotao lowered her head, unable to meet his eyes. Her voice shook with tears.

"When I fought Song Que, Bei Bei, and Xu Sanshi before, it kept getting harder..."

"I was afraid that if I went on resting, they'd catch up to me sooner or later. I couldn't accept that..."

Yan Shaozhe's expression shifted several times. Anger flashed in his eyes, and he muttered a curse. "Song Que again! Why does that brat have to be involved in everything?"

He reined in his emotions and said gravely, "Enough. Go back and rest for now. I'll handle this."

"Can you make it back on your own?"

Ma Xiaotao nodded faintly. "I can, Teacher."

"I'll go, then..."

She looked up and gave the barely conscious Ling Luochen a conflicted glance before turning and flying away from the lakeside.

Ling Luochen watched her go, torn by a jumble of emotions. She spoke again. "Dean Yan, Teacher Wang Yan can't have died for nothing."

Yan Shaozhe looked at her, his expression complicated.

"I know. The academy will handle the aftermath properly and give Teacher Wang Yan's family adequate compensation and an explanation."

Ling Luochen wanted to say more, but when she met Yan Shaozhe's cold, solemn gaze, she swallowed her words and fell silent in helpless resignation.