The Academy's Compensation

The classroom door opened as the bell rang for class.

A man in his forties walked in, of average build and with a gentle face.

He wore a somewhat worn gray robe, its cuffs rubbed pale, but it had been washed spotless.

Carrying a stack of books and lesson plans, he walked to the lectern and set them down, adjusted the glasses on his nose, and glanced over the class.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Wang Yan. Starting today, I'll be the homeroom teacher for Class One."

He paused, his gaze sweeping around the classroom before resting on Zhang Lan for a moment, then moving away.

"I previously taught soul power control to the second years, so I'm not very familiar with the students in our class yet."

"If you have any questions from now on, you can come to me anytime."

"My office is the westernmost room on the second floor. The door is usually open."

With that, he opened his lesson plans, picked up a piece of chalk, and wrote his name on the blackboard: Wang Yan.

His handwriting was neat, every stroke carefully formed. When he finished, he turned and smiled at the class, a little stiffly, but not insincerely.

Zhang Lan watched the drab gray figure at the lectern and turned to the next page of his new student handbook.

When the bell rang to end class, Wang Yan set the chalk in its box and dusted off his hands. His gaze passed over several students in the front row who were packing up their books and settled on the seat by the window.

"Zhang Lan, come with me for a moment."

Zhang Lan closed his new student handbook, tucked it into his desk compartment, and stood to head outside.

Wang Dong turned to look at him, as though he wanted to ask something. His lips moved, but Zhang Lan had already squeezed past behind him.

Nan Qiuqiu stayed seated in the front row, merely tilting her head slightly to watch Zhang Lan leave the classroom from the corner of her eye.

Wang Yan waited for him in the hallway. When he emerged, Wang Yan turned to lead the way, walking at an unhurried pace half a step ahead, as though deliberately slowing down so Zhang Lan could keep up.

The two walked to the end of the teaching building's hallway and turned onto the stairs.

The second-floor hallway was much quieter than the first. The doors to several offices were closed. Occasionally, a teacher came or went, nodding upon seeing Wang Yan and letting their gaze pass over Zhang Lan as well.

The dean's office was at the far end of the hallway, its door half open.

Wang Yan stopped at the entrance, stepped aside, and raised his hand to knock twice on the doorframe.

"Come in."

Wang Yan nodded to Zhang Lan. Rather than going inside himself, he turned and headed back.

Zhang Lan pushed the door open and entered.

The office was not large, a size smaller than Du Weilun's, and its furnishings were much simpler.

There was an old wooden desk, two chairs, and a row of tightly packed bookshelves against the wall. A half-dead pothos sat on the windowsill, its leaves drooping badly from lack of water.

Yan Shaozhe sat behind the desk, leafing through a file. Hearing the door, he raised his head, his gaze falling on Zhang Lan, then closed the file and set it at the edge of the desk.

"Sit."

Zhang Lan sat in the chair in front of the desk.

Yan Shaozhe studied him for a few breaths, his gaze shifting from his face to his shoulders and back again.

His gaze was not sharp, but it carried a heavy weight, like a scale weighing something.

"The matter with Zhou Yi has been settled."

Yan Shaozhe spoke in an even tone.

"She's been transferred to the Soul Tool Department. She won't be teaching your class again."

"Wang Yan will take over as Class One's homeroom teacher. He's unhurried by nature, but he teaches conscientiously and won't put his students through the wringer."

Zhang Lan nodded without speaking.

Yan Shaozhe took an envelope from a drawer, placed it on the desk, and pushed it toward him.

The envelope was small but thick, with Shrek Academy's seal affixed over the flap.

"This is the academy's compensation for you."

"Two hundred thousand gold soul coins, as part of our response to Zhou Yi's misconduct."

"It isn't much, but these are the academy's rules. You won't receive any less than you're owed."

Zhang Lan glanced at the envelope but did not immediately reach for it.

Watching his reaction, Yan Shaozhe's lips shifted slightly. It was barely noticeable, but Zhang Lan caught it.

"No hurry to take it. Hear me out first."

Yan Shaozhe leaned back in his chair.

"I've seen your soul ring configuration. Two purple, three black. A Five-Ring Soul King."

"Since Shrek Academy's founding, we've never had a new student like you."

"Your martial soul has unusual attributes, and your soul skills cover a wide range. You have both battlefield control and damage output, with no obvious shortcomings."

"But you're level fifty now, stalled at the Soul King threshold. Your sixth soul ring at level sixty will be crucial."

He paused, looking Zhang Lan in the eye.

"When you reach level sixty, the academy will send people to help you hunt for the most suitable soul ring."

"I'll lead the team myself."

At those words, Zhang Lan's gaze shifted slightly.

He knew just how much weight the words "I'll lead the team myself" carried when spoken by someone at the Titled Douluo level.

The sixth soul ring was a watershed for a Soul Master. The strength of their soul skills after level sixty directly determined the course of the latter half of their journey.

The academy's willingness to make such an effort showed that Yan Shaozhe truly took him seriously.

"Also,"

Yan Shaozhe shifted the subject.

"With your current soul power level and performance in actual combat, you could apply directly for the Inner Court assessment."

"The Outer Court doesn't offer you much. The Inner Court's resources, teaching staff, and cultivation environment are all a tier above."

"Give it some thought."

Zhang Lan shook his head without hesitation.

Yan Shaozhe's eyebrows rose slightly.

"There are still things I want to learn in the Outer Court."

Zhang Lan spoke.

Yan Shaozhe watched him for a few breaths but did not press him.

He reached out and pushed the envelope a little closer. Only then did Zhang Lan take it and put it into his Storage Soul Tool.

"All right."

Yan Shaozhe stood.

"If anything comes up, see Wang Yan. If he can't resolve it, he'll come to me."

"Off you go."

Zhang Lan stood, bowed slightly to Yan Shaozhe, then turned and left the dean's office.

The hallway was empty. Wang Yan had already left.

Zhang Lan went down the stairs. As he passed through the first-floor hallway, several new students who happened to be leaving their classrooms noticed him, their gazes following him for several steps.

He ignored them, turned into his classroom, and returned to his seat by the window.

Wang Dong immediately leaned over and asked in a low voice:

"What did the dean want with you?"

Zhang Lan opened his new student handbook to the page where he had left off.

"He gave me some compensation and talked about a few things for the future."

"What things for the future?"

"Helping me hunt for a soul ring when I reach level sixty."

Wang Dong froze for a moment, then pursed his lips and pulled back.

He opened his notebook and tapped the tip of his pen against the paper several times without writing anything, then tapped it a few more times.

"You turned down the Inner Court?"

He suddenly asked again.

Zhang Lan turned a page.

"How did you know?"

"I guessed."

Wang Dong turned to a fresh page in his notebook, wrote two lines, then crossed them out.

"If you wanted to enter the Inner Court, you could've signed up for its assessment when you enrolled. Why bother staying in the Outer Court's Class One?"

Zhang Lan did not answer, his gaze resting on the page.

Wang Dong waited a while without getting a response. Biting his pen, he watched Zhang Lan for a few breaths before finally taking it out of his mouth and continuing to scribble in his notebook.