The dean of Shrek Academy

Once the dust had settled, Dai Huabin swayed, his face pale. Only Zhu Lu's support kept him from falling, but her face was deathly pale as well. Their Martial Soul Fusion Skill had been shattered by brute force. Had Du Weilun not intervened in time, they would already have been crushed into a puddle of mangled flesh beneath the bronze coffin.

At that moment, all the pride and stubborn defiance in Dai Huabin's eyes had vanished, replaced by profound resentment and a trace of disbelief.

He was only a Soul Grandmaster with a single soul ring. How could he unleash such tremendous power? Impossible. Absolutely impossible.

Dai Huabin looked toward his teacher. Liu Cheng fell silent for a moment, looking at Du Weilun as he climbed onto the raised platform, then at the boy swaying on the arena with blood streaming down his arm. The loss stung so badly that he finally stepped forward and said, "Wait!"

Everyone turned to look at him, including Du Weilun. Under so many gazes, Liu Cheng's scalp prickled, but he still could not stomach losing a soul bone. He challenged, "I believe the outcome of this match is still open to debate. I'm very curious-how could a Soul Grandmaster with only one soul ring defeat the Martial Soul Fusion Skill of a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster and a three-ring Soul Elder? Besides, everyone saw the power he unleashed at the end, didn't they? Evil energy surged into the heavens, and his martial soul is a coffin. I suspect he is an Evil Soul Master!"

At those words, everyone's expression changed.

Evil Soul Masters were the common enemies of every Soul Master on the continent. Anyone who encountered one had the right to put them to death.

This was Shrek Academy. If Jiang Hai was confirmed to be an Evil Soul Master, death would be his only fate.

Hearing this, Dai Huabin's face twisted with madness, and he shouted, "That's right! That must be it! He must be an Evil Soul Master! Someone, seize him!"

Jiang Hai's expression remained unchanged. He calmly watched Dai Huabin, whose crazed face resembled a malevolent ghost, with a faint hint of mockery in his eyes.

When Dai Huabin saw that hint of mockery, his eyes nearly split with rage, and his expression grew even more deranged.

"Enough!" Du Weilun's expression had also changed sharply. With a cold shout, he unleashed an overwhelming aura. Eight soul rings circled him-two yellow, two purple, and four black. He looked impassively at Liu Cheng and said coldly, "Liu Cheng, do you realize what you're saying?"

Zhou Yi also snapped, "Liu Cheng, have you lost your mind? You only lost a soul bone, yet you're slandering an outstanding student of Shrek Academy like this! You don't deserve to be a teacher!"

Whether the accusation was true or not, once Liu Cheng had voiced it, students who fell short of Jiang Hai would attribute his achievements to his being an Evil Soul Master, no matter how outstanding his performance was.

The tree that rose above the forest would be battered by the wind; the man whose conduct stood above others would be torn down by the crowd!

Zhou Yi understood better than anyone that some conceited Soul Masters who appeared to be geniuses would never admit defeat when faced with setbacks. Instead, they would disparage those stronger than themselves, believing their success was nothing more than better luck.

If such an attitude took root, it could even ruin this entire cohort at Shrek Academy.

Some of the other teachers realized this as well. Even the ever-gentle Wang Yan's expression turned icy. He glanced at Liu Cheng, then turned to Du Weilun and said, "Director of Studies, Liu Cheng's intentions deserve condemnation. He has publicly slandered a student. I recommend expelling him from Shrek Academy and never employing him again, as a warning to others! Furthermore..."

Wang Yan cast a cold glance at Dai Huabin and said frostily, "Student Dai Huabin harbors resentment because his skills fall short and slanders a student stronger than himself. Such a narrow-minded student of poor character does not deserve to be a disciple of Shrek Academy either. I recommend expelling him and permanently barring his admission!"

For even Wang Yan, normally such an amiable man, to say these words showed just how furious he was.

It was normal to feel dissatisfied when one's skills fell short. Without the desire to win, without competition, Shrek Academy would not be what it was today. But anyone who dismissed another person's strength as luck or crooked tricks simply because they could not measure up did not deserve to remain at Shrek Academy.

Liu Cheng's expression turned ugly. He glanced at the grim-faced Du Weilun, and his heart trembled. He hurriedly said, "I'm sorry. I lost my composure. I was only momentarily anxious about Shrek Academy's good name. Evil Soul Masters are our academy's mortal enemies and harbor sinister intentions, so we must take this seriously. If an investigation proves that I wrongly accused student Jiang Hai, I am willing to apologize publicly. Director of Studies, please investigate thoroughly!"

Du Weilun nodded and said, "Liu Cheng, an intermediate instructor of Shrek Academy, has failed to uphold a teacher's ethics in public and damaged our academy's reputation. He will be suspended for one year and stripped of all teaching titles and benefits, pending review of his subsequent conduct."

"Student Dai Huabin..."

Du Weilun's eyes turned cold, and he said impassively, "Go back where you came from. Shrek Academy will not accept a student like you!"

A flash of venomous resentment and jealousy crossed Dai Huabin's heart. Unwilling to accept it, he said, "He must be an Evil Soul Master! Why should I be expelled over an Evil Soul Master? It's unfair! I won't accept it!"

"Enough!" An icy voice rang out. A youth wearing the red uniform of an Inner Court disciple interrupted Dai Huabin. His features bore a strong resemblance to Dai Huabin's.

"Director Du, teachers!" The youth stood in front of Dai Huabin and respectfully bowed to the teachers on the raised platform. Then he turned toward the weakened Jiang Hai and apologized, "Junior brother, I'm Dai Huabin's older brother. I apologize to you on Huabin's behalf. I hope you won't hold his behavior against him!"

As he spoke, the youth bent at the waist and bowed to Lu Xingchuan before continuing, "My younger brother has been impulsive since childhood. This time, he simply couldn't accept defeat for a moment and lost his head. I hope the teachers will give him another chance. To make amends, the White Tiger Duke's Mansion is willing to donate another million Gold Soul Coins to the academy to construct a teaching building. In addition, we will compensate this student for the damage to his reputation with a soul bone. Would that be acceptable?"

"A million Gold Soul Coins and a soul bone! Yueheng, you certainly have bold resolve. But I cannot decide this matter either. I will report it to the dean. Whether Dai Huabin stays or leaves will be his decision!" Du Weilun said with a sigh.

Dai Yueheng immediately replied, "Thank you, Director Du!"

"But..." Dai Huabin was still somewhat unwilling to accept it.

At that moment, a tall girl in red stepped forward. She looked impassively at Dai Huabin and Liu Cheng, six vividly colored soul rings circling her and pulsing gently. A towering surge of evil fire poured forth as she asked, "I heard someone questioned whether my evil fire was an Evil Soul Master's martial soul. Does that mean I'm an Evil Soul Master too?"

Looking at the red-clad girl before him, Liu Cheng felt immense pressure, and shock flickered in his eyes. But when he sensed that Ma Xiaotao's evil fire shared the same origin as Jiang Hai's, his expression involuntarily changed.

"Xiaotao, don't talk nonsense. No one said your Evil Fire Phoenix was an evil martial soul!" Du Weilun said.

Even the emperors of the three great empires would not dare claim that Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire Phoenix was an Evil Soul Master's martial soul. Ma Hongjun, the Evil Fire Phoenix of the original Shrek Seven Devils, who was said to have ascended to godhood, had possessed that very martial soul. Calling the Evil Fire Phoenix an Evil Soul Master's martial soul would be slandering a deity, would it not?

Ma Xiaotao swept them with a disdainful gaze and said calmly, "My junior brother's evil fire shares the same origin as mine. My teacher also knows about him. Once he enters the Inner Court, he will formally become his disciple. So you are not only questioning me, but my teacher's judgment as well. Is that right?"

"Dean Yan!" Du Weilun's expression immediately became serious. He asked in surprise, "Xiaotao, are you serious?"

Everyone who knew who Ma Xiaotao's teacher was underwent a drastic change in expression, especially Liu Cheng. He now regretted his words so deeply that he wanted to tear his own mouth apart. Disaster came from the mouth. Calling a disciple chosen by Shrek Academy's dean an Evil Soul Master-was that not the height of absurdity?

Just think about it. Who besides Dean Yan could teach such a monstrous student? It was all Dai Huabin's fault. If not for him, I wouldn't have lost a soul bone, and even my future prospects wouldn't have been ruined. After offending Dean Yan, how could I possibly keep getting by at Shrek Academy?

Ma Xiaotao replied calmly, "Teacher has been keeping an eye on my junior brother all along. He even told me to guide his cultivation for now!"

"Well..." Du Weilun's expression grew strained.

At that moment, Zhang Lexuan, dressed in white as pure as snow, also stepped forward and said with utter calm, "I was also the one who brought Jiang Hai to Shrek Academy. If Jiang Hai is an Evil Soul Master, then perhaps I am one too. Teacher Liu Cheng, wouldn't you agree?"

"Lex... Lexuan, I... I didn't mean that. I didn't know you were the one who brought him here!" Liu Cheng's expression changed completely. Who could have imagined that an ordinary first-year freshman would involve two Inner Court disciples, much less the two most talented people in the Inner Court?

Zhang Lexuan was indisputably Shrek Academy's greatest genius, a Soul Douluo in her twenties and a peerless prodigy who might even become a Titled Douluo before turning thirty. Liu Cheng had also heard that Zhang Lexuan had a chance of becoming the youngest elder of the Sea God Pavilion.

Could someone brought to the academy by a person like her be an Evil Soul Master?

By now, Dai Yueheng's expression had also turned utterly grim. He shot Dai Huabin a fierce glare without saying a word. Having offended Shrek Academy's two most promising geniuses at once, he no longer knew how to describe his foolish younger brother. If this matter was handled poorly, it could even affect the White Tiger Duke's Mansion.

With two prominent Inner Court disciples backing him, no one would dare call Jiang Hai an Evil Soul Master again.

"Heh, quite a lively scene here. I thought the finals had been moved forward and no one had told me!" An old man in white appeared soundlessly in the stands and spoke with a smile.

"Teacher!" Ma Xiaotao's face lit up. She obediently approached the old man with a smile.

"Dean!" Everyone else immediately bowed as well.

The newcomer was none other than the dean of the Shrek Academy Martial Soul Department, who could also be called the dean of Shrek Academy: the Level 97 Titled Douluo, Bright Phoenix Douluo Yan Shaozhe.