It was a sunny afternoon. Huo Yuhao and Roboute Guilliman, two giants, one gold and one blue, accompanied Lady Euten on a stroll through the gardens of Ultramar Palace. A small squad of Adeptus Custodes and Ultramarines followed behind them.
"Yuhao." Lady Euten looked fondly at Huo Yuhao-he was not a king, but he was the child every parent hoped to have. "What do you want to do once the Emperor's great work is complete?"
Huo Yuhao pondered for a few seconds, then looked up at the sky and smiled.
"I want to be a schoolteacher."
Mu En stared at Huo Yuhao, taking in his firm, pure expression. After a long while, he let out a long breath.
"Haha, when you put it that way, you make this old man seem rather small-minded.
"Would you mind teaching a few more people?"
"As long as they're willing to learn," Huo Yuhao said evenly.
"Do you have any requirements?"
"Nothing much. Just don't disrupt the order or disturb anyone else's studies.
"Also, if I'm not mistaken, you're one of the academy's senior figures."
"That's right. Did you want something?"
"I'd like to read Shrek Academy's collection of books."
"No problem."
With that, he handed Huo Yuhao a token engraved with the character "Mu."
"With this, you can freely enter and leave the Inner Court's Library Pavilion."
Then he said to Bei Bei and Tang Ya, "Don't you want to revive the Tang Sect? Go and learn, then."
"Yes, Elder Mu," the two said, bowing.
"I wonder whether they'll be able to keep up."
"It's fine. I've finished covering the previous stage. Tomorrow, I'll be teaching optical-electrical theory. There isn't much to this part.
"As for the earlier material, you have Senior He's notes, right? Study them yourselves first, and ask me if there's anything you don't understand."
"Optical-electrical theory?" Both Bei Bei and Wang Dong were surprised.
Bei Bei took it relatively well. He knew his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul could evolve into the Radiant Sacred Dragon, so a connection between the two was only natural. Wang Dong, however, looked utterly bewildered.
"Oh? Interesting. Let this old man come and listen too."
"Elder Mu, you...?"
Mu En waved a hand, and Bei Bei said no more.
"Um, Huo Yuhao." Wang Dong blinked and said a little sheepishly, "Can I come?"
"Yes."
Although they were not close, Huo Yuhao's impression of this roommate was not bad. Though he had something of a spoiled young master's temper, he could acknowledge his mistakes and correct them.
"Oh, right, Grandpa."
Wang Dong suddenly complained to Mu En.
"Could you do something about my homeroom teacher?"
"Hehe, what is it, child? Have you come to lodge a complaint with me?"
Mu En did have some impression of this "tomboy," who dressed as a boy and had been beaten up by Huo Yuhao on the very first day of school.
Wang Dong said a little sheepishly, "Um, Grandpa, you have to promise you won't tell my teacher on me."
"Ahem." Bei Bei hurriedly picked up a cup of water and drank.
"Sorry, it went down the wrong way. Don't worry, Elder Mu won't give you away. But although Teacher Zhou is a little strict, she's still a good teacher, isn't she?"
"That's right," Tang Ya agreed. "Her classes have the highest advancement rate. And I heard Tang Yin say he quite likes that monster teacher."
"Is it that girl Zhou Yi? I've also heard she's quite a good teacher."
"She might be a good teacher, but..."
Wang Dong glanced at Huo Yuhao and the other two before continuing.
"She's expelled far too many students! On the very first day, she expelled nine people because they couldn't meet her running requirements.
"And after our match against your Class Nine that afternoon, because we weren't as good as your class overall, she's been piling on extra training like mad for these past two months, completely ignoring our physical condition.
"Of course Tang Yin is fine, since he's a Soul Elder, but plenty of our classmates are only Soul Grandmasters or Soul Masters.
"There are hardly any Soul Master-level students left in our class now. She's expelled them all for failing to meet her requirements.
"I have a good friend-Xiao Xiao. She's only a support-type Soul Grandmaster with a tool martial soul. Lately, she's kept coming to me in tears, afraid she'll be expelled one day."
Every sentence of Wang Dong's complaint darkened Mu En's expression further. Huo Yuhao's expression had also turned ugly.
"Does Shrek Academy only look at the advancement rate, rather than the number of students who advance? Then if I expel everyone who fails to qualify, wouldn't my advancement rate be one hundred percent?"
Huo Yuhao immediately pointed out the heart of the problem.
Mu En said gravely, "I will investigate this thoroughly. If it's true, I will give you an answer.
"I will temporarily suspend Zhou Yi from her post. A new teacher will take over from her tomorrow."
Huo Yuhao spoke up beside him. "A teacher is someone who imparts the way, teaches knowledge, and resolves doubts. A sage of ancient times once proposed the principle of 'education without distinction.' We must acknowledge the differences between students and nurture them using suitable methods.
"For students who sincerely wish to learn, what teachers should do is guide them. If they make mistakes, as long as they aren't beyond remedy, teachers should correct those mistakes too.
"Even punishment should be reasonable and measured."
Having said this, Huo Yuhao spoke no further. Beside him, Mu En nodded in agreement.
Wang Dong looked at Huo Yuhao in surprise. "You certainly know a lot of ancient sages."
Still, he was in quite a good mood. This way, his friend probably wouldn't be expelled, and he could have an easier time too. To be honest, the intense training lately had left him somewhat exhausted.
Suddenly, a red dot came rushing toward them from the middle of the lake.
Several people present sensed it, while Mu En's face darkened.
The red figure moved very quickly, carrying a thick aura of murderous intent. It would reach them in mere seconds.
By then, everyone could see clearly that the approaching figure was a woman wearing a mask.
Mu En recognized who she was nonetheless. Already in a bad mood because of Wang Dong's complaint, his expression now grew even uglier.
Without making any unnecessary movements, he raised his hand. A huge golden hand appeared in the air and slapped the woman into the lake.
A short while later, several people hurried over.
"Quick, Xiaotao's lost control again. Luckily, no one was hurt this time. Go and deal with it," the middle-aged man in white leading them said, pointing at someone.
That person soon reached Huo Yuhao and the others. Since Mu En wanted to see how they handled the matter, he deliberately turned his back to him and diminished his presence, so he went unrecognized.
"Please forget what you just saw. Otherwise, you'll be expelled from the academy. Nothing happened to you anyway. I trust you're all sensible people."
Only then did he notice Bei Bei among the group. "Bei Bei, you're here too!" At the same time, fear gripped him. What if something had happened to Bei Bei? He dared not imagine the consequences.
He hurriedly took several bottles out of his storage device and handed them to Bei Bei.
"This is your compensation."
With that, he moved to leave, not forgetting to turn back and warn the others once again. "Remember, forget everything you just saw."
Yet he could no longer fly. Just as confusion spread across his face, a voice filled with fury thundered out.
"Yan Shaozhe, get over here!"
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