Zhou Yi felt she would never forget her first meeting with the student named Lin Xi for as long as she lived.
That day had originally been perfectly ordinary. She had been preparing for the new semester as usual when, unexpectedly, Fan Yu arrived with a new student.
"Uh, Zhou Yi, this student needs to be assigned to your class, and he seems to have some demands for you."
Zhou Yi looked at the new student. He was a handsome, neatly dressed boy with a smile on his face, looking quite amiable.
She put down the materials in her hands.
"What's your name? What do you need from me?"
The boy smiled and said, "My name is Lin Xi. My demand is simple enough. I can attend your class, but you don't get to interfere with what I do."
"Nonsense." Zhou Yi frowned in displeasure. "I don't know what your background is for Fan Yu to treat you this way. Do you think you're still at home? This is an academy. Since you're here, you have to follow its rules. It's only natural for students to listen to their teachers. Otherwise, wouldn't everything descend into chaos?"
The boy named Lin Xi sighed.
"But, teacher, I don't feel like you can teach me anything. Surely you can't expect me to waste my time following you around?"
"What arrogance." Zhou Yi sneered. "You think I can't teach you anything? I'm a renowned teacher throughout the Shrek Outer Court, and my teaching produces the best results!"
As she spoke, she released the pressure of a Soul Emperor, trying to overwhelm this brat who knew neither the height of heaven nor the depth of the earth with her presence.
Yet Lin Xi remained utterly unshaken, still wearing his smile.
"But you also expel the most students, don't you?"
"What do you know!" Zhou Yi sneered. "I expel them because they can't keep up with my lessons. Don't you know Shrek's motto? We only accept monsters, not trash. If they can't even meet the course requirements, why should I keep them here?"
Lin Xi tilted his head.
"Are you saying that strength is everything in this academy?"
"Exactly." Zhou Yi nodded matter-of-factly. "No matter what your status is outside or how talented you are, everyone in this academy has to compete fairly based on strength. Don't throw your young master's tantrums here."
This was Zhou Yi's teaching principle, and it was not open to revision.
"I see." Lin Xi looked as though realization had dawned on him.
The corners of his mouth curled up provocatively.
"Since strength decides everything, as long as I'm stronger than you, doesn't that mean you have to listen to me?"
"Ha."
Lin Xi's words made Zhou Yi laugh in anger.
She looked at her husband.
"Fan Yu, did you bring this brat here to show me a clown? I've never seen a new student so ignorant of the height of heaven and the depth of the earth."
Then, without waiting for Fan Yu to answer, she turned back and glared coldly at Lin Xi.
"Brat, your name is Lin Xi, right? Remember this: don't ever say that sort of thing to a teacher again. I'll let you off this time for Fan Yu's sake, but there won't be a next time."
Lin Xi raised his eyebrows.
"Are you afraid?"
Zhou Yi's expression darkened.
"Shut your mouth. There's a limit to my patience."
He had spouted outrageous nonsense the moment they met, then repeatedly challenged her bottom line.
If she hadn't needed to consider Fan Yu's dignity, she would have already struck.
Lin Xi sighed.
"How about this, teacher? Let's stop trading empty words. Just attack me. If I lose, I'll deserve a beating for being too arrogant."
"...Don't regret it."
Zhou Yi revealed a cruel smile.
She truly couldn't stand it anymore.
Even a new student dared to run his mouth in front of her.
"Zhou Yi, don't be rash..."
Fan Yu, standing beside her, seemed to want to stop her, but she was no longer listening.
Six Soul Rings rose-two yellow, two purple, and two black-and she lunged at Lin Xi.
She would crush Lin Xi's arrogance and show him he wasn't worth a fart in front of her!
Yet her plans were destined to come to nothing.
An invisible sword blocked her attack.
Artoria appeared in front of Lin Xi, shielding him securely behind her.
Faced with this unexpected development, Zhou Yi involuntarily froze for a moment.
And that brief moment decided the course of the battle.
A silver figure appeared out of thin air and rushed toward her, so fast that even she could barely make it out.
She instinctively reached out to block, but she couldn't keep up with her opponent's speed.
The result was a spear pressed against her throat.
"..."
The room instantly fell silent.
Zhou Yi opened her mouth, wanting to say it was impossible, but as she looked at the three black Soul Rings that had risen beside Lin Xi at some point, she couldn't get the words out.
Three black Soul Rings-what did that mean?
Either Lin Xi had Twin Martial Souls, and his other Martial Soul had already reached Soul King level.
Or Lin Xi's physical fitness had already rivaled a Soul King's when he obtained his first ring.
Whichever it was, it could only mean that the boy before her was a monster through and through.
What she didn't know was that Lin Xi still had another Heroic Spirit he hadn't summoned. Otherwise, victory would have come even more easily.
Lin Xi's physical fitness was at Soul Emperor level, and the ages of his Soul Rings had risen to Soul Emperor level along with it.
As for the Heroic Spirits, whose output was determined by his Soul Rings, most of their magical reserves were comparable to a Soul King's.
Soul King-level magical reserves were already enough for them to fight Soul Saints.
Although a Soul Saint's Martial Soul Avatar was slightly troublesome for them, once they unleashed their Noble Phantasms, even a Martial Soul Avatar would struggle to defeat them.
Dealing with a mere Soul Emperor like Zhou Yi could hardly have been easier.
Lin Xi waved his hand, and Melusine put away her weapon.
Watching Zhou Yi's mouth open and close without a word coming out, he smiled gently.
"Well, teacher? Now I'm the stronger one. Shouldn't you listen to me?"
Only upon hearing his voice did Zhou Yi barely come back to her senses.
She shakily pointed toward the door.
"Get out..."
Lin Xi tilted his head.
"Oh?"
Zhou Yi roared.
"Get out!"
Amid Zhou Yi's furious, exasperated shouting, Lin Xi looked helplessly at Fan Yu.
Only after seeing Fan Yu nod repeatedly at him did he turn and leave the room.
As soon as Lin Xi left the room, Zhou Yi turned urgently to Fan Yu.
"Fan Yu, just what is that brat? Could he be a Soul Beast cultivating anew?"
Fan Yu tried helplessly to calm her down.
"Calm down, Zhou Yi, calm down. What Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast has the ability to summon humans to help it?"
"True."
Only then did Zhou Yi calm down a little, though she still couldn't accept it.
"But why is he so strong? That kind of strength makes no sense. I'd wager that even all the Outer Court students combined aren't as strong as he is, and he's only a first-year new student!"
"Well... I don't know either."
Fan Yu spoke helplessly.
He didn't know just where this Lin Xi had come from either, or why it seemed as though no such person had ever existed on the continent before.
He could only tell Zhou Yi what he knew.
After hearing him out, Zhou Yi bit down hard on her lower lip.
She also knew how difficult her husband's position was, and how poorly the Soul Tool Department was regarded within the academy.
Now that a genius like this had finally arrived, he surely wanted to keep him in the Soul Tool Department at any cost.
After hesitating for a long time, she reluctantly nodded.
"All right, I agree to his demands. But you also have to make him promise not to actively interfere with my teaching."
"Understood."
Fan Yu nodded, overjoyed.
Seeing him like this, Zhou Yi gave a helpless smile.