Scared Now?

Before the two could retort, he said, word by word, "You two love causing trouble, don't you? You think might makes right, right?"

Let me tell you the truth: Dean Shi Nian of the Canghui Academy is a level 72 Soul Saint with the Martial Soul "Remnant Dream," an extremely strange and powerful spiritual Martial Soul that can kill without leaving a trace. More importantly, this person is vindictive, narrow-minded, and has no bottom line in his actions. He never hesitates to bully the weak and will never show mercy to juniors.

Yan Zu's words were like a bucket of cold water, sending a chill down the spine of the tipsy Ma Hongjun, and even causing Dai Mubai's expression to change slightly. Soul Saint! And a strange one at that, a mental one! This was a completely different concept from the low-level Soul Master they usually bullied.

"Today, taking advantage of Teacher Zhao's presence, you humiliated his college and injured his student. Given Shi Nian's personality, he will remember this debt."

Yan Zu's voice echoed in the quiet hall, "I hope you're lucky enough to never encounter him alone. Otherwise—the words ' Canghui Academy ' might be the last thing you ever hear in your lives."

After speaking, Yan Zu ignored Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun's alternating pale and flushed faces, and also disregarded Zhao Wuji's thoughtful gaze. He turned and walked straight upstairs. Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and the others immediately followed.

As soon as Yan Zu turned and went upstairs, his figure disappeared around the corner of the stairs, an eerie silence fell over the lobby.

Ma Hongjun sobered up considerably in an instant; the flush on his face faded, replaced by a hint of panic.

He gripped Zhao Wuji's arm, his voice trembling, "Teacher Zhao... Teacher Zhao..." His voice trembled almost imperceptibly as he asked with a last glimmer of hope, "That kid... Yan Zu said... was he just trying to scare us? Was it really that strange back Shi Nian?"

At this moment, the drunkenness on Zhao Wuji's face completely dissipated, and his rough expression subsided, replaced by an unusual solemnity. He slammed the wine jar down, the bottom of which struck the ground with a dull thud that made everyone's eardrums vibrate. "He wasn't trying to scare you."

These words struck Ma Hongjun like a heavy hammer, making his plump body sway. Dai Mubai also contracted sharply, a hint of disbelief flashing in his evil eyes, but more so a sense of shock at having his arrogance shattered by reality.

Zhao Wuji picked up a peanut from the table and crushed it with his fingers, as if crushing some unrealistic fantasy. "Shi Nian, a level 72 Soul Saint, with the Martial Soul Remnant Dream '. This name is not a secret among many Soul Master Academy instructors, but everyone keeps quiet about it. His Martial Soul is extremely strange, adept at creating illusions, and its attack methods are unpredictable, truly capable of killing without leaving a trace."

He raised his head, his sharp gaze fixed on the terrified Ma Hongjun and the seemingly composed Dai Mubai: "As for being vindictive and having no bottom line... Hmph, the rumors aren't unfounded. In fact, it's not just that!"

In recent years, several incidents have occurred in the surrounding kingdoms and duchies where talented students from other academies mysteriously "accidentally" died during wilderness training. Subsequent investigations have all pointed to the Canghui Academy and Shi Nian, but no direct evidence has been found. The Spirit Hall, lacking concrete evidence, is also unable to intervene.

Zhao Wuji paused, his tone becoming even sterner. "Look what you've done today! You publicly humiliated Canghui Academy and even injured one of its students. Shi Nian that old bastard Shi Nian's narrow-mindedness, he'll definitely remember this. He won't openly cause trouble at Shrek Academy, but you two..."

He pointed at Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun: "Especially you, Mubai, your Evil Eye White Tiger Martial Soul is too conspicuous. And you, Hongjun, your Evil Fire Phoenix is the same. Once you're alone and he spots you, in the wilderness or some small town alley, an 'accident' could happen at any time. At that point, even if that old bastard Flender were there, let alone me, he might not be able to protect you in time!"

Ma Hongjun's legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground, his face drained of color. "What... what do we do? Will he really come looking for trouble?"

Dai Mubai's fists clenched so tightly they cracked, his face turning ashen, his previous arrogance completely gone. He wasn't afraid of fighting among his peers, but facing Soul Saint like Shi Nian who had no bottom line, he didn't even have the confidence to resist—spiritual Soul Skill were impossible to defend against, and he might fall into an illusion while he was sleeping one day.

"What do we do?" Zhao Wuji glared at them, his tone stern. "What else can we do? Once this Soul Hunting is over, get back to the academy and stay there obediently! You are not allowed to step out of the academy until you break through to the Soul Ancestor level!"

He looked at Tang San and added, "You too, stop thinking about underhanded tricks and focus on mastering your survival skills first. If you really run into Shi Nian, your Hidden Weapon might not be of any use."

Tang San's expression changed slightly, but he didn't refute it; he simply lowered his head silently. For the first time, he truly felt how pale his methods were in the face of absolute strength and a strange Martial Soul.

"And you, Fatty," Zhao Wuji pointed at Ma Hongjun, "You'd better quit drinking from now on! If you dare cause trouble again while drunk, I'll break your legs!"

Ma Hongjun nodded repeatedly, not daring to utter a single complaint. Cold sweat streamed down his face, soaking the back of his clothes.

Zhao Wuji sighed inwardly as he looked at the two men's panicked expressions.

It's fine for young people to be competitive, but Shrek's philosophy that "those who dare not cause trouble are mediocre" is ultimately too extreme.

Today's incident served as a wake-up call for them, and it also made him appreciate Yan Zu more—he was young, yet so insightful, knew how to weigh the pros and cons, and dared to refute erroneous ideas to their faces. His composure and courage surpassed those of Dai Mubai and Tang San.

Upstairs, Xiao Wu leaned against the window, watching Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun's dejected appearance below, and couldn't help but say, "They're scared now? Where were they before?"

Ning Rongrong sat at the table, toying with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, her tone tinged with lingering fear. "I never imagined the Dean of the Canghui Academy was so terrifying. Luckily, A-Zu, you knew all this, otherwise we would have all been implicated."

Zhu Zhuqing leaned against the door, her cold and beautiful face expressionless, but she nodded slightly. "Yan Zu is right, bullying the weak will only bring trouble upon oneself."

Yan Zu shook his head, sat on the edge of the bed, and remained silent for a long time.

Ning Rongrong whispered, "Actually... I think you're right. My father said that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect got to where it is today not by bullying the weak, but by distinguishing right from wrong and building good relationships."

Zhu Zhuqing rarely spoke up, "The Star Luo Imperial Family upholds the law of the jungle, but that's the internal law of survival. Making too many enemies externally is foolish."

Oscar scratched his head. "I... I just feel that the fat guy really did something wrong."

Looking at his companions, Yan Zu felt a surge of warmth in his heart. At least, not everyone agreed with Dai Mubai and Zhao Wuji's ideals.

"Thank you," he said softly, "But I may have to leave Shrek."

"What?!" Xiao Wu exclaimed, "Why?"

"Our philosophies clash," Yan Zu said calmly. "I cannot agree with Shrek's educational methods. Today's events are just the beginning. If we continue to stay here, more similar incidents will occur in the future. I don't want to become the kind of person who bullies the weak, nor do I want to associate with such people."

Silence filled the room.

After a long while, Ning Rongrong whispered, "Then... where will we go after we leave? Back to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect? I can tell Daddy..."

Yan Zu shook his head. "No, I want to go my own way. But not now, at least until Oscar gets his Soul Ring and we safely return him to the academy."

His voice was calm, but his eyes were unusually firm.

That night, Yan Zu barely slept a wink. He recalled everything that had happened since arriving in the Douluo Continent, his interactions with the Shrek Academy students, Flender's teaching philosophy, and everything that had occurred that day.

Shrek has its advantages—it can indeed inspire trainees' potential and cultivate practical skills. But it also has a fatal flaw—it doesn't teach people how to be good people, how to take responsibility, or how to respect others.

Such an academy can produce ruthless and decisive powerhouses, but it cannot cultivate Soul Master who are kind-hearted and uphold morality. Yan Zu, however, aspires to be the latter.

(There will be another update at midnight tonight. Thank you to readers with monthly tickets ending in 5793 and 5449.)

(PS: Next up is helping Oscar Soul Hunting. Can anyone guess what Soul Skill I designed for Oscar?)