Chapter Twelve: Zhou Yi

As her words fell, the entire classroom fell silent.

Though many wore expressions of discontent, none dared to utter a single word, intimidated by the formidable display she had made upon entering. Among the hundred students present, not one dared to make a sound, fearful of becoming a target.

Casting a glance around, Zhou Yi couldn’t help but frown. This class didn’t even have a single troublemaker... she would have to find another way to assert her authority.

She tapped the lectern and spoke again, “Anyone who has been in a fight since enrollment, stand up!”

This time, the silence was even deeper, as everyone wondered what madness she was spouting. Who would stir up trouble at the start of a new term?

Never mind the reputation of Shrek Academy; many students had sacrificed everything to get in, some having sold themselves into servitude contracts with local lords or sects just to gain admission. If they were expelled for fighting... it would be like throwing away their entire lives.

At that moment, sitting in the back row, Huo Yuhao distinctly felt a subtle gaze upon him.

Trouble was coming.

He thought quietly, lifting his eyes to see Wang Dong glancing in his direction.

“Third seat in this row! Stand up! What’s your name?”

Sure enough, Zhou Yi did not let him off.

“Wang Dong.”

“Can you tell me what you were just looking at?”

“Scenery... scenery.”

Zhou Yi’s expression darkened instantly. “Were you looking at the scenery on someone’s face? Who exactly were you looking at? Stand up yourself!”

‘Focus, don’t lose face!’

Urged relentlessly by his inner voice, Tianmeng.

Huo Yuhao rose amid the astonished stares of his classmates and spoke on his own, “Teacher, he was looking for me. We’re roommates.”

“Did I ask you to speak?”

Zhou Yi narrowed her eyes, summoning six soul rings around her feet in succession, releasing the overwhelming aura unique to a Soul Emperor.

A low hum filled the air.

Under this crushing pressure, Huo Yuhao’s eyes involuntarily shone with light, and a translucent white soul ring materialized behind him.

All eyes in the classroom were drawn to it.

Ten-year soul ring, first ring.

The girl sitting next to him frowned.

How did this person even get admitted?

“You?”

Seeing the soul ring, Zhou Yi’s expression suddenly froze. “You are Huo Yuhao? The recently acquired first-ring spiritual attribute soul master?”

“Yes.”

Huo Yuhao’s lips twitched, instantly realizing what she was about to say.

“Very good~”

Zhou Yi’s face brightened as if she had found material for her teaching, then suddenly slammed the lectern, her expression turning severe, “Though I don’t want to be harsh, compared to him, everyone here... might as well be useless!”

Her words caused an uproar throughout the class.

“Silence!”

Zhou Yi’s soul ring trembled, and her immense spiritual pressure drowned out all voices. Her scornful gaze swept across everyone.

“What? You don’t agree?”

“He dared to attack four senior students at the admissions office! Do you dare?”

“He defeated four great soul masters alone! Can you?”

“He accepted a wager with a Four-Ring Soul Sect in broad daylight—do you dare?”

At the last sentence, Zhou Yi slammed the lectern heavily, almost roaring, pushing her Soul Emperor aura to its limit to intimidate everyone.

The room fell absolutely silent.

Everyone looked at her with fear, stared at Huo Yuhao in disbelief, and slowly bowed their heads pale-faced.

“What a bunch of trash!”

Zhou Yi sneered and raised an eyebrow. “Except for those two, everyone else run a full hundred laps on the playground downstairs! If you don’t finish within the hour... what use is Shrek keeping trash like you? Pack your things and get out!”

All the students rose quietly, slinking out without a word of protest or challenge to her authority.

‘Very good~’

Satisfaction flickered in Zhou Yi’s eyes.

The effect Huo Yuhao brought was even better than she expected—she had easily subdued this lot with just a few words.

“Is this really teaching?” Tianmeng, watching the live stream in the spiritual sea, rolled over boredly.

“I hate her.”

Huo Yuhao spoke honestly.

Even though she was the one who started the trouble, it was twisted into him provoking her first. Even if one stepped back, what he did had nothing to do with the other students present.

“She doesn’t care about the facts or what you think. She only cares whether everyone obeys.”

Huo Yuhao felt a deep disappointment in Zhou Yi.

He had heard from Bebe and others that she was a capable teacher, but now, the situation looked doubtful.

***

“Huo Yuhao, come here... Wang Dong, you too.”

Once the students had left, Zhou Yi’s expression softened as she called the two over. “Yuhao, I heard your martial soul is your eyes? Can you tell me what your soul skill is?”

“Spiritual interference.”

Without blinking, Huo Yuhao casually answered, “It causes the enemy’s mind to fall into brief confusion. But it has a limited range.”

In the previous battle, he had clearly used various skills. Since even the teacher knew, the other students must have heard by now—there was no point hiding.

Among them, Soul Shock was straightforward and could be claimed as something he developed himself.

Spiritual detection was known only to him, which he could cover by claiming heightened perception.

Only spiritual interference... was impossible to conceal.

“I see~”

Zhou Yi had expected something like spiritual detection but found it was only useful in close combat.

Disappointment flashed in her eyes as she sighed and waved her hand. “Forget it! You both go run first. Wang Dong, one hundred and fifty laps; Huo Yuhao, two hundred.”

“Ah?”

Wang Dong was dumbfounded, pointing at himself.

Why?

She kept him behind without a word, wasting his time and arbitrarily adding fifty laps! Was she out of her mind?

Before he could protest, Huo Yuhao grabbed him and flew off, feet barely touching the ground, heading toward the playground.

“Hey! What are you doing?”

“When under the eaves, you learn to bow. Didn’t she say those who don’t finish will be expelled?”

“She dares?!”

Despite this, Wang Dong obediently followed and began running laps.

...

“Two hundred laps in less than an hour!”

Tianmeng’s eyes widened as he looked at the vast playground. “Yuhao, are you really going to finish? Your soul power is only a little over level ten. If you can last half an hour, that’s already good. The rest of the laps will have to rely on physical strength!”

“But I have no choice but to run.”

Huo Yuhao gritted his teeth and pushed himself, overtaking all the other students, beginning to lap around the track.

“When she uses expulsion as a threat, students have no choice but to obey.”

As expected, he would soon be exhausted. If only his soul power were stronger...

Huo Yuhao’s eyes flickered with determination.