– You…
Thai Long's eyes widened in astonishment. He had absolutely not expected to be eliminated so soon; among his classmates, his cultivation level could be said to be leading the pack.
Chu Yi looked at the other disciples and said,
"– My temper might not be good, but I always keep my word. The nine people whose names I just called all cheated during the run earlier. If you disagree, feel free to report me to the dean's office, but for now, you may leave."
"– Teacher Chu, I object! That guy didn't even complete a hundred laps just now, and he even needed help from others. Why isn't he eliminated?"
One of the recently eliminated students, Lin Ze Yu, yelled furiously, pointing at Huo Yuhao as he spoke.
Chu Yi smiled and said,
"– What? Still not convinced? You mean Huo Yuhao? If he hadn't run a full hundred laps, I would have expelled him too. My words won't change. But he did complete a full hundred laps. Did I say at the beginning that you couldn't help each other? Wang Dong helped him voluntarily. If someone had helped you, I wouldn't have treated it any differently. I don't care about the process; I only care about the result. The result is that Huo Yuhao completed a hundred laps, and you didn't. Now get out! Don't provoke me into a rage, or I'll cripple your martial souls right here and now."
Under Chu Yi's imposing presence, the nine recently expelled disciples could only slink away. Of course, they didn't go back to pack their bags; instead, they headed straight to the dean's office to report Chu Yi. Today was only the first day of class! How could they possibly accept this?
Huo Yuhao was sweating more and more profusely. Seeing Chu Yi strike nine names off the list without much ado sent an even colder shiver down his spine. If Wang Dong hadn't helped him earlier, he feared there would have been one more Huo Yuhao among the expelled! Thinking of this, he couldn't help but cast a grateful glance at Wang Dong.
As for the disciples who remained, their expressions had completely changed. Seeing Chu Yi's anger, none dared to speak. In just one hour, Teacher Chu's authority and prestige had been thoroughly established in the hearts of these disciples.
"– Everyone, go back to your dorms, shower, and change your clothes, then return to the classroom immediately. I'm giving you fifteen minutes."
Having said that, she turned and walked back towards the Teaching Building.
This time, no one dared to hesitate. They all scrambled back to their dorms.
"– That old hag is too vicious," Wang Dong said, running alongside Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao said,
"– Thank you. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid I would have…"
Wang Dong snorted and said,
"– No need to thank me. If it weren't for our fight, you would have had enough time to finish on your own. You go in and change first. I didn't sweat much."
Huo Yuhao was taken aback and said,
"– Why don't you just come in and change with me to save time?"
Wang Dong said,
"– Have you forgotten the five things I told you? I don't like seeing other people's bodies. Now hurry up and go."
Huo Yuhao didn't try to say anything more. He quickly went back to the room to change into another uniform. As for showering, he would have to wait until after classes today.
Once he was done, he left the room for Wang Dong to go in and change. At this moment, the image of Wang Dong and the beautiful blue wings on his back flashed through his mind again.
It truly was beautiful, so beautiful! What kind of Martial Soul was that? Others might have been captivated by those wings and paid no mind to anything else, but Huo Yuhao was different. He clearly saw that alongside the Martial Soul, Wang Dong possessed two soul rings, a full two of them. What shocked him even more was that these two soul rings were one yellow and one purple. In other words, his second soul ring was a Thousand-Year Soul Ring. This completely transcended the common understanding of soul masters.
No wonder he was so arrogant; he had the strength to back it up! In terms of strength, he was leagues above me.
While he was pondering these thoughts, Wang Dong had finished changing, opened the door, and stepped out. The two of them dared not delay, immediately turning and running back to the Teaching Building.
Zhou Yi had given them fifteen minutes, but in reality, even the last person to arrive took less than ten minutes. By now, all the students were fully assembled in the classroom. Seeing the nine empty seats remaining, the fear in their eyes resurfaced.
Everyone had heard the saying that entering Shrek Academy was easy, but graduating was hard. However, only at this moment did they truly grasp its meaning and feel the intense sense of crisis. Now, no one dared to try and cut corners anymore.
Fifteen minutes had passed. Teacher Zhou Yi slowly stepped into the classroom. She looked at the ninety-one students standing neatly and completely assembled in the class, then nodded and said:
"Now, let's begin class. I'm very satisfied with the test you just took. The vast majority of you completed that simple assessment. Huo Yuhao, stand up."
"Teacher Zhou."
Huo Yuhao quickly stood up.
Zhou Yi said coldly:
"State your soul power rank."
"Teacher, rank eleven."
Huo Yuhao said respectfully. After Teacher Zhou had so easily called out the names of those nine earlier, he understood clearly: this teacher might seem indifferent on the surface, but in reality, she knew everything related to them. How could he possibly deceive her about his cultivation?
Upon hearing the three words 'rank eleven,' all the students in the class simultaneously revealed expressions of doubt. Wang Dong's reaction was even more intense; he covered his face with both hands.
Embarrassing, truly too embarrassing! With his cultivation, to be defeated by someone who was only rank eleven. Ah, he's only rank eleven? Didn't Shrek Academy only recruit soul masters above rank fifteen? Thinking this, Wang Dong couldn't help but raise his head in surprise to look at Huo Yuhao.
"That's right, Huo Yuhao's soul power has only reached rank eleven. I know you're curious about how he managed to pass the assessment and enter the academy as a new student. I will only address this matter once. From now on, until he is expelled, no one is to question him about it again. He is a special case for the academy; he did not need to pass an assessment to enter. And this is the only special case. However, during his studies, if he fails to pass tests or complete assignments, he will be expelled just like everyone else. Alright, Huo Yuhao, you may sit down."
"Thank you, Teacher."
Huo Yuhao sat down, but couldn't help but feel a jolt of surprise. This Teacher Zhou was clearly covering for him! Not only did she help explain his insufficient soul power rank, but she also instructed everyone not to question him about it again.
Zhou Yi seemed to pay no mind to the students' reactions. She turned and wrote two large characters on the blackboard.
Offense – Defense
After writing them, she turned back to face the students:
I know you're all harboring resentment about me expelling those nine people. You're just suppressing it, not letting it show. I don't need to explain much to you. If you're smart, you'll understand later on your own. If you're too foolish to understand, then there's no point in talking further. Now, let's officially begin our lesson.
You must have clearly seen the two words I wrote on the board. That's right, Offense – Defense. Today is our first lesson, and I will explain a bit about each type of offense and defense soul master. Since ancient times, soul masters have always been divided into many different systems based on each person's martial soul. There are Strength Attack types, Agility Attack types, Support types, Plant types, Control types, Defense types… Some develop in one direction, some develop a balance between offense and defense, and there are many other cultivation methods. Wang Dong, tell me, among these types of soul masters, who excels at offense, and who excels at defense and support?