Soon, when the hour ended, Huo Yuhao maintained a steady pace and completed one hundred laps at the front of the group,neither lagging behind nor standing out too much.
As usual, Zhou Yi picked out several students who had failed to complete the running task and expelled them on the spot.
Those who were expelled included spoiled children from noble families and students with frail constitutions who couldn't endure the training.
Zhou Yi used this approach deliberately,to demonstrate her iron-handed discipline to the new students and to "kill the chicken to warn the monkeys." Even if everyone worked hard, she would still find a few to make an example of.
The expelled students stormed off angrily to complain to the academic office.
However, in Shrek Academy,known as the best academy on the continent,student complaints rarely changed anything.
Even though some within the academy disagreed with Zhou Yi's methods, when dealing with students, they maintained a united front. After all, Zhou Yi represented the authority and dignity of Shrek Academy.
Seeing Zhou Yi mercilessly expel several students, the rest of the new class wore uneasy expressions, but it was clear they were thoroughly intimidated.
Huo Yuhao, however, remained unusually calm. In his eyes, Zhou Yi's so-called "harshness" was nothing but child's play.
He wasn't like the other eleven- or twelve-year-olds; his worldview and mindset were already mature and stable, not easily swayed by Zhou Yi.
He wouldn't let her manipulate him, nor would he end up like the Huo Yuhao from the original story,merely a golden figurehead pushed forward by Shrek Academy.
After establishing her authority, Zhou Yi scanned the students coldly and said, "Alright, go back to your dorms and change your clothes, then head to the classroom for lessons. You have fifteen minutes."
With that, she turned and walked toward the teaching building.
The students immediately scattered like frightened birds, afraid to waste even a moment. Exhausted, they hurried toward their dorms at full speed.
Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao were no exception. But Wang Dong was surprised to find that Huo Yuhao, like himself, wasn't sweating much. Clearly, those hundred laps hadn't tired him out.
In fact, Huo Yuhao looked to be in even better condition than Wang Dong. Wang Dong had used up quite a bit of both spirit power and stamina, while Huo Yuhao still seemed energetic,he must have relied mostly on spirit power rather than physical strength.
"How did you do that? Don't you only have a twelfth-level spirit power?" Wang Dong asked curiously.
"Secret," Huo Yuhao replied calmly before entering the dorm. Wang Dong hesitated at the door, but Huo Yuhao simply closed it, cleaned himself up, and changed into his uniform.
When he came out, he tossed Wang Dong a clean towel. "Go on in. I won't pry into your secrets, and you shouldn't pry into mine. Understood?"
Wang Dong froze for a moment, then nodded, took the towel, and went inside. Soon she too came out, changed and ready. The two of them headed toward the classroom at a relaxed pace.
"Hey, how can you be so calm? Aren't you afraid that crazy old witch will lose her temper again?" Wang Dong asked, puzzled.
"A person who doesn't keep their word can't stand firm," Huo Yuhao said evenly. "Since she said fifteen minutes, I believe she'll stick to it,especially when she's trying to establish her authority. We still have plenty of time."
He wasn't worried about being expelled; he had other paths available to him.
Even if he were expelled, there were plenty of other places to go. In the end, it would be Tang San who worried, not him.
Wang Dong nodded thoughtfully, seeming to digest his words.
"Everyone acts to achieve their own goals," Huo Yuhao continued. "Even when dealing with a madwoman, if you calmly analyze her behavior, you can still find the logic behind her madness."
"By studying her methods and personality, you can deduce her true intention."
"What Zhou Yi did during this class had one purpose,to establish her authority."
"Think about it. From the moment she appeared, she used the aura of Shrek Academy's motto, displayed her strength as a Soul Emperor, punished students physically, and finally expelled a few as a warning to others."
"All of these actions served a single purpose,to assert dominance and break the pride of every student in Class One."
After explaining this, Huo Yuhao looked at Wang Dong. "But honestly, do you think everyone will fall for this? She's just a Soul Emperor. Haven't you seen one before? Do you really find that impressive? So tell me, what kind of person do you think Zhou Yi is?"
Wang Dong frowned, thinking hard, slowing her pace, but before she could answer, they had already reached the classroom.
Once everyone was seated, exactly fifteen minutes later, Zhou Yi arrived on time.
Standing at the podium, she said, "Let's begin class. Your performance during the test earlier was satisfactory, but that was only the beginning. Running is the simplest of tests."
Her gaze swept the room, then fixed on Huo Yuhao in the corner. "Huo Yuhao, stand up. State your spirit power level."
"Twelve," Huo Yuhao said clearly, standing up.
The other students looked surprised but didn't dare whisper under Zhou Yi's cold stare.
Everyone knew the minimum admission requirement for Shrek Academy was level fifteen. Some students who had noticed Huo Yuhao's performance during the run were even more puzzled,his ranking hadn't been bad at all, quite impressive for someone with only twelve levels of spirit power.
"Huo Yuhao's spirit power is only level twelve," Zhou Yi said, "but I can tell you that he's an excellent student. He was specially invited to enter Shrek Academy without exams."
"Even so, he passed our combat assessment with excellent marks. You all saw his running performance."
Zhou Yi's eyes swept over the class again. "So if even a level-twelve spirit master can complete the task, what excuse do you have for failing?"
"Those who failed have already been expelled, but I expect you to remember them,don't become the next ones I expel."
"And though Huo Yuhao's level is low, he is still a Shrek student until he's eliminated through the school's internal assessments. No one is allowed to use his level as an excuse to mock or belittle him."
"Alright, Huo Yuhao, sit down. Let's begin the lesson."
Huo Yuhao sat and began to think about Zhou Yi's intentions.
A bit troublesome, he thought, but nothing serious. Because she used his low spirit power as an example, the others would probably treat him as a rival now. But he didn't care; they weren't worth his concern.
Zhou Yi began lecturing as usual, reviewing the theory of offense and defense among spirit masters. As expected, the unlucky one chosen to answer was Wang Dong.
"Today's first lesson is about the path of offense and defense for spirit masters. Because of martial spirits, spirit masters have long been divided into six types: power attack, agility attack, control, defense, support, and food."
"Some specialize to the extreme in one area, while others develop more evenly."
"Now, Wang Dong, tell me,which types are best at offense, and which excel at defense or support?"
Wang Dong stood and answered, "Naturally, power attack, agility attack, and control types focus on offense, while support, food, and defense types focus on defense."
"Idiot. Sit down," Zhou Yi snapped, waving her hand. A wave of spirit pressure forced Wang Dong back into his seat.
"That answer might have been correct four thousand years ago, before the Sun-Moon Continent collided with our Douluo Continent, but today, it's completely wrong."
Then she turned to Huo Yuhao. "Huo Yuhao, tell me why."
Huo Yuhao frowned slightly and stood up. "I don't think Wang Dong's answer is wrong."
Zhou Yi's brows furrowed, her gaze turning colder, but she didn't interrupt, signaling him to continue.
"Spirit tools have indeed narrowed the gap between different types of spirit masters, but the essence remains unchanged."
"For example, give both a power attack master and a support master equally powerful melee spirit tools, and assume their cultivation and spirit rings are similar. The result is obvious,the power attack master would still win easily due to superior physical strength and martial spirit advantage."
"The support master might land a desperate counterattack, but overall, the power attack master still dominates."
"Even at long range, unless the distance nullifies all conventional spirit skills and combat methods, the power, agility, and control types remain the offensive ones, while support, food, and defense types remain defensive."
"If the battle depends solely on long-range spirit tools, then the fight is no longer about the spirit masters' own abilities,it's about who has better manufacturing and endurance capabilities. That's a separate issue altogether."
"When using spirit tools, the most effective results still come from matching them with compatible martial spirits."
"I've finished my answer," he concluded, looking at Zhou Yi.
Zhou Yi froze, momentarily speechless. She had only mentioned spirit tools to belittle spirit engineers and promote Shrek's traditional philosophy.
Other than a few theories she'd heard from Fan Yu, she was, at heart, a conventional spirit master who didn't value spirit tools highly.
Faced with Huo Yuhao's reasoning, she didn't know how to refute him.
Finally, she forced a stern expression and said stiffly, "Sit down. What you said only applies to spirit masters below level fifty."
"As spirit masters cultivate, they continually develop and strengthen their bodies, pairing them with powerful spirit rings. Spirit tools can only narrow the gap in the early stages."
"Even the strongest spirit tools require strong users,only the powerful can truly wield them."
"The blurring of offense and defense is what I meant to point out. But remember this: Shrek Academy doesn't train the kind of trash spirit masters found outside."
"Every graduate of Shrek must be an elite among elites. For the next three months, your main training focus will be on physical strength."
"I don't care who you are, where you come from, or how talented you are. If you can't pass my assessment after three months, you're out."
"That's all for this morning's lesson. I suggest you eat well at lunch. This afternoon, we begin physical training. Class dismissed."
"Huo Yuhao, come to my office."
Without waiting for the dismissal bell, Zhou Yi turned and left.
Huo Yuhao sighed helplessly and followed her.
What a mess, he thought. What was that conclusion even supposed to mean? It didn't match the lesson topic at all.
I thought she'd at least present a solid counterargument,guess she only half-understood what Fan Yu told her.
As he passed Wang Dong, he glanced at her. Her eyes were filled with confusion and bewilderment, clearly dazed by Zhou Yi's erratic teaching.
Let's hope you wise up soon, he thought silently. At least don't end up like in the original story,sold off and still counting the money for them.
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