The fury in Zhou Yi's chest had already boiled to its peak, nearly incinerating her reason entirely.
In all her years of teaching, what kind of troublemaker hadn't she seen? But someone like Furina, who not only dared to contradict and question her teaching in public but even trotted out sets of plausible-sounding 'logic' to paint her as an unreasonable bully—this was simply unheard of!
She knew, of course, how 'correct' and 'considerate' Furina's words sounded from a student's perspective.
But so what? This was Shrek Academy, a cradle of monsters famous for its rigor, with a Legacy spanning ten thousand years! Zhou Yi's teaching methods might be crude, but which of the Shrek powerhouses across generations hadn't been tempered under such high pressure? A wet-behind-the-ears little girl, relying on some clever tricks and a sharp tongue, wanted to overturn all of this?
What she found even more unbearable was the naked provocation. The composure Furina showed when speaking, even that slightly pitying gaze, was like poisonous thorns stabbing into her proudest dignity.
Poaching students in public? Inciting the student body? Denying the Academy's Foundation? The latter might be an exaggeration, but in Zhou Yi's current state of rage, they felt incredibly real.
She needed a reason—a sufficiently justifiable reason that would allow her to stand on the Academy's side and utterly crush this nuisance.
"Today, I'll show you what respect for a teacher looks like!"
Before her voice even faded, violent Soul Power erupted from Zhou Yi like a flood breaking through a dam.
Two yellow, two purple, two black—six spirit rings rose in succession, rhythmically pulsing around her. The pressure belonging to a Spirit Emperor level was poured out without reservation, aimed directly at the seemingly frail blue-haired girl ahead. The air seemed to freeze instantly, the heavy pressure making all the surrounding students' breath hitch; a few standing close even stumbled back involuntarily, their faces turning pale.
Huo Yuhao's eyes sharpened, and almost instinctively, he took a half-step forward, his internal Soul Power quietly circulating. He couldn't just watch Furina suffer. However, his movement paused slightly—Furina, at the center of the storm, didn't move an inch.
It wasn't that she was forcing herself. Huo Yuhao's spiritual perception was exceptionally keen; he clearly saw that the Spirit Emperor pressure, enough to make ordinary Soul Elders or Soul Ancestors tremble, quietly dissolved and deflected as it touched an inch-wide range around Furina, as if hitting an invisible and flexible water curtain. It failed to shake her in the slightest.
She even had the leisure to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
Furina's heart was as calm as still water. Her Level 49 Soul Power cultivation and the vast mental force tempered by the Taiyi Spirit Refining Art meant that facing pressure of this level felt no stronger than a gentle breeze. Unless a Super Douluo were personally present, trying to crush her with Aura alone was nothing but a pipe dream.
She even had the capacity to quickly weigh her options.
Head-on? It wasn't unfeasible. A gentle coolness emanated from the radiance of the flowing still water hidden in her sleeve; this Divine Artifact hadn't truly shown its edge since the last battle against the Evil Soul Master.
Then there was the Water Burst Technique—this Spirit Bone Spirit Ability, born from an ultimate understanding of the water element, had potential and eeriness that even she hadn't fully explored.
Whether it was instantly draining the moisture from a living being or manipulating the ubiquitous water vapor in the air to create invisible explosions, these were impossible-to-guard-against killing moves. The Corpse Explosion Technique technique allowed the messenger of death to harm enemies above his level, and the Ice Explosion Technique was hailed by the Ice Empress as the capital to challenge the Snow Empress; her Water Burst Technique would only be more treacherous and unpredictable, because 'water' itself was the most ubiquitous medium in this world.
Against the Spirit Emperor Zhou Yi, she was confident she wouldn't lose, and even had considerable certainty she could make her suffer a major loss.
But... winning, and then what?
A deeper calculation flashed in Furina's eyes. To her, Shrek Academy wasn't an indispensable Holy Land for Cultivation—and in fact, for others, it wasn't really a Holy Land for Cultivation either, but rather a place to meet Geniuses and expand networks.
Her true goal was these young Spirit Masters gathered here, simple-minded yet with infinite potential. Her Axis Cult needed fresh blood and companions who identified with her philosophy. If she fought Zhou Yi now, even if she won, it would inevitably lead to a total break with the Academy's authorities. The Foundation she'd laid and the 'novelty' she'd shown might all vanish like bubbles.
The loss outweighed the gain.
In a flash, Furina had made her decision. Resisting head-on wasn't the best move; borrowing momentum was the way to go.
Just as Zhou Yi, carrying the rolling pressure of her Soul Power, was about to take the final step and raised her hand as if to act—
The calm on Furina's face suddenly vanished. Her eyes grew moist as if tears were about to flow, her lips pursed in grievance, and her entire body shrank back slightly.
The sharp, eloquent girl from a moment ago was gone, replaced by a pitiful female student who looked scared out of her wits by a teacher's terrifying Aura.
This change of face was so fast and abrupt that even the fuming Zhou Yi froze for a second, her movements involuntarily slowing by half a beat.
In that half-beat of delay, Furina used her Soul Power with extreme precision to vibrate her vocal cords. A cry for help, filled with endless terror and sharp enough to crack her voice, tore through the twilight silence and erupted with staggering volume:
"Help—!!! freshman class one teacher Zhou Yi is going to kill someone!!! Zhou Yi is going to kill a student—!!!"
The sound didn't spread randomly; it was guided by her exquisite mental force like ripples from a stone thrown into water, covering the entire freshman teaching building and the surrounding hundreds of meters with clear, piercing intensity.
Every word was laden with thick fear and despair, stabbing into everyone's eardrums under the amplification of Soul Power.
"I—!!!"
Zhou Yi felt as if she'd been struck by lightning. Her vision actually went dark for a moment, her blood surged wildly, and she almost fainted on the spot. In all her years of teaching, she had handled countless problem students, been cursed at, contradicted, and even secretly hated, but when had she ever encountered this... this shrewish shouting—no, a slanderous tactic a hundred times worse than that?! A Spirit Emperor, being 'framed' by a Soul Ancestor level girl in such a manner?
Her head buzzed, leaving only one absurd thought: This is wrong! The world shouldn't be like this! I am a Spirit Emperor! How does she dare?!
"Don't be afraid, child! I, Mu Jin, am here!!"
A full-throated soprano voice, even carrying a hint of excitement and impatience, came like an echo to Furina's cry for help, flashing down from the upper floors of the teaching building.
Before the voice even settled, a vigorous figure had already leaped directly from the corridor, performed a clean flip in the air, and landed steadily in the center of the plaza.
The newcomer was the Freshman Class 9 teacher, Mu Jin. She looked to be in her thirties with decent features, but now her brows were raised and her eyes wide with anger. Six spirit rings likewise circled her—the standard configuration of two yellow, two purple, and two black. A Martial Soul in the shape of a long staff, entirely green and looking as if carved from emerald, was already in her hand, its tip pointed directly at Zhou Yi.
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