Furina sniffed, as if summoning her last ounce of courage. She raised her tearful eyes to look at the frenzied Zhou Yi and asked in a voice that wasn't loud, yet was exceptionally clear, "Teacher Zhou Yi, do you dare? Do you dare to swear before the plaque of Shrek Academy's ten-thousand-year glory, and before the statue of the Sea God Ancestor?"
"Swear that the person who just said they would expel all of us, who used their Martial Soul pressure to oppress us, and who deliberately intended to strike students, was not you, Zhou Yi, but... but an imposter! A damned Evil Soul Master who is like the foulest rat in the gutter, neither human nor ghost, someone so filthy that the spit of every person in the world would be too clean for them?!"
This long string of extremely poisonous and creatively cursed questions was like a series of heavy hammers, smashing one after another against Zhou Yi's already crumbling mental defenses.
Huo Yuhao immediately chimed in from the side with a sobbing tone, "Exactly! Teacher Zhou, do you dare swear to the Sea God?! What kind of skill is it to bully a weak, pitiful, and helpless young girl who is an auxiliary system Spirit Master!"
"You... you all... Pfft—!!!"
Zhou Yi pointed her finger at Furina and Huo Yuhao, her chest heaving violently and a rattling sound coming from her throat. The flush on her face instantly turned a dark liver-purple, and the cracked human-skin mask was pushed by the swollen skin underneath, making it look even more distorted and terrifying.
She opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to roar, to defend herself, to tear these two little brats in front of her to pieces. But the extreme anger, hatred, injustice, and frustration—all these emotions mixed with her blood and surged wildly upward until finally—
With a "Wah" sound!
A mouthful of bright red blood sprayed wildly from Zhou Yi's mouth, splattering in droplets across the ground.
The entire field fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone was stunned, including Mu Jin, the teachers who had arrived later, and the students watching from the surroundings, both openly and from the shadows.
A dignified Spirit Emperor, a senior teacher of Shrek Academy, was actually... angered to the point of vomiting blood on the spot by a few words from a student?
This simply subverted everyone's understanding! If told to others, no one would likely believe it!
As for the students of Class 1, after their initial shock, the way they looked at Furina had completely changed. It was no longer the look one gave an interesting or powerful classmate or temporary teacher, but a complex mix of admiration, awe, and a hint of fear.
Their new classmate's strength was not only a mystery, but her methods were... truly unfathomable! Without shedding a drop of blood, using only her tongue, she could force a Spirit Emperor teacher known for being harsh and hot-tempered to vomit blood?
Just then, a sharp-eyed student suddenly pointed at Zhou Yi's face and cried out in shock, "Look quickly! Teacher Zhou's face! Her skin... it's rotten! It's split open! She... she's not human!!!"
This cry was exceptionally piercing in the silent plaza. Everyone's gaze snapped toward Zhou Yi's face.
The crack in the human-skin mask, which had completely burst open due to the violent twitching of her facial muscles when she vomited blood—with its edges even slightly curling—was incredibly clear under the lights. The skin revealed beneath the crack was noticeably finer and much younger than the "aged" complexion surrounding it.
"It really is a mask!"
"She's been pretending to be an old woman this whole time?"
"Heavens! Why would she disguise herself? Could it really be..."
Fear spread through the Class 1 students like a plague. Combined with Furina's previous accusation of her being an "Evil Soul Master," the eerie human-skin mask on Zhou Yi's face was instantly associated with something sinister and terrifying. Many students instinctively backed away, their eyes filled with suspicion and dread.
"Teacher Zhou really is an Evil Soul Master! Teacher Mu Jin, teachers, please suppress her quickly!" the student who had first noticed the mask shouted with a sob, his voice high-pitched with fear.
Mu Jin's heart was also incredibly conflicted at this moment. She knew that Zhou Yi was actually around the same age as her, and that she disguised herself as an old woman just to maintain her so-called "teacher's authority."
But she never expected things to develop to this point. Zhou Yi had been angered to the point of vomiting blood, her disguise was exposed, and in the eyes of the students, the suspicion of her "harboring evil intentions" was almost confirmed.
While she was happy to see Zhou Yi suffer, if the rumor that a "Shrek Academy teacher is an Evil Soul Master" were to be taken as fact, it would be a devastating blow to the entire academy's reputation.
"Students! Quiet! Calm down!" Mu Jin had to raise her voice to suppress the students' commotion. "Listen to me! Since its founding, Shrek Academy has had a strict monitoring system. It is absolutely impossible for any Evil Soul Master to infiltrate us! Please, everyone, you must trust the academy!"
Her words cleverly only defended the academy without saying a single word about Zhou Yi's personal innocence. She even specifically emphasized the "strict monitoring system," implying that if Zhou Yi really had a problem, the academy would have discovered it long ago.
Mu Jin quickly turned to several other teachers who were still somewhat dazed and instructed them rapidly, "What are you standing there for? Teacher Zhou Yi is currently in an agitated state and seems physically unwell. Quickly, help her to the Academic Affairs Office—no, go straight to Dean Yan Shaozhe and Director Du Weilun to explain the situation! I will pacify the students here first!"
The teachers looked at each other with varying expressions. One or two of them had just seen Furina acting as a "temporary teacher" in the Soul Fighting Area that afternoon, getting along harmoniously with the students and giving expert guidance. Seeing this earth-shattering reversal now, they felt their worldview being shaken.
Perhaps... that harmonious scene in the afternoon was the disguise? Was this young girl, who forced a Spirit Emperor to vomit blood with a few words and caused a massive riot, her true face? Looking at Zhou Yi's current state, regardless of the cause, it was a fact that she had publicly released her Spirit Emperor pressure to oppress students and spoken foul words; she was indeed in the wrong. Whether for public or private reasons, controlling the situation and reporting to the higher-ups was the safest course of action.
Two teachers who had a decent relationship with Mu Jin nodded and stepped forward to try and support the swaying Zhou Yi, whose eyes were becoming vacant.
Zhou Yi seemed to want to struggle, to say something, but the surge of anger combined with a temporary disorder of her Soul Power left her body weak, leaving her no choice but to let the two support her. Her gaze was fixed intensely on Furina, who was shielded behind Mu Jin; the malice, anger, and resentment in her eyes were almost tangible.
However, when the corner of her eye swept over the surrounding students—those she once viewed as people she could knead at will and who had to obey—and saw only fear, alienation, disgust, and even schadenfreude in their eyes, an unprecedented, icy sense of despair seized her.
Her lips trembled, and finally, two lines of murky tears flowed down from the edges of the cracked human-skin mask.
Seeing her like this, the bit of pleasure Mu Jin felt from their old grudge faded slightly, replaced by a subtle trace of sympathy that she herself was unwilling to admit.
As for these students... Mu Jin scanned the young and agitated faces, understanding clearly. Only one day after the start of school, Zhou Yi's high-pressure policy had already provoked such strong backlash and resentment that now, when she was down, everyone was ready to kick her, and not a single person spoke up for her. Was this not its own kind of pedagogical failure?
"Alright, students," Mu Jin clapped her hands to draw everyone's attention back, her tone having returned to its usual steady state. "As you have all seen, the academy teachers have intervened. In the name of a Shrek Academy teacher, I guarantee once again that the academy is absolutely safe, and any issue will be handled fairly and seriously."
"Until there is a clear conclusion regarding Teacher Zhou Yi's matter, I will temporarily look after freshman class one. Now, everyone return to the classroom or go about your own activities. Calm your emotions and do not gather here anymore."
The students looked at each other, then at the pathetic figure of Zhou Yi being led away, and finally at Furina, who was pale but had a calm gaze, and Huo Yuhao beside her, who had also returned to normal. The sudden storm seemed to have temporarily subsided.
"Yes, Teacher Mu Jin." Scattered responses rang out as students began to disperse in small groups, but low-voiced discussions spread quietly like a tide.
After today, the name "Furina" and the legendary story of the "Spirit Emperor teacher angered into vomiting blood" would surely spread through the entire Shrek Academy freshman year and even to higher grades with startling speed.
Mu Jin watched the dispersing students and then glanced toward the Academic Affairs Office, her brow furrowing slightly. This matter was likely not over. That girl named Furina... was definitely no ordinary person. And Zhou Yi, after this incident, would likely face severe challenges to both her teaching credentials and her personal reputation.
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