The duel between Wu Feng and Huo Yuhao ultimately ended with Huo Yuhao taking the win—by what could only be described as a cheat-like method. As for why Su Yunlin knew Huo Yuhao would "cheat"?
Because he could do the same.
When Huo Yuhao's eyes turned gray, Su Yunlin distinctly sensed an aura of death. That aura bore some similarity to his own second Martial Soul.
Within that deathly aura, there was also a trace of sacred power mixed in—most likely belonging to that Necromancer Holy God.
"What a pity…" Su Yunlin let out a soft sigh.
Wang Dong glanced at him in confusion. "What's a pity? Huo Yuhao won. Didn't you bet on him? That means we made money, right?"
"Nothing." Su Yunlin waved it off. "Come on, let's use today's winnings to eat out in Shrek City."
"Huh? But I wanted to eat your cooking…" Wang Dong looked disappointed.
Su Yunlin reached out and ruffled his hair with a smile. "Next time. Today's on me."
Muttering under his breath, Wang Dong said, "I still think your cooking tastes the best…"
...
The next day,
After finishing their joint cultivation, Su Yunlin and Wang Dong felt the benefits immediately. With a perfect Martial Soul Fusion compatibility, their cultivation speed was astonishing—especially for Wang Dong, who was already close to Rank 26. Before the semester ended, reaching Rank 30 wouldn't be a problem.
As for Su Yunlin, he estimated that he would also reach Rank 40 before the end of the term.
Wang Dong looked at him and sighed. "Why is your Spirit Power so high? It's making me a little depressed."
Su Yunlin flicked his smooth forehead. "You slacker. Three days fishing, two days drying nets—you barely take cultivation seriously. If I hadn't dragged you along, you wouldn't even be at your current level."
Wang Dong looked a bit embarrassed. It was true—he didn't like cultivating. It was just too boring.
After tidying their clothes, the two left the dormitory and headed toward the cafeteria.
"Xiao Su."
An aged voice called out.
Su Yunlin and Wang Dong turned around—it was the old dorm supervisor.
Walking over, Su Yunlin crouched down beside him. "Elder Mu."
Wang Dong followed suit and greeted sweetly, "Good morning, Elder Mu."
Mu En chuckled and reached out his withered hand to pat their heads. "Hehe, good morning. Xiao Su, take these—they should be useful to you."
Several sheets of special material paper suddenly appeared in Mu En's hand, densely filled with writing.
"These are?!" Su Yunlin's eyes widened in shock. These were blueprints for soul tools!
Mu En nodded slightly. "These are designs from the Sun Moon Empire. I can't make sense of them, but their soul tools have already developed to a very advanced level. On our side, we truly need a Rank 9 soul engineer.
"Xiao Su, you have the talent for it. You once told me that a powerful Spirit Master, combined with powerful soul tools, could unleash even greater strength. I agree with that. I hope you can achieve it. If you encounter any difficulties, come to me."
Su Yunlin quickly skimmed through the blueprints. Some were complete soul tool designs, others were drafts. There were even manufacturing processes for Rank 9 soul tools—though he couldn't produce them yet.
Did Elder Mu just empty out the Sun Moon Empire's Hall of Virtue?
"I understand. Elder Mu… can I take these home?"
Mu En nodded. "They're yours. I've already had the Soul Tool Department make copies. No problem."
Su Yunlin immediately thought about whether these blueprints could help his father advance to a Rank 9 soul engineer. But there was a prerequisite—one had to first become a Titled Douluo.
Only Titled Douluo could craft Rank 9 soul tools. At least, in the current Sun Moon Empire, every Rank 9 soul engineer was a Titled Douluo.
"Thank you, Elder Mu."
Mu En waved his hand. "Go to class."
Su Yunlin put away the blueprints and left, with Wang Dong following closely behind.
Watching the two depart, Mu En smiled faintly. "What interesting children. That boy… talent, vision, temperament—he excels in all of them. This old man can still hold on for a few more years. I'll find a way to nurture him into the next Master of the Sea God Pavilion."
Mu En had already made up his mind—Su Yunlin would be the next Master of the Sea God Pavilion. With him in charge, and with that little girl Wang Dong by his side, Shrek Academy could continue to thrive steadily for several more centuries.
Right now, Shrek Academy was being held up by him alone. As for those under him—Xuan Zi, Yan Shaozhe… what a bunch of disappointments. Just thinking about it gave him a headache. The capable ones weren't reliable; the reliable ones weren't capable.
Xuan Zi had strength, but he was only suited to be a blunt weapon—point him at a target, and he'd bite. As for Yan Shaozhe, what a waste of such a powerful Martial Soul. With a Radiant Phoenix Martial Soul, he was still only Rank 95.
No wonder he had been defeated by Su Yunlin's mother—that girl Xu—who, as a mere Spirit Douluo, managed to defeat him across ranks. What a disgrace!
Enough. The more he thought about it, the more his liver ached. His current condition couldn't handle such agitation. Fortunately, he had encountered Su Yunlin.
As for Su Yunlin's Martial Soul possessing darkness and evil attributes—did that make him an evil soul master?
What a joke!
I, Mu En, am the leader of the Shrek Supervisory Corps. I've slain countless evil soul masters. If I say he isn't one, then he isn't one!
…
Class One.
Today, Zhou Yi entered the classroom with a face full of anger, her expression utterly grim. Her husband's disciple and the student she valued had been targeted like that—of course she was going to lose her temper.
Su Yunlin could already imagine some unlucky souls about to suffer the wrath of "Goddess Zhou." Just thinking about it was amusing.
Still, this fierce, domineering teacher clearly favored the former Class One freshmen—which meant students like Su Yunlin and Wang Dong were under her protection.
If students from other classes dared to bully her students, she would definitely make them pay.
Su Yunlin didn't mind at all. Zhou Yi was crazy? Maybe. But it didn't bother him. She protected her own—and he was one of her own. As for others? They had nothing to do with him. If they got beaten by Zhou Yi, it wasn't his pain—why should he care?
Dislike her methods? Don't be ridiculous.
If she targeted him, he'd absolutely fight back. But if she targeted others? He'd happily sit back and watch. He wasn't some saint filled with boundless compassion. He wasn't sitting on a lotus pedestal—why meddle in everything?
"All rise!"
The moment Zhou Yi entered, she barked the command. The former Class One students, including Su Yunlin and Wang Dong, immediately stood up.
Su Yunlin felt a hint of amusement. Someone was definitely about to have a bad day.
"Huang Chutian!"
Zhou Yi directly grabbed Huang Chutian and threw him out! One by one, the students whose names were called were dragged outside to stand as punishment.
Then Zhou Yi began issuing orders.
"I have two announcements. First—class leadership appointments. Assault System Class Leader: Su Yunlin. Control System Class Leader: Huo Yuhao.
"Second—from now on, anyone who dares question a teacher's decision in class will be expelled!"
Naturally, a few stubborn students voiced objections.
And what happened?
They were all thrown out.
Standing at the classroom door, Wang Yan's eyes were wide, his mouth agape in shock.
Then Zhou Yi expelled Huang Chutian, Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, and Wu Feng from Class One entirely.
Her gaze landed on Su Yunlin.
"Su Yunlin! As Class Leader, I grant you certain authority. If anyone in our class disobeys—or if students from other classes provoke you—you are allowed to use force!
"As long as you don't kill them, do as you please! If anything happens, I'll take responsibility! Do it well, and about that Starfall Iron you wanted from Fan Yu—I can help you get it."
Su Yunlin's lips curled upward. "Really, Teacher Zhou?"
He was already delighted. He had thought highly of Zhou Yi—but he hadn't expected her to be this bold. Truly worthy of being the most controversial figure—Goddess Zhou indeed.
Su Yunlin had no strong feelings toward her. As long as she didn't target him, he didn't care how she treated others—if anything, he couldn't suppress the smile creeping onto his face.
But if she ever came after him? Then he'd clash with her head-on. That's just how he was—completely double-standard.
Zhou Yi said coldly, "Do I look like I'm joking?"
Su Yunlin grinned from ear to ear. "Got it."
"Wah—Yunlin, what are you doing?!"
"Earning Starfall Iron."
Su Yunlin grabbed Wang Dong and lifted him up before striding out of the classroom.
And then…
"AAAAAAAH—!"
Shrill, miserable screams rang out from outside, sending shivers down the spines of the students in Class One.
Zhou Yi stood at the doorway, watching it all unfold, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
Wang Yan had originally wanted to stop it, but Zhou Yi blocked him.
"Teacher Wang, what are you doing?"
He replied irritably, "You're just going to let him act recklessly? Aren't you worried he'll be targeted?"
Zhou Yi laughed lightly. "Target Su Yunlin? Let them try. You know his strength. His talent has already caught the attention of the Sea God Pavilion.
"Whether those other students can even graduate safely from the outer court is uncertain. Su Yunlin, on the other hand, is guaranteed to enter the inner court—a genius who would shine even there. What does it matter if he beats a few ordinary geniuses?"
Wang Yan found himself speechless.
After all, Shrek Academy's principle had always been clear—
It only nurtured monsters, not ordinary people.
If you were ordinary, you should stay at other advanced Spirit Master academies.
What were you doing at Shrek?