Just then, a middle-aged man dressed in white walked in from outside, his gaze cold and sharp.
It was Ye Zhiqiu.
"Haha, so after beating up the young ones, the older ones show up for backup?"
Oscar chuckled. "They should stop calling it Canghui Academy and just rename it Bullying Academy."
"How presumptuous!" Ye Zhiqiu snorted coldly.
A blast of icy air erupted from him, sweeping across the room. The freezing chill instantly engulfed everyone, but Oscar got special treatment—frost quickly formed on his body.
"You need someone to teach you how to behave on behalf of your teacher?!"
Suddenly, blazing phoenix flames ignited and fiery wings spread out, shielding the members of Shrek. The warm glow dispelled the chill and evaporated the moisture in the air.
Ma Hongjun stood at the center of the flames, his crystal-red eyes burning intensely.
"Don't bother. I think our teacher does a great job."
He spoke calmly, then pushed Ning Rongrong and Oscar behind him. Dai Mubai stepped forward to join him without hesitation.
"Phoenix Martial Spirit?" Ye Zhiqiu's expression turned uncertain.
He had only casually released his ice-type soul power, yet it was effortlessly dispersed. That meant the other boy's martial spirit was far superior to his own Black Turtle.
Not just a phoenix—an extraordinary one. Its origins had to be rare and powerful.
The realization made him hesitate.
Still, even if he wanted to retreat, he couldn't lose face in front of his students.
"Hmph, such youthful arrogance..."
Ye Zhiqiu was trying to put on a composed front when a voice interrupted him.
"Our teacher is a Soul King! None of you bastards are getting away with this!"
A male student pointed at Dai Mubai, his tone fierce.
"And you three filthy bastards—I'm going to rip your faces off!" the female student added viciously.
"Teacher, teach them a lesson!"
"Teacher!"
"You have to stand up for us, teacher!"
The students' shouting completely drowned out Ye Zhiqiu's words. Surrounded by eager eyes full of expectation, his face stiffened.
He was caught in a bind.
If he fought, who knew what backing these kids might have?
But if he backed down, how could he keep any authority?
These useless brats couldn't handle anything on a normal day, yet now they were dragging him into a disaster!
Ye Zhiqiu cursed silently.
Just as he was hesitating, a lazy voice called out from upstairs.
"You little bastards—what's all this noise in the middle of the night?"
Yawning, Zhao Wuji came down from upstairs, barely opening his eyes as he glanced at Ye Zhiqiu.
"Who's this old turtle-looking guy?"
For a moment, everyone in Shrek was stunned. Then they burst out laughing.
Honestly, with Ye Zhiqiu trying to look calm and composed, he did kind of resemble a turtle.
Ma Hongjun remembered—wasn't his martial spirit a turtle?
"Asshole!"
"How dare you insult Teacher Ye!"
The students from Canghui College flew into a rage. The female student pointed at Zhao Wuji's face and screamed, "You're dead! Teacher Ye is a Soul King!"
Zhao Wuji raised an eyebrow and smirked.
"Soul King? Is that supposed to be impressive?"
Boom!
Seven dazzling soul rings burst from his body, radiating an overwhelming aura.
"How do I compare as a Soul Saint?" he asked, casually picking his nose while squinting at Ye Zhiqiu.
Ye Zhiqiu: !!!
All the students: !!!!
They stared at the seven soul rings in shock, their jaws nearly hitting the floor.
Only now did they realize they had kicked a steel wall.
"What are you still standing here for? Scram!" Zhao Wuji said with a snort, his nose turned up in contempt.
"...Let's go," Ye Zhiqiu muttered.
He didn't dare stay any longer. Dragging his students along, he left with his head down. The students followed silently, not daring to say a word.
"Hahahaha! Even the little ones look like turtles now!" Oscar and Dai Mubai laughed without mercy.
Hearing their laughter behind him, Ye Zhiqiu clenched his teeth tightly.
Damn you all. One day, I'll make you pay.
But right now, retreat was the only option.
"Teacher Zhao, you were amazing!" Oscar praised with a grin.
Zhao Wuji slapped him on the head. "Amazing, my ass! Go to bed!"
He turned to glare at the others. "And you lot—what are you standing around for? If you can't get up tomorrow, you'll have to do extra training when we're back at school!"
The group scattered immediately, like birds fleeing a predator.
After all the excitement, exhaustion from their long day on the road hit them hard. They checked into their rooms, exchanged a few goodnights, and went straight to sleep.
The night passed in silence.
The next morning, Zhao Wuji woke everyone up. They left the tavern and headed straight for the vast, dense forest.
Morning sunlight filtered through the canopy, casting everything in a fresh green glow.
A refreshing scent drifted in on the breeze, lifting the spirits of the sleepy boys and girls, making them move more quickly.
Soon, when the endless green sea of the forest appeared in full view, they all slowed down, awestruck by the magnificent sight.
Even the red-haired Ma Hongjun was stunned.
The towering trees—each over twenty meters tall—stood thick and lush, their shadows falling heavily across the undergrowth. Everywhere they looked was a deep, layered green.
And this was just the edge of the forest.
As expected of the continent's number one forest—home to countless terrifying soul beasts, and even a few of the top ten ferocious ones.
"Alright, little monsters, this is no longer a game," Flander said seriously, pointing toward the forest depths.
"From here on, no one is to attack any soul beasts without my order. And don't wander more than twenty meters away from either me or Teacher Zhao. Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun will take the lead. Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing stay in the middle. Oscar and Ning Rongrong bring up the rear. Tang San will cover the back. Got it?"
"Got it."
Everyone nodded. The formation made perfect sense, and none of them had any objections.
"Good. Let's go. This time, four of you need soul rings—Oscar, Xiao Wu, Tang San, and Ma Hongjun. If you spot a suitable target, we'll hunt it."
Zhao Wuji clapped his hands. "Let's move, little monsters."
As they entered the forest, the sweet fragrance grew stronger—but visibility dropped sharply.
Since certain soul beasts were drawn to fire, they couldn't use torches. They relied on Dai Mubai's claws to clear the way.
Fortunately, their luck held out.
Less than twenty minutes in, Ma Hongjun suddenly tensed up and raised a hand. "Teacher, wait a moment."
"Hmm? What's wrong, Hongjun?"
Everyone looked at him, confused.
"Hold on."
Ma Hongjun slowly closed his eyes. After a moment, he opened them again, a surge of soul power radiating from him. A blazing pillar of fire shot into the sky, splitting into three fiery streaks.
Gah—!!
With a raspy screech, a charred soul beast—black smoke rising from its body—plummeted from the sky.