"You want this student?" Zhou Yi's face was very displeased.
The first day of school was usually when she asserted her authority, and she had heard about Huo Yuhao in her class, who chose to stay at a hotel in Shrek City to avoid conflicts with his roommate.
He was the perfect target to establish her authority. By severely punishing Huo Yuhao, she would make an example of him, ensuring that the rest of the class would see his exhausted and submissive demeanor and never dare to oppose her orders.
This was her usual tactic, using such methods to instill fear in her students, making them obedient. Even if she harmed them or expelled them from Shrek Academy later, they would believe it was deserved.
In modern psychology, this is known as Stockholm syndrome.
However, she did not expect her chosen target to be such a defiant one.
Huo Yuhao didn't resist with violence or argue with theories. Instead, he chose a seemingly ridiculous way to make her a laughingstock among the other teachers.
"That's right, Zhou Yi. Don't forget, both of us are new student class teachers. You have the right to expel your student from the academy, and I have the right to let him join my class!" Mu Jin said with a sneer.
Zhou Yi's expression stiffened, and she turned her gaze to Huo Yuhao, her eyes filled with threats. It was clear that if Huo Yuhao chose to join Mu Jin's new student Class 9, she wouldn't give up on causing trouble for him.
However, she didn't know that Huo Yuhao had already met with Qian Duoduo upon his admission.
If she intended to use her connections, or even those of her husband Fan Yu, to expel Huo Yuhao from Shrek Academy, Qian Duoduo would never let it slide.
Seeing Zhou Yi's menacing glare, Huo Yuhao, like a frightened kitten, shrank behind Mu Jin.
"Ms. Mu Jin, hello. Today is my first day of class, but Ms. Zhou wants to expel me because I refused to fight with my classmates. I don't know why."
Although Mu Jin wasn't as gossipy as Zhou Yi, she had heard about Huo Yuhao moving to a hotel in Shrek City. Initially, she also looked down on Huo Yuhao's seemingly weak behavior, but seeing Zhou Yi's twitching face brought her great satisfaction.
This was also why she decided to accept Huo Yuhao—not for any particular reason, just to spite Zhou Yi.
But hearing Huo Yuhao's words, Mu Jin couldn't help but ask, "Oh? Why didn't you want to fight with your classmates?"
Tears welled up in Huo Yuhao's eyes, his face flushed, and his body trembled slightly as he struggled to hold back his sobs.
In a voice full of resentment and inferiority, he slowly said, "Teacher, you know, I'm an orphan. My father died early, and my mother passed away recently. Before she died, she taught me not to cause trouble, so I didn't want to fight with Wang Dong and chose to live off-campus instead."
"Is it cowardly to uphold my mother's last teachings? Is punching my future classmates, my future companions, an act of bravery?"
"The Shrek Academy I dreamed of is a place that nurtures soul masters who uphold justice and protect the weak. But why does Ms. Zhou want me to harm my own classmates? Does she intend to train a bunch of bandits and thieves?"
Perfect expression! Perfect tone! Perfect action! Let's give this year's Shrek Golden Award to Huo Yuhao of the new student Class 9!
His soul skill of moral coercion was so effective that Zhou Yi and Mu Jin were both stunned. Even the other teachers and students who came to watch were silent, showing thoughtful expressions.
Panic finally appeared in Zhou Yi's eyes. Under Huo Yuhao's perfect acting, the situation had spiraled dangerously out of control.
"Huo Yuhao, you're slandering your teacher!" Zhou Yi snapped, trying to regain control with an angry rebuke.
However, Huo Yuhao wiped away non-existent tears with his sleeve, sobbing softly, "I'm sorry, Ms. Zhou. I understand now. Someone like me doesn't deserve to stay at Shrek Academy. I'll go handle my withdrawal right away."
Mu Jin panicked upon hearing this. She quickly grabbed Huo Yuhao's arm, her eyes reddening, "No, Yuhao, you can't leave! You're right, following your mother's teachings doesn't make you a coward! Come, join me in Class 9!"
"Mu Jin, how dare you—" Zhou Yi was also panicking. She stepped forward to grab Huo Yuhao's shoulder again, but another teacher suddenly blocked her path.
This teacher was about fifty years old, tall and sturdy, with a stern, bearded face. Both Zhou Yi and Mu Jin stopped immediately upon seeing him, not daring to make another move.
"Huo Yuhao, hello. I am Du Weilun, the director of the Martial Soul Department in the outer courtyard. I heard what you just said. You did nothing wrong, and you don't need to withdraw from Shrek Academy. You can now go to Class 9 with Teacher Mu Jin. She and I will handle the transfer paperwork after class."
After speaking, Du Weilun turned his gaze to Zhou Yi, and his already stern face took on an even colder expression.
"Zhou Yi, come to the dean's office after class. I have something to discuss with you."
Zhou Yi's face turned pale. She knew that if Du Weilun reported today's events truthfully, she would face severe consequences.
Mu Jin, satisfied with Zhou Yi's ashen expression, patted Huo Yuhao's shoulder, signaling him to follow her back to Class 9.
As Huo Yuhao left, he glanced back at Zhou Yi. To her surprise, his eyes no longer held any trace of weakness or fear but were cold and indifferent.
"If you know what's good for you, let today's matter end here. If you really want to go against me in the future, don't blame me for being ruthless," Huo Yuhao thought to himself.
The classroom for new student Class 9 was similar to that of Class 1, filled with students. However, unlike the overly tense atmosphere in Class 1, Class 9 had a more relaxed teaching style. When Huo Yuhao entered, many students pointed at him, laughing and chatting.
"Quiet down!"
Mu Jin's voice was not loud, but with the help of her soul power, it instantly spread throughout the classroom. Hearing her command, the previously noisy class fell silent immediately.
"This student is new to our Class 9. His name is Huo Yuhao. Yuhao, introduce yourself to your classmates."
Huo Yuhao nodded and walked up to the podium. As he scanned the room, he noticed two girls sitting in the front row.
The girl on the left was taller, even slightly taller than Huo Yuhao. She had short, golden hair that looked very neat, and her large blue eyes were framed by long lashes, with a few cute freckles on her cheeks.
The girl on the right had short, fiery red hair and rare red eyes. At first glance, she seemed quite domineering. However, upon closer inspection, her features were extremely delicate, and her skin was as fair as jade, though her gaze was very cold.
After a brief glance, Huo Yuhao smiled and said, "Hello everyone, my name is Huo Yuhao. I am eleven years old, with a soul power of eleven levels, from the Star Luo Empire. I transferred from Class 1 to our new student Class 9."
Hearing the words "eleven levels," the students' eyes filled with doubt. Wasn't the minimum requirement for admission to Shrek Academy fifteen levels? How did he get in?
"That's right, Huo Yuhao's soul power is only eleven levels. I know you're all curious about how he could pass the academy's assessment and become a student," Mu Jin explained. "He is a specially invited student who didn't need to pass the assessment to enter the academy. But this is the only exception for special invitees. If he can't complete the academy's assignments, he will be eliminated just like anyone else. Alright, Huo Yuhao, find a seat."
Hearing Mu Jin's explanation, the blonde girl's eyes flashed with interest. The red-haired girl, however, showed a hint of disdain and looked away from Huo Yuhao.
After thanking Mu Jin, Huo Yuhao found a seat in the middle row. Mu Jin then walked to the podium and wrote two large characters on the blackboard:
(Class Monitor)
"Next, we will elect the class monitor for our new student Class 9. Those interested should come up to the podium, demonstrate their abilities, and we will vote to decide the class monitor. The deputy class monitor will be nominated by the newly elected class monitor."
Compared to Zhou Yi's method of forcibly appointing positions, Mu Jin's democratic approach was much more appreciated.
At this moment, most of the students' faces showed eagerness. They were all outstanding young soul masters from various forces across the continent, and naturally had high aspirations for becoming the class monitor.
Just then, a male student in the back joked, "I think Huo Yuhao should be our class monitor. When the time for the new student assessment comes, the students from other classes will see that our class monitor is only at the first ring and will underestimate us, heh heh."
Everyone burst into laughter at the boy's words, but the red-haired girl in the front row snorted coldly.
"Make him the class monitor? Is he even worthy?"
The classroom fell silent. Just when they thought Huo Yuhao would be intimidated and back down, he smiled and spoke up.
"I come from a family of locksmiths. How many keys would you like me to make for you?"