Watching Huo Yuhao disappear from sight, Yan Shaozhe withdrew his gaze and slowly turned around.
His gaze fell on the crimson figure beside him, his brows twitching slightly, his tone carrying an irrepressible earnestness like that of an elderly father.
"How is he?"
Ma Xiaotao was staring blankly at the empty tree-lined path, slightly startled upon hearing this.
"What do you mean 'how'?"
She blinked her pink eyes, meeting her teacher's gaze which was clearly saying "don't play dumb" with a dazed expression.
After three breaths of time, she finally reacted.
Then, she rolled her eyes inwardly with extreme helplessness.
"Teacher..."
"He's still just a child."
Yan Shaozhe squinted at her and let out a dismissive snort.
"He's a child now, but he'll grow up in a few years. Besides, you two can start by nurturing your feelings first!"
Ma Xiaotao: "..."
She opened her mouth, only to find she didn't know how to refute him.
Standing three steps away, Director Du Weilin silently backed away a few more steps with an extremely slow posture.
He lowered his eyes, expressionless; he felt it was better not to overhear such a conversation.
Yan Shaozhe's attention was entirely on his Disciple as he asked again, "Tell me honestly, what do you think of his strength and talent?"
Ma Xiaotao fell silent for a moment. She lowered her eyelids as the image of Huo Yuhao's four spirit rings surfaced in her mind, along with the sword strike he aimed at Zhou Yi.
A moment later, she blurted out, "Very strong."
Ever since Ma Xiaotao had her Phoenix Spirit Awakening at age six, she had never lost to a peer and was hailed by her teachers as a "once-in-a century Genius of Shrek."
But facing this young boy, she had no choice but to admit defeat.
Yan Shaozhe leaned in half a step, his tone persuasive.
"Look, he's handsome and has great talent. You won't find another person like him on the entire continent."
He paused, speaking with earnest sincerity,
"If you miss this chance, it's truly gone."
"Teacher!"
Ma Xiaotao paused, her voice tinged with the helplessness of someone who had given up.
"Have you ever thought... that he might not even be interested in me?"
"Why wouldn't he be interested?"
Yan Shaozhe's eyebrows shot up, his voice suddenly rising.
"Your looks, your figure, your talent, your strength—which of these isn't top-tier?"
However, even though he said that, a sliver of worry rose in Yan Shaozhe's heart, feeling that this was indeed a potential issue.
What if?
What if that boy really wasn't interested?
Yan Shaozhe fell silent....Don't let Teacher Fan Yu's burly appearance fool you; he happened to be a total romantic at heart.
If not for that, how could he be so completely controlled by that Old Crone Zhou Yi?
Zhou Yi usually kept a cold Face, looking as if everyone owed her eighty thousand gold coins, yet in front of Teacher Fan Yu, a single flirtatious glance could make this big man lose his bearings.
Today, right after Yan Shaozhe expelled Zhou Yi, she immediately went to find Teacher Fan Yu.
After a bout of crying and making a scene, Teacher Fan Yu naturally had to take action.
In the afternoon, the sun leaned toward the west.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
The door to the Dean of the Spirit Hall Department's office was knocked on.
"Come in."
Yan Shaozhe's steady voice came from inside the room.
The door was pushed open, and Qian Duoduo's iconic smiling Face peeked in first, his eyes crinkled into slits from grinning.
"Yo, Old Yan, busy?"
Yan Shaozhe looked up, his gaze passing over Qian Duoduo to see Teacher Fan Yu following behind. He understood their purpose as clearly as a mirror.
Qian Duoduo didn't act like a stranger, sitting down across from Yan Shaozhe with a casual air.
With a face full of smiles, he said, "Old Yan, to be honest, I've come here today because I have a favor to ask of you."
Yan Shaozhe glanced at him, leaned back against his chair, and said in a flat tone, "If you're here to plead for Zhou Yi, then don't even bother opening your mouth."
These words were blunt, without any beating around the bush.
The smile on Qian Duoduo's Face froze instantly. He opened his mouth, momentarily unsure how to respond.
After all, they were old rivals for years; Yan Shaozhe's preemptive strike had directly choked back the bellyful of rhetoric he had prepared.
But Qian Duoduo had been through thick and thin at Shrek for decades; his skin had long since grown thicker than a city wall's corner.
He gave a dry laugh, forcing down the embarrassment and squeezing out a face full of smile lines again.
"Aiya, Old Yan, don't be so heartless. We've worked together for so many years, we can talk things over, right?"
"Heartless?" Yan Shaozhe's expression turned solemn.
"It's not that I'm heartless, but Zhou Yi's actions over the years have truly been too much."
"Many times before, I turned a blind eye for the sake of your face and didn't take it seriously."
"But this time, it's different."
"Different?" Qian Duoduo's eyes darted around as he leaned forward, his tone carrying a hint of probing. "In what way is it different?"
"You know Zhou Yi's character; she just has a bit of a temper and is strict with students, but her intentions are always good..."
"Strict?"
Yan Shaozhe interrupted him, looking directly at Qian Duoduo.
"In the very first lesson of the term, she went onto the Soul Fighting Arena with a freshman. Dean Qian, tell me, what kind of logic is that?"
The smile lines on Qian Duoduo's face froze once more.
Yan Shaozhe didn't stop. He slowly stood up, walked to the window with his hands behind his back, and turned away from the two.
"Using a Spirit Emperor cultivation to attack a newly enrolled freshman is one thing, but more importantly..."
He turned around, his gaze sweeping over the Faces of Qian Duoduo and Teacher Fan Yu.
"She lost."
The office fell silent for a moment.
Teacher Fan Yu froze on the spot, a look of disbelief flashing in his eyes.
She lost?
A Spirit Emperor against a freshman, and she actually lost?
The expression on Qian Duoduo's Face froze for a split second before he suddenly turned his head to look at Teacher Fan Yu standing behind him.
Teacher Fan Yu hadn't mentioned a single word about this to him!
However, when he saw Teacher Fan Yu's expression, he forced himself to swallow the urge to question him.
Teacher Fan Yu's Face was also filled with confusion; clearly... this was the first time he had heard of it as well.
Yan Shaozhe took in their reactions, thinking to himself that they hadn't even figured out what kind of trouble Zhou Yi had caused this time.
He chuckled inwardly, but his Face remained as calm as still water, his tone carrying a hint of significance.
"This student," he paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully, then slowly continued, "is the most astonishing talent I have ever seen in all my years of teaching."
"It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a heaven-sent talent."
"In my opinion, even the ancestor Tang San from Ten Thousand Years ago would have been slightly inferior at his age."
As soon as these words were spoken, both Qian Duoduo and Teacher Fan Yu were shaken to their cores.
What kind of figure was the ancestor Tang San?
He was a legendary figure, the spiritual totem of Shrek Academy, and a being who ultimately attained godhood!
Yan Shaozhe was actually comparing a freshman to the ancestor Tang San?
The two looked at each other, both seeing disbelief in the other's eyes, but their curiosity was immediately piqued.
Just what kind of Prodigy could make Yan Shaozhe say such things?
Then, a trace of irrepressible excitement actually appeared on Yan Shaozhe's usually serious face, and even his voice rose a few notches.
"He is only eleven years old this year, yet he is already a Level 43 Spirit Ancestor! His spirit ring configuration—two purple and two black!"
These words exploded in the ears of Qian Duoduo and Teacher Fan Yu like a clap of thunder.
Eleven years old, Level 43?
Two purple and two black?!
Qian Duoduo gasped, his usually shrewd and worldly eyes now filled with nothing but pure shock.
An eleven-year-old Spirit Ancestor—in all his years, let alone seeing one, he had never even heard of such a thing!
Not to mention that spirit ring configuration of two purple and two black—what kind of concept was that?
It meant that starting from his very first spirit ring, this child had absorbed rings with age limits that ordinary people wouldn't dare imagine!
"His name is Huo Yuhao."
When mentioning this name, a sense of pride couldn't help but appear on Yan Shaozhe's Face; after all, such a Genius had appeared during his tenure as Yan Shaozhe.
With an unquestionable certainty in his tone, he said word by word,
"As long as he can grow up, Shrek Academy... will be worry-free for three hundred years!"
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A/N:
5 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.