After their dangerous trip, Shi Yu and his group were lucky enough to return safely from the Xingdou Great Forest. Two hours later, they arrived back at Shrek Academy.Instead of parting ways, they followed Zhang Lexuan for a post-mission assessment. Her task had been to help the students obtain spirit rings and ensure they returned safely. Since the team had successfully secured high-quality spirit rings and no one was injured, Zhang Lexuan earned a good evaluation score.
As Shi Yu and Xu Sanshi were about to leave, Zhang Lexuan stopped them:
"You and Xu Sanshi come with me to the Academic Affairs Office."
Xu Sanshi's action of destroying someone else's spirit ring to gain an advantage was a serious matter and couldn't be ignored.
Beibei tried to intercede, worried that this would damage Xu Sanshi's chance of entering the Inner Court, but Zhang Lexuan was firm.
Xu Sanshi, owning up to his actions, said:
"Beibei, you don't need to plead for me. I, Xu Sanshi, dare to take responsibility for what I did."
Zhang Lexuan nodded and took both of them to the Academic Affairs Office.
There, they encountered a surprise—Dean Yan Shaozhe, head of the Martial Soul Department, was present.Despite his age, Yan Shaozhe looked vigorous, a testament to the strength and vitality of high-level soul masters.
He greeted Zhang Lexuan warmly and was surprised to see her in the Outer Court. When she explained she came to report Xu Sanshi for disciplinary reasons, Yan Shaozhe took the matter seriously.
Zhang Lexuan recounted what Xu Sanshi had done during the spirit ring hunt. Though she had punished him lightly already, she felt the Academy needed to enforce proper consequences.
Yan Shaozhe, who had always had high regard for Xu Sanshi, was deeply disappointed.
"Xu Sanshi, don't you know how hard it is to find a suitable spirit beast? What you did was enough for me to expel you!"
Xu Sanshi, now panicked, tried to explain:
"I was wrong, Dean. I didn't really mean to stop Shi Yu from getting the ring. I just… wanted to make him angry."
Yan Shaozhe wasn't impressed:
"You think this kind of thing is a joke?!"
Xu Sanshi pleaded for leniency, insisting it was a moment of anger and foolishness.
To handle the situation fairly, Yan Shaozhe turned to Director Du of the Academic Affairs Office for input.
Director Du struggled—this was a difficult case. Xu Sanshi's actions weren't minor, but expelling him would be a loss, especially given his promising future. Still, Shi Yu had been targeted unfairly and deserved justice.
After careful thought, Director Du proposed:
Xu Sanshi would receive a serious warning.
His conduct record would impact his entry into the Inner Court, making it more difficult.
He must formally apologize to Shi Yu.
Xu Sanshi's face changed. This punishment wasn't light—it would seriously affect his future.
Shi Yu, however, wasn't satisfied. To him, it was too official and lacked emotional justice.So he made an unexpected request:
"How about this? Seal Xu Sanshi's soul power to my level, then let me fight him. We go until someone admits defeat by saying, 'I'm a turtle bastard'."
Everyone was stunned by the absurd yet strangely satisfying suggestion.
Xu Sanshi, eyes blazing, shot back:
"Even with the same soul power, I can beat you into a pig's head!"
But he also mocked Shi Yu for being a slippery fighter who always dodged.
Shi Yu replied calmly:
"If we're at the same level, I won't dodge. I'll beat you straight up. I've been wanting to hit you for a while."
His composed attitude only made Xu Sanshi angrier.
Yan Shaozhe, however, rejected the idea:
"Malicious fighting between students is prohibited."
He didn't want the relationship between two talented students to deteriorate further. Both were valuable to the academy, and it would be a shame to lose either.