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The rapidly shifting situation in the arena left all the students completely dumbfounded.
In their eyes, Su Wen was certainly bold and his talent was far beyond their reach, but Zhou Yi was a Soul Emperor! No matter how they looked at it, no one expected that Su Wen could actually fight her to a stalemate.
In other words… it was evenly matched!
No way, brother—
We thought you were just bluffing, but you're really doing this?!
Watching the battlefield where Soul Emperor–level power clashed, the sheer spectacle of Zhou Yi's and Xiao Jin's battle sent destructive waves of energy rippling out, leaving people in awe. And yet Su Wen stood calmly behind, watching as though nothing concerned him. Countless students looked on with envy—summoners were just too damn stylish.
With her Fire Dragon Spirit fully unleashed, Zhou Yi had already torn away all pretenses and was no longer holding back in the slightest.
But no matter how much effort she poured in—even when she used her fifth soul skill, Fire Dragon's Dance—the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear did not waver in the slightest. Its physical body was horrifyingly strong, like an immovable mountain.
Her dragon flames struck its body only to spark and vanish instantly.
"No wonder the inner court values him so highly!" Zhou Yi outwardly maintained her composure, but inside she was a storm of disbelief.
That Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear never once allowed Su Wen to be exposed. Its age was at least four thousand years! To command such a terrifying beast without the slightest hint of backlash spoke volumes about Su Wen's monstrous nature—she had underestimated him badly.
Her fiery temper subsided as reason reasserted itself.
This was no longer about whether she might kill Su Wen by mistake—it was about whether she could even defeat him at all.
Grinding her teeth, she shouted, "Su Wen! Attacking your teacher and showing such blatant disregard for authority—isn't that going too far? If you stop right now and bow to apologize, I can still consider being magnanimous and spare you this once!"
Her voice echoed across the skies.
The students' faces were filled with shock.
Zhou Yi… backing down?!!
But then they realized what that meant, and their expressions twisted in disbelief—the old hag couldn't do anything to Su Wen! She had gone all out, yet as a Soul Emperor, she still couldn't subdue a mere freshman. Her reputation in the outer court was about to collapse entirely.
This was her last scrap of dignity.
"Roar!"
But Su Wen had no intention of giving her a way out.
Xiao Jin let out a furious bellow. His massive body leapt into the air, one claw swiping down toward Zhou Yi. The tips of his talons sliced the air itself, while his enormous paw carried crushing force as though it could shatter mountains.
"Damn it!"
Zhou Yi was enraged.
If that's how he wanted it—
"Dragon Flame Bomb!"
Her sixth soul ring flared beneath her feet, a pitch-black ten-thousand-year ring pulsing with power.
"Roooaaar~!"
The Fire Dragon behind her unleashed a piercing cry, spitting out a blazing sphere of fire infused with draconic might and the oppressive force of a thirty-thousand-year soul ring. It shot straight toward Xiao Jin.
"Careful!" Wang Dong shouted anxiously.
Ning Tian and the others also looked worried.
A full-force strike from a Soul Emperor was no trivial matter.
But Su Wen merely smiled faintly.
"Ice Empress!"
In the next instant, the Ice Jade Scorpion Empress appeared. The blistering heat plummeted into bone-chilling cold. Though the sun still blazed above, every student shivered uncontrollably—this cold penetrated their very marrow.
A pale blue aura rippled outward from the Ice Empress, spreading in waves.
Domain of Eternal Freeze!
Centered on the Empress, frost spread rapidly. While her raw strength was not as overwhelming as Xiao Jin's, the Ice Jade Scorpion Empress excelled not in brute force but in sheer magical power. This was her complete form!
In the eyes of the students throughout the teaching building, shock filled their faces as within mere breaths the entire structure, the plaza beyond, and everything within sight was buried in frost. The scene resembled a northern city on the edge of the Extreme North.
Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo widened their eyes at the sight.
The elder sister gasped, "So he was holding back during the tournament?!!"
"More than just holding back—he was going ridiculously easy on us," Huang Chutian said with difficulty. "If he wanted, not just Area One but the entire competition grounds would've been frozen into statues."
…
"What!"
Zhou Yi's body jerked violently.
She could feel her dragon flames being instantly suppressed, as though meeting their natural nemesis. This bone-deep chill was unlike anything she had sensed before. Seeing the Lan sisters suffer under this power hadn't fazed her much, but now, experiencing it personally, she finally understood its terror.
The ultimate ice!
She nearly ground her teeth to dust.
She had completely forgotten this!
The crushing pressure from Xiao Jin had forced her to focus solely on him. She had even forgotten Su Wen still had two more terrifying trump cards.
And what about that mutated Wind Baboon?!
Her pupils shrank sharply. She desperately tried to twist away, but drained of soul power by her clash with Xiao Jin and hindered by the Eternal Freeze Domain, she simply wasn't fast enough. All she could do was watch as the Wind Baboon's fist, the size of a sandbag, smashed straight into her head.
"Boom!!!"
A shockwave rippled through the air.
And then Zhou Yi was slammed to the ground like a meteorite.
The thunderous crash reverberated throughout the outer court.
…
High above the academy, several Sea God Pavilion elders looked on.
Their expressions were complicated.
Xian Lin'er swallowed hard. She truly coveted this child's talent. But unfortunately, he had little interest in soul tools beyond a surface-level understanding. Neither her nor Qian Duoduo's repeated attempts at drawing him in had worked.
After all, no matter what generous conditions they offered, they held no attraction for Su Wen.
That he could force the elders themselves to gather here and watch calmly… that he could overwhelm an opponent twenty levels above him… such a monster could no longer be described as a genius. He was someone destined to dominate an era.
She even began to doubt Zhang Lexuan's status as heir to the Pavilion. Perhaps that mantle might shift.
Still, given her relationship with Su Wen, Lexuan might even welcome it.
"It's time Zhou Yi was dealt with," Yan Shaozhe said in a timely voice.
"But…" Xian Lin'er frowned.
She too wanted Zhou Yi gone. But Fan Yu was the backbone of the Soul Tool Department. He had been loyal to the academy for years. Wouldn't eliminating Zhou Yi risk alienating him?
"Indecisive," Yan Shaozhe muttered.
"What did you say?" Xian Lin'er snapped.
"Enough,"
Elder Mu's gaze lingered on Su Wen as he spoke softly: "Lin'er, to deal with her does not mean to sever all ties. Should the academy continue indulging Zhou Yi's behavior just because of Fan Yu?"
"…Understood," Xian Lin'er faltered, then nodded slightly.
She knew full well his words were not just meant for her.
"The outer court does indeed need discipline," Mu En said, closing his eyes slowly. "If Shrek's roots begin to rot, then the countdown to its collapse has already begun."
"But Elder Mu," one elder spoke hesitantly.
"Pleading for your grandson?" Mu En asked without opening his eyes, his tone still calm.
"…I dare not." Cold sweat broke down the elder's back. Having his intentions laid bare, he fell silent.
Yan Shaozhe sighed inwardly at the scene.
Shrek was a tangled mess.
Indeed, many elders had earned merit in their youth.
But once old, they clung to their glory, seeking privileges for their descendants. That much was forgivable. The real problem was when those descendants became teachers in the outer court, unwilling to live quietly, abusing their backgrounds to exploit students and disrupt order.
And with Zhou Yi, Yang He, and others exposed through investigations, the depth of the corruption was appalling.
"If none of you wish to act, then I shall be the villain," Mu En said lightly.
"Shaozhe, starting tomorrow: dismiss those who must be dismissed, punish those who must be punished. And those who must die… let them die."
For the first time, the usually gentle elder revealed the decisiveness and ruthlessness of a true ruler.
…
"Pffft—"
The Wind Baboon hoisted Zhou Yi by the neck.
Whether from humiliation at losing to Su Wen or sheer fury, she spat a mouthful of blood and fainted on the spot.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk…" Su Wen clicked his tongue.
Classic fainting act.
But admittedly, it was a clever way to escape the awkwardness.
Unfortunately, he had no intention of letting her off so easily.
Waving his hand casually,
the Wind Baboon gave a nod, grabbed Zhou Yi's head, and slammed it hard into the ground. Students gasped in shock—they had only just begun to process Su Wen's unbelievable victory.
"Release me! My husband is Fan Yu!" Zhou Yi's cheek scraped against the ground, blood dripping from her lips. But in her eyes, there was now fear and desperation.
Su Wen truly meant to kill her!
"Oh?" Su Wen stepped closer, crouching down.
With a curious smile, he asked in a calm voice, "Fan Yu? Who's that?"
"You don't even know him? He's—"
"Destroy her meridians. Letting her die quickly would be too merciful," Su Wen chuckled, addressing the Ice Empress.
Her crystalline scorpion tail rose high, gleaming coldly.
"What are you doing?!" Zhou Yi's voice cracked with terror.
To her, Su Wen's smile was nothing short of demonic—terrifying and cruel.
"Hm?"
Su Wen narrowed his eyes suddenly, turning toward the sky.
A blazing beam of light shot down, radiating annihilating energy. Xiao Jin stepped forward, instantly activating his soul bone skill—Golden Left Arm.
His defense surged to another level.
With his natural resilience as a Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear, he managed to block the soul tool strike head-on.
When the beam faded, a middle-aged man with a dark expression floated in the air. His fists clenched, his eyes fixed coldly on Su Wen. He radiated a mixture of restraint, fury, and shock—it was clear he had not expected Su Wen's beast to withstand his attack unscathed.
"A seventh-rank long-range soul cannon… quite an honor, Director Fan Yu," Su Wen said with a raised brow, his smile still warm.
Yet under the blazing sun, that warmth sent a chill down Fan Yu's spine.
"Hand her over to me!" Fan Yu said, forcing calm.
Su Wen had spent some time in the Soul Tool Department, though mostly under Dean Qian's supervision. They had seen each other only a few times and exchanged no real words.
"Why?" Su Wen tilted his head innocently.
"Because you're the Director of the Soul Tool Department?"
As Fan Yu's face darkened, Su Wen's smile slowly faded into cold indifference.
"Pffft—"
"Ahhhh!!!!"
The Ice Empress' tail pierced down, crippling Zhou Yi's limbs. Her screams rang out as venom spread through her body. Her meridians shattered, her soul power scattered. From this day forward, she would never cultivate again—at best a cripple, at worst a vegetable. (Author's note: This isn't the end of Zhou Yi's suffering, but her role here is finished.)
Su Wen waved his hand.
The Wind Baboon lifted Zhou Yi by the ankle and tossed her toward Fan Yu.
"You!!!"
Fan Yu caught her carefully, his fists trembling with rage he struggled to suppress.
"Why did you do this?!" he roared.
"She forced a twin-spirit student to attach a soul ring to their second spirit—just for exam results," Su Wen said coolly.
"She drove students through excessive training, leaving them with hidden injuries, again just for her so-called performance rate. If their scores weren't good enough to meet her quota, she expelled them under excuses…"
His eyes locked onto Fan Yu's, who now looked away in shame. "Do you realize that hidden injuries in youth cripple students for life? The kind of excessive, ineffective training she imposed has already been abandoned by second-rate academies. Yet Zhou Yi clung to it like treasure. Do you dare to investigate how many of her students—once geniuses—were left stuck at Soul Sage or Contra due to her methods?"
"I… I truly didn't know," Fan Yu muttered, turning his head aside. He had heard the rumors, of course. That was why Zhou Yi dared not leave the academy—outside, there were many who would gladly see her dead. Without Shrek's shelter, and his protection… she would have long been finished.
"Well, now you do," Su Wen replied lightly.
Fan Yu: "..."
…
"What, trouble in the outer court?!!"
Du Weilun rushed back in a panic.
Staring at the pockmarked training grounds, he was dumbfounded.
"Director, was the academy invaded by enemies?" a teacher asked in shock.
"Nonsense! With so many strong protectors here, how could enemies waltz in?" Du Weilun snapped.
Mu Jin scanned the scene. Finding no bloodstains, she stayed quiet, though inwardly she was stunned. The damage was nearly Soul Emperor-level. Which teachers had clashed? Or was this the work of an inner-court student…
"Teacher Mu Jin, you're finally here!"
Several sharp-eyed students from Class 2 rushed over, talking all at once.
"What! Zhou Yi barged into my class while I was gone?!"
"She even fought Su Wen!"
"Does she think she rules the academy?!"
Mu Jin erupted in fury, ready to charge off and fight Zhou Yi herself.
But the students' next words froze her in place.
"Zhou Yi's already been crippled by the Demon King."
Mu Jin: ???
She stared at the boy, dumbfounded. "Say that again?!!"
"It's true! These battle scars were from Zhou Yi and the Demon King fighting… with the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear! Three thousand-year soul beasts together—they crippled her four limbs!"
Mu Jin: "..."
Du Weilun: "..."
All the other outer-court teachers: "..."
(End of a Chapter)