After being ruthlessly beaten by Su Yunlin, Dai Huabin slammed his fist heavily against the ground. Not only had he been thrashed, even Zhu Lu had been beaten without mercy.
Su Yunlin had no intention of showing any tenderness toward women. Man or woman, good-looking or not—his fists went straight for the face. This was also the first time Zhu Lu had ever been treated like this.
"Damn it! Su Yunlin! I will repay today's humiliation sooner or later!"
Su Yunlin, however, stood with his arms crossed and casually kicked Dai Huabin in the chest, sending him flying.
"Clown. With your strength? Or are you relying on your brother? Or the White Tiger Duke's Estate? That father of yours, the White Tiger Duke?
"If you had Dai Yueheng's cultivation, you might be worth taking seriously. But you're still too green. No matter how much you train, you won't catch up to me. Hmph… I don't have the mood to play house with you."
With that, Su Yunlin turned and left.
Wang Dong quickly followed behind him. "Waaah Yunlin, you were so handsome just now—so domineering"
Su Yunlin smiled faintly, brushing his hair back. "What? First day realizing how handsome I am? Did I charm you?"
Wang Dong's ears turned slightly red. Honestly, he had been charmed—but saying it out loud would be too embarrassing, especially with people watching.
Wang Yan twitched at the corner of his mouth. This was the first time he had seen this side of Su Yunlin. What kind of awkward act is this? Am I getting old? I don't understand young people anymore…
Then Wang Yan glanced at Wang Dong and suddenly seemed to realize something, his expression shifting to one of enlightenment.
Zhou Yi, standing nearby, asked in confusion, "Teacher Wang Yan, what's with that expression?"
Wang Yan shook his head with a light chuckle. "Nothing. I just figured out a difficult problem—my theory has a new direction."
And just like that, Zhou Yi's first class easily brought Class One under control. Setting aside teaching quality, when it came to enforcing discipline, she was unquestionably top-tier.
...
At noon,
Wang Dong went to the cafeteria with Su Yunlin, stroking his chin in deep thought the entire way.
"What's wrong? You've been serious for a while now."
Wang Dong frowned. "Weren't you a bit too high-profile today? You offended a lot of people… won't that be bad for you?"
Su Yunlin smirked and reached out to pinch Wang Dong's cheek. "Are you worried about me? I'll take it as concern. Offending people? Them? If they've got the guts, they can send assassins after me.
"Besides, this is Shrek. The academy rules say that those who don't dare to cause trouble are mediocrities. I'm just following the rules."
Wang Dong rubbed his forehead. "I feel like you're getting crazier. I preferred the cool, aloof Yunlin from before."
Su Yunlin leaned in slightly, hooking an arm around Wang Dong's neck so their faces were close together. "Dong~ am I not handsome now? This side of me isn't something just anyone gets to see. That means you hold a special place in my heart."
Wang Dong's face flushed bright red from both the intimate gesture and the words, looking like he was about to turn into a puff of steam.
Not far behind them, Xiao Xiao and several girls stared in disbelief.
Xiao Xiao said, "See? I told you—the class leader and Wang Dong are full of chemistry!"
"Ahhh! What a waste of my youth! I've been fangirling over the class leader's looks, and he turns out to be… ah! My heart is broken!"
"My Wang Dong… my Prince Dong… is actually… sob sob…"
The girls felt utterly heartbroken—completely unaware that, years later at the Sea God Fate matchmaking event, Su Yunlin and Wang Dong would give them a massive surprise.
...
Dorm 108,
Su Yunlin was once again soaking in the bath, while Wang Dong was scrubbing his back. Even though it wasn't the first time, Wang Dong's face was still flushed red. Yet his gaze never left Su Yunlin's body.
"I heard some parents came to Shrek to cause trouble," Su Yunlin said slowly, "because their child was expelled by 'Goddess' Zhou."
Wang Dong nodded. "That did happen. But why is Teacher Zhou so harsh with expulsions? No other teacher expels as many students as she does."
Su Yunlin rolled his neck. "Shrek Academy's philosophy is to nurture monsters, not accept ordinary people. But every year, there are many new students. You know the original admission standards—
"Spirit Power above Rank 25 and under twelve years old. But for the nobles of the three great empires, that standard was too high. They argued with Shrek, and eventually, the outer court was established.
"These nobles send their children here for status. Among nobles, there's always comparison—being able to say your child studies at Shrek satisfies their vanity.
"The outer court exists, frankly, to save face for those nobles. The true core of Shrek lies in the inner court. Do you really think Shrek is just an ordinary academy?
"It's an armed organization with immense power. To ensure its legacy continues, it must cultivate monsters to carry on its glory."
Wang Dong looked puzzled. "What does that have to do with Teacher Zhou? Lift your arm a bit—I need to scrub the inner side."
Su Yunlin raised his left arm. "Zhou Yi's methods are clearly tolerated by the academy. They neither support nor oppose her. The academy needs enough inner court disciples, and Zhou Yi consistently produces more of them than other teachers—it's a win-win.
"The only issue is that she expels too many students, angering the nobles. Keeping her as an intermediate-level teacher is just for show—basically saying, 'We've criticized her severely, and we apologize for your child being expelled.'"
Wang Dong twitched. "That feels… kind of hypocritical."
Su Yunlin chuckled. "Hypocritical? Heh. This world is built on the strong preying on the weak. On the Douluo Continent, strength is everything.
"You think Shrek is the number one academy because of teaching quality? No. It's because Shrek is powerful—it can fight.
"Our academy's strongest figure on the surface, the Taotie Douluo, has Spirit Power at Rank 98. Few on the continent can rival him.
"When he steps forward, whether it's the three great empires, sects, or nobles, they all have to bow their heads. That's the confidence that comes from strength.
"So I tell you to cultivate properly. Only strength gives you everything—and lets you protect what you care about. The reason I strive to become stronger… is so I won't have to watch you get taken away by some bastard and turned into something unrecognizable."
Wang Dong's face turned bright red. Stammering, he said, "Are… are you confessing?"
Su Yunlin smiled faintly. "If you think so, then it is. Aside from my parents and my grandfather, you're the fourth person I care about."
Wang Dong bit his lip lightly before speaking softly, "You're someone I care about too."
Su Yunlin froze for a moment, then suddenly turned his head in shock. "Your voice?"
Wang Dong's voice had completely changed—it was now a crisp, melodious female voice.
Wang Dong puffed her cheeks and snapped, "What? You should've known I'm a girl already. Why are you so surprised?"
Su Yunlin smiled. "Didn't expect you to come clean so soon, Miss Wang… oh, no—Miss Tang."
Wang Dong snorted. "Nothing can be hidden from you anyway, so I might as well stop pretending. Since you already knew, when did you figure it out?"
Su Yunlin idly played with the bathwater. "The first time we met. Anyone with basic Martial Soul knowledge knows that the Radiant Goddess Butterfly only appears in girls. 'Goddess Butterfly'—the name says it all. The moment you released your Martial Soul, you were exposed."
Wang Dong wailed, "No way! So my elaborate plan was exposed just like that? I hate Martial Soul theory!"
Su Yunlin stood up, grabbed a towel, and dried himself off. Wang Dong quickly wiped her nose—fortunately, no nosebleed this time.
After getting dressed, Su Yunlin suddenly thought of something. "Want me to scrub your back too?"
Wang Dong immediately hugged herself. "What are you doing?!"
Su Yunlin looked innocent. "Nothing. You scrubbed mine, so I'll return the favor. Don't worry—I won't touch anything inappropriate. Do I look like someone without manners? You can keep your undergarments on while bathing."
Wang Dong's face turned completely red, wisps of "steam" practically rising from her head.
"Can I? Can I, can I?"
She bit her lip, hesitated for a long moment, then finally nodded with a soft "Mm."
Su Yunlin grinned. "Alright then, I'll go change the water for Miss Tang."
Wang Dong felt like she was burning up. She didn't understand why she agreed—but she also didn't want to refuse him.
Soon, Su Yunlin returned with clean hot water, replacing the bathwater and adding a packet of top-grade medicinal powder.
"Come, Your Ladyship, time for your bath."
Wang Dong clutched her collar tightly, face flushed, movements awkward. "C-can you step outside for a moment? I… I need to change."
Su Yunlin paused, then smiled. "Alright, I'll wait outside. Call me when you're ready—and remember to switch your voice back."
After saying that, he left and closed the door and windows behind him.
About two minutes later, Wang Dong's voice came from inside.
"Y-you can come in now…"
Su Yunlin opened the door just a crack, slipped inside swiftly, and shut it in one smooth motion.
Then he saw it—
Wang Dong soaking in the bath, her disguise removed, revealing an exquisitely beautiful and delicate face.
Her smooth, fair skin appeared and disappeared beneath the mist, making the scene all the more captivating.
Su Yunlin froze on the spot. A warm sensation trickled from his nose.
"Tch… nosebleed," he muttered, quickly wiping it away, feeling utterly embarrassed.
Seeing this, Wang Dong sank deeper into the water until only her nose and above remained visible. Her face was already crimson—whether from embarrassment or the hot water, it was hard to tell.
Su Yunlin stepped forward, picked up a towel, folded it, and prepared to scrub her back.
…
God Realm,
A blue-gold figure stood with veins bulging across his handsome face, gripping a golden trident tightly. His eyes were wide, bloodshot, teeth clenched.
Before him stood two figures—one black, one white—blocking his path.
The black-clad figure chuckled. "Asura God, this is just young love progressing naturally. Don't interfere. They're not even doing anything—just scrubbing each other's backs."
Tang San gritted his teeth. "But—!"
"No 'buts,'" the black figure interrupted. "Letting Wu Tong go down to play and even arranging two divine beasts to accompany her is already bending the rules. And she likes him so much—are you really going to break them apart?
"I'm a kind god, you know—I can't stand people ruining young love. What a lovely pair they make. Their pure affection rivals Ji Dong and Lie Yan. Besides, that boy is someone even Evil favors—how bad could he be?"
The white-clad figure spoke as well. She was one of the five supreme gods of the God Realm—the Goddess of Kindness.
Tang San's face turned red with fury as he panted heavily. "But! Xiao Qi is still so young—how dare that brat?!"
The God of Evil snorted. "Enough with the 'buts.' With me watching, nothing will go wrong. And someone I favor will eventually give you a pleasant surprise. Stay out of this—or I'll assign you long-term duty at the God Realm Committee."
"No!!! Xiao Qi!!!" Tang San howled toward the sky.
(Snow falls and the north wind blows~)
And now, please enjoy this divine performance:
"The Helpless Father" — starring Tang San.