Douluo, my clone Groudon

Chapter 355 The Old Man Peeping at Skirts
Zhou Yi's gaze instantly became like two icicles, piercing fiercely at Gula.

Yesterday, she heard that some freshmen had gotten into a fight. She didn't ask for details and almost got fooled. They got into a fight on their first day and he even lied to her.
In her iron-fisted dictionary, such behavior was almost tantamount to a direct challenge to her authority!
"Stand up!" Zhou Yi's voice was filled with suppressed anger. "Is what he said true? Stand up and answer!"

Gula slowly raised his eyelids, calmly meeting Zhou Yi's piercing gaze, and said decisively, "No."

Two words: clear, stable, and carrying an unquestionable composure.

Zhou Yi frowned deeply; this attitude... was too certain.

Her certainty made even herself a little doubtful. Was Wang Dong framing her? Her sharp gaze turned to Wang Dong again.

Startled by Zhou Yi's gaze, Wang Dong disregarded her embarrassment and exclaimed urgently, "Teacher, he's lying! It's obvious! He defeated me yesterday using that detached angel martial soul, and many people saw it!" Afraid that Zhou Yi wouldn't believe her, she even described the details of the martial soul.

Upon hearing this, Gula simply shrugged indifferently and added in a tone so calm it was almost a statement of fact: "Oh, is that what you call fighting? That's called unilaterally defeating you."

"You—!" Wang Dong trembled with rage, pointing his finger at Gula, wishing he could immediately summon the Haotian Hammer to smash him down.

"Enough!" Zhou Yi slammed her hand on the podium, the loud noise making the entire classroom vibrate. Her ferocious Soul Emperor aura silenced all the freshmen. "This is not a vegetable market! Nor is it a place for you to act up and cause trouble!"

Her icy gaze swept over Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, who were standing, and then over the other freshmen who were sitting but clearly involved. Her voice was like shattering ice: "Look at you all, cowering and timid, not even daring to fight? Listen to me, all of you, in Shrek Academy, those who dare not cause trouble are mediocre! Those who cause trouble and dare not admit it are the worst of the worst!"

She pointed to the classroom door: "Now, all students, get out here immediately. Run fifty laps around Shrek Square, right now! Anyone who can't finish will be expelled!"

The freshmen were stunned by this sudden punishment, but intimidated by Zhou Yi's fierce power, no one dared to resist. They could only stand up dejectedly and file out.

"And you two, it's good that you have the courage to fight, but losing is shameful! Now go outside and run fifty laps! If you don't finish before lunch, you don't need to eat!"

Enraged by Zhou Yi's outburst, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong lowered their heads and walked out.

Gula also stood up and slowly followed behind the crowd. Just as he was about to walk out the door, a barely perceptible smile crept onto his lips.

"Gula!" Zhou Yi's icy voice clung to him like a leech, pinning him precisely to his back.

Gula paused, but did not turn around.

"What were you laughing at just now?" Zhou Yi's voice carried a scrutinizing and unquestionable command. "Speak!"

Gula turned around, his face now calm and composed, even with a touch of "naive" seriousness.

He shrugged and said in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for the students in front to hear:

"Teacher, I wasn't laughing at the fight. I just suddenly remembered that the old man sunbathing downstairs in our dormitory seems to often secretly stare at the skirts of female students passing by, and his gaze is a bit... well, not good. Teacher Zhou, you are so fair and strict, why don't you help us educate him after class? After all, it affects the atmosphere of the college."

The classroom fell silent instantly. All the freshmen who hadn't yet left were stunned, staring at Gula in disbelief.

How dare they talk about that seemingly harmless gatekeeper downstairs in the dormitory like that? Aren't they afraid he might be someone's relative? And they even dared to let Zhou Yi handle it?

Zhou Yi's brows furrowed instantly.

Peeping at female trainees? This is outrageous! Such a despicable act will not be tolerated under her nose!
She said sternly, "Is that so? That old man..." She stopped herself before she could finish her sentence, after all, there was no evidence, and the priority now was to rectify the discipline of the new students.

She suppressed her anger and said coldly, "Fine! I'll handle this, but now, you—"

Her finger pointed at Gula like a javelin, her voice resolute: "One hundred laps! Fifty laps for everyone else. Now, immediately, get out there and run! If you don't finish, don't come back through this gate!"

Shrek Academy's sports field is spacious enough to hold tens of thousands of people. The morning sunlight shines on the smooth stone slabs, but at this moment it has become a nightmare for the freshmen.

A few dozen freshmen began to run around the huge square.

Fifty laps! Even for an ordinary Great Soul Master, this is a huge burden, let alone for these freshmen who have just enrolled and whose soul power is generally around level 20.

Huo Yuhao gritted his teeth, his eyes resolute, and pushed the Xuan Tian Gong to its limit, trying his best to adjust his breathing and maintain a relatively even pace.

He knew this was Zhou Yi's way of putting him in a tough spot, and also a test he had to endure to enter Shrek Academy.

As Wang Dong ran, she glared murderously at Gula, who was running not far ahead of her.

A hundred laps? This guy ran them so easily! His leisurely manner infuriated her even more than Zhou Yi's punishment. It's all this bastard's fault! He made her lose face and caused her to be punished!

Gula completely ignored the resentful gaze behind him that was almost solidifying into reality.

He maintained a steady pace, his breathing was calm, his steps were light, and he even had time to observe his surroundings and the freshmen who were running around in all directions.

A hundred laps? For him, without carrying a ten-ton iron ball, it wouldn't even qualify as a warm-up. It's more like he's taking a morning walk.

The real "show" he was looking forward to was on the sidelines of the playground.

Sure enough, not long after, a cold figure dressed in black rushed toward the freshman dormitory building with murderous intent.

It was Zhou Yi! She clearly didn't intend to wait until the end of get out of class; Gula's comment about "affecting the atmosphere of the academy" completely ignited her anger.

How dare an old gatekeeper act so despicably? This cancer must be eradicated immediately!

The curve of Gula's lips became more pronounced, and his spiritual power silently spread out.

Zhou Yi quickly found her target in front of the dormitory building—Mu En was still lying on that old recliner, squinting at the energetic students coming and going, seemingly unaware of Zhou Yi's arrival, or rather, completely indifferent.

"Hey, old man!" Zhou Yi's voice was icy cold, carrying the pressure of a Soul Emperor, and enveloped him without any politeness. "Stand up! Someone reported you for misconduct, peeping at female students! Come with me to the disciplinary office and explain yourself."

Mu En stopped rocking the recliner. He slowly turned his head, his cloudy old eyes looking at Zhou Yi. There was no panic, no anger, only a bottomless calm, even a hint of... helplessness at watching a junior's antics?
“Little Zhou…” Mu En’s voice was hoarse and aged as he spoke slowly, as if he did not feel the oppressive pressure. “Such a fiery temper is not good for your health.” He rocked his chair. “Teaching is a matter that requires patience.”

Zhou Yi was taken aback by this nonchalant attitude, and her anger flared even more: "Stop grinning at me, it's none of your business to teach me, stand up! Come with me!" She took a step forward and was about to grab Mu En's arm.

However, just as her hand was about to touch Moon's faded gray cloth robe, an indescribable, terrifying aura, like a sleeping dragon awakening, suddenly emanated from Moon's seemingly hunched and withered body.

This aura wasn't a deliberately released pressure; it was more like an absolute transcendence on a life level.

It was heavy, ancient, and carried a primal ferocity that suppressed all things. Zhou Yi's Soul Emperor-level soul power was like a candle flame in a storm before this aura, instantly suppressed and almost extinguished.

Her outstretched hand froze in mid-air, as if blocked by an invisible barrier, making even moving a single finger incredibly difficult. A tremendous fear from the depths of her soul instantly gripped her, turning her face deathly pale and soaking her back with cold sweat.

She stared incredulously at the disheveled old man in front of her, who still squinted and seemed to have done nothing.

In the depths of those cloudy old eyes, a faint, yet chilling, golden light seemed to flash—a light so faint it froze her very soul.

"Sigh..." Mu En sighed slowly, withdrew his gaze, and continued to stare intently in the direction of the playground, as if the terrifying aura that had suffocated even the Soul Emperor was just Zhou Yi's illusion.

He mumbled indistinctly, "Young people these days... are so restless..."

Zhou Yi froze on the spot, as if she had been frozen in place. The immense fear and incomprehensible shock left her mind blank.

What was that just now? This old gatekeeper… who is he?! A whistleblower? A spy? Looking back now, it's utterly absurd and laughable!
She looked at Moon's frail body and face, which seemed unable even to straighten up.

A chill ran from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head. She finally realized that she had kicked something... no, she had crashed into a bottomless iron mountain! No, a sleeping dragon!
Zhou Yi dared not utter another word, nor even glance at Mu En. She stiffly retreated step by step, as if fleeing the lair of some ancient beast, until she had retreated far enough before suddenly turning around and leaving quickly with unsteady steps, her back view disheveled.

On the square, Gula maintained a steady pace while running, taking in the brief but exciting scene in front of the dormitory building.

He clearly "saw" the entire process of Zhou Yi leaving in a huff and returning in a disheveled and panicked state.

"Heh..." Gula chuckled inwardly, a hint of expected mockery in his voice. "Just as I expected, you bully the weak and fear the strong. If you continue to stand your ground, I'll think more highly of you."

Having tricked Zhou Yi once, Gula was in a good mood. If his dislike for the arrogant Wang Dong was 1, then his dislike for Zhou Yi was at least double digits. It was a form of oppressive education, or rather, it wasn't education at all.

With Shrek Academy's reputation on the continent, it has no shortage of students; otherwise, there wouldn't be a freshman competition that eliminates some students. But this is not a reason for Zhou Yi to arbitrarily eliminate students based on her personal opinion.

The college's responsibility is education; it's not her place to select students.

On the playground, heavy footsteps and labored breathing echoed.

The students, forced to run laps as punishment, were drenched in sweat and staggering. Fifty laps were nothing short of torture for these newly enrolled students.

Zhou Yi walked back to the playground and stood at the edge of the playground like a cold sculpture, her eyes sharp as a hawk, staring intently at every running figure, especially Gula, who was running at the front and whose steps were still light and steady.

After dozens of laps, this guy didn't even lose his breathing. His relaxed and carefree appearance was like a red-hot steel needle, piercing Zhou Yi's eyes and heart!
The suffocating feeling she had just experienced downstairs in the dormitory, as if facing a prehistoric beast, had transformed into fear, which had long since been burned away by an even more intense rage. At this moment, only a furious anger at being fooled and provoked filled her heart.

"It must be him! He must know the details about that old... no, that senior."

Zhou Yi gritted her teeth, her face turning ashen. "She deliberately said those things to lure me into a trap, just to see me make a fool of myself. Such a young age, yet so vicious!"

She completely overlooked the fact that if she hadn't acted so indiscriminately and went to confront a "gatekeeper" based solely on a student's words, she wouldn't have ended up kicking a hornet's nest.

In Zhou Yi's iron-fisted logic, the one who was wrong could never be her, but Gula, that disrespectful, lying, and vicious little bastard.

"That's outrageous! No matter how talented a student is, they're still a menace."

Zhou Yi roared inwardly, her eyes as cold as ancient ice, "Stay in my class? Dream on! I will kick him out! No, I will kick him out of Shrek Academy!"

Her gaze was like a cold ruler, precisely calculating the number of laps each student had run.

Especially Gula, she was watching him intently, as long as he dared to skip even a single lap, or even half a step!
She could immediately announce her expulsion on the spot on the grounds of "disrespecting teachers and evading punishment".

She had even prepared her words, intending to use the harshest and most unquestionable tone to completely erase this stain!
Gula could naturally feel the icy gaze from behind that seemed to pierce through him. But he didn't care at all.

After displaying the Sun Angel Martial Soul, which possessed extreme fire and near-extreme light, to Moon, he became certain of the Shrek Academy's higher-ups' attitude.

The value of a genius boy with a top-tier, ultimate attribute martial soul far surpasses that of a Soul Emperor teacher with an extreme personality.

Even if he really "made a mistake," as long as it wasn't a matter of principle like treason or defection, Shrek would only raise the issue high and then lower it gently.

Expelled? Zhou Yi didn't have the ability or the qualifications. He didn't even bother to guess what revenge plan Zhou Yi was thinking at the moment; the difference in their levels was too great.

Finally, the last trainee staggered and collapsed to the ground after completing his fiftieth lap, like a fish out of water.

Gula had already completed his 100 laps, and even slowed down to "wait" for the others for a while. He was now standing near the finish line, breathing steadily, with not a single bead of sweat on his forehead.

Zhou Yi was so angry at his nonchalant attitude that her liver ached. She glared at him fiercely before turning her cold gaze to the group of newly-minted students who were all slumped over.

“Wang Jinxi, Cai Haotian, Ruan Hanlin…” Zhou Yi coldly read out seven or eight names, her voice like a judgment, “You lot, you can go back and pack your things. Shrek Academy doesn’t need trash like you who can’t even finish fifty laps.”

"What?!" The freshmen whose names were called instantly erupted in chaos, their faces filled with disbelief and anger.

"Why? We clearly finished the race!"

"Teacher, this isn't fair!"

"We're going to file a complaint with the academic affairs office!"

Despite the crowd's agitation, Zhou Yi remained unmoved, only a cold smile curving her lips: "Finished running? Hmph, in my eyes, the number of laps you secretly missed is crystal clear."

"You're useless if you don't even have basic perseverance and willpower! Appeal? Go ahead and do it! Let's see if the disciplinary office believes you or me, Zhou Yi. In my class, my word is law! If you don't like it, get out now!"

Her words were resolute and carried an unquestionable authority.

Her husband, Fan Yu, was Shrek Academy's only level-eight Soul Master, holding a transcendent position. Even if the academy's higher-ups didn't care about the teacher's status, they would usually uphold the teacher's authority in such minor matters of "teaching management." Zhou Yi felt emboldened.

Watching those freshmen, looking like wilted eggplants, being helped away by their classmates in despair and anger, Zhou Yi felt a twisted sense of pleasure.

Her gaze finally landed on Gula, like a poisoned ice pick.

"Everyone else, disperse." Zhou Yi shouted coldly, then pointed at Gula, "You, stay!"

(End of this chapter)