Douluo Continent: Apollo, the Sun God King!

Yan Shaozhe has a slender face and a refined demeanor, but his eyes are exceptionally bright.

He sat on the sofa, his posture casual, but the aura of someone who had long held a high position was undeniable.

Seeing Lin Yaoyang enter, he smiled and raised his hand in greeting: "Hello, Lin. I am Yan Shaozhe, the dean of the Martial Soul Department. Please, have a seat."

Lin Yaoyang nodded and sat down on the sofa opposite him. His back was straight, and his posture was upright.

Yan Shaozhe's gaze lingered on him for a moment, a hint of appreciation flashing in his eyes.

"Don't be nervous," he said with a smile. "Don't worry about what happened today."

Lin Yaoyang didn't reply, but just waited quietly.

He knew that Yan Shaozhe had summoned him not just to say "don't worry about it."

As expected, Yan Shaozhe picked up his teacup, took a sip, and put it down, his tone relaxed and casual: "We have investigated what happened this morning. Zhou Yi was indeed in the wrong, but it was purely her personal behavior and has nothing to do with our college. Please rest assured."

Lin Yaoyang nodded.

Has the investigation been completed? More likely, it's been weighed carefully.

Zhou Yi's teaching methods have been used at Shrek Academy for a long time; how could the academy not know? They just turn a blind eye. Now that something has happened, they're just pushing her out as the scapegoat.

Of course, he wouldn't say these words out loud.

"Alright," Lin Yaoyang looked at Yan Shaozhe calmly, "Dean Yan, how do you plan to handle this matter?"

Yan Shaozhe smiled slightly, seemingly unsurprised by his directness.

"We've already taken care of her."

Has it been dealt with?

Lin Yaoyang blinked.

This statement... it sounds like they've silenced the person?

Seeing his expression, Yan Shaozhe coughed lightly and quickly added, "We've already expelled her. Another teacher will be your class's homeroom teacher from now on."

Lin Yaoyang remained outwardly calm, but he knew exactly what was going on in his mind.

Expelled? It's probably not that simple.

Zhou Yi's husband is the vice dean of the Soul Guidance Department, an eighth-level Soul Master, and a prominent figure in Shrek Academy. Although Yan Shaozhe is not afraid of him, he won't completely offend him either.

The so-called "expulsion" is mostly just for show. Once the heat dies down, they change their identity, change classes, or even go to the Soul Guidance Department.

But none of this concerns him. It's enough that Zhou Yi is gone.

Lin Yaoyang nodded, indicating that he understood.

Seeing his calm reaction, Yan Shaozhe nodded inwardly.

This kid is really good at keeping his composure.

Most twelve-year-olds, after hitting their homeroom teacher on their first day of school and being called to the dean's office, would at least be a little uneasy, if not trembling with fear. But Lin Yaoyang remained calm throughout, as if he were listening to someone else's story.

Be neither arrogant nor humble, neither flustered nor hasty.

This mindset is even more valuable than his talent.

Yan Shaozhe snapped out of his thoughts, waved his hand, and a black and gold patterned card engraved with the Shrek Academy emblem appeared out of thin air on the coffee table. The edges of the card gleamed with a faint soul power glow, making it clear that it was no ordinary item.

"This is a gold card with a limit of 50,000 gold soul coins."

Yan Shaozhe gently pushed the card toward Lin Yaoyang, his tone still gentle, "Consider it compensation from the academy. You've just enrolled, and you can use it to purchase cultivation resources and living supplies later."

Yan Shaozhe had his own well-thought-out plan.

Lin Yaoyang's talent is unparalleled among this year's freshmen, and even extremely rare in the entire continent. He is a top prospect that Shrek Academy is determined to keep firmly in its grasp.

However, he had a conflict with his homeroom teacher as soon as he enrolled and even injured the teacher, so he inevitably harbored resentment towards the college.

However, directly gifting someone with a valuable gift like a soul bone would be too deliberate and might make Lin Yaoyang wary.

Fifty thousand gold soul coins is a considerable sum, a huge amount for an ordinary soul master. It can not only make up for his unhappiness today, but also not seem too mercenary. It is just right to appease and win him over in a gentle way, and gradually bind this promising talent to Shrek Academy.

This was the safest choice he made after weighing the pros and cons.

"Later, if Lin breaks through to the Soul King realm, you can come find me and I'll take you hunting soul beasts!"

Lin Yaoyang didn't reply, but simply reached out and picked up the card, storing it in his storage soul tool.

"Then thank you very much, Dean Yan."

Yan Shaozhe smiled and waved his hand: "Of course. Just focus on your studies at the academy. If you have any reasonable needs later, you can also report them to the academy through your class teacher."

"Then thank you very much, Dean Yan."

Yan Shaozhe smiled and waved his hand: "It's nothing."

Lin Yaoyang stood up and looked calmly at Yan Shaozhe: "Dean Yan, is there anything else? If not, I'll be leaving now."

Yan Shaozhe was slightly taken aback.

He had prepared a speech, hoping to chat with the boy a bit more and build a closer relationship. Unexpectedly, the boy took the things and left decisively, giving him no chance at all.

"Okay," he nodded with a smile, "you should go back and get some rest."

Lin Yaoyang turned and walked out of the office, closing the door behind him.

……

The office fell silent.

Yan Shaozhe leaned back on the sofa, tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest, and remained silent for a moment.

"What do you think of this Lin Yaoyang?" he asked.

Du Weiren thought for a moment, carefully choosing his words: "Arrogance mixed with composure, intelligence mixed with cunning."

He paused, then added, "It will probably take some effort to fully integrate someone like this into Shrek Academy."

Yan Shaozhe nodded slightly, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

"Indeed."

He picked up his teacup, watching the tea leaves float and sink within, and said slowly, "However, he's only human. Humans have weaknesses and desires. If we can grasp these, we can control him."

Du Weiren did not speak.

He knew that Yan Shaozhe was better at this kind of thing than he was.

After all, this dean is always shrewd and calculating.

……

dorm room.

When Lin Yaoyang pushed the door open, Wang Dong was sitting cross-legged on the bed, holding a book and pretending to flip through it. Hearing the door open, she immediately looked up, her eyes brightening for a moment, before quickly reverting to her nonchalant demeanor.

"You're back?" she asked casually, as if it were just a casual question.

Lin Yaoyang glanced at her, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Um."

He walked to his bed, sat down, and began to unbutton his school uniform.

Wang Dong waited a few seconds, and seeing that he stopped talking, she finally couldn't hold back anymore.

"How are you? Is something wrong?" she asked, her voice carrying a barely perceptible hint of urgency.

Lin Yaoyang turned his head, looking at her with a half-smile: "Are you concerned about me, Xiao Wang?"

Wang Dong: "..."

"Little Wang?" What kind of address is that!

Her face flushed slightly, and she turned her head away, scoffing, "Who cares about you! I was just... just curious! Don't flatter yourself!"

"Also, don't call me Xiao Wang! It sounds awful!"

Lin Yaoyang couldn't help but laugh when he saw her stubborn expression.

"Didn't we agree on this during our previous competition? Whoever wins gets to decide. Since you lost, you have to listen to me."

Wang Dong clenched his fists, his teeth grinding together.

She took a deep breath, then another, trying to make her expression look less clenched.

"...Brother Lin," she forced a smile, "what exactly happened?"

Lin Yaoyang nodded in satisfaction: "That old woman has been expelled, we'll get a new homeroom teacher."

Wang Dong was slightly startled.

Expelled?

She thought at most she would get a reprimand and have some salary deducted, but she never expected the college to actually fire an old teacher for the sake of a new student.

"Besides that, there's this too." Lin Yaoyang took out the black and gold patterned card from his storage soul tool and tossed it in his hand.

"Is this a Gold Soul Coin Card?"

"Yes, the amount is 50,000 gold soul coins, compensation from the academy."

"Fifty thousand gold soul coins?!"

Wang Dong's eyes widened suddenly, his voice rose eight octaves, and he sat bolt upright in shock.

"Fifty thousand?! That many?"

She was utterly shocked.

For a student, this is an astronomical sum, enough to buy a lot of cultivation resources.

Looking at the card and then at Lin Yaoyang's nonchalant expression, Wang Dong felt both admiration and envy, and his gaze towards Lin Yaoyang became more trusting.

"The academy actually gave you so much money directly..."

Lin Yaoyang casually put the card back into his storage device, his tone indifferent: "Don't you know who I am?"

"Tch, look at you, thinking you're so great!"

Wang Dong pursed his lips, turned his head away, and secretly glanced at Lin Yaoyang out of the corner of his eye, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.

But... it really is quite impressive!