The first class ended quickly. Even though some people had expressed reservations about Professor Huo Dong's extra rules before class, after the lesson, they couldn't say a word against Professor Huo's teaching quality. The class mainly covered the four professions of Soul Masters: Blacksmith, Mecha Designer, Mecha Manufacturer, and Mecha Repairman. Huo Dong analyzed the required qualities for each profession from the perspectives of Martial Soul and physique, and even randomly selected a few students to ask about their Martial Souls, analyzing and offering his opinions. Unlike his previous teachers, Professor Huo's lectures were concise and to the point, with apt metaphors and incisive explanations that captivated the students. It wasn't until the bell rang that Zang Xin realized he had been so engrossed in the lesson that he hadn't even noticed the entire morning had passed. "No wonder Shrek Academy is a gathering place for renowned teachers," he thought, "even the outer academy teachers can explain things so clearly and simply." The other students also remained in their seats, savoring the lesson. It wasn't until Huo Dong, standing on the stage, looked at them with some confusion and said, "get out of class is over, everyone go eat quickly, otherwise it will get crowded soon," that everyone left the classroom. Many people even bowed to the teacher before leaving.
Cao Dezhi grabbed his bag, nudged Zang Xin who was still in his seat, and said expressionlessly, "What are you still thinking about? Go eat." Zang Xin then got up, but his gaze remained fixed on Huo Dong until Teacher Huo walked out the front door. He turned back to Cao Dezhi and said, "Don't you think you hit the jackpot?"
"?"
“We’ve watched the teaching videos from Shrek’s outer academy when we were preparing for the exam, and the average quality of the teachers in those videos isn’t even half that of Teacher Huo.” He paused for a few seconds, lost in thought, and then said, “Why don’t we find an opportunity to ask Teacher Huo, the teacher from the next class, what his background is? I feel that he is very likely a master from the inner academy who was forced to come down to help the poor because of some offense or other reason.”
“Are we that bad? Why is it poverty alleviation?” Although Cao Dezhi was speechless at his childhood friend’s unconventional thinking, he was as rational as he was and had to admit that Huo Dong’s teaching level was far inferior to that in the video materials. “Didn’t you consider the possibility that the leaked video materials were a censored version of the teaching level, which is the level that Shrek Academy teachers should have?”
“That makes sense, but anyway, we can just ask the students in the next class, and all the problems will be solved.” Zang Xin smiled. “Let’s go eat first.” The two quickly walked out of the classroom.
On the top floor of the teaching building, a man stood there, lost in thought, the wind occasionally ruffling his slightly long sideburns. Huo Dong, or rather Huo Yuhao, was reflecting on the lesson he had just finished.
Was this how Teacher Zhou Yi taught us back then...?
He smiled and stretched his limbs. The twin swords, one passionate, one ruthless; the phoenix of light and darkness; the heaven-piercing spear; and the angel of prayer… the quality of this year's students is indeed exceptional, but they are still rough stones; without polishing, they cannot become jade. With him protecting them, what kind of people will these little ones grow into? It's truly something to look forward to.
The sound of students playing around came from the top floor stairwell. He shook his hand, lightly leaped, and then disappeared from the spot.
In the cafeteria, Cao Dezhi watched Zang Xin arrogantly asking students from the next class about their lessons. For a moment, he considered turning around and pretending not to know him. His buddy was great in every way, except for his overly familiar nature, which was a real problem. Seeing that Zang Xin was practically about to become sworn brothers with the students from the next class, Cao Dezhi reluctantly got up to pull Zang Xin back, but then someone nudged him in the back.
Turning around, he saw a pair of red-haired girls standing in front of him with trays. The one who seemed more outgoing said, "Excuse me, are these two seats next to you taken? We're late, and we can't find any other seats nearby."
Cao Dezhi could only give Zang Xin a sharp look through the air, then reached out and picked up Zang Xin's bag, placing it opposite him. He then offered the two seats next to him to the two sisters, who appeared to be twins. The two girls thanked him and sat down to eat. At this moment, Zang Xin finally finished gathering the information she needed and rushed back to sit opposite Cao Dezhi, excitedly asking him, "Guess what I just found out?"
"Anyway, it's about Teacher Huo Dong," Cao Dezhi replied expressionlessly. Although he didn't show his curiosity on his face, the two girls next to him stopped eating and stared at Zang Xin without any attempt to hide it; clearly, they were also students in Teacher Huo Dong's class.
Zang Xin continued, "The class next door appointed its class committee in the first period. I just caught their class monitor. He told me that their theory teacher's lectures were like gibberish, and he wished he could skip to the afternoon to have a practical class to show off his skills."
"So you also realized that Teacher Huo is probably no ordinary person." The slightly gloomy red-haired girl joined the conversation. Zang Xin nodded and continued, "Then, here comes the important part. Do you know what else I asked!"
"Stop keeping me in suspense, I really want to know." Cao Dezhi looked into his eyes.
"After class, the class monitor went back to the office with their teacher, supposedly to discuss matters with the class committee. But while he was in the office, he overheard two teachers talking about our teacher... Yes, he paid extra attention because he heard the words 'Inner Academy.' In short, Teacher Huo Dong was sent down from the Outer Academy by the Inner Academy's higher-ups. And it wasn't because he committed any offense; it seems he volunteered to be a first-year teacher."
"Huh??" The other three looked surprised. "No wonder we couldn't recognize any of the foreign language professors in class today, even though we went through all their information." The confident red-haired girl said. Upon hearing this, Zang Xin and Cao Dezhi turned to look at her.
"You actually checked all the teachers in the outer academy... You two are ruthless." Zang Xin gasped. Although he and Cao Dezhi had done their homework before coming, ensuring they wouldn't fail to recognize important figures they encountered, they were still far more thorough than these two girls. "It's just that our families provided the information. But so far, it doesn't seem to have any practical use." She pursed her lips and continued, "However, since we've shared so much useful information, let's get to know each other. Hello, my name is Leng Yaozhu, and this is my younger sister, Leng Yulai. Our martial souls are the Light Phoenix and the Dark Phoenix, respectively."
"So you're the eldest daughter of the Leng family, a prominent family in the Phoenix Clan." Cao Dezhi, unusually, didn't use Zang Xin as an external speaker when introducing himself. "My name is Cao Dezhi, and my martial spirit is the Ruthless Sword. This is Zang Xin, and her martial spirit is the Amorous Sword."
The two sisters' expressions changed from slight surprise when they heard about the Heartless Sword to a strange look when they heard about the Sentimental Sword. Actually, "strange" might not be the most accurate word; to be precise, they were both trying to suppress their laughter.
Are you two brothers?
“None of them are watches.” “We’re complete strangers.” The two of them retorted in unison.
"That's quite a coincidence... Haha, I mean, it's really a coincidence that you two met." Leng Yulai couldn't hold back any longer.
The two were used to this kind of scene, so they didn't say anything. Seeing this, Leng Yaozhu immediately stepped in to smooth things over, "Well, isn't this afternoon a practical class? If there's a chance, how about we all go together? We'd also like to see the power of the Sentimental Sword and the Heartless Sword."
"That would be wonderful." Zang Xin smiled happily at them, revealing a row of neat white teeth. "I look forward to working with you all this afternoon."
Of course, at this point they probably had no idea what kind of storm they would face that afternoon.