Chapter 121 Huo Yuhao Educates Flander.
The group walked through the winding paths of Shrek Academy and arrived at the central square of the academy.
In the square, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, and Dai Mubai stood respectfully in the center of the square like primary school students, their postures appearing somewhat tense and awkward.
Standing before them was a middle-aged man who appeared to be older than Zhao Wuji.
This middle-aged man's appearance was truly unappealing. His chin protruded forward, his face was long and thin, his nose was high and hooked, making him look like a shoehorn.
The middle-aged man was wearing black-rimmed glasses, behind which were a pair of sharp eyes. He gave off a very cunning vibe, just like a shrewd and unscrupulous businessman.
Huo Yuhao thought to himself, "This must be Dean Flander, right? The real person and the statue are practically identical."
However, at this moment, Dean Flander was furious, pointing at Huo Yuhao and the others and saying, "You lot, you dare to be late on the first day of school, it's simply lawless! And Huo Yuhao, why did you hang Ma Hongjun on the tree?"
Hearing Dean Flander's question, Huo Yuhao turned his gaze to Ma Hongjun: "Hey, Fatty, why did I hang you on the tree? Didn't you tell Dean Flander?"
Huo Yuhao's calm, almost indifferent gaze made Ma Hongjun involuntarily recall the fear he had once felt when Huo Yuhao dominated him.
The fear was so intense that his legs suddenly lost their strength, and he collapsed helplessly onto the cold ground.
Dean Flander witnessed this scene and was furious. He glared at Huo Yuhao and shouted, "Huo Yuhao, how dare you threaten Ma Hongjun right under my nose! Do you have any manners as a student?! You lot, right now, immediately, run around the school for two hours straight! Go and carry it out right now!"
Upon hearing the order, Tang San instinctively turned to go and carry out the running task.
At the same time, Dai Mubai watched this scene and a smug smile unconsciously appeared on his lips.
However, Huo Yuhao spoke again, his voice calm yet firm: "Dean Flander, it's not impossible for us to run, but we hope it's not in the name of punishment, but in the name of training. After all, we haven't done anything wrong, so why should we be punished?"
Huo Yuhao's words almost made Dean Flander laugh out loud in anger. He stared at Huo Yuhao in disbelief, his voice tinged with sarcasm: "Oh?"
You're saying you didn't do anything wrong?
"Huo Yuhao, you openly beat up your classmates at school and led a group of classmates to Soto City to play, causing you to be late. Now you're telling me you didn't do anything wrong? Do you have no respect for rules?"
After Flander finished speaking, his eyes suddenly turned sharply to Huo Yuhao, as if he wanted to see right through him.
Despite facing Dean Flander's scrutiny, Huo Yuhao remained remarkably calm. His gaze did not waver in the slightest; instead, it met Flander's gaze with even greater determination.
"Hehe, Dean Flander, let's talk about Ma Hongjun first,"
Huo Yuhao began to state his views clearly and logically, "Your good disciple Ma Hongjun attempted to do something indecent to a girl in broad daylight, that's one point."
"Secondly, this Ma Hongjun, at such a young age, has already gone astray and is a regular at brothels. At such a young age, he is already proficient in all sorts of vices, including drinking, gambling, and whoring. You, Flander, can't see this kind of student, yet you accuse us of going there for breakfast this morning. Is it because you, Dean Flander, are condoning and protecting him, or is it because you, like Ma Hongjun, frequently frequent places of ill repute and have become accustomed to such things!"
Huo Yuhao's words came out like a machine gun, unstoppable.
"What did you say!" Flander was instantly enraged. His voice rose several decibels, making the whole room seem to tremble: "I, Flander, have always been clean-living, how could I go to such places? Huo Yuhao, you are talking nonsense."
Dean Flanders tried his best to defend himself, his voice filled with anger and dissatisfaction.
"Heh, Dean Flander, so you do know that brothels aren't good places," Huo Yuhao said with a hint of sarcasm.
"I thought you didn't know." Huo Yuhao's voice was calm, but it left Dean Flander speechless for a moment.
Flander stammered in explanation, "Yuhao, you don't know, Ma Hongjun has a flaw in his martial soul. If he doesn't release his evil fire in time, he will explode and die, so that's why..."
"Dean Flander," Huo Yuhao calmly interrupted Flander, his tone revealing an undeniable confidence.
"I understand the Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul." He began to explain in detail, as if giving Flander a lesson on Martial Souls.
"The evil fire of the Evil Phoenix Martial Soul only erupts once a month before a Soul Saint is reached. In other words, Ma Hongjun only needs to deal with it once a month." Huo Yuhao spoke slowly, but every word was clear and powerful.
He continued, "Tell me, am I right?" Huo Yuhao stared intently at Flander, as if waiting for his confirmation.
Then, Huo Yuhao changed the subject, his tone becoming serious: "And what about Ma Hongjun? He's completely using his lustful desires as an excuse, as a tool for his own depravity. If this continues, he'll eventually drain his body dry. I don't know if I'm right or wrong!"
Flander fell silent; he was powerless to argue any further. Originally, Flander had intended to use this opportunity to teach Huo Yuhao and the others a lesson, to make them understand the academy's rules and discipline. However, he truly hadn't expected Huo Yuhao to be so eloquent, and every word he uttered was logical and well-founded, leaving him speechless.
"Dean, let's talk about the cafeteria again. You asked why we eat out. Well, let me tell you, it's because the food in the cafeteria has no nutritional value at all. As the saying goes, the body is the foundation of cultivation. If we can't even eat our fill, how can we cultivate?"
Huo Yuhao continued, "Think about it, we train so hard every day and need a lot of energy to replenish our strength, but the food provided in the canteen is not only monotonous in taste, but also seriously lacking in nutrition. We're not being picky, but we really need better food to support our training and growth. After all, a strong physique is the foundation for pursuing higher levels."
Upon hearing Huo Yuhao mention the cafeteria, Flander continued to argue, "Huo Yuhao, you're wrong about that. Your seniors ate the same food, but after graduation, they all became powerful Soul Masters."
Flander tried to prove his point by using examples of his former students: "Look at your seniors, they ate the same food back then, but their achievements are obvious to all, and almost all of them have become powerful Soul Masters."
Seeing that Huo Yuhao remained silent, Flander immediately felt he had the upper hand and seized the opportunity to lecture him: "Kids, as the saying goes, 'No pain, no gain.' If you can't even endure the bitterness of the cafeteria food, how can you endure the bitterness of cultivation?"
He continued, "You must understand that the path of cultivation is inherently full of hardships. If you cannot even overcome this small difficulty, how will you cope with more severe challenges in the future? Cultivation is not only physical exercise, but also a tempering of will and spirit."
"Dean Flander."
Huo Yuhao spoke again, saying, "You're just forcing yourself to endure hardship. That's a rogue logic. A Soul Master's achievements aren't determined by hardship alone. It's determined by many factors, including strong talent, the right cultivation path, and good fortune."
"Dean Flander, if we follow your logic, are those geniuses who live in luxury, possess the Golden Sacred Dragon Martial Soul, have full innate soul power, and are born into wealthy families, really inferior to commoner soul masters who are born into poverty, possess the Pig Martial Soul, have only 0.5 innate soul power, and eat chaff and wild vegetables every day?"
Huo Yuhao retorted, "Dean, what you say sounds reasonable, but it actually overlooks too many other factors. Talent is certainly important, but it's not the only one. The right cultivation methods and opportunities are equally indispensable. You can't deny that those Soul Masters from privileged backgrounds have better resources and conditions from birth, which allows them to go further on the path of cultivation than ordinary people. And those with average talent, through unremitting efforts and fortuitous encounters, can also eventually achieve remarkable success. Therefore, you can't simply think that hard work is the only way to success."
A hint of embarrassment flashed across Flander's face; he clearly hadn't expected Huo Yuhao to ask such a pointed question.
Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and Xiao Wu, standing beside Huo Yuhao, also seemed lost in thought, their eyes filled with admiration for him. Huo Yuhao's sharp words and rigorous logic left Flander momentarily speechless, seemingly overwhelmed by his imposing presence.
Even Ma Hongjun, Dai Mubai, and Oscar seemed somewhat shaken at this moment. They began to doubt Huo Yuhao's words, as if Huo Yuhao's argument did indeed have its merits.
Seeing everyone's reaction, Flander seemed somewhat anxious. However, as a teacher with professional ethics, he did not intend to use his position as dean to suppress Huo Yuhao's speech.
Flander took a deep breath and continued to argue, "Yuhao, I admit your eloquence is indeed remarkable, and I cannot argue with you. However, facts speak louder than words. No matter how persuasive you are, you cannot change the fact that I have cultivated numerous outstanding students. Graduates from our Shrek Academy have all obtained imperial titles, and some of the best have even become elders of the Spirit Hall, holding high positions of power and being revered by countless people!"
Upon hearing Flander's words, the entire room fell into a deathly silence. Not only Huo Yuhao, but even Tang San was bewildered, his eyes filled with disbelief. "No way? There are Shrek Academy students among the elders of the Spirit Hall? How is that possible? Why did they never hear Flander mention this in their past lives?"
Moreover, those old guys from the Spirit Hall are old enough to be Flander's father. Flander couldn't possibly have started teaching them from the womb, could he?
Furthermore, if Shrek Academy had truly produced elders of the Spirit Hall, how could they have been expelled from the Heaven Dou Royal Academy by Dugu Bo? That's simply impossible.
However, Xiao Wu was clearly taken aback by Flander's words. She turned to Tang San timidly, her eyes filled with confusion and curiosity, and asked, "Xiao San, what kind of status does an elder of the Spirit Hall have? Are Shrek Academy students really that powerful?"
Tang San was speechless. Faced with Xiao Wu's question, he didn't know what to say. Flander had really blown his own horn this time. If Shrek Academy had truly produced elders of the Spirit Hall, how could they have suffered such humiliation and setbacks at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy? They probably would have already smashed Dugu Bo's snake head.
Sure enough, before Huo Yuhao could even react after Flander finished speaking, Ning Rongrong was already laughing so hard she could barely breathe. She clearly found Flander's words utterly absurd.
Xiao Wu looked puzzled and asked Ning Rongrong, "Rongrong, what are you laughing at?"
Ning Rongrong finally managed to stop laughing and explained, "Xiao Wu, do you know what level of cultivation one needs to reach to become an elder of the Spirit Hall?"
Xiao Wu looked blank and shook her head, clearly unaware of the matter.
Ning Rongrong continued, "To become an elder of the Spirit Hall, one's cultivation level must be at least at the Title Douluo level. Think about it, did Shrek Academy really cultivate a Title Douluo in just over ten years? A Title Douluo under thirty years old? That's simply a fantasy."
Hearing Ning Rongrong's mockery, Flander's face darkened immediately. He had forgotten that this little girl came from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, and that none of Tang San, Zhu Zhuqing, or Huo Yuhao were simple people. His previous explanation would naturally not fool many people.
However, seeing that Dean Flander had been rendered speechless, Huo Yuhao knew when to stop and changed the subject: "Dean Flander, I know our academy is short of funds, but we still need to eat well. So, I will contribute 10,000 gold soul coins as the academy's food expenses. That way, we won't have to travel all the way to Soto City for breakfast. 10,000 gold soul coins should be enough for us to eat for a while."
Looking at the black card Huo Yuhao handed him, Flander felt a mix of emotions.
He never imagined that one day he would be lectured by a child, and even now he thinks that what Huo Yuhao said makes a lot of sense.
Moreover, for some reason, Flander had a strange feeling that Huo Yuhao was the dean of Shrek Academy, and he was just an ordinary teacher. The scene just now was as if the dean was criticizing the teacher.
This is absolutely absurd!
(End of chapter)