"Reconciliation"

The door to Room 101 slowly swung shut, cutting off two worlds.

Outside the door lay Shrek Academy's bright afternoon sunlight, the bustling crowd, and a future filled with infinite possibility.

Inside the door were dim light, cold wooden floors, and a silent, weeping soul curled up in the corner, utterly drowned in regret and self-loathing.

Long Yao walked out of the dormitory building and drew in a deep breath of air scented with green grass and sunlight. The aura that had filled the dormitory—thick with a young girl's grievance and heartbreak—seemed to still linger at his nose tip. He did not look back. He simply stuffed the two sets of school uniforms and the cold key into his Storage Soul Tool, and the deliberately feigned grievance and exhaustion on his face were replaced, the instant he turned away, by a bottomless calm and icy calculation.

Tang San... God Slaying Blood Sword... twelve hours...

Those key words flashed rapidly through his mind. He had never truly intended to go looking for that Old Hag Zhou Yi, because he knew perfectly well that this was a decision Shrek Academy's higher-ups had made after careful consideration to maximize their interests. There was no way they would change it over a new student's "grievance." That performance of "retreating in order to advance" just now had merely been an exquisitely precise psychological strike, meant to completely shatter Wang Dong's fragile pride and clear away the greatest obstacle for their upcoming "cohabitation."

From the looks of it now, the effect had been surprisingly good.

Heh, little brat, you're still too green to fight me. He gave a light laugh inwardly, then immediately suppressed the thought. Right now, there was something more important, and far more urgent, to deal with than disciplining an arrogant Little Princess.

He did not hurry back to the dormitory filled with sorrow. Instead, he followed the flow of people toward the academy's central plaza. He needed a relatively open and crowded environment to cover up certain "small movements" he might make next, movements that could not be noticed by others. At the same time, he also needed to sort out his thoughts and formulate a perfect plan, one sufficient to face the wrath of a God King.

Shrek Academy was worthy of being the continent's number-one institution. Even though it was only during the New Student Assessment period, the campus was full of vitality everywhere. Students in uniforms of all colors came and went. Some hurried along, rushing to class; some gathered in groups of three or five beneath towering ancient trees, sparring with spirit skills and stirring up waves of Soul Power Fluctuation; others clustered before various bulletin boards, discussing the latest missions and academy news.

Long Yao strolled among them. His handsome appearance and steady bearing still drew frequent sidelong glances from quite a few female students. But he paid it no mind. His thoughts had long since sunk into his own world.

Just as he reached the edge of the central plaza and was about to find a bench to sit down on, his steps suddenly paused ever so slightly.

His gaze passed through the bustling crowd and locked precisely onto three people not far away, walking over from the direction of the academy's front gate.

It was a group of two men and one woman.

Walking at the front was a slender, refined-looking young man with blue hair. He looked about fifteen or sixteen years old, and there was always a gentle smile on his face. His blue eyes were clear and bright, giving others a friendly feeling like being bathed in a spring breeze. Though young, his steps were steady, carrying a naturally convincing air of leadership. He was a direct descendant of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Bei Bei.

Beside him was a petite, lively and agile black-haired girl. She wore her hair in a simple ponytail, and her pair of dark, big eyes were filled with curiosity and excitement toward this new world as she chattered away to Bei Bei beside her. Her face held a trace of sickly pallor, but that joy from the heart made her whole person seem radiant. She was the Tang Sect's last Sect Master, Tang Ya.

And walking behind the two of them was a completely unremarkable-looking little boy. He was much thinner and weaker than his peers, wearing an old set of clothes washed pale and clearly ill-fitting. His short black hair was a little messy, and his head was lowered, making him seem somewhat inferior and timid.

However, whenever he occasionally raised his head and looked at the magnificent buildings around him, his eyes would instantly burst with a dazzling brilliance utterly unlike his appearance! What kind of eyes were those? His pitch-black pupils were as deep as an endless night sky, and deep within his eyes, there seemed to flicker a faint, sacred golden light, as though nothing in the world could escape the insight of those eyes.

He was the true "Child of Destiny" of this era, Huo Yuhao.

The three of them were travel-worn, their faces still carrying the fatigue of a long journey, but without exception, their eyes were filled with yearning and hope for the future. As they looked at the brightly dressed, confident Shrek Students around them, there was both envy in their eyes and a tenacity that refused to admit defeat.

"Xiao Ya, we finally made it." Bei Bei nodded with a smile, his eyes full of emotion as well. He patted Tang Ya's hand reassuringly, then turned to Huo Yuhao behind him and said, "Yuhao, don't be nervous. This will be our home from now on. With me and Teacher Ya here, no one will dare bully you."

"Mm!" Huo Yuhao nodded heavily. He lifted his head and greedily observed this place that was about to change his entire life with his miraculous Spirit Eyes.

Then his gaze met a calm one in midair, a gaze that seemed to have been waiting for him for a long time.

It belonged to a black-clad youth standing beneath the shade of a tree not far away. He looked a few years older than Huo Yuhao, with a slender figure and an excessively handsome face. He stood there casually, yet he seemed completely out of place amid the noisy surroundings, forming a quiet world all his own.

In Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eyes perception, this black-clad youth was completely different from everyone else. On other people, there would always be Soul Power Fluctuation leaking out to some degree, whether strong or weak, flamboyant or restrained. But on this youth, there was only "nothing." He was like a bottomless black hole, swallowing up all light and probing, leaving nothing to be sensed.

But his intuition—that terrifying intuition fused with the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's Million-Year Spiritual Power—was frantically sounding alarms at him! Danger! Extremely Dangerous!

This person was more terrifying than any Spirit Beast he had ever seen!

Just as huge waves surged through Huo Yuhao's heart, Bei Bei also noticed Long Yao's gaze. Seeing that the other party's eyes seemed to linger for a moment on his junior disciple, he politely took the initiative and asked with a smile, "Hello, Senior Student. May I ask if the registration area for the New Student Assessment is this way?"

He saw no badge on Long Yao, but that composed bearing made him subconsciously assume the other party was an upper-year senior.

The danmu in the Livestream Room instantly boiled over as well when they saw this historic meeting!

[I Really Only Know How to Give Freely]: He's here! He's here! He's here! The protagonist group has finally appeared!

[Lust is the Primary Productive Force]: Double protagonist meeting! Double protagonist meeting! One Child of Destiny in the open, one ultimate boss hidden behind the scenes! This scene is way too impactful!

[Keyboard Warrior Ninth-Rank Elder]: Everyone, pay attention to Huo Yuhao's expression! He definitely saw something with his Spirit Eyes! Even if he can't see through the Streamer's disguise, he can definitely sense that something's not right from the essential gap in status!

[Defeat Double-Standard Tang San]: Haha! Tang San's mortal enemy and his future son-in-law have finally met! Quick! Streamer, go fool him! Bring this cheater under your command too, and go beat up Tang San together later!

"You're here to take the assessment too?" Long Yao withdrew his gaze, put on a perfectly measured, kind smile, and walked toward them.

"Yes, yes! We're here to take the assessment!" Before Bei Bei could answer, Tang Ya had already cut in. She enthusiastically pointed at Huo Yuhao behind her. "The one taking the assessment is my disciple, Huo Yuhao! He's a genius, you know!"

"Oh?" Long Yao's gaze fell on Huo Yuhao again, his eyes seeming to appraise an interesting commodity. Pretending to be surprised, he said, "At such a young age, his soul power must not be low, right?"

Bei Bei smiled gently. "You'll have to forgive us. We only just arrived, and we brought him here to take Shrek Academy's Entrance Examination." He deftly avoided answering the question about Huo Yuhao's soul power.

"If it's the assessment, then you may have come too late." Long Yao spread his hands, a trace of "regret" appearing on his face. "This morning was already the last batch of assessments, and it just ended a moment ago. I'm afraid you'll have to wait until next year's enrollment."

"Ah?!" Tang Ya's smiling face instantly collapsed. Her whole body seemed to have had its bones pulled out, and she became dejected. "How could... how could this happen... We hurried as fast as we could, but we still missed it..."

Seeing her despondent appearance, Bei Bei's heart sank as well, but he still forced himself to cheer up and comforted her, "Xiao Ya, don't lose heart. Let's ask around again. Maybe there's still a chance."

"It's no use." Long Xiaoyao shook his head, then changed the subject and spoke in a tone tinged with slight sympathy. "However... I do know of one place that might allow him to take a make-up test as an exception."

"What place?!" Tang Ya's eyes lit up again instantly, as if she had grabbed the last life-saving straw, and she stared fixedly at Long Yao.

That well-meaning guidance was like sunlight parting clouds and mist, instantly illuminating Tang Ya's small face, which had dimmed with despair.

"Teacher Fan Yu of the Soul Tool Department?" She seemed to have grasped the final life-saving straw, and roaring flames reignited in her dark, big eyes as she stared fixedly at Long Xiaoyao. "Would he... would he really be willing to see us?"

"Maybe he'll admit you as an exception."

Long Yao's face carried a profound, encouraging smile. He pointed toward the tallest building of the Martial Soul Department's teaching buildings, his certain posture making it seem as if he had already foreseen the result.

A gleam flashed through Bei Bei's eyes. Naturally, he knew who Fan Yu was. He was Shrek Academy's Vice Dean of the Soul Tool Department, a member of Sea God Pavilion, and a distinguished Rank 8 Soul Master! It was just that he had an eccentric personality, rarely accepted disciples, and they had come this time to apply for the Martial Soul Department. Going to find a teacher from the Soul Tool Department sounded somewhat... completely unrelated. But the confident look of this mysterious youth before him also gave rise to a sliver of hope in his heart. Perhaps things really would take a turn?

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Student!" Bei Bei immediately cupped his fists and gave a solemn salute. "May I ask your honored name? We of the Tang Sect will surely repay today's kindness in the future!"

"It was no trouble." Long Yao waved his hand indifferently. "Hurry along. If you're late, that teacher's temper isn't exactly good."

"Okay! Let's go right now!" Tang Ya had long since been unable to wait. She grabbed Bei Bei's arm with one hand and tugged along the still somewhat dazed Huo Yuhao with the other, charging off in a rush toward the direction Long Yao had pointed out.

Huo Yuhao stumbled from her pulling, but before he left, he still could not help looking back, using those miraculous Spirit Eyes of his to take a deep look at the Black-Clad Youth standing beneath the shade of the trees. For some reason, he kept feeling that beneath the other party's kind smile, there was a bottomless whirlpool he could not see through at all. This person was absolutely not as simple as he appeared on the surface.

Watching the three of them hurry away, the kind smile on Long Xiaoyao's face receded like the tide, replaced by a calmness that seemed to have everything under control, carrying a faint hint of amusement.

(Everyone, watch carefully and learn well from the next move! This is what you call a killing blow!)

He muttered to the air. In reality, he was issuing the final "lesson preview" to the hundreds of thousands of viewers in the Livestream Room who were craning their necks in anticipation.

He did not pause in the slightest. Turning around, he headed straight toward Room 101 in Building Seven of the New Student Dormitory area. His steps were not fast, but they were incomparably steady. Every step seemed to be the result of precise calculation.

When he once again stood before that cold Wooden Door, he raised his hand, but did not knock immediately. A flash of light shone from the [True Vast Sea Ring] on his hand, and a skewer of brightly colored, Crystal Clear Candied Hawthorn wrapped in plump syrup appeared out of thin air in his grasp. The vivid red hawthorn fruits glimmered temptingly beneath the sunlight, giving off a sour-sweet fragrance.

This was the final weapon he had prepared to break through that proud heart.

Only after doing all this did he slowly raise his hand and gently knock on the door with a force that was neither too light nor too heavy.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Three Light Sounds rang out, especially clear in the silent room.

Behind the door, Wang Dong's body, curled up there and almost drained from crying, suddenly stiffened.

It was him! He had come back!

Panic, shame, helplessness... all kinds of complicated emotions once again drowned her like a flood from a broken dike. She scrambled up from the floor in a fluster, desperately wiping the tear tracks on her face with her sleeve, trying to hide how utterly wretched she had looked just now. But how could her red, swollen eyes, and that slightly hoarse voice from crying, be so easily concealed?

She stood in the middle of the room, helplessly twisting the hem of her clothes with both hands, her heart in chaos. She had no idea how to face him when he pushed open the door.

"Click."

The sound of the lock turning came, and the door was slowly, gently pushed open.

The afternoon sunlight poured in through the open doorway, stretching that Tall Figure into a long Shadow across the wooden floor.

Wang Dong subconsciously raised her head, only to see a scene she had never expected at all.

He was not angry, not cold, and did not even look at her. He only lowered his head and silently held out the skewer of Dazzling red Candied Hawthorn in front of her.

Immediately afterward, he raised his head and forced out a smile uglier than crying, filled with awkwardness and exhaustion. Wang Dong saw that the corners of his eyes were slightly red, and in those Profound Eyes, there was a trace of grievance she had never seen before, something deeply hurt yet forcibly hidden away.

"Uh..." His Voice was a little dry, as if he were doing his utmost to cover something up. "I went over there to ask just now, but... I got scolded, haha."

That awkward laugh sounded to Wang Dong like blow after blow from a Heavy Hammer, smashing fiercely into her heart.

Got scolded? He... because of her unreasonable outburst just now, he had really gone to argue with the Teacher, and then... been scolded?

That thought was like the Sharpest knife, stabbing her heart, which was already full of guilt, until it dripped with blood. So the lonely Back Figure he had shown when he left just now had not been an act... So the grievance in his eyes was because of her...

"Hurry and eat it," he said, as if he had not noticed the drastic change in her expression. He only held the Candied Hawthorn a little farther forward, his tone still so light, so gentle. "There are about twenty minutes left before we have to gather over there. If... you really don't want to stay in the same dorm room as me, It's Okay. I can sleep on the balcony."

Sleep... sleep on the balcony...

Boom—!!!

If everything before had only made her feel guilty, then this sentence was like heavenly thunder and earthly fire, completely destroying all her thoughts and blasting that proud heart she had maintained for eleven years into pieces!

She stared blankly at him, at the deliberately relaxed smile on his face, at the "wound" in his eyes that he could not hide no matter what, her Mind Blank. She even forgot to breathe.

She wanted to say something. She wanted to say, "That's not it." She wanted to say, "I'm sorry." She wanted to say, "I was wrong." But her throat seemed to be firmly blocked by something, and not a single word came out.

And Long Xiaoyao did not give her any time to react or think.

He gently stuffed that skewer of Candied Hawthorn, carrying endless "grievance" and "tolerance," into her icy hand. Then he turned around again and walked out of the room without looking back, leaving behind only a light "I'll wait for you outside" before gently closing the door again.

The entire process flowed like water, Perfectly Executed.

(Did you learn it, fam?)

In his heart, Long Yao issued his declaration of victory to the Livestream Room that had long since been flooded by 666s and gifts.

Inside the room, only Wang Dong remained.

She lowered her head and stared blankly at the glaringly red skewer of Candied Hawthorn in her hand. The Sweet Aroma of the syrup, mixed with the faint sourness of the hawthorn, entered her Nasal Cavity. Her Line of Sight gradually blurred.

The tears she had been forcing back could no longer be restrained. Like pearls with their string cut, they fell in large drops from her red, swollen Eye Sockets, dripping onto the Crystal Clear syrup and splashing up rings of barely visible ripples.

She could no longer hold herself up. Her body went weak, and she once again fell back onto the cold wooden floor.

She stuck out her trembling tongue and gently licked the Candied Hawthorn stained with tears.

Sour, sweet, salty, bitter...

All kinds of tastes mingled together, just like her heart at that moment, which had completely become a tangled mess.

"Uu... wuwu... waaah—!!!"

Finally, those emotions suppressed to the extreme—guilt, grievance, being Moved, and a tiny trace of sweetness even she herself could not distinguish—completely erupted! She could no longer care about pride or image. Like a child who had suffered the greatest wrong in the world, she hugged that skewer of Candied Hawthorn and burst into loud sobs.

That crying was Heart-rending, yet it was no longer the anger and despair from before. Instead, it was filled with endless remorse and... being Moved. "Hey, hey, hey! Don't, don't cry..."

The mockery and coldness she had expected did not appear. In their place was a stammering sentence filled with panic and helplessness. He hurriedly pushed the door open and looked at her miserable, tearful appearance, his whole person seeming as if he had been scared silly. His face was filled with obvious panic, and that utterly helpless look was completely different from his previous Strategizing, Cloud Light Wind Light bearing.

His clumsy reaction was like a Warm Current, quietly melting away the last bit of shame that had risen in Wang Dong's heart from being caught. She looked at him, but her Tears flowed even more fiercely, like pearls with their string cut.

She saw him rummaging through his Storage Soul Tool in a fluster, and finally he pulled out a Pure White handkerchief. He quickly walked up to her, clumsily crouched down, reached out, and with that soft tissue, gently and tentatively wiped the cold tear tracks on her cheeks.

His movements were very light, carrying an unfamiliar, cautious tenderness. The warmth of his Fingertips passed through the thin tissue, making Wang Dong's body stiffen almost imperceptibly. She had never been treated like this by anyone before. This almost pitying tenderness caused her heart, which had long since shattered beyond recognition, to ripple with wave after wave of even more turbulent, sour yet Moved feelings.

She wanted to dodge, wanted to say, "No need," but her body refused to obey. She could only let his gentle motions wipe away her broken-dam emotions bit by bit.

Immediately after, before she could make any response, a warm and solid embrace gently, yet irresistibly, drew her cold, trembling body into his arms.

"It's okay, it's okay."

His low, steady voice, carrying a faint sigh, sounded right beside her ear. A large warm hand began to pat her back, rising and falling from her sobs, again and again, helping her catch her breath.

That embrace became the final straw that broke her emotions.

"Waaah—!!!"

All the feelings she had suppressed—grievance, regret, and being moved—found an outlet completely in that instant. She could no longer hold them back. Like a child who had been lost for ages and had finally found a place to belong, she buried her face deep in his sun-scented chest and burst into loud tears.

She clutched tightly at the front of his clothes, as if it were the only piece of driftwood she had in a vast sea. His heartbeat, steady and powerful, traveled clearly into her ears through the resonance of his chest—thump, thump, thump—like the most peaceful Requiem, soothing her chaotic emotions bit by bit.

Long Yao did not speak again. He only held her quietly, letting her tears soak his uniform, giving her silent comfort and support in the simplest, most direct way, again and again.

After who knew how long, those heart-rending cries finally gradually died down, turning into broken, aggrieved sobs, until only faint whimpers like those of a kitten remained.

Wang Dong's emotions finally calmed down after that thorough release.

Slowly, with a little reluctance, she pulled away from that warm embrace. She lowered her head, not daring to look into Long Yao's eyes at all. Her small face, swollen red from crying, was now tinged with a moving blush because of her extreme embarrassment.

The room fell into an awkward silence.

"Let's go," Long Yao finally broke the silence. "There are still ten minutes. But that's enough time."

When Wang Dong heard that, she abruptly raised her head, a trace of panic flashing through her eyes. Right! They still had to gather in the classroom! If they were late, they would be expelled!

She scrambled up from the floor in a fluster, no longer caring about anything else, then turned and rushed to the simple washstand in the corner of the room. She splashed cold water messily over her face, trying to make herself look less wretched. The cool clear water brought a bit of relief to her cheeks, hot from crying, and her red, swollen eyes.

When she finished tidying herself up and turned around again, Long Yao was already standing at the door, quietly waiting for her. On his chest, there was still a large damp patch left by her tears.

The two of them left the dormitory without saying a word.

This time, Wang Dong did not charge ahead in a fit of pique like before, nor did she follow behind him in shame and anger. She only walked silently beside Long Yao in an almost obedient manner, maintaining a subtle distance between them that was neither too close nor too far.

The afternoon sunlight stretched their shadows very, very long across the ground, interweaving them until they could no longer be separated.

Time: Douluo Calendar Year 2030 Season: Autumn Next Morning 11:45

Location: Shrek Academy, on the way to the First Year Class One classroom

Audience: 145,987

Equipment: True Vast Sea Ring (Divine Artifact), Shrek Academy Uniform x1

Items: Shrek Academy Uniform x1, Student Emblem x1, Dormitory Key x1, Silver Soul Coin x8, Copper Spirit Coin x90

Martial Soul: Soul Breaking Spear [Traits: Armor Breaking, Soul Devouring, Penetration]

Chaos Holy Dragon (Hidden) [Traits: Strength, Time, Space]

Soul Power: Level 45 (Soul Ancestor) [Status: True Vast Sea Ring Shielding, External Perception is Level 24]

Soul Rings: [Soul Breaking Spear] First Soul Ring (Yellow Hundred-Year), Second Soul Ring (Purple Thousand-Year), Third Soul Ring (Black Ten-Thousand-Year), Fourth Soul Ring (Black Ten-Thousand-Year)

[Chaos Holy Dragon] First Soul Ring (Black Thirteen-Thousand-Year), Second Soul Ring (Black Twenty-Eight-Thousand-Year), Third Soul Ring (Forty-Six-Thousand-Year), Fourth Soul Ring (Rose Gold Hundred-Thousand-Year)

Soul Skills: [Soul Breaking Spear] First Spirit Skill: Swift Shadow Stab, Second Spirit Skill: Whirlwind Spear, Third Spirit Skill: Armor Breaking Spiral, Fourth Spirit Skill: Thousand Spirit Spear Rain

[Chaos Holy Dragon] First Spirit Skill: Star Ring, Second Spirit Skill: Holy Dragon Claw, Third Spirit Skill: Void Claw, Fourth Spirit Skill: Time and Space Roar

Soul Bones: None

Soul Spirits: None

Reward Stash [Million-Year Spirit Beast Inverse Scale] x1, [Hallucinatory Perfume] x1, [Starlight Sapphire Brooch] x1, [Tsundere Princess Strategy Manual Platinum Edition] x1, [God-Bestowed Soul Ring] x1, [Spring of Life] x1, [Constant Temperature Double Jade Bed] x1, [Calming Incense] x1