A Chance Encounter at the Academy Gates

Not long after Ye Chen woke up, Tang Ya finally finished absorbing the purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

This meant she had officially stepped into the rank of a Three-Ring Soul Master, her strength entering an entirely new level.

"Success!" Tang Ya let out a long breath, then excitedly jumped into Bei Bei's arms.

She clung to him like a koala and planted a loud kiss on his cheek.

The thought of being able to advance to the fourth year alongside him filled Tang Ya with uncontrollable joy. Her bright eyes sparkled with excitement.

The sudden intimacy left Bei Bei staring at Tang Ya in a daze. He held her delicate body, his smile brimming with affection.

The two of them seemed to have simultaneously forgotten that there was a third person here.

"Could you two watch yourselves? Even if it's a teacher-student romance, at least find somewhere private to get lovey-dovey, okay? I can't bear to look!" Ye Chen said, covering his eyes with a face full of black lines.

I'm still a virile, innocent young virgin, okay? Why are you being so cruel to me and making me see this?!

Ye Chen ranted wildly in his heart. His mind told him not to peek, but his hands disobediently opened a small gap between his fingers.

"Cough, cough!"

Ye Chen's sudden voice startled Bei Bei so badly that he nearly choked on his saliva.

Only then did the amorous pair realize that Ye Chen was still beside them.

Tang Ya hurriedly climbed down from Bei Bei and shot him a shy glare with her beautiful eyes.

Bei Bei gave an awkward laugh, not daring to meet Tang Ya's gaze.

Seeing Tang Ya's happy expression, Ye Chen could not help recalling that before long, this lively girl would be captured by the Holy Spirit Cult and become their Holy Maiden.

However, he had no intention of bringing it up. In the end, this could be considered Tang Ya's opportunity.

If not for this incident, her martial soul might never have evolved even in her old age. Her achievements in life would then have stopped at Soul King.

The three of them were already deep within the forest. At Tang Ya's suggestion, they searched sideways for a while.

Yet for some reason, they found no sign of Huo Yuhao.

Left with no choice, they began to withdraw from Star Dou Forest.

In Star Dou Forest, where danger lurked everywhere, every extra minute they stayed meant an extra measure of risk.

You would never know from which direction death would arrive.

How could this be? Where exactly did Huo Yuhao go? Judging by that route, we should have run into him, Ye Chen wondered, but no one could offer him an answer.

He refused to believe Huo Yuhao had been eaten by a soul beast.

As the protagonist of the original world, Huo Yuhao could not possibly die so easily. There were still many things waiting for him to do.

At that thought, Ye Chen became even more vigilant.

With his appearance, events on the continent had already begun to change. He could no longer naively believe that knowing the future plot meant he could grasp the movements of the entire continent.

From now on, he had to be exceedingly careful.

Shrek City.

Outside the eastern gate reserved exclusively for Shrek Academy, the cries of vendors and the chatter of pedestrians blended together, painting a bustling marketplace scene.

At least five thousand people had gathered here. Most were all kinds of merchants, while the rest were Shrek Academy students and adults bringing their children to enroll.

Several soul tool tables had been set up by the eastern gate. An Outer Court teacher in charge of admissions sat behind them with more than a dozen fifth- and sixth-year Outer Court students, organizing the academy's enrollment work.

A thin boy dressed in plain cloth stood in the long line, waiting for his assessment.

The line moved forward slowly. The scorching summer sun baked the boy's thin yet straight back, and sweat that had only just seeped from his skin evaporated before it could fall.

Even so, not a shred of the boy's resolve was worn away.

"I can do this. Only by entering the continent's number one academy can I become stronger and avenge Mother in the future!" the boy said firmly.

This plainly dressed boy was none other than the Huo Yuhao Ye Chen had been thinking about.

Because of Ye Chen's appearance, the location where Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had originally been also changed.

It was no longer beneath the ground beside the official road outside Star Dou Forest, but in the woods twenty or thirty li away.

That short distance of twenty or thirty li had successfully caused the two groups to miss each other.

At the time, Huo Yuhao sensed Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's call and, as if guided by some unseen force, strayed from the official road into the nearby woods. That was how all the later events came to pass.

And under Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's guidance, after many twists and turns, he still arrived at Shrek Academy.

When Ye Chen and the other two returned to Shrek City, Ye Chen caught an accidental glimpse of Huo Yuhao, dressed in plain cloth at the registration area.

"Good grief. We were searching for him with our hearts in our throats, worried he'd been eaten by soul beasts, and this kid actually came to enroll at the academy!"

Ye Chen shrugged and said speechlessly.

"All right, Xiao Chen. It's a good thing that little brother Yuhao is alive and well. I told you he's so kind-hearted, he definitely wouldn't come to any harm!" Tang Ya said happily upon seeing Huo Yuhao.

Of course, she had been worried about him, but what she mainly remembered was his grilled fish.

Bei Bei's doting gaze never left Tang Ya, though he was also somewhat puzzled inside.

Hadn't he been the one who said that? When had it become Tang Ya's line?

"Come on, nephew. Let's go over. It looks like he's being given a hard time." Ye Chen relaxed inwardly and took the lead toward the registration area.

It seemed that although the world had undergone some changes, the broader course of events remained fairly stable for now. Huo Yuhao had ultimately still come to Shrek Academy.

But his situation did not seem too good at the moment.

On second thought, Ye Chen understood the reason.

"Teacher, please, let me stay. I'll definitely cultivate diligently and won't hold the academy back!"

Huo Yuhao pleaded with the academy teacher in charge of admissions. The only striking feature on his entire body was his lively pair of large eyes, which radiated a longing for strength.

In this life, he did not have Tang Sect's reserved spot. Even getting through the academy gates seemed as difficult as reaching the heavens.

"Ah, it's not that I don't want to help you. The problem is that your Soul Power Level is too low. That alone might have been manageable, but your first soul ring is only ten years old. Even if I wanted to bend the rules for you, there's simply no room to do so!"

The academy teacher could not help sighing, feeling regret for the child.

The other students who had come to enroll all had parents accompanying them. Yet Huo Yuhao was alone and still possessed such firm determination, which was truly not easy.

Eyes could not lie. Though Huo Yuhao spoke in a pleading tone, the teacher could see at a glance the determination in his eyes and his longing for strength.

But unfortunately, Huo Yuhao's foundation was simply too poor.

Even if he wanted to keep him, he feared being punished by the academy's higher-ups.

At a critical moment like this, it was time for their protagonist to make an appearance.