Chance Encounter at the Academy Gate

Chance Encounter at the Academy Gate

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

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

"I did it!" After letting out a long breath, Tang Ya excitedly sprang to her feet and 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 fourth grade alongside him made Tang Ya endlessly happy, her bright eyes brimming with excitement.

This sudden intimacy left Bei Bei staring at Tang Ya in a daze. Holding her delicate body, his smile was filled with doting affection.

Yet the two of them seemed to have forgotten at the same time that there was a third person here.

"Could you two watch yourselves? Even if it's a teacher-student romance, find somewhere private to get affectionate, okay? I can barely stand to look!" Ye Chen said, covering his eyes with a face full of exasperation.

I'm still a manly, innocent virgin, okay? Why are you being so cruel to me? Why make me see this?

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

"Ahem, ahem!"

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

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

Tang Ya hurriedly climbed down from Bei Bei, then shyly glared at him with her beautiful eyes.

Bei Bei smiled awkwardly, not daring to meet Tang Ya's gaze.

Seeing Tang Ya's happy expression, Ye Chen could not help thinking of how this lively girl would soon be captured by the Holy Spirit Cult and made their Holy Maiden.

However, he had no intention of exposing the matter. In the end, this could also be considered Tang Ya's opportunity.

If not for this incident, perhaps her martial soul would never evolve even in old age. In that case, Soul King would have been the limit of her achievements for life.

The place where the three of them were was already quite deep in the forest. At Tang Ya's suggestion, they searched sideways for some time.

Yet for some reason, they simply could not find any sign of Huo Yuhao.

Left with no choice, they began retreating out of Star Dou Forest.

In Star Dou Forest, where danger lurked everywhere, every extra minute spent inside meant another measure of risk.

You would never know from which direction death would come.

How could this be? Where exactly did Huo Yuhao go? Based on that route, we should have run into him. Ye Chen was filled with doubt, but unfortunately, no one could answer him.

He refused to believe that 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 plenty of things waiting for him to do.

With 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 assume that knowing the future plot meant he could grasp the course of the entire continent.

From now on, he would have to be extremely careful.

Shrek City.

Outside the east gate belonging exclusively to Shrek Academy, the cries of vendors and the chatter of pedestrians blended together to create the lively scene of a bustling marketplace.

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

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

A thin, small-framed youth dressed in plain cloth stood in the long line, waiting for his assessment.

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

Even so, not a trace of his determination was worn away.

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

This plainly dressed youth was none other than the Huo Yuhao Ye Chen had been so concerned about.

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

It was no longer beneath the ground by 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.

Back then, Huo Yuhao had sensed Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's summons and, as though guided by fate, left the official road for the woods beside it. That was why everything that followed had happened.

Under Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's guidance, he had still made his way to Shrek Academy after many twists and turns.

When Ye Chen and the other two returned to Shrek City, Ye Chen casually glanced over and spotted Huo Yuhao, dressed in plain cloth, at the registration area.

"Good grief. We were searching for him in a panic, worried he'd been eaten by a soul beast, and this kid came to enroll at the academy!"

Ye Chen shrugged and said helplessly.

"All right, Xiao Chen. It's a good thing Yuhao is alive and well. I told you he's such a kind boy—there's no way anything would happen to him!" Tang Ya said happily when she saw Huo Yuhao.

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

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

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

"Let's go over there, nephew. 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 changed somewhat, the overall direction was still relatively stable. Huo Yuhao had ultimately still arrived at Shrek Academy.

But his current situation seemed rather unfavorable.

On second thought, Ye Chen immediately understood why.

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

Huo Yuhao looked pleadingly at the academy teacher in charge of admissions. The only thing unusual about him was his pair of lively, expressive eyes, which shone with a longing for strength.

In this life, he did not have that Tang Sect admission spot. Even entering the academy gates seemed as difficult as reaching the heavens.

"Sigh, 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 no room to do so!"

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

The other students who had come to enroll all had parents accompanying them. For Huo Yuhao to be alone and still possess such firm determination was truly not easy.

Eyes could not lie. Although Huo Yuhao spoke in a pleading tone, the teacher could see at a glance the resolve in his gaze and his desire for strength.

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

Even if he wanted to keep him, he was worried that he would be punished by the academy's higher-ups.

At a critical moment like this, it was time for their protagonist to step in.