To everyone's delight, Dean Yan personally held the drawing box for the students. This gesture made every new student unable to contain their excitement and fervor.
The legendary Super Douluo was actually willing to hold the drawing box himself for a group of New Students like them!
Not to mention them—even the Eight-Ring Soul Fighting Douluo standing nearby felt deeply honored.
For a moment, the New Students' emotions soared beyond control. Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong were no exceptions.
Only Jiang Yuheng's expression was somewhat unpleasant.
Ever since Dean Yan had entered, Jiang Yuheng had felt a strange gaze fixed on him.
That feeling of being watched and spied upon made him extremely uncomfortable.
As a result, he had little interest in the following drawing and did not even want to go up.
"Class 1 of New Students, Jiang Yuheng's team, come forward to draw." This time, Jiang Yuheng's group was the first to draw lots.
Jiang Yuheng turned to Wang Dong and said with a smile, "You go."
Wang Dong shook her head. "No. You're our Captain, so if anyone should go, it should be..."
Before Wang Dong could finish, Jiang Yuheng swiftly shoved her forward, making her the first student to draw a lot before the Dean.
Wang Dong walked up nervously. It was not because she was meeting the Dean, but because she was simply afraid of having bad luck.
This was the match to go from four teams to two, the crucial draw that determined whether they could successfully enter the finals. If luck turned against them and they drew the Soul Elder team, they could practically say goodbye to the finals.
Don't be nervous. I believe in you, Dong'er.
You're my God of Luck!
That calm, reassuring voice echoed in her mind. Wang Dong instinctively looked back, and those Obsidian Gem-like eyes soothed her already flustered and uneasy heart.
"You idiot." Wang Dong blushed and muttered a curse under her breath.
At such close range, Yan Shaozhe naturally heard it. Though puzzled, he still comforted her, "Don't be afraid. Believe that you'll definitely draw a number suitable for yourselves."
Wang Dong looked confused, but she still respectfully gave a ninety-degree bow before returning the lot to Director Du and going back to Jiang Yuheng's side.
"Class 1 of New Students, Jiang Yuheng's team, lot number two."
Upon hearing the number, Jiang Yuheng could not help feeling a little disappointed.
I thought we'd run into Dai Huabin's team early. My plan to slap their faces was all for nothing.
"Jiang Yuheng, what do you mean by that? I kindly drew the lot for you, and you're still dissatisfied?" Seeing Jiang Yuheng's disappointed expression, Wang Dong fiercely pinched his waist.
"Ow, ow, ow! My dear partner, you've wronged me! How would I dare?"
"You're bold enough to suppress your strength and hide it from the teacher. What wouldn't you dare do?" Wang Dong shot him a sidelong glance.
Just as the two were bickering, Dai Huabin's team representative stepped onto the stage to draw.
The moment he heard those three words, Huo Yuhao's body jerked violently. He raised his head in disbelief, both hands trembling uncontrollably.
It was not fear, but overwhelming fury and hatred buried beneath his gaze, too intense to suppress.
Everyone who had read the original work knew what Dai Huabin had done to Huo Yuhao. Huo Yuhao had merely accidentally bumped into him, yet suffered a merciless beating.
At the time, Huo Yuhao had only been eight years old, a child with no strength to fight back whatsoever.
Yet those eight guards were all strong, able-bodied soldiers. If they had continued beating him viciously, even if he had survived by chance, he would have been crippled for life.
Huo Yuhao would never forget how his Mother had desperately shielded him, only to suffer even more vicious beatings in return. They did not stop until both mother and son were barely clinging to life.
At that time, Jiang Yuheng had just graduated from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
When he saw the sobbing Huo Yuhao and the dying Huo Yun'er, he understood that he had still arrived too late.
Although Damage Transfer could restore Huo Yun'er's body, once the seeds of hatred had been planted, it was nearly impossible to pull them out.
Three years had passed, yet Dai Huabin remained as composed as ever. Even after meeting the Dean of the Number One Academy in the World, he had not lowered his proud head. Compared with the other students, he was merely much calmer on the surface.
"Dai Huabin's team, lot number one."
After Director Du made the announcement, Dai Huabin returned to his team. Only after his face was no longer visible did the emotions in Huo Yuhao's eyes settle somewhat, though his hatred had not diminished in the slightest.
Wang Dong was filled with shock. This was the first time Huo Yuhao had revealed such emotions. She had no idea what had happened, but she could be certain it was related to Dai Huabin.
Jiang Yuheng said nothing. He merely placed a hand lightly on Huo Yuhao's shoulder. Extreme Ice Qi entered his body, instantly stabilizing his emotions.
Huo Yuhao took a deep breath and said softly, "Thank you, Brother Yuheng."
"It's nothing. After what you went through, the fact that you didn't erupt immediately means that even I am ashamed to compare with your emotional control." Jiang Yuheng chuckled and replied in the same low voice.
"Sooner or later, I'll defeat you fair and square on the Competition Stage and bring honor to Mother!" Huo Yuhao spoke quietly, but the resolve in his expression was stronger than ever.
Jiang Yuheng nodded. "Of course. But the chance to bring honor is right in front of you. Don't forget, Dai Huabin's team is the only Soul Elder team here. Their advancement to the finals is inevitable."
Huo Yuhao nodded solemnly.
Wang Dong, however, looked utterly confused. "Jiang Yuheng, I remember the academy has rules against revealing contestants' Soul Power and ranks. How did you know?"
With a proud look, Jiang Yuheng leaned close to Wang Dong and whispered, "That's because I have a friend who specializes in gathering intelligence!"
In truth, there was no intelligence-gathering friend at all. He was simply making it up because he did not want to reveal that he knew the plot.
Yet Wang Dong actually believed him.
She glanced at Jiang Yuheng and gave a meaningful "Oh," then continued, "Is this friend a boyfriend or a girlfriend?"
When she said "girlfriend," Wang Dong deliberately stressed the word.
Jiang Yuheng considered it briefly. One lie required another to cover it up. Rather than spout nonsense, he might as well say it was a female friend he was close to. That would also make it easier to introduce Sister Luo to Dong'er in the future.
As a result, Jiang Yuheng failed to notice the strange emotion in Wang Dong's eyes.
"A female friend I'm close to. When there's a chance later, I'll introduce her to you!"
Wang Dong walked up with a smiling face, though fury flickered in her pink-blue eyes, too subtle to notice. "Fine. I'd like to see just how close you are to this so-called girlfriend of yours!"
Only then did Jiang Yuheng suddenly realize what she meant. He hurriedly waved his hands in explanation. "No, Wang Dong, you misunderstood. She's not a girlfriend I'm close to. I've never had a girlfriend at all. Listen to my explanation!"
Too late. Before Jiang Yuheng could explain himself, Wang Dong kicked him straight out of the team.
The kick was so forceful that Jiang Yuheng flew into the center of the Competition Stage, landing perfectly face-down in front of Yan Shaozhe, who was preparing to give a speech.
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