Friend? Are You Sure She Isn't a Girlfriend?

Jiang Yuheng did not hesitate. He immediately got to his feet, dusted himself off, then sprinted toward the pink-and-blue-haired youth and pulled her tightly into his arms.

"Dong'er, why are you here?"

Faced with the sudden embrace, Wang Dong visibly froze. She instinctively raised her hands to push him away, but found herself unable to bear doing so.

"I... I was afraid something might happen to you, so I followed the affinity between our Soul Powers to come check on you," Wang Dong said softly.

Her face had already turned bright red. Her hands had unconsciously settled against his back, and she felt an indescribable sense of security in her heart.

"Didn't I tell you? I have a very close friend, and I just came to see her," Jiang Yuheng replied truthfully, delighted inside.

"A friend? What kind of friend needs to meet in the Small Woods? And what's with the Lavender Perfume smell on you?" Wang Dong crossed her arms, her every word dripping with sour jealousy.

Damn it, I got carried away and forgot to mask the Lavender Perfume scent on Sister Luo.

What was I supposed to do now?

Jiang Yuheng steadied himself, coughed twice, and said, "I was giving her money to thank her for helping me. I just didn't expect her perfume to be so strong."

"As for the Small Woods, I didn't come here on purpose. For certain reasons, she can't be seen by anyone right now."

Wang Dong could no longer hold it in and shouted furiously, "A girlfriend is a girlfriend! Why make up so many weird excuses?"

"Tell me, which class is she in? What's her name? I want to see which bastard dared to steal This Lord's man! Is she tired of living?!"

Jiang Yuheng hurriedly waved his hands. "I'm not, I didn't, don't make things up!"

"Besides, how could I possibly have a girlfriend? We've been together for nearly four months now. Have you ever seen me close to any other girl?"

Only then did Wang Dong's expression soften somewhat. She said proudly, "True. This Lord is dazzlingly charming and the undisputed Academy Number One. You idiot are nowhere near my level!"

"Exactly, so it's all a misunderstanding. If I absolutely had to name someone I like, there would only be you, Wang Dong."

Halfway through his words, Jiang Yuheng's expression suddenly turned serious, and his tone became much gentler.

It no longer sounded like a conversation between them, but like a carefully prepared confession.

Wang Dong was no idiot. How could she not understand what he meant?

But...

"Let's go. Xiao Xiao and the others are still waiting for us to go back and cook. Without you, we won't be able to celebrate our victory tonight!"

Wang Dong did not respond. She turned around and kept urging Jiang Yuheng onward, her hands lightly clenched as her emotions fell into unprecedented chaos.

Even she herself did not understand what she was feeling right now.

Liking him? Excitement? Worry? Disgust?

It seemed to be none of those...

This is so infuriating! It's all this idiot's fault. Why did he suddenly say something so mushy?!

Too irritated to endure it any longer, just as the two came down from the slope, Wang Dong could not help herself and punched Jiang Yuheng in the chest. He instantly turned into a spider and flew into the wall.

"Dong'er, what did I do this time? I didn't do anything." Jiang Yuheng's face was full of innocence and grievance.

He had not said a word the entire way. How had he made Wang Dong angry again?

"So what? Do I need a reason to hit you? If I want to hit you, I'll hit you. What's it to you?!"

After saying that, she stormed off to the front again, puffing up with anger and ignoring everyone.

What the hell was going on?

Could someone give me a spoiler and explain this?

What did I do wrong this time?

It was another bright and sunny morning. Thanks to Sea God Lake, the air within Shrek Academy was not only fresh, but the temperature and humidity were also just right.

All the freshmen who had passed the assessment gathered at Shrek Academy Square, waiting to be assigned to their new classes.

Du Weilun, the Director of Instruction of the Martial Soul Department, soon arrived before the students with more than a dozen teachers. Among them, the ones Jiang Yuheng knew best were Zhou Yi and Wang Yan.

As for the other teachers, Jiang Yuheng had no impression of them at all. His mind was usually occupied with Soul Tools and Wang Dong, and he hardly gave anything else much thought.

Holding a file in his hand, Du Weilun swept his gaze over the youngsters with a pleased expression. "I believe everyone already knows the results of the Freshman Assessment Elimination Tournament. Next, I will formally announce the top three teams once more and distribute their rewards."

Third place was unsurprisingly taken by Huang Chutian's team. Their strength was absolutely among the best among teams of the same rank.

Moreover, with no Soul Elder-level teams standing in their way, they advanced to third place with ease and had practically no opponents at all.

Second place naturally went to Dai Huabin's team, but their faces held not the slightest trace of joy. Dai Huabin in particular had his face drawn tight, his head slightly lowered, and an undetectable emotion lingering in his eyes.

"Finally, let us welcome the ultimate champions of the Freshman Assessment with our warmest applause. They are... Jiang Yuheng's team!"

At once, the entire square erupted in the loudest cheers. None of the teams that had fought Jiang Yuheng's team found this result surprising.

With their strength, winning the championship had been effortless.

Seeing the four step forward, Du Weilun excitedly took a step forward as well and patted Jiang Yuheng on the shoulder in congratulations. He then moved aside, allowing their team to stand in the very center.

Dai Huabin glanced sideways at Jiang Yuheng, but Jiang Yuheng did not even spare him a look. He could not be bothered to deal with him.

"Next, I will announce the rewards for the Freshman Assessment."

"The top three teams will each receive a Spirit Ring provided by the academy. There is no limit on the Spirit Ring's age, so long as you can bear it. And this Spirit Ring will definitely be the one best suited to your own Martial Soul."

At those words, the first-year students immediately erupted in surprise and envy.

This reward was equivalent to the academy promising that among Jiang Yuheng's group, one of their Spirit Rings would certainly be acquired at the absolute limit.

If they were patient enough, even their ninth Spirit Ring could potentially be a rare hundred-thousand-year one.

However, the more observant students noticed that when Director Du mentioned there being no limit on the Spirit Ring's age, his gaze had clearly fallen on Jiang Yuheng.

In other words, this reward had been prepared entirely for him.

"In light of the champion team's outstanding performance and undefeated record throughout the competition, the academy has decided to grant them a special reward. Once class assignments are complete, you may come with me to collect it."

"Lastly, due to your excellent performance in this New Student Elimination Tournament, the academy has specially approved a number of students to become Outer Court Core Disciples. I will now announce the list."

Aside from Jiang Yuheng, all members of the top three teams in the New Student competition, along with several students who had performed exceptionally well, were selected as Outer Court Core Disciples.

Upon hearing this result, Wang Dong and the others were visibly stunned. Everyone had seen Jiang Yuheng's performance in the competition. Anyone could have been left out—except him.

Wang Dong was the first to question it. "Director Du, why isn't Jiang Yuheng on the list of Outer Court Core Disciples? His performance was the most outstanding among all the New Students!"