"Xiao Xiao, join the Hongchen Family. Wang Dong's words..."
Before Yue Hongchen could finish, Wang Dong said, "I want to join the Tang Sect."
Yue Hongchen glanced at Tang Ya. Seeing her nod, he said, "Sure, no problem."
Only after that conversation was over did Ning Tian say that the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect hoped to cooperate with the Hongchen Family and become its ally.
The meaning was simple: after seeing how powerful Soul Tools were, they had realized that the level of Soul Tool technology on Douluo Continent was pitifully low, so they wanted to buy Soul Tools from Mingde Hall.
They were a major customer. How could Yue Hongchen refuse?
By the time they finished talking, they had nearly finished the grilled fish. Seeing that it was getting late, Yue Hongchen invited them to stay the night.
That was when the advantage of having a small courtyard became clear. There were six spare rooms, but Yue Hongchen insisted there were only four.
"Senior Beibei and Senior Tang Ya can share a room, right?"
Tang Ya lowered her head, blushing, but didn't refuse. Beibei naturally didn't refuse either and readily agreed.
"Ning Tian and Wu Feng in one room, Yuhao and Wang Dong in one room, and Xiao Xiao in one room."
Yue Hongchen quickly assigned everyone their rooms. Seeing that Xiao Xiao had a room to herself, Tang Ya's eyes widened. She had assumed there weren't enough rooms and that Yue Hongchen would make Xiao Xiao share with Meng Hongchen. She hadn't expected this...
Seeing that, Beibei secretly gave Yue Hongchen a thumbs-up. What a good brother!
"Brother Yue, are you sure there aren't any more rooms?" Wang Dong blushed. Just thinking about sleeping in the same bed as Huo Yuhao made her...
Yue Hongchen shook his head. Before they came in, he'd already removed the doors to the other two rooms and blocked them with a few bookcases piled high with books.
Yue Hongchen teased, "You're both guys. What are you worried about? At worst, you and Yuhao can cultivate together all night."
The others nodded too, unable to understand why Wang Dong was acting so bashful.
Only Ning Tian, remembering Wang Dong's Martial Soul, suddenly thought of something and tugged at Yue Hongchen's sleeve.
Yue Hongchen could tell from her expression that she'd figured it out. He quickly lowered his voice. "I know about the Light Goddess Butterfly's traits, but they can use a Martial Soul Fusion Skill together. Wang Dong's always disguised herself as a guy. What if Huo Yuhao really thinks of her as one of the boys? Besides, look at her. She's just embarrassed, not unwilling."
The Light Goddess Butterfly Martial Soul only appeared in women. Since Wang Dong possessed it, she clearly wasn't a man. As the young sect master of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Tian knew that much.
As for why Beibei, who was also born into a distinguished family, didn't know, just look at the innocent and carefree Meng Hongchen nearby. She had probably been just as interested in playing as a child.
Ning Tian thought it over and realized he was right, so she said nothing more.
Wang Dong thought about Yue Hongchen's words. Didn't she and Huo Yuhao usually cultivate with the power of Haodong while sharing a bed in the dormitory? They were only in a different place tonight.
With Wang Dong's issue settled, Yue Hongchen wished everyone good night and went into the master bedroom. Every room here had its own bathroom. After washing up, he lay down on the bed.
With so many people around, Meng Hongchen was too embarrassed to slip straight into Yue Hongchen's room. Only after everyone had returned to their own rooms did she tiptoe to his door, open it, and crawl into his bed.
The next morning dawned bright and sunny. It was another beautiful day.
All the students who had passed the freshman assessment gathered at Shrek Square, waiting for the upcoming class assignments.
But what puzzled them was that students from grades two through six, as well as those from the Soul Tool Department, had also come.
Before long, Du Wilun, the Martial Soul Department's dean of instruction, arrived in front of the students with more than a dozen teachers. Yue Hongchen studied the teachers again and again, but couldn't find Pu Shibo among them.
So he really is an inner court teacher, Yue Hongchen thought. He stopped puzzling over it.
Du Wilun held a folder in his hands. Smiling, he looked over the students and said, "I'm sure you all know that the freshman assessment elimination rounds have ended, and the top three have been decided. Now I'll formally announce the results and the rewards they'll receive. Third place in the freshman assessment goes to Meng Hongchen's team. The members are Meng Hongchen, Ning Tian, and Wu Feng. Step forward."
The day before—the second day after the two sides had agreed to cooperate—Yue Hongchen had been strolling beside Sea God Lake with Meng Hongchen when Yan Shaozhe found him. He told them that the champion had been decided the previous day, but the runners-up still hadn't been determined.
To ensure fairness, the academy hadn't simply awarded second place to Dai Huabin's team after they lost to Huo Yuhao's team. Instead, it had the three teams compete again. Yue Hongchen had only been disqualified from the final, but he could still contend for second place.
Dai Huabin's Martial Soul Fusion Skill was unavailable because it was on cooldown. But even if it hadn't been, he still wouldn't have won. Yue Hongchen and Meng Hongchen had both finished their matches within ten seconds of the start.
This also gave the students their first glimpse of Meng Hongchen's true strength. She was practically a Power Attack System soul master disguised as a control-type.
Led by Meng Hongchen, the three girls walked up to Du Wilun. The result was a little lower than they'd expected, but overall, it was still pretty good.
The first-year students broke into thunderous applause. After the elimination rounds, more than three hundred first-year students remained—almost two-thirds fewer than at the start of the school year.
"Second place goes to Yue Hongchen's team. The team member is Yue Hongchen. Step forward."
Applause broke out again as Yue Hongchen walked forward, still smiling.
Du Wilun paused briefly, then raised his voice slightly. "Next, let's give a warm round of applause to welcome the champions of the freshman assessment. They are Wang Dong's team, consisting of Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, and Huo Yuhao."
Cheers erupted across the square. When Du Wilun announced the result, the three of them froze for a moment.
Based on the names Freshman Class One had submitted, their team should have been called Huo Yuhao's team. Huo Yuhao was the captain, after all! But amid the cheers and applause of the first-year students, the three didn't dare dawdle. They hurried forward. As they walked, Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao deliberately fell half a step behind, letting Huo Yuhao take the lead.
When the three came forward, Du Wilun's eyes showed a hint of a smile. He gestured for them to stand in the center. Huo Yuhao looked toward Yue Hongchen, but Yue Hongchen was focused entirely on Meng Hongchen beside him, pinching her little hand one moment and her cheek the next.
Du Wilun said, "All right. Now I'll announce the rewards for the top three teams in the freshman assessment. Each member of these teams will receive the same reward from the academy: whenever they need a Soul Ring, they may request the academy's assistance in obtaining one that suits them best and is within their limits."
The reward for obtaining a Soul Ring would probably only benefit Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao. Yue Hongchen and Meng Hongchen came from the Hongchen Family, Ning Tian and Wu Feng came from the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, and Wang Dong was actually the young sect master of the Clear Sky Sect. Whether the academy helped them hunt for Soul Rings or not made no difference.
After announcing their rewards, Du Wilun motioned for the three to return to their places.
Once the seven of them had returned, Du Wilun gave another speech. At last, he said, "In view of the outstanding new students who have emerged during this year's freshman competition, the academy has specially approved several students to become outer court core disciples. I'll now announce the names."
Shrek Square fell completely silent. Everyone listened closely to Du Wilun, afraid they might miss hearing their own name.
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