"To be honest, I come from White Tiger Duke's Mansion. My mother, Huo Yun'er, was the White Tiger Duke's personal maid. I'm the White Tiger Duke's son, but Dai Yueheng and Dai Huabin are legitimate heirs, while I... am nothing."
Huo Yuhao shook his head, his gaze distant. "For certain reasons, I was born mentally impaired, like an idiot. And because of the White Tiger Duke's First Madam's spiteful, vindictive abuse, my mother grew weaker and weaker."
"One day, I accidentally bumped into Dai Huabin. That bastard glared at me, then ordered his followers to beat me up. That was when my mother shielded me."
"Two years later, my mother passed away, and I left White Tiger Duke's Mansion."
As Huo Yuhao finished speaking, tears welled in his eyes. Even as a Transmigrator, he couldn't help being moved by a mother like Huo Yun'er.
Qian Renxue slammed both hands on the table, her brows furrowing. "You let him off far too easily! Someone like that doesn't deserve to be human!"
Qian Renxue stepped forward and pulled Huo Yuhao into her arms, gently patting his back.
This was the first time Huo Yuhao had opened up to Qian Renxue. In truth, her circumstances weren't much better than his.
She had lost her father when she was little, and her mother didn't like her either. Fortunately, her grandfather was always there for her.
"All right, you still have your big sister. It's getting late, so hurry back to the dorm and get some rest." Qian Renxue ruffled Huo Yuhao's head, tousling his black hair into a mess.
Huo Yuhao watched Qian Renxue tread back across Sea God Lake, then looked up at the full moon above. After a long while, he sighed. "Dai Huabin even went and tattled to Dai Yueheng. Doesn't he care how pathetic he looks?"
Huo Yuhao smiled and turned back toward New Student Dormitory.
Huo Yuhao knew that if he wanted justice for his mother, Dai Huabin's fate was only the beginning. There was plenty of time.
Huo Yuhao had spent a long time in Ten Thousand Years Ago. By the time he returned to Ten Thousand Years Later, it was the last day to register at Shrek Academy.
The next day, the sun shone brightly.
Living alone, Huo Yuhao got up early. After folding his bedding and cleaning the dorm, he went downstairs and greeted Mu En, who was lying by the entrance, before heading to the canteen to buy breakfast.
The First Soul Ring bestowed by Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had four Soul Skills in total. Huo Yuhao had already used two of them: Time Freeze and Years Erasure.
Of the remaining two, one was the area-of-effect Soul Skill, Space-Time Disorder. The other was Future Prediction, which consumed a great deal of Mental Power to predict an opponent's next move.
Shrek Academy's Outer Court was divided into six grades, from first to sixth. Each Teaching Building's color corresponded to a Soul Ring.
The doors of the White Teaching Building stood open. The new students, dressed in white uniforms, filed in orderly fashion. Huo Yuhao was among them. The other new students often looked at him with admiration; after his fight with Dai Huabin, he seemed poised to become the top student of the new class.
Huo Yuhao glanced at the sign for New Student Class One and walked inside.
Nearly half the spacious classroom was already occupied. Huo Yuhao chose a seat in the middle, where he had a clear view of the blackboard at the front.
Once seated, Huo Yuhao began sizing up the other students. The most eye-catching was the handsome boy at the very front, with short pinkish-blue hair. Quite a few girls had gathered around him, earning him hostile looks from the other boys in the class.
Huo Yuhao didn't pay Wang Dong much attention. Resting his chin in one hand, he waited patiently for the bell.
During his recent trip to Extreme North, all four powerful beings in Huo Yuhao's Sea of Spirit had fallen into a deep sleep. They still hadn't woken. Only after his Soul Power Level reached thirty-three did he truly realize how slowly an Extreme Martial Soul progressed.
Before long, the bell rang.
The sound of High Heels clicking outside the classroom brought all conversation to an abrupt halt.
An elderly woman entered. Her white hair was coiled atop her head, and she wore a White Robe. She was of average build, and her sharp black-and-white eyes were full of authority. The moment she entered the classroom, her powerful presence made everyone feel as if they couldn't breathe.
After entering, the elderly woman swept her gaze around the room, lingering on Huo Yuhao. Then she straightened her back and said in a deep voice, "My name is Zhou Yi. I'm the homeroom teacher for New Student Class One. I don't know how many of you will make it to the end with me, but I can tell you this: my class raises monsters, not simple-minded fools!"
"Who got into a fight yesterday? Stand up!"
Zhou Yi slapped the desk and rose to her feet. Her powerful presence filled every corner of the classroom.
At once, everyone's eyes turned to Huo Yuhao. His expression unchanged, he sprang to his feet.
"What's your name?" Zhou Yi asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Huo Yuhao."
"Who did you fight, and why?" Zhou Yi continued.
"Dai Huabin from New Student Class Five. He thought he could use his status to make me do all the dorm cleaning from now on, so I beat him up and kicked him out of the dorm. I'd rather clean up after myself than put up with some spoiled young master who does nothing just because his family is powerful!" Huo Yuhao replied sharply.
Wang Dong, seated in the front row, furrowed his brows and let out a displeased snort.
"At least you haven't disappointed me!" Zhou Yi's sharp eyes flickered with amusement. Mu Jin, the homeroom teacher of New Student Class Five, had been her rival since their youth. Huo Yuhao was a student in her class, and he was also the Body Origin Martial Soul Owner who had caused such a stir yesterday. The Academy had already taken a keen interest in him.
"Was Huo Yuhao the only one? You're all useless! Dean Flender, the founder of Shrek Academy, once said that those who didn't dare cause trouble were mediocre. Everyone except Huo Yuhao, get out and run a hundred laps around Shrek Academy's square! Anyone who doesn't finish will be expelled!"
Her words sent the whole class into an uproar.
One student stood up in protest. "That's not fair, Teacher! Why do we have to run? Huo Yuhao only got into a fight, yet he's being treated so differently."
Zhou Yi narrowed her eyes, and her powerful presence instantly spread through the room. The two yellow, two purple, and two black Soul Rings that appeared at her feet made every student feel suffocated.
"Because I'm the homeroom teacher. If you don't like it, you can leave. And I'll say this as well: I have the authority to expel students outright. In one minute, I don't want to see any of you still here. Otherwise, you're expelled!"
Everyone went pale. Except for Huo Yuhao, they all streamed out of the classroom. Soon, the enormous room was left with only Huo Yuhao and Zhou Yi.
"Tell me, then. What are the characteristics of your Martial Soul?" Zhou Yi asked Huo Yuhao calmly.
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