After checking the class assignments, Mo Yuan headed toward the dormitory building with Ning Tian and Wu Feng.
Just as they were about to enter the building, Mo Yuan paused slightly. He glanced into the distance as if casually taking in the surroundings,
but the actual target of his gaze was a long bench at the edge of his peripheral vision.
An elderly man sat there. He wore grey cloth, and the wrinkles on his face looked deep enough to trap several flies at once.
His eyes were dim, his lids drooped, and he looked like he was on his last legs. Sunlight streaming between the buildings fell right on him, concealing the unmistakable air of decline that Mo Yuan could see.
Their gazes met for an instant, then parted. Mo Yuan turned and walked straight into the dormitory building. His expression remained unchanged, but he was far from calm inside.
The most powerful expert of the age, a Ninety-ninth Rank Extreme Douluo, Sea God Pavilion Master, and Dragon God Douluo—Mu En.
With a Black King's Blood Martial Soul more sinister than even an Evil Martial Soul, Mo Yuan couldn't help feeling tense in the presence of this Peerless Expert, the greatest enemy of Evil Soul Masters. But that was all.
If he were truly exposed, he wouldn't hesitate to perform Life Exchange—to trade his own life for the Black King's arrival, engraving his mark with blood and death.
Mu En lay still on the bench, basking in the sunlight. But once Mo Yuan disappeared inside the dormitory building, a glint surfaced in his cloudy eyes. He murmured,
"Eleven years old, Forty-first Rank Soul Power, an elemental-type Body Martial Soul called Golden Eyes, and born a commoner. The younger generation is truly impressive. Even in my era, he would have been a peerless genius. A clean background and exceptional talent—perhaps he could take over for me..."
"But did that little fellow's gaze just fall on me? Was he curious, or did he already know me? Heh. In all these centuries, this is the first time a youngster has made me so curious..."
After saying this, Mu En suddenly let out a faint sigh. The air of decline around him grew even stronger. Looking at the students all around, brimming with youthful energy like the rising sun, a trace of worry appeared in his eyes.
"Praise My King's awakening. Destruction is rebirth... Who is He, and what will He bring?"
"A storm is brewing. I only hope the academy won't be caught in it..."
Once they entered the dormitory building, Ning Tian and Wu Feng said goodbye to Mo Yuan and went straight upstairs, since the fourth floor and above were reserved for the Girls' Dormitory.
Mo Yuan's dormitory was Room 109. After checking several room numbers and working out their layout, he headed down the left side of the corridor.
When he reached his door, Mo Yuan didn't unlock it right away. Instead, he glanced at the room across the hall. Its door was still shut, and the number on it was 108.
If nothing unexpected had happened, that was Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong's room.
Mo Yuan looked away from Room 108 and prepared to open his own door. It seemed his roommate had already arrived, because the door swung open with a gentle turn of the handle.
The room was tiny, about ten square meters. Two beds took up most of the space, and the only other furnishings were a table and two metal wardrobes.
A Soul Guide Lamp on the ceiling brightly illuminated the small dormitory.
A boy who looked about Mo Yuan's age sat cross-legged on the bed to the left, his eyes closed in meditation. Hearing the door open, he slowly opened his eyes and looked toward the sound.
But when he saw Mo Yuan standing in the doorway, he froze, a look of astonishment crossing his face. "Classmate, are you sure you're in the right place? The Girls' Dormitory is on the fourth floor and above."
???
Several question marks appeared over Mo Yuan's head. For a moment, he couldn't even process what he'd heard.
"I'm a guy," Mo Yuan said after recovering, his smile not reaching his eyes.
"Huh?!" Hearing Mo Yuan's unmistakably masculine voice, the boy looked utterly taken aback. He quickly hopped off the bed and came over, extending his right hand. Scratching his head sheepishly, he said,
"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to insult you. It's just that you're honestly a little..." He looked at Mo Yuan's strikingly beautiful, almost bewitching face—the envy of countless women—and a faint blush appeared on his cheeks.
"A little too good-looking. I just didn't realize right away..."
What the hell was with that blush? Was he blushing over some nonsense?!
Seeing the faint red on his roommate's face, Mo Yuan's heart gave a start. When two shields clashed, the worst they could do was scrape against each other. But when two spears crossed, every strike was a critical hit.
In this situation, Mo Yuan would rather have a knife in his back than some other ghostly thing.
Suppressing his discomfort, Mo Yuan shifted slightly to put some distance between them, then shook the boy's outstretched hand. "It's fine. Now you know I'm a guy."
"Glad to hear it. I'm Bai Yi. My Martial Soul is the Light Feather Ice Bow."
Bai Yi couldn't match Mo Yuan's looks, but he was still exceptionally handsome. He was just a little short and looked somewhat younger. His hair was a rare shade of silvery white.
"Mo Yuan. My Martial Soul is Golden Eyes." When Mo Yuan heard the name of Bai Yi's Martial Soul, the Light Feather Ice Bow, he suddenly thought of someone—a person unknown to the people native to Douluo, but familiar to any transmigrator.
The Spirit Hall's Five Offerings, Light Feather Douluo.
Mo Yuan had his suspicions, but didn't ask outright. They had only just learned each other's names and weren't close yet. They'd have plenty of time together; he could ask later.
Then Mo Yuan took the bedding he'd prepared from his Soul Tool and began making his bed.
When Bai Yi heard that Mo Yuan's Martial Soul was Golden Eyes, a look of surprise crossed his face. Clearly, he'd also guessed that Mo Yuan possessed a rather rare Body Martial Soul.
But like Mo Yuan, he knew it would be rude to ask directly about someone else's background. He'd volunteered the name of his Martial Soul because the other person would find out sooner or later, so there was no harm in mentioning it now.
But prying further would only make people uncomfortable.
With his keen powers of observation, Mo Yuan could tell that aside from being a bit of a chatterbox, Bai Yi meant no harm. The two of them started chatting here and there, gradually growing more familiar.
Aside from the misunderstanding when they first met, everything was peaceful. There were no abrupt challenges because someone disliked the look of the other, nor arguments over petty disagreements—just the politeness and reserve of roommates meeting for the first time.
Mo Yuan had lived alone for most of his life, so he knew how to take care of himself. Making his bed and tidying up took him no time at all.
Lying on the pelt of a five-thousand-year-old Silvermoon Wolf King, he finally felt the exhaustion from several days of travel ease.
Warm sunlight streamed through the window between the headboards, falling on the floor, where a few damp patches remained. The faint scent of dust filled his nose, and the scene—so much like a dormitory from his student days in his previous life—left Mo Yuan momentarily dazed.
It had been twelve years since he transmigrated. Looking back now, it seemed to have passed in the blink of an eye.
After silently reflecting on how Time Flies, Mo Yuan turned to look at the bed across from him.
Bai Yi, who had been chatting away just moments earlier, was now silent. He sat cross-legged on the bed with his eyes closed, wisps of pale white chill drifting around him.
Was he that trusting of me, or was he simply careless...? Mo Yuan wondered with interest.
The greatest taboo when a Soul Master cultivated was being disturbed. One careless mistake could cause Soul Power to clash and damage the Meridians. Yet Bai Yi was already cultivating in front of Mo Yuan, a stranger he'd known for barely an hour. Was he simply careless, or was there some other reason?
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