Morning mist shrouded the Star Dou Great Forest.
Huo Yuhao and Zhang Lexuan raced through the woods, searching for their scattered teammates.
After three days of recuperation, Zhang Lexuan's injuries were no longer a concern. Still, an indescribable awkwardness hung between the two of them.
Zhang Lexuan, in particular, usually warm and composed as the inner court's senior sister, now kept unconsciously avoiding Huo Yuhao's gaze.
During those three days, they'd shared plenty of intimate physical contact as she recovered.
Though it had been to save her life, the thought that Huo Yuhao was Ma Xiaotao's "officially claimed" boyfriend left Zhang Lexuan feeling as tangled up as a knotted ball of yarn.
"Senior Sister, I found them."
Huo Yuhao suddenly stopped. Golden light flowed through his eyes as Spiritual Detection Sharing instantly linked him to Zhang Lexuan.
That all-knowing, godlike, bird's-eye view descended once more. Zhang Lexuan's heart fluttered, but she forced down her strange feelings and looked in the direction Huo Yuhao indicated.
Several kilometers away, Ma Xiaotao and the others were searching anxiously.
When the two reached the rendezvous point, Ma Xiaotao had been wearing a murderous expression, ready to turn the forest upside down. But the moment she saw Huo Yuhao, she froze.
"Yuhao!"
The overbearing, fearsome Flame Maniac had tears in her eyes as she charged at him without a second thought and pulled him into a tight embrace, squeezing him as if she wanted to meld him into her very bones.
"You scared me to death! If anything had happened to you, I would've burned down the Star Dou Great Forest and buried you in its ashes!"
Feeling the woman in his arms tremble, Huo Yuhao's heart warmed. He gently patted her back to comfort her. "I'm fine, Sister Xiaotao. And I even came out of it stronger."
Watching them hold each other close, Zhang Lexuan's eyes dimmed slightly. She quietly stepped back, feeling even more awkward, as if she were an unnecessary outsider.
Just as everyone's emotions were running high, an elderly figure descended from the sky.
"Ahem. Everyone's here? Nobody missing an arm or a leg?"
Xuan Zi held a chicken leg in one hand and a wine gourd in the other. His clothes had several large holes in them, and he looked rather battered, but he clearly hadn't suffered any serious injuries.
"Elder Xuan!" Everyone hurriedly saluted him.
Xuan Zi waved a hand and looked at Huo Yuhao, a glint in his eyes. "Yuhao, you're in luck. I fought that beast, the Scarlet King, and our clash caught an unlucky Soul Beast in the crossfire. It's a fifty-thousand-year Silver Shadow Beast, grievously wounded and close to death. Its attributes are a perfect match for your Golden Eyes Martial Soul. Go finish it off."
A fifty-thousand-year Silver Shadow Beast!
It was one of the finest spiritual Soul Beasts, with an extraordinary ability to imitate and replicate!
Without hesitation, Huo Yuhao followed Xuan Zi to the dying Silver Shadow Beast, swiftly finished it off, then sat cross-legged and began to draw in its Soul Ring.
Half an hour later.
When Huo Yuhao opened his eyes again, four Soul Rings slowly rose beneath his feet.
Purple, black, black, black!
One purple and three black!
The entire group fell silent.
Even the well-traveled women of the inner court couldn't help drawing in sharp breaths.
A fifty-thousand-year Soul Ring as his fourth? Was he even human?
"Monster..." Han Ruoruo muttered. "Even across the whole continent, that lineup would make him a monster among monsters."
Wu Ming was even more blunt. "Yuhao, why are you going back to the outer court with strength like that? Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi are getting ready for the inner court exam. I'd say you're at least eight times stronger than them now. Why not just come back to the inner court with us?"
Huo Yuhao withdrew his Soul Rings and smiled faintly. "You flatter me, Senior Sister. I've only just finished my first year, and my foundation still needs work. There's no rush to enter the inner court."
The women rolled their eyes.
With strength like that, he still thought his foundation was lacking? What did that make everyone else in the outer court—scraps?
Only Ma Xiaotao wore a meaningful smile. She knew exactly what the boy was thinking.
"All right, stop teasing him." Ma Xiaotao stepped forward, straightened Huo Yuhao's collar, and whispered in his ear, "You just can't bear to leave your little roommate and sidekick, can you? When we get back to the academy, I'll give you a day off. Go on."
Shrek Academy dormitory.
Huo Yuhao pushed open the door to Room 108 and immediately sensed a fierce gust of wind rushing at him from the side!
"Huo Yuhao! Take this!"
With a sharp cry, Wang Dong spread her brilliant Light Goddess Butterfly wings, while one yellow and two purple Soul Rings pulsed around her.
She clearly hadn't spent her month-long break idly after returning to the Clear Sky Sect. She'd not only advanced to Soul Elder, but her two fathers had also stuffed her with all sorts of rare treasures, greatly boosting her strength.
Wang Dong was now brimming with confidence.
She believed she was no longer the Wang Dong who used to get beaten by Huo Yuhao. It was time to turn the tables! She would become the boss of the dorm!
Yet faced with her sudden ambush, Huo Yuhao didn't even lift an eyelid.
He didn't even summon his Martial Soul.
The instant Wang Dong's fist was about to reach him, Huo Yuhao moved.
His movements were as swift as Gui Mei's. His right hand reached out casually, caught Wang Dong by the wrist, then pulled and twisted.
"Ow!"
An irresistible force swept over Wang Dong, and she instantly lost her balance. After the world spun around her, she found herself pinned to the bed again!
In that same humiliating position!
"Wang Dong, you've learned a few tricks in the month we've been apart, huh?" Huo Yuhao sneered, a dangerous edge in his voice.
"Y-you, let go of me! I'm not convinced! I haven't even used my Soul Skill!" Wang Dong struggled desperately, her long legs kicking wildly, but Huo Yuhao's overwhelming strength left her unable to move.
"Not convinced? Looks like life as the young master of the Clear Sky Sect has gone to your head."
Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes. He could feel that the month apart had brought back Wang Dong's proud, haughty temperament—and even stirred up a rebellious streak in her.
That wouldn't do.
If the husband couldn't keep order at home, how could he bring peace to the world?
"Smack!"
A sharp sound echoed through the dorm.
Wang Dong's eyes flew open. She was completely stunned.
A burning sting flared across her bottom, followed by a wave of overwhelming embarrassment.
"Huo Yuhao! You dare hit me... Waaah!"
"Smack! Smack! Smack!"
Huo Yuhao didn't waste words. His hand rose and fell in a steady rhythm.
This time, he didn't hold back. Every slap landed with real force.
"Have you learned your lesson?"
"Waaah... You jerk! I'm going to kill you... Ow!"
"Still talking back?"
"Smack! Smack!"
The Divine Realm.
Tang San had lost it again.
"You brat! How dare you hit Xiao Qi's... there! You think you can hit her there?! You deserve to die! This is absolutely a death sentence!"
Tang San raged, but he couldn't interfere. All he could do was watch helplessly as his precious daughter got "beaten at home."
Back in the dorm.
Wang Dong finally broke down, tears welling in her eyes as she begged for mercy. "I was wrong! I was wrong! Stop hitting me! Waaah... It's swollen, it really is!"
She was genuinely crying now. That familiar, despairing feeling of being overpowered had shattered the confidence she'd only just built up.
In front of this boy, her talent and background—things she'd always been proud of—seemed not to exist at all.
Only then did Huo Yuhao stop. Looking at Wang Dong sobbing on the bed, he thought, That'll teach you. Did you really think I couldn't handle you?
He let go, took a jar of ointment from his Storage Soul Tool, and tossed it onto the bed.
"All right, stop crying. Put some ointment on. I'll take you to meet Xiao Xiao for a meal in a bit."
Wang Dong sniffled, grabbed the ointment with a wounded expression, and secretly glared at Huo Yuhao as she wiped away her tears. But she didn't dare cause any more trouble.
That beating had completely crushed her rebellious streak. In its place was a deeper, almost instinctive obedience and dependence.
"Hmph... Once I've put the ointment on, you have to buy me the most expensive grilled fish!" Wang Dong grumbled through her tears.
Huo Yuhao's lips curved upward. He ruffled her smooth, short hair. "As long as you behave, I'll buy you all the grilled fish you can eat."
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