Early morning, Shrek Academy's inner courtyard.
Huo Yuhao clutched his aching back, sporting two enormous dark circles under his eyes as he staggered out of Ma Xiaotao's room.
The morning sunlight was a little harsh, but what he found even more blinding was the wild night he'd just had.
"That crazy woman..." Huo Yuhao sucked in a breath and rubbed his sore lower back. He'd thought helping Ma Xiaotao suppress her Evil Fire would be a technical challenge. He hadn't expected it to be a physical one!
A jealous Ma Xiaotao was practically a tireless machine. Her insatiable demands had nearly worn him out, despite his body possessing two Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bones.
"Looks like I need to improve my physical fitness!" Huo Yuhao swore to himself. "I could barely handle Ma Xiaotao. How am I supposed to conquer Senior Sister Zhang Lexuan one day? I've got a long way to go, a long way to go..."
As he shuffled to the dormitory entrance, two familiar figures came into view.
Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao were pacing anxiously, their eyes red from clearly having stayed up all night.
When they saw Huo Yuhao's pale face and unsteady steps, their composure crumbled instantly.
"Class monitor!"
"Yuhao!"
Xiao Xiao couldn't hold back any longer. With a sob, she threw herself into Huo Yuhao's arms, tears streaming down her face. "Waaah... You're finally back! You scared me to death..."
Wang Dong didn't rush over, but her beautiful pink-and-blue eyes were brimming with tears. She bit her lip, guilt and remorse written all over her face. "Yuhao, I'm sorry... We were too weak. In a situation like last night's, all we could do was watch you draw the enemy away by yourself. We couldn't do anything..."
To them, Huo Yuhao's half-dead appearance could only mean that he'd faced a life-or-death battle last night and suffered serious internal injuries.
In life-and-death moments, true feelings came to light.
After agonizing through the night, Xiao Xiao had finally understood her own heart. It now belonged entirely to Huo Yuhao, leaving no room for anyone else.
Seeing Huo Yuhao so weak, Wang Dong felt as if her heart were being torn apart. She secretly vowed, From now on, no matter how much this guy bullies me or bosses me around, I'll put up with it! As long as he's okay!
Huo Yuhao looked at Xiao Xiao crying in his arms, then at Wang Dong's remorseful expression, and couldn't help feeling a little guilty.
Ahem. This misunderstanding was getting a bit out of hand.
But he couldn't very well say, "Actually, Senior Sister dragged me off for a good time last night," could he? They'd probably bite him to death on the spot.
So Huo Yuhao could only manage a gentle, slightly strained smile. He patted Xiao Xiao's back softly and said, "Silly girl, why are you crying? I came back in one piece, didn't I? As long as you're both okay, that's all that matters."
Combined with his pale, weak appearance, those words—"As long as you're both okay"—hit like a knockout blow. Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao were so moved they nearly wanted to tear out their hearts and give them to him right then and there.
After calming the two girls, they headed to the teaching building together.
Talk about bad luck. Just as they reached the building, they ran straight into Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu.
The instant they saw Huo Yuhao, Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu looked as if they'd seen a ghost. Their faces turned deathly pale.
They'd never imagined that Huo Yuhao would survive after they'd sent so many assassins after him, including a Spirit Saint-level expert!
And apart from looking a little pale, he seemed to be completely unharmed!
Feeling guilty, the two instinctively tried to avoid him. They lowered their heads and started to sneak away.
"Stop!"
Wang Dong's sharp shout rang out. She angrily blocked their path, fury blazing in her pink-and-blue eyes. "Dai Huabin! Did you send those assassins last night?!"
Dai Huabin stiffened, then forced himself to look up. "Wang Dong, don't make baseless accusations! What assassins? I have no idea what you're talking about!"
Though he denied it aloud, he cursed furiously to himself: Useless trash! You couldn't even kill a Soul Elder!
"Whether it was you or not, you know the truth."
Huo Yuhao slowly stepped forward, wearing his signature faint smile. He reached out and patted Dai Huabin's shoulder.
The seemingly friendly gesture left Dai Huabin rigid all over. It was as if an ancient Ferocious Beast had fixed its gaze on him, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back.
Huo Yuhao leaned close to Dai Huabin's ear and spoke in a calm voice only the two of them could hear. "This isn't over. Dai Huabin, you'd better pray I don't run into you outside the academy. Otherwise... it'll be a fight to the death."
With that, Huo Yuhao chuckled and strode off with Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao.
Only after Huo Yuhao had gone some distance did Dai Huabin realize his legs were shaking.
"Huabin..." Zhu Lu tugged at his sleeve, her face pale.
"Shut up!" Dai Huabin snarled, his eyes filled with fear and resentment.
He knew Huo Yuhao wasn't joking. That madman could slaughter even a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. Crushing the two of them would be as easy as crushing ants.
Worse still, if the truth came out and Shrek Academy's wrath descended on them, not even his father, the Duke White Tiger, could protect him from the border!
After arriving in the classroom, the three of them had barely warmed their seats before they were summoned to Zhou Yi's office.
When they opened the door, they found several people already inside, all familiar faces—the core members of Class One.
"Class monitor, you look a little pale. Make sure you take care of yourself," Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo said with smiles when they saw Huo Yuhao, concern clear in their eyes.
Huo Yuhao smiled and nodded in reply.
Once everyone had gathered, Zhou Yi said, "I called you here because there's an important task. The academy has decided to hold a Core Disciple Selection Tournament. It's open to all core disciples in the outer courtyard who are fifteen or younger, including those from the Soul Guidance Department. There are twenty-six participants in total."
"Seven will be selected to carry out a special mission. Only the winners will be told what the mission is."
Huo Yuhao understood. This was the selection for the reserve team for the Soul Fighting Tournament among the continent's advanced Soul Master academies—the legendary reserve team for the Shrek Seven Devils.
After explaining the matter, Zhou Yi turned her gaze to Huo Yuhao and frowned slightly. "Huo Yuhao, what's with that face? You look like a ghost. This selection is no small matter. Dean Yan and Dean Qian have both given strict orders that you must place in the top seven. In your condition... are you up to it?"
Everyone looked at Huo Yuhao with concern.
At that, Huo Yuhao deliberately patted his chest with exaggerated force. He hit himself too hard and coughed twice, instantly bringing to mind a frail, tragic beauty from a period drama and making everyone laugh.
"Don't worry, Teacher Zhou." Huo Yuhao straightened his back. His face was still pale, but his eyes were as sharp as blades. "A man can't say he's not up to it."
Seeing Huo Yuhao's stubborn confidence, a hint of amusement flashed through Zhou Yi's eyes.
"Fine. Just don't die in the Soul Fighting Arena. Everyone, go back and get ready. Meet at the Soul Fighting Zone first thing tomorrow morning!"
Before you continue