The Return of the Monster and the Shunned Wang Dong

The Extreme North Ice Plains remained shrouded in wind and snow.

When Huo Yuhao opened his eyes once more, the sensation of being reborn made him want to let out a long roar.

The soul power within his body surged like a rushing river, vast and solid, as if every movement he made was brimming with infinite strength.

He sank his consciousness into his sea of spirit.

Good heavens!

The once-empty sea of spirit was now as bustling as a teahouse, and it had expanded several times over.

The plump body of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was twisting excitedly: "He's awake, he's awake! Yuhao is finally awake! Haha, with the Ice Empress and the Snow Empress here, we have just enough for a game of mahjong!"

Huo Yuhao chuckled; he had mentioned the game to the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm back when he was bored, never expecting it to remember until now.

To the side, the Ice Empress, having taken on a human form, glanced at him coldly. Though she remained as haughty as ever, the shock in the depths of her eyes could not be hidden.

As for the noble and icy Snow Empress, she floated silently in mid-air, a hint of gratification in her eyes as she looked at Huo Yuhao.

"An unprecedented monster!" The Snow Empress parted her lips slightly to deliver her verdict.

He was indeed a monster; his second martial soul already possessed three hundred-thousand-year soul rings.

Although the current Huo Yuhao certainly could not fully unleash their true power, those hundred-thousand-year soul rings were undeniably real.

Three months ago, he was a good-for-nothing who didn't even have a first soul ring. And now, he was a level 31 Soul Elder! Twin Martial Souls! Ultimate Ice!

This rocket-like speed of advancement would likely scare a group of Title Douluo to death if word got out.

Just then, a cold, mechanical voice rang out abruptly in Huo Yuhao's mind.

[Ding! Detected intense emotional fluctuations from God King Tang in the God Realm.]

[Emotions: Shock, anger, jealousy, desire for control.]

[Anger points +5000!]

A mocking sneer curled the corners of Huo Yuhao's lips.

The God King Tang, far away in the God Realm, must be unable to sit still, right?

Who wouldn't be green with envy at such a heaven-defying start?

Huo Yuhao's circumstances made Tang San's early years look like absolute trash.

Shock and anger? Jealousy? Huo Yuhao thought to himself, Tang San, this is only the beginning. I will tear your ten-thousand-year grand plan to pieces, bit by bit.

"Yuhao, stop grinning like a fool!" The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm suddenly shouted, interrupting Huo Yuhao's train of thought. "Do you know how long you've been asleep? It's been nearly a month! Including the travel time, you've been away from Shrek Academy for over a month!"

"What?!"

Huo Yuhao's expression changed. Over a month? Did that mean... the freshman assessment had already started?!

"It's over, it's over! If I miss the assessment, that old hag Zhou Yi will definitely skin me alive!"

Huo Yuhao dared not delay. With a flash, he took to his sword and sped away.

With his reborn spiritual power and soul power, even while taking the time to add two soul rings to his first martial soul, the Golden Eyes, he managed to cross ten thousand miles in just two days, arriving back at Shrek Academy, travel-worn and weary.

Shrek Academy, Freshman Class One classroom.

Class was currently in session.

"Report!"

A slightly breathless voice rang out at the door.

The entire class fell silent.

Every pair of eyes turned in unison toward the travel-worn youth at the entrance.

The class monitor, who had been missing for over a month, had appeared.

Zhou Yi, standing at the podium, lifted her head abruptly. The two icy, gloomy eyes instantly erupted with tangible killing intent, pinning Huo Yuhao to the spot.

If looks could kill, Huo Yuhao would have already been sliced into pieces three thousand times over.

"Get in!"

Unexpectedly, Zhou Yi did not fly into a rage on the spot; her voice was merely as cold as falling sleet. "Go back to your seat."

Under the gazes of his classmates—some gloating, some astonished—Huo Yuhao hurried back to his seat.

The moment he sat down, he felt two gazes.

One came from his left, filled with surprise and worry—it was Xiao Xiao.

The other came from his right, filled with resentment and haughtiness—it was Wang Dong.

Huo Yuhao winked at the two of them, signaling that they would talk after class.

Finally, the bell rang.

"Huo Yuhao, come to my office." Zhou Yi dropped the words and walked away without looking back.

The air pressure in the office was suffocatingly low.

Zhou Yi sat in her chair, her fingers tapping rhythmically against the desk, producing a "tap, tap" sound that felt like it was striking directly at one's heart.

"Explain yourself." Zhou Yi looked at Huo Yuhao coldly. "You disappeared for over a month. Did you go to hunt for soul rings, or did you go to save the world?"

Huo Yuhao scratched his head, looking innocent. "Teacher Zhou, what if I said... I didn't just hunt for one soul ring?"

Huo Yuhao didn't speak, merely offering a faint smile as his soul power surged.

Hum—!

His Golden Eyes martial soul was released in an instant.

Immediately following, three soul rings rose slowly from beneath his feet.

The first, purple!

The second, black!

The third, black!

One purple and two black!

Zhou Yi, who had been fully prepared to unleash a torrent of scolding, was suddenly like a duck whose neck had been throttled; her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and her mouth hung open wide enough to fit a fist.

"This... this..."

Zhou Yi stood up abruptly, knocking her chair over in the process. "Three rings?! Ten-thousand-year soul rings?! Are you... are you insane?!"

A thousand-year first soul ring was already unheard of, but for the second and third soul rings to both be ten-thousand-year ones?! This completely defied the common sense of the soul master world!

"I got lucky and encountered some special opportunities." Huo Yuhao had already prepared his excuse. "After absorbing the soul rings, I fell into a deep slumber. When I woke up, I was already at level thirty, so I just went ahead and obtained the third soul ring as well."

"Just went ahead..." Zhou Yi's mouth twitched. Listen to that—is that even human language?

But looking at the monstrous youth before her, the anger in Zhou Yi's heart had long since vanished.

The Soul Guidance Department treated him like a treasure, and now, the Martial Soul Department would likely want to enshrine him as well.

Huo Yuhao could have used his Simulation soul skill to disguise the color of his soul rings, but there was no need. At Shrek Academy, hiding one's talent only led to being looked down upon; only by showing one's edge could one earn respect and sufficient resources.

"Fine, I won't ask about your opportunities." Zhou Yi took a deep breath, steadying her emotions. "You've returned at just the right time. The freshman assessment has reached the round of thirty-two. Because you were gone, Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao had to fight two against three. They've been fighting for their lives these past few days just to keep your spot."

Huo Yuhao's heart stirred. The images of that tsundere roommate and the soft, adorable girl surfaced in his mind, and his gaze softened.

"Don't worry, Teacher Zhou." Huo Yuhao nodded earnestly. "In the upcoming matches, I will carry them to victory."

Stepping out of the office, Huo Yuhao paused in his tracks.

Around the corner of the corridor, two sneaky figures were pressed against the wall, eavesdropping. Seeing Huo Yuhao emerge, the two immediately stood straight, pretending to admire the scenery.

"Oh my, this wall is so white!" Wang Dong stood with her hands behind her back, looking up at the ceiling with an expression that screamed, "I'm just passing through."

Huo Yuhao sneered inwardly: Not as white as your backside.

Xiao Xiao, however, didn't have such reservations. She rushed over, her large eyes brimming with tears. "Class monitor! You're finally back! Wuwuwu... I thought you'd been expelled! Where on earth have you been this past month?"

Looking at the little girl who was on the verge of tears, Huo Yuhao felt a warmth in his heart and reached out to pat her head. "Sorry, sorry, I ran into some unexpected circumstances and came back late. To make it up to you, I'll treat you to grilled fish tonight, all you can eat!"

"Really? That's great!" Xiao Xiao broke into a smile through her tears, her cheeks flushed red.

Huo Yuhao smiled and nodded. During their two months as desk-mates, he had occasionally teased the little girl, never expecting to have completely captured her heart.

Only then did Huo Yuhao seem to notice Wang Dong standing nearby, and he said casually, "Oh, Wang Dong is here too? Well... if you have nothing better to do, you can come along. It's just adding another pair of chopsticks anyway."

Wang Dong: "..."

Having just felt the heavy stone in her heart drop upon seeing Huo Yuhao return safely, Wang Dong was instantly choked by those words.

What does "is here too" mean?

What does "if you have nothing better to do, you can come along" mean?

What does "just adding another pair of chopsticks" mean?

Am I just an afterthought to you?!

I'm such a fool, fetching your foot-washing water for two months!

Wang Dong clenched her fists in anger, her handsome little face turning bright red, feeling incredibly wronged.

He had already bullied her like that, yet she had worried about this jerk every single day, fighting tooth and nail two-against-three during the matches, only for this guy to return and focus entirely on coaxing Xiao Xiao, treating her like this?

Why don't you just die out there?

"I'm not eating! Who cares about your lousy grilled fish!" Wang Dong roared through gritted teeth and turned to leave.

"Oh, you're really not eating? That's my secret recipe; others can't even get a taste if they wanted to." Huo Yuhao sighed with feigned regret.

Wang Dong's departing footsteps froze instantly.

Three seconds later, she spun around, glaring fiercely at Huo Yuhao, her eyes slightly red, yet she still held her chin high. "Hmph! Since you're begging me, this young master will reluctantly go and have a taste! If it tastes bad, I'll smash your stall!"

Watching Wang Dong's tsundere expression—"I'm very angry but I want to eat"—Huo Yuhao couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Still the same recipe, the same familiar flavor.

In truth, Huo Yuhao found Wang Dong quite cute; what he detested was the stitched-together monster Tang Wutong that would appear later.

But for now, Tang Wutong couldn't emerge, and if he wanted to farm Tang San's anger points, he would just have to make Wang Dong suffer a little.

Sometimes, when he bullied her a bit too much, Huo Yuhao would have to coax her, fearing he might actually drive Wang Dong away.

Only by balancing tension and relaxation could he ensure sustainable development.