Even Cao Jinxuan, who had been resisting just moments ago, was now pushing harder than anyone else, shoving through the crowd as he rushed forward, wailing nonstop:
"Yuhao, you absolutely can't forget about me! I want to become a Titled Douluo too!"
Huo Yuhao scratched his head and managed to say:
"Everyone, don't push. There's enough for all of you!"
Zhou Yi watched the students go wild, scrambling to eat the stones. Not only did she make no effort to stop them, but she even wore a deeply approving smile and encouraged them in a ringing voice:
"Good! Now that's the true mindset and perseverance a Soul Master should have!
On the road of cultivation, you should stop at nothing. As long as it makes you stronger and helps you become a top expert, what's the big deal about eating a little excrement?
In the face of absolute strength, dignity isn't worth a single coin!"
At her words, the students who had still been feeling a little embarrassed immediately let go of their reservations and fought even more wildly for their share.
But as Zhou Yi praised them, her gaze suddenly shifted, and she spotted Wang Dong'er standing motionless at the edge of the crowd, staring blankly.
Everyone else was fighting tooth and nail to buy something that would improve their talent. She alone was staying out of it.
Zhou Yi's brows knitted at once, her expression darkening as she fixed Wang Dong'er with a stern gaze and scolded her coldly:
"Wang Dong'er, everyone else is fighting to improve themselves. Why aren't you eating the stones?
Don't you want to improve your talent? Don't you want to become stronger?
If you don't even have this much resolve, how can you become a top Soul Master? How can you make a place for yourself at Shrek?!"
Wang Dong'er stiffened all over, then suddenly came back to her senses, her face instantly turning flustered.
Huh?
I have to eat the stones too?
She hurriedly shook her head at Zhou Yi, speaking quickly and awkwardly:
"Teacher! I won't eat them! My talent is already excellent. I don't need to improve it with something like this!"
She resisted the idea from the bottom of her heart.
Even if the Life Crystal's effects were astonishing,
even if everyone else was fighting over it,
she absolutely would not eat Huo Yuhao's excrement!
She would rather spend countless precious natural treasures on bitter cultivation,
rather toil day and night to temper her Soul Power,
than touch even a speck of that stuff.
Eating the stones or whatever—
No way! I don't want to do that!
By then, the box in Huo Yuhao's hands had been completely cleaned out.
The students with quick hands had even scraped off every last bit of crystal stuck to the sides.
The students who had taken the Life Crystals were now sprawled across the grass, letting out wave after wave of blissful cries.
"That feels amazing! I think I could run another hundred laps right now!"
"Yuhao! You're my second parents!"
"If you don't turn me away, I'll make you my sworn father!"
In the Sea of Consciousness, Zhao Ze leaned back on a couch and watched the commotion outside. His eyes lit up as he immediately said to Huo Yuhao:
"Yuhao, see? This business can't lose! You could set up a stall and sell this outside Shrek Academy at night!"
Huo Yuhao froze, his cheeks flushing in an instant. He spoke awkwardly in his mind:
"Master, do I really have to set up a stall and sell this?"
Just imagining the scene made his toes curl with embarrassment.
"Will people really buy this?
My classmates only ate it because they had to complete Teacher Zhou's training and needed to recover their strength. Would people outside buy it of their own accord?
I can't exactly stand in the street and holler at people to come eat stones, can I?"
"Why wouldn't they buy it?"
Zhao Ze said with a smile.
"Look at how much your classmates enjoyed it.
What does Shrek City have the most of? Soul Masters who want to get stronger!
What wouldn't they do to improve their strength?
This stuff smells good and really works. Even if it stank, there'd still be plenty of people fighting to buy it as long as it made them stronger!"
Huo Yuhao watched his classmates outside, still looking unsatisfied, and his hesitation slowly faded. He nodded without thinking.
He suddenly felt that his master's idea might really work!
After the morning's classes ended, the afternoon brought another physical training session.
The students who had taken the Life Crystals ran as if the wind were beneath their feet. Even after finishing, they were still full of life, leaving Zhou Yi beaming.
Wang Dong'er, of course, was not among them.
She'd rather die than touch anything Huo Yuhao had. She gritted her teeth and forced herself through the weighted run, then collapsed on the plaza as soon as it was over.
Soon, Zhou Yi dismissed the class.
Huo Yuhao went to the restroom again. When he came out, he hurried toward the entrance of Shrek Academy with his head lowered and a box in his hands.
The boy's cheeks were so red they looked ready to drip blood, and his face was full of poorly hidden panic and embarrassment.
"Hmm? Why's that guy sneaking around?"
Not far away, Wang Dong'er had just caught her breath when she happened to see this. Her pink-and-blue eyes were full of confusion.
After class, he wasn't going to the cafeteria or the dorms. Instead, he was heading for the academy gate, looking like he had a guilty conscience. It definitely couldn't be anything good!
She gave a snort. Her curiosity instantly overpowered her exhaustion, and she quietly softened her steps as she followed Huo Yuhao.
She was going to see what ridiculous thing that guy was up to!
Wang Dong'er followed Huo Yuhao all the way out through the east gate of Shrek Academy.
Outside was a bustling snack street, crowded with vendors and filled with the constant calls of hawkers and the lively bustle of daily life.
Huo Yuhao first ducked into a nearby general store and bought a folding table, a small stool,
and a wooden board. Then he crouched by the roadside, bent over the board, and spent ages writing on it.
Once he had set up the folding table, he hung the sign he'd written on the front.
Then he carefully placed the box in the middle of the table, sat straight-backed on the small stool, and waited for customers.
At first, Wang Dong'er, hiding behind a big tree nearby, was full of confusion. She craned her neck, trying to see what treasure he was selling.
But when she read what was written on the sign, she was completely dumbfounded.
The wooden sign was covered in crooked, oversized characters:
Huo's Excrement, containing ultra-pure Life Crystals! Improves your constitution and boosts your talent!
Below that was an even bigger, more eye-catching line:
If you don't even have the resolve to eat stones, how can you become a Titled Douluo? Come eat stones!!!
Wang Dong'er was completely numb after reading it.
Huo Yuhao had actually brought this stuff out to sell at a stall?
And he'd written such an absurd, bizarre sign?
Had he no shame?!
She had lived this long and had never seen anyone dare to set up a stall in the street to sell this kind of thing.
And yet,
he was selling it with such confidence!
Huo Yuhao found it strange too. In the Sea of Consciousness, he said to Zhao Ze:
"Master! Will anyone really buy it if I write it like this?"
Zhao Ze nodded with a smile:
"Guaranteed!"
At that moment, students who had been passing by the stall saw the sign. They first froze, then stopped to gawk, and an uproar of discussion erupted at once.
"Junior, are you desperate for money or something? You're actually selling excrement?"
"Eat stones to become a Titled Douluo? Are you pulling some kind of prank?"
"This is my first time seeing someone set up a stall to sell this stuff. Well, I've seen everything now!"
As the crowd grew, Huo Yuhao opened the box. At once, a fragrant scent drifted out.
Before you continue