The token flashed in the sunlight.
There were no intricate patterns on it, just a simply engraved hammer.
The hammer looked ancient, yet exuded an overbearing aura, as if it could smash the heavens to pieces.
Anyone who had spent a few years in the Soul Master World would recognize this emblem. It belonged to the Clear Sky Sect, once the greatest sect under heaven.
"Well? Is this wild enough for you?" Wang Dong'er raised her chin, her beautiful pinkish-blue eyes brimming with the smugness of someone thinking, Come on, beg me to take you along.
She hadn't explained what it was. She was betting that Dai Huabin either wouldn't recognize it or would be startled if he did.
Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie leaned in for a look, both utterly baffled.
The Clear Sky Sect had kept to itself for so long that it was perfectly normal for them not to remember its emblem.
Xiao Xiao blinked her big eyes and stood on tiptoe, staring at it for ages without figuring out what it meant. She wondered if it was some blacksmith's VIP membership card.
Dai Huabin alone wore a particularly interesting expression—though mostly because he was struggling not to laugh.
Of course he knew it was the Clear Sky Token. Wang Dong'er was the Clear Sky Sect's little princess; it would've been stranger if she didn't have privileges like that.
But he deliberately didn't take the bait. He merely shot it a casual glance and said evenly,
"Yeah, it's pretty exquisite. Nice workmanship. All right, since you have connections, come along."
With that, Dai Huabin turned and walked away, his golden hair tracing a sharp arc through the air. He didn't give Wang Dong'er the chance to show off.
"Huh? You!" Wang Dong'er felt like she'd thrown a punch into a pile of cotton. The words caught in her chest, with nowhere to go.
Is this blond idiot really stupid, or is he pretending?
"Dong'er, is that token really impressive?" Xiao Xiao tugged at Wang Dong'er's sleeve and whispered.
"Impressive? That's the—"
Wang Dong'er was just about to explain the Clear Sky Sect's reputation when Dai Huabin's voice drifted back from up ahead.
"The Academic Affairs Office is on break in ten minutes. If we get there late and Director Du goes off for tea, we'll have to stand guard at the entrance."
"Damn blondie, you win this round!"
Wang Dong'er stomped her foot and pulled Xiao Xiao along after him.
"Come on! I refuse to believe we can't get the better of him! We'll go to Class Nine too and hang around right under his nose every day. We'll annoy him to death!"
Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie exchanged a glance, seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes, but they could only hurry after them.
The five of them crossed Shrek Square in a grand procession, heading straight for the Academic Affairs Office building.
They drew an incredible number of stares along the way.
Dai Huabin was handsome in a way that practically screamed nobility. At his side walked the cool beauty Zhu Lu and the alluring Cui Yajie, followed by the stunning, haughty Wang Dong'er and the soft, adorable Xiao Xiao.
That lineup practically had I'm the main character written across their foreheads.
At the back of the group, Xiao Xiao's big, dark green eyes kept darting toward Dai Huabin.
She'd heard plenty of rumors about him before enrolling.
The second young master of the White Tiger Duke Mansion, they said. Ill-tempered, ruthless, and willing to do anything to win.
Yesterday, Wang Dong'er had returned to their dorm and gone on a whole rant, calling him a complete lecherous pervert.
But now Xiao Xiao was a little confused.
The boy up ahead held his back straight and walked with a brisk stride. When he spoke to Zhu Lu, his tone was gentle, and he even slowed down considerately to wait for her and Cui Yajie.
When Wang Dong'er provoked him, he remained composed, like an adult who wouldn't stoop to a child's level.
"How does he seem like a pervert at all?"
Xiao Xiao wondered to herself.
"He's clearly a refined young gentleman. Could it be that Dong'er likes him, and that's why she's lashing out in embarrassment?"
Xiao Xiao felt she'd spotted the flaw in the story.
The Academic Affairs Office was on the top floor of the main teaching building.
Dai Huabin knocked softly, then called from the doorway, "First-year student Dai Huabin requests an audience with Director Du."
A calm "Come in" sounded from within.
The five filed inside.
Behind the broad desk, Du Weilun, the Outer Academy's director of academic affairs, was bent over a stack of student records.
At the noise, he looked up. Seeing the whole group, his brows twitched twice.
Good grief, he knew every one of them.
Dai Huabin, a direct descendant of the White Tiger Duke Mansion, with an exceptionally impressive entrance assessment.
Zhu Lu, the young lady of the Hell Spirit Cat clan.
Those two were a surefire Martial Soul Fusion Skill pair.
Then there was the one with pinkish-blue hair. Du Weilun's eyes narrowed. Wang Dong'er.
The Clear Sky Sect had specifically asked him to keep an eye on her.
As for the other two, they might not come from such illustrious backgrounds, but there weren't many mediocrities who made it into Shrek.
"Are you all here as a group to drop out?" Du Weilun pushed up his glasses and made a joke that wasn't particularly funny.
"Director Du, you're joking."
Dai Huabin stepped forward and bowed with impeccable manners.
"We're here to apply for a class transfer."
"A class transfer?"
Du Weilun set down his pen.
"The academy carefully considered its first-year class assignments. Dai Huabin, you and Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie are in Class Five, while Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao are in Class One. These are the best placements based on your Martial Soul characteristics and potential assessments. Why do you want to transfer?"
Before Dai Huabin could answer, Wang Dong'er couldn't help cutting in.
"I don't think Class One is right for me. I heard that Teacher Zhou Yi loves to physically punish her students. I don't want to suffer!"
Du Weilun's face darkened. "Student Wang Dong'er, watch your language."
Wang Dong'er pouted and slapped the Clear Sky Token down on the desk. "I'm not going to Class One. I want to go to Class Nine!"
Du Weilun looked at the token, the corner of his eye twitching.
These spoiled young masters were such a handful.
Seeing this, Dai Huabin hurriedly picked up the conversation. After all, he was there to get something done, not to pick a fight.
He put on his trademark smile, the sort that made people feel as if a spring breeze had swept over them.
"Director Du, Wang Dong'er has a quick temper. Please don't take it to heart. We actually have very good reasons for wanting to transfer to Class Nine."
"Oh? Let's hear them."
"There are two main reasons."
Dai Huabin held up two fingers.
"First, Zhu Lu and I need a special training environment for our Martial Soul Fusion Skill. Class Five's teaching style leans toward theory, while Class Nine focuses more on practical combat, which better suits our needs. And the second reason..."
Dai Huabin deliberately paused, glancing toward the sofa in the corner of the office.
A female teacher was sitting there, organizing lesson plans.
She looked to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight. She wore a neatly tailored teacher's uniform, her long hair pinned up. Her features were lovely, and her gentle bearing was tempered by a hint of competence.
She was Mu Jin, the homeroom teacher of Freshman Class 9.
Dai Huabin turned and bowed deeply to Mu Jin, speaking with utmost sincerity.
"Actually, the main reason is that we've admired Teacher Mu Jin for a long time."
His words left not only Du Weilun but even Mu Jin, who had been sitting there like part of the background, utterly stunned.
She pointed to herself.
"Me? You admire me?"
"Of course!"
Dai Huabin lied without batting an eye or so much as blushing.
"I did my research before coming to the academy. I heard that Teacher Mu Jin is humble and an excellent instructor. Not only is she powerful, but she also treats her students with the warmth of a spring breeze.
"Unlike certain teachers who only know how to punish and exploit their students. We children who leave home to study yearn most of all for guidance from a mentor and friend like you!"
Those words landed with tremendous force.
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