"Wang Feng admits defeat! The winner is Huo Yuhao!" Wang Yan seemed to have expected this. The moment Wu Feng conceded, he stood up and began applauding Huo Yuhao.
The other students came to their senses, too, and applause surged toward Huo Yuhao. Even Wu Feng, still on the stage, joined in.
"You didn't have to give up so quickly. Maybe my Soul Power would've been nearly exhausted in a little while," Huo Yuhao said as he walked over to Wu Feng.
"Heh, don't think I couldn't tell. Those martial arts techniques you used against me didn't need Soul Power to back them up at all. Keeping this up would've just been asking for a beating." Wu Feng shrugged. After withdrawing her Martial Soul, she patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder.
"Even though I lost today, I'm more or less convinced. But don't get too carried away, Class Monitor. The Unlimited Division is hardly short on geniuses."
With that, Wu Feng acted as though nothing had happened and headed toward the stands alongside Huo Yuhao.
And the first person to greet Huo Yuhao was, without a doubt, Dong'er.
"I knew you could do it!" She rushed right up to Huo Yuhao and threw her arms around him. Fortunately, he was ready this time; otherwise, with Dong'er's strength, she probably would've knocked him flat again.
"Of course I could." Huo Yuhao's answer was firm and confident. He couldn't help looking over at Wu Feng, who had run to Ning Tian's side. There was no dejection on her face at having lost—only the joy of meeting a worthy opponent.
He couldn't help wondering: had he finally made peace with the person he'd once been?
In his previous life, he and Wu Feng had also fought over the class officer election. But neither the fight nor its outcome had gone nearly as smoothly as today.
Back then, Wu Feng had been far more hostile than she was now. Unlike the friendly sparring match today, she had hated Huo Yuhao outright. He could even remember the look in her eyes as she'd wanted to kill him...
And Huo Yuhao himself had been in no better shape. He knew perfectly well that he and Wu Feng had no deep-seated grudge, yet he'd let the other person's words drive him to force his own hatred onto her. If his teacher hadn't helped him, he might have made a terrible mistake.
Huo Yuhao could clearly feel that, although he hadn't been in this world for long, the intense hatred and negative emotions he'd carried when he'd first been reborn had almost completely disappeared.
Perhaps the pressure of his studies had left him no time to dwell on those negative emotions. But Huo Yuhao preferred to believe that this world's kindness toward him had made him choose to let them go.
A world filled with kindness toward him...
Huo Yuhao seemed to understand why he'd been reborn in this world.
By the time everyone returned to the classroom, two periods had passed. Huo Yuhao and Wu Feng hadn't expected the fight to have lasted so long when they saw the time displayed on the wall.
"Did we... really fight for that long?" Wu Feng was surprised, too. She'd been thinking of finding time to challenge Huo Yuhao again, but two whole periods had gone by just like that. She hadn't even gotten her fill of fighting...
"Feng, there'll be plenty of chances during future practical classes. Even though you lost the class monitor position, I'm glad you didn't act on impulse like you used to back in the clan. That's progress." Ning Tian patted Wu Feng on the shoulder, then turned her gaze to Huo Yuhao, who was seated in the front row.
"You're making me blush, Young Mistress... But now that you mention it, Huo Yuhao really is an unusual person."
Wu Feng looked toward Huo Yuhao as well.
"At first, when I found out he'd taken your position, I was unhappy. You know that, to me, you're unquestionably the best in the world."
"There've been other idiots who didn't know their place and tried to challenge your position. But they were usually just taking advantage of the fact that you're an auxiliary-type Soul Master. They couldn't even last three rounds against me."
"What I hate most are those people who talk a big game but have no real skill to back it up. But from the very start of my fight with Huo Yuhao, I could tell that this boy really had the strength to match his position."
"Exactly. That's why you're convinced by him," Ning Tian added.
"Find a chance to get on good terms with him. With his talent, Spirit Hall won't just sit back and do nothing. And I have a feeling that the girl who's always with him isn't ordinary either." Ning Tian pointed toward Dong'er, who sat nearby.
"Unlike Huo Yuhao, that girl is a genuine Power Attack System Soul Master. She must also have a First Soul Ring that exceeds the usual limit. Her Soul Power is at level thirteen. Although it's not as stunning as Huo Yuhao's Thousand-Year Soul Ring, she's still a highly sought-after talent in the Soul Master World."
"Power Attack System..." Wu Feng quickly picked up on the key words, her gaze shifting from Huo Yuhao to Dong'er.
"I wonder how strong she is."
Wu Feng could hardly wait to challenge both of them separately during tomorrow's practical class.
Just as the two finished talking, Wang Yan saw that everyone below had about finished their conversations. He clapped his hands, drawing their attention to him.
"Now that the fight between Wu Feng and Huo Yuhao has decided the winner, I assume no one has any objections to this list of class officers?"
The students below, including Wu Feng and Ning Tian, all shook their heads in unison, indicating that they had no objections.
Wang Yan nodded with satisfaction, then announced the other class officer positions.
Huo Yuhao served as both class monitor and control-type group leader. Dong'er had no additional position besides vice class monitor. So far, no one except the people from Dong'er's hometown knew just how much fighting strength she had, and the position of Power Attack System group leader naturally went to Wu Feng.
"Class is nearly over, so that's all for now. Since it happens to be Friday, I'll make an executive decision: you can skip the last two periods and head back to your dorms early to rest. But don't get too relaxed and forget to cultivate."
With that, Wang Yan left the classroom without looking back. The other students broke into a loud cheer.
"So this is the freedom of the Unlimited Division? You can actually decide whether or not to hold class..." Huo Yuhao couldn't help feeling a little awkward. In Zhou Yi's class, there were even teachers who specifically checked the progress of the day's lessons and classroom discipline. But here, even whether to hold class seemed to be up to the teacher.
"Well, it is the Unlimited Division..." Dong'er agreed. But this suited her just fine. She remembered that Huo Yuhao had mentioned ages ago that he was great at grilling fish. Honestly, she'd been longing for that taste.
"By the way, Yuhao, didn't you say you were good at grilling fish? I've wanted to try it for ages!" Dong'er looked at Huo Yuhao expectantly, practically drooling.
"Grilled fish..." Huo Yuhao found it a little strange. He didn't remember mentioning grilled fish to Dong'er. How had she found out?
Still, seeing Dong'er's eager expression, Huo Yuhao didn't dwell on it and simply agreed.
But just as Huo Yuhao and Dong'er had packed up their desks and were about to head out to find somewhere they could fish and start a fire, Wu Feng and Ning Tian appeared beside Huo Yuhao's desk.
"Class Monitor, I wonder if Feng and I could share in Dong'er's good fortune and try your cooking?"
Before you continue