The Sea God's Scheme

"Do you think I've been giving you too much face?"

Long Yaochen stood up abruptly and walked right up to Huo Yuhao.

Looking down at the "Son of Destiny" who was half a head shorter than him, Long Yaochen unleashed his aura, vast and oppressive as an abyss, directly onto Huo Yuhao.

The mere overflow of this pressure caused the surrounding students' expressions to shift, a single thought rising in their minds simultaneously.

The hell? This is a Soul Elder?

Is this for real?

If someone claimed this soul power pressure belonged to a Soul King, no one would even question it.

Beads of sweat the size of peas rolled down Huo Yuhao's forehead; fortunately, Old Tang in his Sea of Spirit provided him with some support.

Otherwise...

"Yaochen." Zhang Lexuan's voice rang out calmly, cutting through Long Yaochen's pressure.

Long Yaochen was stunned for a moment before helplessly retracting his aura.

"I don't know who gave you this confidence, but once you win your way to me, I'll show you what 'qualifications' really mean." Long Yaochen patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder lightly.

The palm, which appeared incredibly light, felt like Mount Tai pressing down the moment it landed on Huo Yuhao.

Bang—

Huo Yuhao slammed onto the floor, the chair beneath him failing to offer any resistance as it shattered instantly.

Long Yaochen glanced at Huo Yuhao, who was gritting his teeth and struggling to stand, a flicker of doubt crossing his mind.

Why does this kid give me such a familiar feeling?

"That's enough." Zhang Lexuan tapped the podium with her knuckles. The sound wasn't loud, but it silenced the classroom. She looked at Long Yaochen, "This is a classroom, not the Soul Fighting Arena. If there is a next time, you will be going to receive punishment just the same."

With that, she turned to the rest of the class: "Everyone disperse. Go to the training grounds to coordinate."

She swept her gaze across the room, her eyes lingering on Huo Yuhao intentionally or otherwise: "Anyone who can't even make it into the finals needn't worry about the 'three-on-one' match."

She had actually quite liked this hardworking student before, but now, he seemed like a completely different person.

Zhang Lexuan's words instantly eased the oppressive atmosphere in the classroom.

The crowd quickly surged toward the training grounds, gathering in small groups to whisper and scheme.

Long Yaochen didn't bother with Huo Yuhao anymore; he didn't have a teammate anyway, so he might as well go back to the dorm and sleep.

As he took a step, Wang Dong followed him almost reflexively.

Following Long Yaochen was better than staying with those two strangers.

"Wait—Wang Dong!"

Hearing someone call her, Wang Dong paused and turned around, locking eyes with Huo Yuhao, who had just managed to stand up.

"You're in the first group," Huo Yuhao said, enunciating every word. "Aren't you going to stay and discuss tactics?"

Wang Dong's delicate brows furrowed instinctively.

She glanced back at the figure already walking away, then looked back at Huo Yuhao and dropped three words coldly: "Not interested."

Without another glance at Huo Yuhao, she turned and chased after the figure heading for the door.

Huo Yuhao was left standing there, frozen in place.

The surrounding whispers now felt piercingly sharp as they drilled into his ears.

His complexion shifted from red to white, then to a sickly green.

Why does everyone... side with him?

Why?

It must be because he stole everything that was supposed to be mine!

Huo Yuhao slowly lowered his eyes, his fists clenched tight, yet he couldn't even spit out a single harsh word.

'Do you see?' A gentle voice echoed deep within his mind.

'This is the taste of having your destiny stolen away.'

'So, Yuhao... you must win.'

Huo Yuhao stared fixedly at the two figures walking away side-by-side, the ruthlessness in his eyes deepening.

On the path from the teaching building back to the dorms.

"Why didn't you stay to discuss tactics?" Long Yaochen glanced at Wang Dong beside him and asked.

"Tch. So what if I win? I'll just have to fight you in the end. It's pointless," Wang Dong said listlessly, then seemed to recall something:

"Why did you provoke that... Huo Yuhao? I've always felt he has some hostility toward you."

"Besides, I feel like there's a very familiar scent on him. It's like I've encountered him in a dream before."

Wang Dong's words left Long Yaochen stunned in his tracks.

He stared at the other person for a few seconds, a flash of realization crossing his eyes.

No wonder he had always felt that aura filling the void was somewhat familiar.

Now that Wang Dong mentioned it, he realized it was quite similar to the Sea God Mark on her body!

Oh no! Did that little rascal really descend to the Douluo Plane to get him?

No... with the current state of the Douluo Plane, he absolutely couldn't come down.

It must just be one of his backup plans.

To be honest, he had been using the Mark of Sun Chasing to wear down Wang Dong's Sea God Mark whenever he had the chance.

It would be a miracle if the other party didn't come after him...

"Hey, why are you spacing out again?"

After walking for a while, Wang Dong noticed Long Yaochen was still standing where he was, so she ran back and said irritably.

"It's nothing." Long Yaochen shook his head and said thoughtfully, "Tell me, if I really kidnapped you, would your father be so angry he'd drop dead?"

My father?

Wang Dong was stunned for a moment.

She didn't have much of a real sense of that title; the first things that popped into her mind were those two unreliable fathers at home.

But given the temperament of Big Uncle and Second Uncle...

Wait, who would let you kidnap them anyway!

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Wang Dong pushed Long Yaochen forward, the heat rising on her face making her afraid to even lift her head.

"Look, getting worked up again." Long Yaochen shook his head with a smile.

The two of them laughed and bickered all the way toward the dormitory building.

Back in the dorm, Wang Dong plopped down on the edge of the bed, feeling more annoyed the more she thought about it.

She had originally planned to sweep through the Freshman Assessment and catch a glimpse of the surprised expression on Long Yaochen's face.

But now, look at how things turned out.

She had been tossed to a Huo Yuhao who seemed to be getting stranger by the day.

And in the end, she had to stand opposite Long Yaochen to get beaten up.

What kind of situation was this?

"Hey, you aren't actually going to go hard on me, are you?" Wang Dong looked up at Long Yaochen, who was pouring water, her tone laced with wariness.

"Rest assured." Long Yaochen took a sip of water and said casually, "At most, I'll beat you until you can't get out of bed for three days."

"Go to hell!"

Wang Dong grabbed a pillow and threw it at him.

Long Yaochen caught it effortlessly and was just about to continue teasing her when his movements suddenly paused.

Wang Dong was also stunned.

A faint, burning sensation suddenly came from her forehead, as if something had just awakened.

The light before her eyes blurred for an instant.

A sea-blue radiance rippled through her mind.

Vaguely, there seemed to be an extremely distant voice softly calling to her.

Xiao Qi...

Wang Dong frowned subconsciously.

Who?

Just as she tried to hear it clearly, the voice was forcibly cut off by something.

The next instant, a golden sun emerged deep within her consciousness.

The sea-blue light had barely approached before it was scorched into fragments by that sun.

Wang Dong's body swayed slightly, and she gripped the edge of the bed, her face turning inexplicably pale.

"What's wrong?" Long Yaochen walked up to her.

"It's nothing." Wang Dong rubbed her forehead and said with some irritation, "Maybe I'm just angry at you."

Long Yaochen looked at her, but the smile in his eyes faded slightly.

Wang Dong didn't realize it, but he had seen it clearly: the Sea God Mark on her forehead had flashed and vanished.

It seems...

It was triggered by something on Huo Yuhao.

Tsk.

That little brat really doesn't know when to give up.

It was one thing for Huo Yuhao to be stuffing things over there, but now Wang Dong is starting to react as well.

It seems the frequency of using the Mark of Sun Chasing over these past few months has been too high.

I need to rein it in a bit; otherwise, if I truly provoke the one above, even if they can't descend personally, they'll likely throw down a whole heap of leashes.

Thinking of this, Long Yaochen suddenly let out a laugh.

Wang Dong looked at him, bewildered. "What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing." Long Yaochen tossed the pillow back into her arms. "I just suddenly realized that you are quite a troublesome person."

"You're the one who's troublesome!" Wang Dong glared at him, hugged the pillow, turned over, and lay down, refusing to pay him any more mind.

Long Yaochen didn't tease her further. He walked to the window, looked toward the distant training grounds, and narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Huo Yuhao..."

He whispered the name.

"What kind of surprise can you give me?"