Xuan Zi,
Martial Soul: Godly Taotie Bull, Level 98 Super Douluo.
At a glance, Huo Yuhao recognized him.
He hadn't expected the human powerhouse Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had mentioned to be Xuan Zi.
But then again,
with all that commotion, there was no way it would go unnoticed.
"Yu Hao, are you all right?!"
Seeing the weakness in Huo Yuhao's arms, Wang Dong panicked and hurriedly asked.
Huo Yuhao shook his head without speaking.
Xuan Zi's strike had looked impressive, but it hadn't caused him any real harm.
After all, he was still a student at Shrek Academy.
No matter how furious Xuan Zi was about his actions, as a Sea God Pavilion Elder, he couldn't actually hurt him.
If he really acted on his personal whims and punished students however he liked, then he might as well be a Supreme Elder of the Holy Spirit Cult.
Xuan Zi paid no attention to the Huo Yuhao he had sent flying. Instead, he looked down at Wu Feng, still unconscious, his brows drawn tight.
All things considered, the student's injuries weren't too severe. She hadn't lost any limbs, and her Martial Soul was unharmed.
Of course, that was only because he had blocked that boy's final strike.
Xuan Zi had noticed the argument some time ago. Even when Huo Yuhao and Wu Feng started fighting, he hadn't taken it seriously.
They were young, after all. Getting hotheaded and throwing a few punches was perfectly normal.
He himself had caused plenty of trouble at the academy when he was young, and nothing had come of it.
The academy had never strictly forbidden students from fighting. On the contrary, it encouraged upperclassmen to spar with one another.
After all, a Soul Master ultimately had to prove their strength in actual combat.
Some Soul Masters had decent cultivation, but when they actually fought, they were all show and no substance. Their combat experience and ability to withstand pressure were abysmal. They were nothing but flashy pretenders.
Shrek Academy wouldn't allow its students to become such laughingstocks. So, three months after new students enrolled, it held practical combat assessments to test their overall strength and weed out the undeserving.
The selection process was harsh, but there was no denying that it was the reason Shrek had been able to call itself the continent's number one academy for so many years.
But... that was beside the point.
Xuan Zi looked at Wu Feng lying on the ground, then at Huo Yuhao, who was staring at him intently. His brows knitted together.
Wasn't this student a little too fierce?
A Soul Master was fighting a Soul Grandmaster, and he'd nearly stopped the girl from even summoning her Martial Soul.
Even after she managed to summon it despite the interruption, the fight had still been completely one-sided. Huo Yuhao hadn't given her a single chance to use a Soul Skill.
Such extensive combat experience and those vicious techniques were nothing like what a new student could have mastered.
And then there was that killing intent.
Could a Soul Master with just one Ten-Year Soul Ring really give off such a murderous aura?
It was almost unbelievable.
Xuan Zi was certain that, if he hadn't intervened in time, the girl would have been crippled, if not killed.
This student's urge to kill was far too strong.
Thinking this, Xuan Zi looked at Huo Yuhao and reprimanded him with displeasure.
"Even if she insulted you first, you still shouldn't have tried to take her life!"
"And you're classmates. You're so young—how can you have such a strong urge to kill?!"
"Heh."
Huo Yuhao scoffed, clearly disdainful of Xuan Zi's words.
"If I really could kill her here, what would we need you for?!"
"If you can't even save a student inside the academy, then once we're outside, won't we all just die in the mouths of Soul Beasts?!"
Huo Yuhao was furious. He was like a bristling hedgehog—anyone who came near would leave with a pawful of spikes.
"You!"
Huo Yuhao's words struck Xuan Zi right where it hurt, reopening the bloody wound he had buried deep in his heart.
When Xuan Zi had first broken through to Level 98 and become a Super Douluo, he had led a group of elite Shrek students into the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for Soul Rings. It should have been a sure thing, but he had neglected his duties halfway through because he'd been distracted by food. Before he knew it, he had become separated from the students.
Because of that mistake, the group had encountered a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. Eight core disciples had died, and the losses had been catastrophic.
It had become a wound in his heart that would never heal.
Huo Yuhao naturally knew all of this. He had said those words on purpose.
He couldn't even explain why. He just wanted to say them.
Seeing Xuan Zi's expression, as if he'd eaten shit, made him feel wonderful. His heart was brimming with satisfaction!
Huo Yuhao's words brought Xuan Zi's memories of that day rushing back. An indescribable guilt surged through him. His hands trembled, and he almost dropped his chicken leg.
"You little brat!"
Xuan Zi abruptly turned to glare at Huo Yuhao, who had said those words. No longer restraining his power, he unleashed the pressure of a Level 98 Super Douluo, instantly leaving Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong gasping for breath.
Even so, Huo Yuhao's eyes remained defiant. He wanted to keep provoking Xuan Zi, but Wang Dong had seen it coming and clamped a hand over his mouth before he could speak. Only a few muffled words escaped.
"Mmph! Wang Dong, let go of me! I'm going to—"
Wang Dong quickly pressed down harder, stopping Huo Yuhao from getting another word out.
She also tried to plead with Xuan Zi on Huo Yuhao's behalf.
"Um, well, teacher, I'm sorry. Please don't mind him. He's been rattled today and isn't thinking straight. Please don't hold it against him..."
"We'll pay for anything he broke at the academy, and we'll cover Wu Feng's medical bills too..."
Just as Xuan Zi was seething with anger at Huo Yuhao, an old but steady voice sounded beside his ear.
"Xuan Zi, take that girl to the infirmary first."
Xuan Zi's expression immediately turned solemn.
There was only one person in all of Shrek Academy who could speak to him in that tone.
The current Sea God Pavilion Master, the Level 99 Limit Douluo known as Dragon God Douluo,
Mu En.
"Understood, Elder Mu."
Hearing Mu En's words, Xuan Zi dared not disobey. He suppressed his emotions, picked up the unconscious Wu Feng, and headed for the infirmary.
But before leaving, Xuan Zi took a long look at Huo Yuhao, who was still being held with Wang Dong's hand over his mouth, and committed his face to memory.
After Xuan Zi had left, Wang Dong finally took her hand away from Huo Yuhao's mouth and asked anxiously again,
"Yu Hao, how are you? Should we go to the infirmary?"
For some reason, Huo Yuhao felt terribly irritable, and his head was aching badly.
He knew something was wrong with him, but he didn't have a single physical injury.
So Huo Yuhao immediately refused Wang Dong's offer and answered without a second thought.
"Back to the dorm."
"But, Yu Hao, you..."
Wang Dong was still hesitant, but Huo Yuhao's tone left no room for argument.
"Back to the dorm!"
Before you continue