In his eyes, a faint phantom appeared over the little girl with the pink ponytail.
A pink rabbit.
Fluffy, with long ears, curled into a ball like a pink marshmallow.
Adorable.
Huang Fei's mouth twitched slightly.
Sure enough, she was a rabbit.
He didn't look any longer. He withdrew his Purple Demon Eye and closed his eyes again.
He had accomplished his goal.
He'd confirmed Xiao Wu's identity. That was all.
As for exposing her?
That was something only someone with nothing better to do would bother with.
The rabbit spirit had finally managed to transform into a human and come out to study. What would he gain by exposing her?
One fewer roommate?
Besides, what did it have to do with him?
All he needed to do was lie down.
The battle outside continued.
Finally, after Xiao Wu landed a beautiful side kick on Tang San's shoulder, Tang San went along with it, falling backward in a convincing display of being "knocked back."
"I lost."
Tang San got up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and said briskly, "You win. You're the boss now."
Xiao Wu lowered her foot and blinked, looking a little unsatisfied.
"You... really lost? I don't think you even used your full strength."
"I did, I did." Tang San looked utterly sincere. "You're too strong. I can't beat you."
Wang Sheng stared, dumbfounded.
Tang San had taken him down in just two moves, and now he'd lost to this little girl?
Was she really that strong, or was Tang San holding back?
He couldn't say, but something felt off.
Still, rules were rules.
Wang Sheng cleared his throat and announced, "According to Dorm Seven's rules, the new arrival challenged the boss and won. From now on, the boss of Dorm Seven is—"
He pointed at Xiao Wu.
"Xiao Wu!"
The work-study students in the room froze for a moment, then broke into applause.
Though the result had taken everyone by surprise, rules were rules.
Whoever won became the boss. It was simple, straightforward, and beyond dispute.
Xiao Wu planted her hands on her hips and lifted her chin high, her ponytail swishing proudly behind her.
"Wonderful! I've just arrived, and I'm already the boss!"
She smiled, her eyes curving into crescents as she showed two little canine teeth. She looked no different from an ordinary little girl.
Standing nearby, Tang San watched Xiao Wu's triumphant expression, and the corners of his mouth lifted without him realizing it.
For some reason, seeing her happy made him inexplicably happy too.
On the bed in the corner, Huang Fei rolled over and pulled the blanket higher.
Outside the covers were the triumphant laughter of the new boss and the chatter of the work-study students gathered around her.
Inside the covers, Huang Fei sighed with satisfaction.
Another day of winning without lifting a finger.
Yu Xiaogang pushed open the office door and set the notebook tucked under his arm on the desk.
The room was quiet. The setting sun slanted through the window, spreading a layer of warm golden light across the desktop.
Out of habit, he straightened the files on his desk, put the documents away, and set his pens and ink back in their places. Everything was neat and orderly.
It was simply his way.
No matter how long he'd been away, the first thing he did upon returning was put everything in order.
He picked up his teacup, found the water had gone cold, and set it back down.
Today was the academy's enrollment day.
Yu Xiaogang suddenly remembered something and lightly tapped the desktop twice with his fingers.
On his way back today, he'd encountered two children at the entrance to the dormitory area. Judging by their ages, they should have been among the new students registering today.
The boy walking in front had a steady gait, and then the one behind him...
Yu Xiaogang frowned and tried to recall the boy more clearly.
He hadn't gotten a good look at the one in back.
As he remembered it, he was a slightly younger boy who walked casually, glancing about. He didn't look like much of a prospect.
But the boy in front had caught his attention.
The boy's steps were steady, his breathing even and rhythmic. He looked straight ahead, neither servile nor arrogant.
That sort of bearing didn't seem right for a six-year-old. It was more like the result of long-term training.
Yu Xiaogang stood, picked up the notebook from his desk, and strode out of his office.
He was going to visit Dean Wang's office.
The dean of Notting Academy, whose full name was Wang Shoucheng, was one of the few friends Yu Xiaogang had.
As fate would have it, after the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had cast Yu Xiaogang out and he'd been left to wander the world,
Dean Wang had taken him in, given him a room and an easy job,
and, despite the gossip of dozens of teachers and hundreds of students at the academy, had let him stay for years.
In public, Dean Wang's explanation was that he had "hired Mr. Yu Xiaogang as a visiting research fellow to study Martial Soul Theory."
In private, everyone knew Yu Xiaogang was a freeloader.
What right did a useless man who couldn't even break through to level thirty have to live and eat at the academy for free?
But Dean Wang didn't care.
What mattered to him was the knowledge in Yu Xiaogang's head.
His theories about martial souls might sound absurd, but if you thought them through, there was always some truth in them.
Yu Xiaogang knew this perfectly well, and he was grateful to Dean Wang.
The walk from the dormitory area to the administration building took no more than the time it took to brew a cup of tea.
Yu Xiaogang crossed the open space in front of the classroom building, passed the row of ginkgo trees beside the athletic field, and soon reached the dean's office.
The door wasn't quite closed. A narrow crack remained.
He raised his hand and knocked twice.
"Come in."
Dean Wang's deep voice came from inside.
Yu Xiaogang pushed the door open and entered.
Wang Shoucheng sat behind a wide desk. He was in his fifties or sixties, with most of his hair already gone gray, but he was still hale and hearty, his eyes bright and keen.
He wore the academy's blue-green uniform, with a silver badge identifying him as the dean pinned to his chest.
When he saw Yu Xiaogang, Dean Wang smiled.
"You're back." He put down what he was holding and leaned against the back of his chair, his tone casual and warm.
"Mm." Yu Xiaogang nodded and sat in the chair opposite the desk. "I finished what I needed to do, so I came back early."
He paused, then looked up at Dean Wang, keeping his tone as casual as he could.
"Same as always. Any promising seedlings this year?"
Dean Wang chuckled, picked up two student files from his desk, and weighed them in his hand as if they were something precious.
You've arrived at just the right time." His smile held a hint of amusement. "This year, we really do have two rather special promising seedlings."
Yu Xiaogang leaned forward slightly, though he kept his expression composed.
"Oh? What are their martial souls? What are their Innate Soul Power levels?"
Dean Wang looked at the two documents in his hand and let out a long sigh.
"Both have Innate Full Soul Power—level ten."
Yu Xiaogang's eyes flew wide open.
Innate Full Soul Power?
Two of them?
He blurted out, "What?! Innate Full Soul Power at level ten?! And there are two of them?!"
His voice was eight pitches higher than usual. Even he realized he'd lost his composure.
Dean Wang didn't mind. He only shook his head, his voice full of regret.
"Unfortunately, both of them have Blue Silver Grass Martial Souls."
He set the documents on the desk and sighed again and again.
"What a cruel twist of fate. What kind of rotten luck is this? Even a Trash Martial Soul like Blue Silver Grass can produce Innate Full Soul Power? And two of them at once?"
Blue Silver Grass.
When Yu Xiaogang heard those three words, it was as if something had exploded inside his head.
Blue Silver Grass with Innate Full Soul Power?
His breathing suddenly quickened. He reached for the two documents on the desk and all but snatched them up.
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