Treasure Appraisal

While Ye Guchen of the Douluo I timeline was busy absorbing soul rings and growing closer to Zhu Zhuqing, the four from the Douluo II timeline had already returned to Shrek Academy.

They had barely taken a few steps inside the school gates when a fiery red figure darted out from nowhere and grabbed Ye Guchen by the back of his collar.

"Little Guchen, you're finally back! The Dean wants to see you. Chop-chop, come with me!"

Ma Xiaotao dragged him away.

Ye Guchen was hauled along for two steps, his heels nearly sparking against the ground, before he hurriedly turned his head to shout at Huo Yuhao:

"Little Yuhao, go handle the enrollment with Beibei and the others first! Once you pass the freshman assessment and enter the first year, I'll recommend you to the Soul Guidance Department!"

Before he could finish, he had already been whisked around a corner by Ma Xiaotao.

Huo Yuhao stood with his mouth agape, unable to even get a word in before the man was gone.

Beibei patted him on the shoulder, watching the retreating Ma Xiaotao with a hint of trepidation:

"That was Ma Xiaotao, captain of the Shrek Seven Devils. Be polite if you run into her later; her temper is notoriously explosive. Let's go, let's get the paperwork done first."

Huo Yuhao nodded and withdrew his gaze.

He glanced in the direction where Ye Guchen had vanished, then looked around at this massive, unfamiliar academy. A surge of determination suddenly welled up in his heart: Brother Guchen thinks so highly of me; I absolutely cannot embarrass him.

He took a deep breath, cupped his hands around his mouth, and shouted toward the direction where the figures had long since disappeared:

"Brother Guchen—I absolutely won't embarrass you during the freshman assessment—!!"

His voice rippled rapidly across the plaza, startling several birds into flight.

The next second, a series of piercing screams erupted from nearby.

"Senior Guchen is back?!"

"Where, where?!"

"Ah—it's really him!!"

Before Huo Yuhao could react, a swarm of female students surged from every direction. Their eyes were glowing and their expressions were fanatical; they sprinted toward the path Ye Guchen had taken like ants swarming honey.

Some lost their shoes in the rush, while others still clutched half-eaten bread in their hands.

In the distance, Ye Guchen glanced back, and his expression shifted instantly.

"Little Yuhao, I'll deal with you when I get back."

Without another word, he grabbed Ma Xiaotao's wrist and pulled her along, his speed at least three times faster than before.

Huo Yuhao's hand remained frozen in mid-air, his mouth slightly open, his entire being petrified on the spot.

"...Um, Senior Beibei," he turned his head with difficulty, "did I cause Brother Guchen trouble?"

Beibei did not answer.

Huo Yuhao followed his gaze and saw Beibei rubbing his chin, his eyes unfocused and a dazed smirk hanging on his lips, muttering to himself:

"Sigh... imagine if I were chased by so many girls..."

"Oh?" A cloyingly sweet voice drifted from behind him. "And what would happen then?"

Tang Ya's hand had appeared on Beibei's waist at some point, two fingers precisely pinching a small patch of soft flesh.

Huo Yuhao's scalp tingled, and he instinctively took two steps back.

"I'm done for," he whispered. "Senior Beibei, pray for yourself."

"Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch—!!"

Beibei sobered up instantly, his waist twisted into a knot.

"I meant if that happened, I would still only love you! Really! Only you!"

Tang Ya's smile remained unchanged as she twisted her fingers another half-turn.

Meanwhile, the female students who hadn't caught up to Ye Guchen were walking back in disappointment when their gazes suddenly fell in unison upon Huo Yuhao—the little boy who had just been shouting at Ye Guchen.

"Little brother~" A senior student leaned in with a beaming smile, "What is your relationship with Senior Guchen?"

"Junior, junior, is your luggage heavy? Senior sister will help you carry it!"

"You wouldn't happen to be his..."

A girl with twin tails widened her eyes in shock, her voice cracking:

"Illegitimate son, would you?!"

Huo Yuhao: "..."

In the distance, Beibei rubbed his waist and laughed at his misfortune.

"Serves you right, who told you not to warn me."

Ye Guchen had no time to deal with such nonsense; he had already arrived at the office of Dean Yan Shaozhe.

"You're here. I heard you brought back a young man?"

As soon as he entered the office, Yan Shaozhe looked at Ye Guchen with a puzzled expression.

"But I've observed him, and he looks quite ordinary, with nothing particularly special about him. What was it that made a genius like you defy the Sea God Pavilion's decision and sneak off to the Star Dou Great Forest all by yourself?"

The voice seemed calm, yet Ye Guchen could still detect Yan Shaozhe's worry and dissatisfaction. One had to realize that Ye Guchen was currently an absolute genius whom countless factions wanted to eliminate at all costs; there were no telling how many people outside were waiting to take him down.

Out of a desire to protect Ye Guchen, the Sea God Pavilion had specifically instructed that he must report any outings until he reached the level of Soul Saint.

Knowing he was in the wrong, Ye Guchen scratched his head and poured a cup of tea for Yan Shaozhe.

"Your information network is truly impressive, Dean. I had barely stepped back into Shrek, and you already knew exactly what I did."

As he spoke, he cast an unfriendly look at Ma Xiaotao; she was the only one he had told about his plans to go out.

Seeing Ye Guchen look at her, Ma Xiaotao felt a bit guilty and averted her gaze, letting her eyes wander aimlessly.

"Hmph! Don't look at Xiaotao. I won't hold this against you this time, and I didn't call you here to criticize you, but to arrange something!"

Seeing that there was no trouble, Ye Guchen simply plopped down onto the sofa.

"Oh, no trouble? Then go ahead, what needs to be arranged?"

Seeing Ye Guchen's attitude, Yan Shaozhe could only helplessly rub his forehead.

"Xiaotao broke through to level sixty yesterday. According to the academy's previous requirements, the Shrek Seven Devils will head to the Star Dou Great Forest for training under the pretext of helping her hunt for her sixth soul ring. However, this time, the Sea God Pavilion specifically named you, requiring you to go along for the training as well."

Upon hearing this, Ye Guchen's expression turned strange; this was a bit too coincidental.

"Um, I also broke through to level fifty."

"What?"

Hearing this, Yan Shaozhe immediately probed with his soul power, carefully sensing Ye Guchen's aura. It had indeed reached level fifty, and his soul power was solid, not something boosted by external forces.

"Hahaha, not bad! Perfect, we can take care of your fifth pet beast at the same time."

"Tell me, do you have any requirements for your fifth pet beast?"

Ye Guchen was well-prepared.

"The four pet beasts I currently have are the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, the Fire Luan Bird, the Geng Metal White Tiger, and the Evil Eye Sovereign. Aside from the Evil Eye Sovereign, whose mental-type abilities can be used as a semi-support, my pets are all essentially power-attack types. Therefore, for my fifth pet beast, I hope for a support-buff type or a purely defensive soul beast."

"Of course, as for potential, the stronger, the better!"

Seeing that Ye Guchen already had a direction in mind, Yan Shaozhe said no more.

"Since you already have a goal, then the supplementary training requirement for tomorrow's soul ring hunt will be to find and capture a satisfactory pet beast for you!"

Hearing this, Ye Guchen quickly raised his hand to express his gratitude.

"By the way, the Treasure Basin received a new batch of good items yesterday, and there will be a treasure appreciation event tonight. If you two have time, you can go take a look."

"I heard that you brat earned another five million from Qian Duoduo!"