Following the old man's directions, Huo Yuhao soon found his dormitory.
He fished the dormitory key out of his Storage Soul Tool, inserted it into the lock, and pushed the door open.
A cloud of dust that had been sealed away for who knew how long billowed out at him. Caught off guard, Huo Yuhao quickly dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding a mouthful of dust.
"Cough, cough, cough." Even so, once he entered the room, he was still left coughing.
At a glance, the room was tiny, and its furnishings were shabby. It had only two wooden beds and a rickety table, with nothing else.
The entire room reeked of decay.
"Shrek takes in so much money every year, and this is the kind of dormitory they give their students?" Huo Yuhao frowned.
Huo Yuhao looked around the room and felt no desire whatsoever to live there.
"I might as well rent a place outside the school. It'll be more convenient if I want to do anything later."
Having made up his mind, Huo Yuhao headed for the door.
Just then, a young man appeared in the doorway. The two stood face-to-face and couldn't help but freeze.
The young man was handsome, with delicate features and fair skin. His large eyes were especially striking, a pale pinkish blue that made them seem bright and vivid. His short, neat hair was the same color. His looks were every bit as good as Huo Yuhao's.
"Wang Dong?" Huo Yuhao was startled. He hadn't expected to run into her so soon.
"Move!" The young man glared at him haughtily.
Huo Yuhao couldn't be bothered to get any more involved with her. He wasn't going to live here anyway, so he stepped aside and started to leave.
Wang Dong entered the dormitory, glanced around the room, and made a disgusted face. Without the slightest politeness, she called after Huo Yuhao, "Hey, are you new here too? Clean this place up. It's so dirty—how's anyone supposed to live here?"
Huo Yuhao couldn't be bothered to pay her any mind. "Clean it yourself. I have something to do, so I'm leaving."
Wang Dong said irritably, "Aren't you assigned to this dormitory? Hurry up and clean it. I still have to cultivate. Oh, and since we've been assigned to the same dormitory, I should lay down some rules first. First, don't bring people back here without asking. Second, don't walk around naked in the dormitory. Third, don't snore when you sleep at night..."
Huo Yuhao looked at her in surprise. "Are you sick?"
Wang Dong looked puzzled. "What do you mean? I'm not sick."
Huo Yuhao stared at her, baffled. "If you're not sick, why are you ordering me around? Am I your father? Why should I indulge you like this? I won't be living here anyway, so do whatever you want."
Wang Dong finally understood what Huo Yuhao meant. Having been spoiled and pampered since childhood, she had never suffered such humiliation.
Her face flushed red. "You dare insult me? What's your name? If you're a real man, come outside and fight me one-on-one!"
Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow and gave a soft laugh, his expression full of meaning. "My name is Huo Yuhao. I can prove whether I'm a man anytime. As for whether you are, I can't say for sure."
As he spoke, his gaze swept over Wang Dong.
Wang Dong's heart skipped a beat. Had this guy noticed something?
She put on a brave face and said, "I'm Wang Dong. Come outside. I'll teach you a good lesson today and show you what a real man is!"
With that, Wang Dong strode outside first. Huo Yuhao shrugged indifferently and followed behind her.
The two arrived at the open space outside the dormitory. At the entrance, an old man lay back in a rocking chair, lazily basking in the sun. He lifted his head slightly and watched Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong with keen interest, murmuring, "Now that's a little interesting."
Wang Dong looked grim and beckoned to Huo Yuhao with a taunting finger. "Against the likes of you, I don't even need to use my Martial Soul."
Huo Yuhao remained unfazed. Instead, he said expressionlessly, "Ladies first. Go ahead."
Wang Dong gritted her teeth. This guy kept making pointed remarks. Had he really figured out she was a girl disguised as a boy?
Without giving it another thought, Wang Dong angrily jabbed her toe against the ground. Her body abruptly became a streak of blue light, slicing through the air as she charged at Huo Yuhao as fast as lightning.
A hint of disdain curled Huo Yuhao's lips. His hands swiftly crossed and formed several strange signs. The next moment, he shouted softly, "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Huo Yuhao then held his right hand in a claw shape near his lips. His chest swelled, and a massive ball of blazing fire burst from his mouth.
Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique, a C-rank Jutsu.
Back when Sasuke was in Team 7, the Great Fireball Technique could even be called his signature Jutsu.
Chakra—that is, Soul Power—was gathered in the throat and expelled from the mouth as a giant fireball, blasting the enemy into the air. It was a basic Fire Style Jutsu that members of the Uchiha Clan learned.
Its power was immense.
Faced with the enormous fireball Huo Yuhao had suddenly spat out, Wang Dong's expression changed dramatically. She was moving too fast to dodge it now. The next instant, a pair of enormous blue butterfly wings suddenly unfurled behind her, then wrapped tightly around her.
Light Goddess Butterfly, Martial Soul Possession!
Even so, Wang Dong was sent flying backward as if she'd been hit by a cannonball. She hurtled nearly ten meters before barely managing to steady herself.
The once-beautiful blue butterfly wings were now charred black, clearly badly damaged.
The butterfly wings slowly opened, revealing Wang Dong's face, which was now smudged with soot.
"Cough, cough, cough." She coughed again and again.
"He who insults others will be insulted in turn. From the way you were talking, I thought you were really strong. Now it looks like you're nothing special. You're so weak."
"I don't plan to live in the dormitory. Don't come looking for trouble with me again, either. Next time, I won't be as easygoing."
Huo Yuhao shook his head in disdain and turned toward the dormitory entrance.
"Wait! You clearly didn't use Martial Soul Possession or a Soul Skill. How did you do that?" Wang Dong got to her feet and asked, unwilling to accept defeat.
"Could it be that you used a Soul Tool? You coward!" Wang Dong seemed to realize something, and her face filled with anger.
"Heh. A frog at the bottom of a well." Huo Yuhao couldn't be bothered to argue. He left the dormitory area, leaving Wang Dong with only his retreating figure.
Wang Dong stood where she was, gritting her teeth so hard they nearly cracked. She stamped her foot furiously. "Bastard, Huo Yuhao! You despicable coward, using a Soul Tool to sneak-attack people! Just you wait. The next time I see you, I'll beat you until you can't take care of yourself! If I don't avenge this, I won't call myself Wang Dong!"
At the dormitory entrance, the old man in the rocking chair had watched their fight. A glint appeared in his half-lidded eyes.
"A Soul Tool? No, that's not right. What kind of Soul Tool could be used without making a sound right under my nose? It definitely wasn't a Soul Tool."
"But that boy clearly didn't use Martial Soul Possession. How did he do it?"
"Unless... he doesn't need to possess it? A Body Martial Soul?"
"If it's a Body Martial Soul, then that makes sense. But what was that strange Soul Skill?"
"Just what's that boy's background? A Body Martial Soul, the Body Sect..."
"Talented people emerge in every generation."
The old man seemed to sink back into some memory of the past, and fell silent.
Before you continue