In the cafeteria, Bei Bei, Tang Ya, Cao Longyan, and Xiao Xiao had all greeted Huo Yuhao. After a brief round of introductions, Huo Yuhao looked at Cao Longyan in utter shock.
He had thought Cao Longyan was merely a roommate with heaven-defying talent. He'd never imagined that Cao Longyan was so close to Senior Brother Bei Bei and Teacher Xiao Ya.
Longyan was actually Senior Brother Bei Bei's cousin!
Seeing Huo Yuhao arrive at the cafeteria in such a hurry, empty-handed and clearly without having eaten, Cao Longyan excused himself and got up to fetch some food.
Tang Ya immediately gave Bei Bei a meaningful look and hurried over with him to join Huo Yuhao.
Cao Longyan understood. They were paying for Huo Yuhao's meal and discussing the grilled fish they'd make that evening, all while protecting Huo Yuhao's pride.
He didn't want to get involved, so he took Xiao Xiao's hand and nodded to the three of them.
"Take your time. We're heading back to the dorm to rest. This morning's classes wore us out."
"All right. Go get some rest. Bye!"
"Bye!"
Cao Longyan and Xiao Xiao waved goodbye to Bei Bei, Tang Ya, and Huo Yuhao, then headed for the dormitory.
Xiao Xiao stayed obediently at his side the whole way, her cheeks flushed.
When they reached the first floor of the dormitory building, Xiao Xiao said goodbye to Cao Longyan and ran up to her room on the fourth floor.
Cao Longyan smiled and waved goodbye to her, then headed for his own room.
The moment he stepped into the boys' dormitory, Wang Dong sprang up from his bed and sidled over, his face alight with gossip. He waggled his eyebrows and grinned mischievously.
"Not bad, Longyan. You spent all that time alone with Xiao Xiao. How's the relationship coming along? Did you—"
Before he could finish, Cao Longyan raised a hand to cut him off. A pale-blue orb of icy light quietly gathered in his left palm, and the Ice Dragon King's aura flickered faintly around it. A sly smile tugged at his lips.
"Wang Dong, is your skin itching again? Want another taste of my Wrath of the Ice Dragon King?"
Wang Dong's mischievous grin froze. He backed away, waving his hands as he hurriedly begged for mercy.
"No, no, no! Brother Yan, I'm sorry! This is the dorm! Fighting isn't allowed!"
He might have been backing down, but he knew Cao Longyan was only trying to scare him. If he'd really wanted to fight, he would've done it already. Still, he wasn't about to take that gamble. When Cao Longyan went wild, he truly didn't care where he was.
"Wang Dong, want to see if I dare?"
As he spoke, Cao Longyan raised his left hand, ready to slap it right onto Wang Dong's face.
"Brother Yan, you're my big brother! I swear I won't tease you again!"
Shrek Square
That afternoon, they began physical training.
Standing before all the new students, Zhou Yi announced sternly,
"Starting today, Cao Longyan will be the class monitor of Freshman Class One."
An uproar broke out, but no one objected.
The scene from that morning was still etched in everyone's minds: Cao Longyan had stood his ground against Zhou Yi and crushed her in their bet.
Zhou Yi continued, her voice calm, but carrying a hint of relief.
"Also, starting tomorrow, I will no longer be your homeroom teacher. A new teacher will take over."
Everyone stared at her in surprise.
Zhou Yi explained coolly,
"What Cao Longyan said this morning made me realize that there were problems with my teaching methods. I've submitted a written self-criticism to the academy. After discussing it, the Martial Soul Department's leadership decided to have me return to teaching third-year students in the outer courtyard."
Her words left many of the new students stunned.
Zhou Yi had always been headstrong, fiery, and strict. Yet, because of one new student's words, she'd admitted her mistake and even requested a transfer. The change was all because of Cao Longyan!
The training that followed was conducted exactly as Cao Longyan had suggested.
Soul Masters of different types wore Iron Vests of different weights, and the number of laps each had to run varied accordingly.
But when it came to Cao Longyan, Zhou Yi gave him a separate set of requirements at his request.
His Iron Vest weighed twice as much as the heaviest standard vest, and he had to run twice as many laps as an ordinary support-type Soul Master.
Everyone thought there was no way he could finish easily and still come in first this time. But the result left the entire crowd dumbfounded.
Cao Longyan didn't just finish with ease—he was the first to cross the finish line. His breathing was steady, and he barely had a bead of sweat on him. His clothes only bore faint sweat marks where the Iron Vest had pressed against them.
What surprised everyone even more was that the second person to reach the finish line was Xiao Xiao, petite and seemingly frail.
Cao Longyan was also a little surprised. He smiled at Xiao Xiao and gave her a thumbs-up.
She was panting, her little face pale, but she'd gritted her teeth and persevered. Her gaze instinctively turned toward Cao Longyan. When she saw his reaction, her exhaustion vanished in an instant, and the corners of her mouth lifted without her realizing it.
Keep going, Xiao Xiao! You can do it!
When the evening training ended, Cao Longyan, Huo Yuhao, and Wang Dong returned to their dorm. Wang Dong changed first, then Cao Longyan and Huo Yuhao.
Once they'd all changed, Wang Dong thumped his chest and turned to Cao Longyan and Huo Yuhao.
"Yuhao, Longyan, let's go! To celebrate making it through the first day of school, this young master's treating you to a proper meal!"
But Huo Yuhao shook his head, looking troubled.
"I have something to do tonight, so I can't come."
Wang Dong's face fell. He let out a melodramatic wail as though the world had ended.
"You've got to be kidding! Longyan has someone to hang out with, and now you've found someone too, Yuhao? So I'm the only one in the whole dorm getting left out, huh?"
Huo Yuhao was about to explain, but Cao Longyan raised an eyebrow, and a faint blue light began to glow in his left hand again.
Wang Dong immediately shut his mouth. He scratched his head awkwardly, his eyes darting around as he tried to hide the fact that he couldn't keep his mouth shut.
Not wanting to be misunderstood, Huo Yuhao decided to tell them the truth.
"I'm going to the East Gate to sell grilled fish tonight and earn some money for living expenses."
Wang Dong's eyes lit up, and he perked up at once.
"Selling grilled fish? Sounds fun! I'll go with you!"
Cao Longyan nodded too.
"I'll come along as well."
Huo Yuhao felt a warmth in his heart. With two friends by his side, something that had made him feel a little awkward now seemed easier to face.
The three of them made their way to the agreed meeting spot at the East Gate, where Bei Bei and Tang Ya were already waiting.
The two looked a little surprised when they saw Cao Longyan and Wang Dong behind Huo Yuhao.
They'd never met Wang Dong, but from Huo Yuhao's earlier description, they guessed he was his other roommate.
Bei Bei and Tang Ya raised their eyebrows in surprise. They hadn't expected Cao Longyan to be with his roommate instead of Xiao Xiao at a time like this.
Looks like they get along well...
All four of them pitched in, and soon they had a simple grilled-fish stall set up.
Huo Yuhao's hands moved with practiced ease. The charcoal fire crackled, the fish gradually turned golden, and its rich aroma wafted through the air, drawing a crowd.
"Grilled fish! Fresh off the grill! Five Copper Soul Coins each! Only twenty available today!"
Huo Yuhao's calls grew more confident as he went.
He'd prepared ingredients for only twenty fish that day. After all, he was asking Bei Bei and Tang Ya to help, and he'd insisted on paying for everything himself. He had just enough Soul Coins for that many.
Business was booming. The aroma was irresistible, and before long, only one fish remained.
The last one was claimed by Jiang Nannan, who wore the same fourth-year uniform as Tang Ya.
When she spotted someone she knew, she smiled faintly. She was just about to chat with Tang Ya while she waited for Huo Yuhao to finish grilling the fish.
Just then, something suddenly whooshed through the air!
"Hold it! This young master wants that grilled fish!"
A folding fan imbued with Soul Power shot silently toward Jiang Nannan's back, moving at astonishing speed.
The people around them hadn't even had time to react when a figure sprang into action.
Cao Longyan's gaze turned cold. He darted in front of Jiang Nannan and flicked the fan with a bent finger.
"Clang!"
With a light ring, the fan was sent flying by a domineering orb of blue light. The speaker used Soul Power to recall it to his hand.
Jiang Nannan looked up at the tall figure standing before her.
A boy in a first-year uniform, with short blue hair.
Her heart gave a sudden leap.
That silhouette... It looked so familiar...
The image of a six-year-old boy shielding her from danger six years ago echoed through her mind.
I-Is it... Little Brother Longyan?
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