Is... Is that Long Yan's little brother?

In the cafeteria, Bei Bei, Tang Ya, Cao Longyan, and Xiao Xiao all greeted Huo Yuhao. After a brief introduction, the look in Huo Yuhao's eyes as he turned to Cao Longyan was filled with shock.

He had originally thought Cao Longyan was just a roommate with heaven-defying talent, but he never expected him to be so close to Senior Brother Bei Bei and Teacher Tang Ya.

Longyan was actually cousins with Senior Brother Bei Bei!

Seeing Huo Yuhao arrive at the cafeteria empty-handed and in a rush, it was clear he hadn't eaten yet, so he told them he was going to go get some food.

Tang Ya immediately shot a look, pulling Bei Bei to quickly hurry over to Huo Yuhao's side.

Seeing this, Cao Longyan knew they were going to pay for Huo Yuhao's meal and discuss the grilled fish for the evening, all while trying to protect Huo Yuhao's self-esteem.

Not wanting to interfere too much, he took Xiao Xiao's hand and nodded to the three of them.

"You guys chat, we're heading back to the dorm to rest. The morning classes really wore us out."

"Alright, go get some rest, bye-bye."

"Bye-bye."

After Cao Longyan and Xiao Xiao waved goodbye to Bei Bei, Tang Ya, and Huo Yuhao, they headed toward the dormitory.

Xiao Xiao followed obediently by his side the whole way, her cheeks slightly flushed.

Once they reached the first floor of the dormitory, Xiao Xiao said goodbye to Cao Longyan and ran up to her room on the fourth floor.

Cao Longyan smiled and waved back at her before heading toward his own dorm.

As soon as he stepped into the Male Dormitory, Wang Dong immediately sprang up from his bed, leaning in with a gossipy look and a mischievous, winking grin.

"Not bad, Longyan. Spending so much time alone with Xiao Xiao, how's the relationship coming along? Did you..."

Before he could finish, Cao Longyan raised his hand to cut him off. A pale blue ball of icy light quietly condensed in his left palm, the aura of the Wrath of the Ice Dragon King flickering in and out, and a dark, sinister smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Wang Dong, is your skin itching again? Do you want to taste my Wrath of the Ice Dragon King?"

The mischievous grin on Wang Dong's face froze instantly. Terrified, he retreated repeatedly, waving his hands and hurriedly begging for mercy.

"No, no, no! Brother Yan, I was wrong! This is the dormitory, fighting isn't allowed!"

He was acting submissive, but he knew exactly what was going on.

Cao Longyan was just scaring him; if he really wanted to fight, he would have done it already. But he didn't dare gamble—when this guy went crazy, he truly didn't care about the setting.

"Wang Dong, do you think I wouldn't dare?"

As Cao Longyan spoke, he raised his left hand, preparing to slap it right onto Wang Dong's face.

"Brother Yan, you're my brother! Your little brother won't dare tease you ever again!"

Shrek Square

In the afternoon, they conducted physical training.

Zhou Yi stood before all the freshmen, announcing with a stern expression.

"Starting today, Cao Longyan will serve as the monitor for Freshman Class One."

The entire crowd was in an uproar, yet no one was dissatisfied.

The scene from the morning where Cao Longyan stood his ground against Zhou Yi and won the bet in a crushing victory was still deeply etched in everyone's minds.

Immediately after, Zhou Yi spoke again, her tone calm but carrying a hint of relief.

"Additionally, starting tomorrow, I will no longer be your homeroom teacher. A new teacher will arrive to take over."

Everyone was stunned.

Zhou Yi explained indifferently.

"Student Cao Longyan's words this morning made me realize the problems in my own teaching methods, and I have already submitted a letter of self-reflection to the academy. After discussions among the leaders of the Martial Soul Department, they decided to have me return to teach the third-year students in the Outer Court."

As these words fell, many freshmen were shocked.

Zhou Yi, who had always been headstrong, fiery, and strict, had actually bowed her head and admitted her mistakes because of a freshman's words, even requesting a transfer. This transformation was all because of Cao Longyan!

The subsequent training was carried out exactly according to Cao Longyan's suggestions.

Different types of soul masters wore Iron Vests of different weights, and the number of laps run varied from person to person.

But when it was Cao Longyan's turn, at his own request, Zhou Yi set him in a category of his own.

The weight of his Iron Vest was double the heaviest standard for everyone else, and the number of laps was double that of a regular support-type soul master.

Everyone thought there was no way he could finish easily and take first place this time, but the result left the entire square dumbfounded.

Not only did Cao Longyan finish easily, but he was also the first to cross the finish line. His breathing was steady, he hadn't even broken a sweat, and there were only faint sweat marks on his clothes where the Iron Vest had been.

What was even more surprising was that the second person to reach the finish line was the petite and seemingly fragile Xiao Xiao.

Cao Longyan was also a bit surprised and couldn't help but smile at Xiao Xiao and give her a thumbs up.

She was panting, her small face pale, but she had gritted her teeth and persisted. Her gaze subconsciously turned toward Cao Longyan, and seeing his actions, her exhaustion vanished instantly, and the corners of her mouth curled up involuntarily.

Xiao Xiao, keep it up, you can do it!

When the training ended in the evening, Cao Longyan, Huo Yuhao, and Wang Dong returned to the dorm together. First, Wang Dong changed clothes alone, followed by Cao Longyan and Huo Yuhao.

Once everyone had changed, Wang Dong patted his chest toward Cao Longyan and Huo Yuhao.

"Yuhao, Longyan, let's go! To celebrate successfully passing the first day of school, this young master is treating you all to a good meal!"

Huo Yuhao shook his head, a troubled look on his face.

"I have things to do tonight, so I won't be going."

Wang Dong's face fell instantly, and he wailed as if he were having a breakdown.

"No way! It's one thing that Longyan has someone to hang out with, but you found a companion too, Yuhao? Are you guys just isolating me in this entire dorm?"

Just as Huo Yuhao was about to explain, Cao Longyan raised his eyelids, and a faint blue light began to shimmer on his left hand.

Wang Dong shut his mouth instantly, scratching his head awkwardly while his eyes darted around, desperately trying to cover up his loose tongue.

Huo Yuhao didn't want to be misunderstood, so he simply came clean.

"I'm going to the East Gate tonight to sell grilled fish to earn some living expenses."

Wang Dong's eyes lit up, and he became interested immediately.

"Selling grilled fish? Sounds fun! I'll go with you!"

Cao Longyan also nodded slightly.

"I'll go take a look as well."

Huo Yuhao felt a warmth in his heart; with two friends accompanying him, what was originally a somewhat embarrassing task now felt a bit more manageable.

The three of them arrived at the agreed-upon spot at the East Gate, where Bei Bei and Tang Ya were already waiting.

Seeing Cao Longyan and Wang Dong behind Huo Yuhao, the two were slightly surprised.

They hadn't met Wang Dong before, but based on Huo Yuhao's previous descriptions, they guessed that he was Huo Yuhao's other roommate.

Bei Bei and Tang Ya raised their eyebrows in surprise; they hadn't expected Cao Longyan to be tagging along with his roommates instead of staying with Xiao Xiao at a time like this.

It seemed their relationship was quite good...

The four of them worked together, and soon a simple grilled fish stall was set up.

Huo Yuhao's technique was skillful; as the charcoal fire rose, the fish meat gradually turned golden, and a rich, enticing aroma drifted out, attracting a crowd of onlookers.

"Grilled fish, fresh off the grill, five copper soul coins each! Only twenty available today!"

Huo Yuhao gradually grew more confident in his hawking.

He had only prepared enough ingredients for twenty fish today; after all, since he was troubling Bei Bei and Tang Ya to help, he insisted on paying for the materials himself, and the soul coins he had on him were only enough for this much.

Business was exceptionally brisk, and the aroma was so alluring that before long, only one fish remained.

The person eyeing this final fish was Jiang Nannan, who, like Tang Ya, was wearing a fourth-year school uniform.

Seeing acquaintances, a faint smile appeared on her face, and she was just about to chat with Tang Ya while waiting for Huo Yuhao to finish grilling the fish.

Just then, a sharp whistling sound suddenly cut through the air!

"Hold it, this young master wants this grilled fish!"

A folding fan imbued with soul power shot silently toward Jiang Nannan's back, moving at an astonishing speed.

Before the surrounding crowd could even react, a figure had already moved.

Cao Longyan's eyes turned cold; his body shifted instantly to block in front of Jiang Nannan, and he raised his hand to flick his finger.

"Clang!"

With a soft sound, the folding fan was sent flying by a domineering ball of blue light, only to be retrieved by the speaker using his own soul power.

Jiang Nannan, having finally reacted, looked up at the tall, upright back in front of her.

The youth was wearing a first-year school uniform and had short blue hair.

In an instant, her heart skipped a beat.

This back... it felt so familiar...

Suddenly, the scene from six years ago, of a six-year-old boy standing in front of her, echoed repeatedly in her mind.

Is... is it little brother Longyan?