Living Is More Important Than Anything

"So, Wang Dong, if I order another steak, can you teach me how you managed to cut such jagged edges with such a fast knife?"

Huo Yuhao looked at the steak fragments Wang Dong had cut, which looked like they had been gnawed by a dog. Somewhat speechless, he raised a finger toward the ceiling and spoke to Wang Dong.

Xiao Xiao secretly laughed beside them. Wang Dong's face alternated between pale and red, and she said in embarrassment and irritation, "I've really never used one before. I don't know how to eat it."

Huo Yuhao shrugged and did not continue making things difficult for Wang Dong.

The next morning, Wang Dong hurried back. The moment she opened the dormitory door, she dragged Huo Yuhao out of bed. "Yuhao, Yuhao, get up!"

Huo Yuhao stretched lazily, then said to Wang Dong, "It's rare for you to get up early for morning training and even bring breakfast back. Why are you panicking?"

Wang Dong was gasping for breath. After taking several deep breaths, she said to Huo Yuhao, "You've been put on the notice board. It says you defied a teacher and disregarded school rules. They forcibly demoted you from Core Disciple to Reserve Core Disciple, though thankfully your benefits haven't changed."

Huo Yuhao stretched, poured himself a glass of water, and after drinking it, said rather speechlessly, "You rushed in here just to tell me that?"

Wang Dong froze at Huo Yuhao's reaction, then asked in disbelief, "You don't care?"

Huo Yuhao shrugged and said to Wang Dong, "Didn't you say the benefits haven't changed? Then what's there to care about? Who would deliberately investigate my reputation at this academy after graduation? They'll only care whether my strength looks like it came from this academy."

Wang Dong bit her lip, then asked Huo Yuhao in disbelief, "With that reaction, don't tell me you really did defy a teacher?"

Huo Yuhao shrugged and roughly recounted his earlier conversation with Xuan Zi to Wang Dong. Wang Dong's face grew paler and paler, her mouth gradually opening wide enough to fit an egg.

Huo Yuhao lifted Wang Dong's chin and said teasingly, "You can't eat that yet."

Wang Dong blushed, then took two steps back. "Student Yuhao, are you awake? Do you know what you turned down? That was the Inner Court of Shrek Academy!"

Huo Yuhao covered his ears, which Wang Dong had nearly shouted deaf, and said helplessly, "Everyone has their own aspirations. I truly don't plan to study at Shrek Academy until the Inner Court level. Have you looked into the death rate of the Inner Court? Do you know why the academy is divided into the Inner Court and Outer Court?"

Huo Yuhao's two questions completely stunned Wang Dong. Then she poured him a glass of water, moved close, leaned against his shoulder, and said, "I really don't know. Tell me."

Huo Yuhao took a sip of water and said, "The Inner Court is also called the Shrek Inspectorate. Its daily work is dealing with aristocrats who commit evil deeds and Evil Soul Masters. So this line of work can be said to offend both the underworld and the establishment. Very few disciples can truly graduate from the Inner Court alive and find a good future.

Most Inner Court disciples stay at the academy under the excuse that they cannot bear to leave it, but in truth, they have accumulated too many blood debts while carrying out Inner Court inspection missions, to the point that they cannot even return home."

After hearing Huo Yuhao's explanation of the Inner Court, Wang Dong could not help shivering. Then Huo Yuhao looked into the distance meaningfully and said calmly, "I think that if you want to talk about success, you first have to survive. Otherwise, it's just a joke."

Wang Dong nodded deeply in agreement. Huo Yuhao then stood up and said, "All right, it's time for class."

When Huo Yuhao explained the Inner Court to Wang Dong, he deliberately did not mention that the Inner Court issued cloaks and masks to conceal their identities. However, that did not really change anything, because it was precisely the concealed identities that left many students with blood debts so heavy they dared not return home.

With their identities hidden, no one knew exactly which members of the Shrek Inspectorate had killed those evil aristocrats in their hometowns. But the fact that you had graduated from Shrek's Inner Court was very difficult to hide.

If it wasn't you, then it could only have been you.

After entering the new classroom, countless eyes focused on Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong. If Huo Yuhao did not open the eyes on his body, his current appearance was even more outstanding than the original Huo Yuhao's.

Wang Dong, meanwhile, maintained her original characterization: a pure handsome guy. Combined with the fact that the two were Freshman Assessment champions and that Huo Yuhao had just been publicly criticized, they naturally drew plenty of attention.

Unlike the original story, Zhou Yi had been suspended for a semester to reflect because her teaching quality had declined severely. Mu Jin took the opportunity to assume the role of homeroom teacher for Huo Yuhao's class.

After Mu Jin entered the classroom, he did not mention Huo Yuhao's public notice at all. Instead, he first wrote several names on the blackboard.

For the control-type group, Huo Yuhao was at the top, followed by several other control-type students who had also distinguished themselves during the Freshman Assessment.

Wang Dong led the assault-type group.

"There is no specific teaching task this morning. The most important thing is to select class monitors. The names I have written on the blackboard are the candidates for the control-type and assault-type class monitors. Everyone has witnessed their performances, so I don't think there should be any objections."

Dai Huabin raised his hand and pointed at Huo Yuhao. "Teacher Mu Jin, I think that if someone who has just been publicly criticized by the entire school becomes our class monitor, wouldn't that, in a sense, be going against the school? Could it provoke the academy into targeting our class?"

Huo Yuhao could not help glancing sideways at Dai Huabin. It was not because Dai Huabin was targeting him. Under the hand of fate, it was hardly strange for this guy to trip him up.

What was strange was that such a well-spoken remark did not seem like something Dai Huabin's brain could come up with.

Mu Jin frowned, just about to say something when Xiao Xiao was already the first to slam her hand on the desk and stand up. "Dai Huabin, aren't you going too far? Is it just because he beat you in the Freshman Assessment that you can't accept losing? The academy hasn't even revoked Huo Yuhao's Core Disciple benefits. What right do you have to stop him from running for our class monitor just because of one notice?"

There was another expert? Huo Yuhao could not help turning to look at Xiao Xiao, who was seated on his other side. Something was off about this class today. Had every one of them suddenly grown a brain?

Mu Jin tapped the lectern, looked at Dai Huabin, and put away the gentle smile he had worn while speaking. Replacing it was an icy, stern expression as he said, "..."