Ning Tian's Offer of Reconciliation

"Dai Huabin, the academy's punishment for Huo Yuhao was written in black and white. It merely stripped him of the title of Core Disciple; it did not revoke the benefits afforded to a Core Disciple." Mu Jin spoke each word deliberately, irritation at having been interrupted evident in her eyes.

"Since even his Core Disciple benefits have not been revoked, let alone his qualification to run for class monitor, Huo Yuhao was the top freshman. If I did not put his name on the candidate list, how many people here would still have the nerve to run for class monitor?

"Dai Huabin, if you are dissatisfied with my arrangements, you are welcome to report me to the academy's Department of Academic Affairs at any time. Of course, if it is ultimately determined that a student falsely accused a teacher, you should be able to find out what price you will pay."

The moment Dai Huabin spoke, he was besieged from all sides. His face immediately darkened, but he still lowered his head and silently returned to his seat, able only to glare viciously at Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao returned the glare without the slightest courtesy, while a thought of eliminating Dai Huabin once and for all arose in his heart.

He was not a softhearted person. It would have been one thing if Dai Huabin had not taken the initiative to trouble him, but now it was clear that Dai Huabin would not let the matter rest.

Huo Yuhao quietly calculated in his heart. Although it was inconvenient to make a move at Shrek Academy, after this semester, an opportunity well suited to him would soon come.

Before then, improving his cultivation was more important. After all, every time his Soul Power rose by a full ten levels, it brought him far more than just another Soul Ring and another soul skill—it gave him the abilities of two more eyes.

There was naturally no suspense regarding the selection of the class monitor. Whether it was Mu Jin's inclination or the students' self-awareness, both had already ensured that Huo Yuhao would firmly take the position of class monitor for the control system.

Dai Huabin was the only one who remained somewhat indignant. Even Cui Yajie, the control-system soul master originally on his team, specifically came to congratulate Huo Yuhao, effectively drawing a line between herself and Dai Huabin.

Cui Yajie did not have much of a role in the original story, but she was indeed a clever person. She had no intention of getting involved in the grudge between Huo Yuhao and Dai Huabin.

To some extent, she could even be considered a lower-tier version of Huo Yuhao. She had simply come to Shrek Academy to earn a diploma, then return home in glory and find a sufficiently high-paying job.

After the morning classes ended, Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong walked on either side of Huo Yuhao toward the academy cafeteria. Wang Dong still sounded somewhat indignant as she said, "That Dai Huabin really has some nerve. He lost so badly, yet he still has the face to question your qualifications to be class monitor."

Huo Yuhao did not care much about it. In his eyes, Dai Huabin was already half a dead man, so there was no need to argue with the dead. He waved his hand at Wang Dong and said, "He is, after all, the legitimate son of the White Tiger Duke Mansion. He was probably pampered so much in the Duke's Mansion that he has forgotten no one outside is his father or mother."

Wang Dong gave a soft snort, then said disdainfully, "Each generation is worse than the last."

Huo Yuhao smiled faintly without speaking, simply leading the two of them straight toward Shrek Academy's cafeteria.

In the cafeteria, Huo Yuhao and the others had just chosen a serving window and were lining up when they saw three familiar figures enter.

"Isn't that Wu Feng? It looks like she has recovered quite well." Xiao Xiao glanced sideways at the three standing nearby, then pointed at the red-haired girl.

One difference in this life from before was that Wu Feng had not obeyed the academy's arrangement to enter Class One. Instead, she had accompanied Ning Tian to Class Three, while their other teammate, Nanmen Nü'er, had remained in Class Two, which specialized in agility-attack and defense systems.

Ning Tian also looked sideways at Huo Yuhao. The two then arrived at the serving window at the same time. After each had gotten their food, Ning Tian led Wu Feng over to Huo Yuhao and the other two.

Huo Yuhao paused his chopsticks and looked up at Ning Tian. She gave him a friendly smile. "The Freshman Assessment is over, and we are still classmates. I hope we will have opportunities to cooperate in the future. After all, you do not seem like the type who will remain at the academy forever."

Huo Yuhao nodded, then courteously replied to Ning Tian, "I have long heard that the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect is both generous toward others and immensely wealthy. Despite your young age, you already possess the tolerance of your sect's elders. That is truly not easy. I think cooperation with such a wealthy and amicable sect is very likely to happen."

Ning Tian nodded and did not take Huo Yuhao's remarks to heart. She simply led Wu Feng elsewhere to find an empty spot and eat while standing.

Wang Dong nudged Huo Yuhao with her elbow, sounding rather jealous as she said, "You really are popular. Even people who lost so miserably to us before took the initiative to come make peace with you."

Huo Yuhao studied Wu Feng's figure, then took a deep breath and said, "If the Sun Moon Empire were not expanding so aggressively into the three former nations of the Douluo Continent, I would say the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect truly has hope of revival. Ordinary wastrel young masters and misses would not be able to calmly eat in a cafeteria like this, nor would they have the magnanimity to take the initiative and seek reconciliation."

Wang Dong looked at Ning Tian, who was calmly savoring the cafeteria food nearby, and finally nodded lightly.

Xiao Xiao placed a piece of deboned chicken into Huo Yuhao's bowl as she said, "Eat first. If you wait any longer, the dishes will get cold."

"If he waits any longer, Huo Yuhao's bowl will have double portions," Wang Dong teased Xiao Xiao, then placed a piece of boneless fish from her own bowl into Huo Yuhao's.

Huo Yuhao: "...I think it's triple portions."

The days that followed were relatively uneventful. For some unknown reason, Dai Huabin took the initiative to apply for a class transfer, going to another class to become its class monitor. Zhu Lu left with him as well.

Without learning about Soul Tools taking up his time, Huo Yuhao's cultivation progressed rapidly. Although he was stuck at the level-thirty bottleneck due to having no opportunity to obtain a Soul Ring, tests conducted earlier with the Soul Power testing device Wang Dong had brought showed that Huo Yuhao's true Soul Power strength was already close to level thirty-three.

Under such circumstances, if he absorbed a higher-quality Soul Ring, he might even leap directly to level thirty-five or thirty-six.

One day, several months later, Wang Yan, Class One's other substitute teacher, wrote the words "Advancement Assessment" on the blackboard, then said to the people below, "Today is the last day of your first academic year. I am sure you all know that starting tomorrow, you will enter the holiday..."