Is She the Homeroom Teacher?

The simplest way to win a woman over was naturally to conquer her stomach—or somewhere lower down.

The lower down part wasn't an option just yet, but after Ma Xiaotao tasted one of his delicious grilled fish, the relationship between her and Huo Yuhao had grown much closer.

After learning that Huo Yuhao was a new student this year, Ma Xiaotao had volunteered to show him around the academy. The two were now strolling through Shrek Academy, chatting and laughing.

There was no denying it: Shrek Academy really was beautiful, with lush vegetation everywhere. Walking along the broad avenues, no matter where you looked, you could see at least ten different kinds of plants, all clearly trimmed with care.

But the most eye-catching sight on campus wasn't the greenery. It was a group of statues. There were ten in all, each ten meters tall, carved from the hardest granite by the finest masters. They looked incredibly lifelike.

At the center of the group stood the statue of Buddha Tang, blue vines coiled around his hand, a pure and immaculate smile on his face. He seemed to be gazing at Xiao Wu, not far away on his right.

Huo Yuhao calmly surveyed the most famous Shrek Seven Devils on Douluo Continent. His gaze lingered on Tang San for a few seconds before he nonchalantly looked away.

Of course, quite a few students respectfully bowed in greeting as they passed the statues of the First Generation Shrek Seven Devils.

Ma Xiaotao did an excellent job as a guide along the way, thoroughly explaining every place in Shrek Outer Court that Huo Yuhao needed to know about.

"Senior Ma, so you're an Inner Court disciple? That's amazing!"

Seeing the puppy-like admiration on his face, Ma Xiaotao gave a faint, slightly smug smile. "Just call me Sister Xiaotao. As for the Inner Court, I'm sure you can get in too, Yuhao. Here's a hint: the Inner Court is the real Shrek Academy. That's where you can learn the real stuff."

"Haha... I wouldn't dare say that. Maybe I'll get expelled for failing an exam one of these days."

"Haha, I've never heard of the academy expelling a genius who reached Soul Elder rank at eleven. Even that crazy old hag Zhou Yi couldn't do that... By the way, Yuhao, I haven't asked yet—what's your Martial Soul?"

It wasn't anything he needed to hide, so Huo Yuhao answered openly. "My Martial Soul is my eyes. I call it Spirit Eye."

"Your eyes? No wonder they're so pretty..." Ma Xiaotao almost let the words slip, then quickly corrected herself. "Ahem, I mean, it's a very good Martial Soul. A Body Martial Soul has a lot of potential."

Was it just her imagination?

Ma Xiaotao was also wondering. There was something as gentle as water about little Yuhao, and the cool, comfortable feeling she sensed from him—wasn't his Martial Soul supposed to have a water attribute?

But when she looked at little Huo Yuhao's exceptionally handsome profile, she swallowed her question.

Never mind. Just looking at little Yuhao's face made her feel like she could eat three extra bowls of rice. What more could she ask for?

They chatted all the way to the freshman teaching building. After collecting his dormitory key, two school uniforms, and a white freshman badge, Huo Yuhao followed Ma Xiaotao out of the building.

When she spotted a notice on the bulletin board not far away, Ma Xiaotao furrowed her brows in surprise.

"Homeroom teacher for Freshman Class 10: Zhang Lexuan. Sister Lexuan..."

Freshman Class 10?

Huo Yuhao looked at Ma Xiaotao, puzzled. He had enrolled late and been assigned to Class Ten. From the way Ma Xiaotao had said it, she seemed to know this Zhang Lexuan.

"What's wrong, Sister Xiaotao? Do you know this teacher, Zhang Lexuan?"

Ma Xiaotao gave a wry smile. "Little Yuhao, you're in for a treat. Sister Lexuan is the senior-most disciple in our Inner Court, and she's a great beauty, too."

Huo Yuhao tugged helplessly at the corner of his mouth. What did that have to do with anything?

"The senior-most disciple of the Inner Court... So she's Shrek's chief disciple, right? Why would she come to the Outer Court to be a homeroom teacher?"

"..."

Ma Xiaotao fell silent for a moment, then spoke with some difficulty. "This happened nearly two years ago. It was a catastrophe that struck the Inner Court disciples. The academy's higher-ups kept the details under very strict wraps, so I don't know much either. I only heard a few scraps from my teacher."

"It was the greatest loss the Shrek Inner Court had suffered since its founding. Of the twelve elite Inner Court disciples, only the senior sister survived—and she had already reached Soul Douluo rank at the time."

Huo Yuhao was shocked. Only one of the twelve had survived?!

Inner Court disciples were at least Soul Emperor rank, weren't they? What kind of disaster could wipe out twelve powerful Soul Emperors in one fell swoop? Wasn't Shrek Academy supposed to be a sacred place for Soul Masters? What kind of force could deal it such a devastating blow?

Huo Yuhao thought it over and figured there must have been a traitor. Otherwise, even twelve pigs would have known to run.

Ma Xiaotao sighed. "The dead are gone, but the living have to keep moving forward... Still, the crushing weight of it has always rested on Sister Lexuan's shoulders. Shrek Academy's greatest genius had been completely broken by it over the past two years. Maybe the higher-ups couldn't bear to see her like that anymore, so they sent her to teach in the Outer Court to ease some of the pressure."

Remembering the vacant, lifeless look in Sister Lexuan's eyes when she'd seen her earlier, Ma Xiaotao felt a pang of heartache.

Bearing the deaths of eleven companions alone—what a suffocating burden.

She greatly admired Zhang Lexuan. Zhang Lexuan had given her plenty of guidance in the Inner Court, and in her heart, Ma Xiaotao truly saw her as an older sister.

Without thinking, she looked at Huo Yuhao beside her and met his big, sky-blue eyes.

I hope Sister Lexuan can pull herself together...

After walking Huo Yuhao back to the dormitory, Ma Xiaotao returned to the Inner Court first. They agreed to meet again in a few days.

The Outer Court dormitory covered a vast area. Though it was only one building, it had six floors, with white, yellow, purple, and black sections marking the areas where students of different grades lived.

At the entrance to the dormitory sat an old man who looked quite advanced in years. He wore plain gray clothes, his face was covered in wrinkles, and his yellowed eyes drooped beneath half-lowered lids. He looked like he was at death's door.

Sunlight between the buildings fell just right on him, and the chair he reclined in looked quite comfortable.

Huo Yuhao stepped forward and greeted him politely. "Hello, Grandpa. Here are my dormitory number and key."

The old man's tightly closed eyes cracked open a sliver. After glancing at him, he spoke in a hoarse, low voice. "Go on. The girls' dormitories start on the fourth floor. You can't go up there. If you're caught, you'll be expelled."

"Got it."

Huo Yuhao glanced at the old man, then headed into the dormitory on his own.

"Thirty-six levels of Soul Power at eleven, and such a polite child, too. That's rare..."