The Holiday Approaches, Eyes on the Extreme North!

The cheers around the arena nearly shattered the clouds above the assessment grounds. The ground was littered with scorched craters left by clashing Soul Power.

Yan Shaozhe stood at the center of the stage, speaking quietly with several teachers. Every so often, his gaze drifted toward Yun Yi.

Yun Yi dispersed the blazing crimson-gold Soul Power around him, his breathing as steady as if he had merely finished a stroll.

Wang Dong beside him, however, was an entirely different story. The girl braced herself against her knees, her pink-blue short hair soaked with sweat and clinging to her fair forehead, panting rather dramatically.

As the three prepared to head down the steps, Wang Dong's pretty eyes darted about. Suddenly, she stumbled and went limp, leaning softly against Yun Yi's shoulder.

"Yun Yi... I can't go on. That move just now drained me dry. My legs are so weak I can't stand." Wang Dong's voice carried obvious weakness. She grabbed Yun Yi's sleeve with both hands and looked up at him, her pitiful expression worthy of an Oscar.

Yun Yi narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze lingering on her still-rosy cheeks for two seconds.

He knew perfectly well that, at the final moment, he had directly cut off the return flow of Soul Power between them and borne all the pressure alone.

Although Wang Dong had expended quite a bit, she definitely was not so exhausted that she could not walk.

This girl was clearly addicted to acting and wanted to cling to his back in public.

A teasing curve appeared at the corner of Yun Yi's lips. Rather than exposing her flaw-ridden lie, he nodded readily.

"Fine. Since you can't walk, then don't."

Wang Dong was secretly pleased, thinking that a month of washing his clothes had not gone to waste. This block of wood had finally caught on.

She happily turned around and spread her arms, waiting to climb onto that broad, sturdy back. But before she knew it, the world spun around her.

Yun Yi had no intention of bending over.

He stepped forward, wrapping his right arm around Wang Dong's slender waist while his left hand passed directly beneath her knees.

Under the watchful eyes of several thousand spectators, Yun Yi exerted his arms and cleanly scooped Wang Dong up in a bridal carry.

That standard princess carry left Wang Dong completely stunned.

Her carefully prepared "piggyback plan" instantly collapsed.

As a girl disguised as a boy, this position was utterly devastating to her.

She could even feel the warmth radiating from Yun Yi's chest, rapidly eroding her reason through the fabric of their school uniforms.

"W-Wait! Yun Yi, put me down!" Wang Dong's originally pale face instantly flushed red. She pressed both hands desperately against Yun Yi's shoulders, her long legs flailing helplessly in midair. "I suddenly have strength again! Really! I can walk by myself!"

Yun Yi lowered his head to look at the panicked little leopard in his arms, but his arms only tightened around her.

His steps were steady, every stride calm and measured.

"Save your strength. Don't go falling flat on your face later. That would be truly embarrassing."

Yun Yi gave her no chance to struggle and carried her straight down from the arena.

Xiao Xiao followed behind them. Watching their backs, she could not help covering her mouth as she giggled, her large eyes filled with envy for such pure friendship.

Yun Yi and Wang Dong really have such a good relationship, just like real brothers. Xiao Xiao sighed inwardly, completely unaware that the "brother" in her arms wanted nothing more than to find a crack in the ground and crawl into it.

By now, the discussions below the stage had taken a different turn.

"Oh my god, Yun Yi is so domineering. That posture... I feel like my heart is about to leap out of my chest."

"Wang Dong is blushing so hard. Aren't they a little too intimate?"

Hearing the whispers around her and sensing hundreds of burning gazes fixed on her, Wang Dong's embarrassment reached its limit.

She simply gave up and buried her head in Yun Yi's chest, clutching his collar tightly as she pretended to be an ostrich with its head buried in the sand.

I've already lost all face anyway. Whatever.

Early the next morning, Shrek Square.

The sun was still bright as the students of Freshman Class One stood neatly lined up beneath the stage.

Du Weilun retained his brisk, decisive air as the dean of academic affairs as he stood onstage and announced the final assessment results.

The rewards for the top three were no different from the original story, and the list of core disciples was read out one after another.

Yun Yi, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao were naturally guaranteed selections.

"Due to adjustments in teaching assignments, Freshman Class One will be welcoming a new homeroom teacher." Du Weilun patted the shoulder of the gentle-looking middle-aged man beside him. "Teacher Wang Yan, the outer academy's finest theoretical master, will assist me in managing Class One from now on."

Wang Yan adjusted his glasses and smiled kindly.

He had long heard of Yun Yi's reputation.

As someone devoted to martial soul theory, he looked at Yun Yi as though he were an undiscovered treasure trove.

Yun Yi had no objection to this teacher. So long as his cultivation was not affected, it made no difference who served as homeroom teacher.

With Wang Yan's temperament, he clearly would not come looking to provoke him for no reason.

And so, their tense yet fulfilling school life returned to its proper rhythm.

Time flew by, and five months quietly passed.

The Shrek freshmen welcomed their first long holiday since enrollment.

Over those five months, the dual cultivation of Yun Dong Power in Dormitory 109 had never stopped.

Under Yun Yi's almost plundering energy guidance, Wang Dong's Soul Power had already reached the threshold of Rank 30.

As for Yun Yi himself, he was like a bottomless ancient well. His Rank 50 Soul Power had long since been refined to its utmost limit, every drop as heavy as liquid mercury.

After the final class of the term ended, Wang Yan stood at the podium, his tone gentle but cautionary.

"Going home for the holiday does not mean you can relax completely. As soon as next term begins, you will face your advancement assessment. If anyone becomes slack during the break and falls behind, then gets eliminated when the time comes, no one will be able to help you."

The students nodded solemnly, then gradually left the classroom, each planning their route home.

Yun Yi sat by the window, paying no attention to the noisy atmosphere of farewell around him.

He turned his head, his gaze passing over the towering walls of Shrek City and toward the farthest north of the continent.

There, in the distant Extreme North, lay glaciers that never melted and blizzards that raged day and night.

He was thinking about the Ice Empress and Snow Empress, two of the Three Heavenly Kings of the Extreme North who resided there.

For someone possessing the Ice Yi Divine Spear martial soul, that frozen forbidden land was where he would truly transform after entering the Soul King realm.

The rapid growth of the Ice Yi Divine Spear martial soul, along with those two ferocious beast spirit souls who ruled the Extreme North, had already claimed the most important place in his plans.

"The Extreme North... It's time to meet them."

Yun Yi lightly tapped the wooden desk with his fingers, gold and blue light alternating within his eyes.