Xiao Xiao

Huo Yuhao looked up at Xiao Xiao.

Xiao Xiao was looking at him too.

To be precise, from the moment she had entered, the little girl's attention had remained fixed on him.

Her gaze was not impolite, and even carried a hint of caution, but Huo Yuhao could still tell that she was studying him very seriously.

As if she were looking at something she did not quite understand.

Huo Yuhao held out his hand and smiled. "Hello, I'm Huo Yuhao, a level twenty-one control-system Soul Grandmaster."

Xiao Xiao froze for a moment.

She had not expected Huo Yuhao to be so proactive. She hurriedly reached out and lightly shook his hand.

"Hello, I'm Xiao Xiao, a level twenty-eight control-system Soul Grandmaster. My Martial Soul is the Three Lives Soul-Subduing Cauldron."

As soon as she finished speaking.

The private room suddenly fell silent.

Tang Ya blinked.

Even the smile on Bei Bei's face paused for a moment.

Twelve years old.

Level twenty-eight.

What kind of concept was that?

Even in a place like Shrek Academy, where monsters gathered, such talent would absolutely be one in ten thousand.

Not to mention, her Martial Soul did not sound ordinary at all.

Tang Ya could not help moving closer, her face full of shock. "You're only twelve, and you're already level twenty-eight?"

Xiao Xiao felt a little embarrassed under her stare and quietly replied, "Mm."

Tang Ya sucked in a cold breath.

She suddenly felt that, as the Tang Sect's sect master, she was becoming less and less impressive.

First, she had picked up an eleven-year-old junior brother who was already level twenty-one.

Now there was another twelve-year-old little girl at level twenty-eight.

Were geniuses these days all this unreasonable?

Bei Bei smiled gently and said, "Miss Xiao Xiao's talent would certainly place her among the very best of Shrek's new students."

Xiao Xiao nodded lightly.

Yet from the corner of her eye, she was still watching Huo Yuhao.

She actually had some doubts in her heart.

Was this the person Sister Ju Zi had taken a liking to?

There was indeed nothing to criticize about his appearance. He was clean-cut and handsome, and his eyes were pleasant to look at. He did not seem like an annoying person.

But that was all.

A level twenty-one Soul Grandmaster was naturally outstanding among those his age.

But beside Sister Ju Zi, he seemed somewhat lacking.

Xiao Xiao came from a declining great clan. The strongest person in the clan was her grandfather, Xiao Ding, a Soul King-level expert.

According to her grandfather, four thousand years ago, the Xiao Clan had been extremely powerful, with multiple Titled Douluo overseeing the clan.

But because of the holy war three thousand years ago, all the clan's Titled Douluo had died, and its inheritance had been severed. For some unknown reason, the inherited Soul-Calming Cauldron Martial Soul had also gradually declined. Among later generations, the Soul Masters who awakened the Soul-Calming Cauldron Martial Soul had never possessed innate Soul Power above level seven.

It was only when Xiao Xiao awakened Twin Martial Souls that the fallen and decaying Xiao Clan saw hope of rising again.

However, both of Xiao Xiao's Martial Souls were mutated Martial Souls, and the clan's inheritance had been lost. Even her grandfather, a Soul King-level expert, did not know how to nurture her.

Then, two years ago, when Xiao Xiao's Soul Power Level reached level twenty, the clan's experts, along with her grandfather Xiao Ding, had planned to attach a Soul Ring to her second Martial Soul so she could cultivate faster and raise her Soul Power Level. It was at that time that Ju Zi appeared.

Ju Zi directly brought a Soul Emperor and forcefully took over the entire Xiao Clan. She injected a large amount of funds into the clan and found an unusual use for the Xiao Clan's Soul-Calming Cauldron Martial Soul, ensuring that the whole clan would no longer merely spend without earning.

At her grandfather Xiao Ding's request, Xiao Xiao followed Ju Zi to learn from her and acknowledged her as an older sister.

At first, she had merely thought Ju Zi was beautiful.

But after spending more time with her, she discovered that Ju Zi's true strength had never been her appearance.

Though Ju Zi was only about a year older than her, she handled matters with a maturity and steadiness that did not resemble someone her age.

She could arrange the Spirit Medicine Pavilion's accounts, judge the prices of medicinal herbs across different regions, and negotiate terms with merchants as sly as old foxes without changing expression.

Xiao Xiao had personally watched Ju Zi support such a vast force, arrange everything in perfect order without leaving a single gap, and resolve crisis after crisis.

These things had deeply influenced Xiao Xiao. She believed that this was what an outstanding woman should be like.

In Xiao Xiao's heart, Ju Zi was the role model she would follow for the rest of her life.

Why would such a perfect Sister Ju Zi treat Huo Yuhao so specially?

Xiao Xiao could not understand it.

Huo Yuhao glanced at her.

For some reason, he felt that the little girl's gaze toward him was somewhat strange.

There was curiosity.

There was scrutiny.

And there was even a tiny bit of unwillingness to concede.

Huo Yuhao sighed inwardly.

What kind of script had Sister Ju Zi arranged for him this time?

Not long afterward.

At Ju Zi's request, Tang Ya and Bei Bei brought Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao to Shrek Academy to register.

There were many people at Shrek Academy's registration area.

Young boys and girls stood in line, most of their faces filled with nervousness and anticipation.

Tang Ya stood to the side with her arms folded and said, "Junior brother, once you officially enroll, don't disgrace our Tang Sect."

Huo Yuhao nodded.

"Teacher Tang Ya, don't worry. I'll try not to leave anyone with psychological trauma."

Tang Ya:?

She had told him not to embarrass them.

She had not told him to scare people.

Bei Bei gave a light cough and smiled. "It's good for junior brother to be confident, but Shrek's new students are no simple people. You should still be cautious."

Huo Yuhao nodded very obediently.

"Understood, Senior Brother."

Xiao Xiao stood nearby, silently watching the scene.

She suddenly realized that Huo Yuhao did not seem merely gentle.

He looked easygoing on the surface, yet every sentence seemed to carry something slightly strange.

She could not quite put it into words.

In any case, he did not seem like an honest person.

The registration process was not complicated.

With Tang Ya and Bei Bei there, the recommendation letter had long since been prepared.

There were no issues with Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao's ages, cultivation, or Martial Soul information, and they quickly completed their enrollment registration.

When the teacher in charge of registration saw Xiao Xiao's level twenty-eight cultivation, his eyes visibly lit up.

When he heard that Huo Yuhao was level twenty-one, he gave him an extra look as well.

Eleven years old, level twenty-one.

That was not bad either.

It was just that with Xiao Xiao standing beside him, the comparison was slightly brutal.

Huo Yuhao did not care.

After all, if he revealed the truth about his ten-year Soul Ring, the registration area would probably explode on the spot.

After finishing the procedures, Tang Ya and Bei Bei brought the two of them to the Freshman Dormitory.

The dormitory building looked rather old.

Its walls had faded with age, and several large trees stood in front of it. Their shade fell across the ground, making the area seem rather quiet.

Tang Ya patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder.

"Junior brother, we still need to go report in, so we won't accompany you inside."

Bei Bei added, "If anything comes up, you can find us at the Outer Court, or go directly to the Tang Sect."

Huo Yuhao nodded.

"Alright."

Tang Ya looked at Huo Yuhao, then at Xiao Xiao, and suddenly revealed a meaningful smile.

"You two will be classmates from now on. Remember to look out for each other."

Xiao Xiao's little face reddened slightly, and she hurriedly said, "I understand."

Huo Yuhao, on the other hand, responded naturally.

"Teacher Tang Ya, don't worry. I'll look after her."

Xiao Xiao raised her head and glanced at him.

Who would be looking after whom was still uncertain.

After Tang Ya and Bei Bei left, only Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao remained in front of the dormitory building.

The two looked at each other.

The atmosphere suddenly grew a little quiet.

"Then I'll head up first," Xiao Xiao said softly.

"Mm."

Huo Yuhao nodded.

Then, with perfect mutual understanding, they turned around and headed toward their respective dormitories.

There was no small talk.

Nor was there any forced conversation.

That made Huo Yuhao feel quite comfortable.

Inside the dormitory.

After Huo Yuhao pushed open the door, his first reaction was silence.

The room was not large, and the desk, chairs, and bed were all ordinary.

Most importantly, dust was everywhere.

Huo Yuhao stood at the door and looked for a long while before silently rolling up his sleeves.

He was already here.

He could not exactly sleep in dust.

He fetched some clean water and wiped down the tabletop, bedframe, and windowsill, then carefully swept the floor clean.

By the time the room was finally fit for someone to live in, the sky had already darkened considerably.

Huo Yuhao sat by the bed and slowly let out a breath.

Just how far had Ju Zi gotten by now?

The Spirit Medicine Pavilion had already expanded into Shrek City, and Xiao Xiao had also been brought under her command ahead of time.

The things Ju Zi had done over the years were likely far more numerous than he knew.

Although the two of them had always stayed together over the years, Huo Yuhao had spent most of his time cultivating in a small border town of the Sun Moon Empire, studying pills and Soul Tools.

Ju Zi had never fully explained many of her arrangements.

It was not because she did not trust him.

There was simply no need to tell him everything.

She handled the planning, while he handled his growth.

This seemed to have become a kind of unspoken division of labor between them.

Huo Yuhao rubbed his brow.

Given Ju Zi's personality, there was definitely more than one Spirit Medicine Pavilion on Shrek's side.

Xiao Xiao was merely someone openly sent to his side.

What about in the shadows?

How many more pieces did she have?

At that thought, Huo Yuhao suddenly felt a headache coming on.

His fiancée might be young, but she truly had plenty of tricks up her sleeve.