Loyalty! Fidelity!

"Begin the match."

Following the referee's announcement, Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi released their martial souls at the same time.

Bei Bei's originally gentle demeanor became sharp and fierce, while Xu Sanshi, who usually looked flashy and rash, became composed.

Perhaps this was their true nature. As the saying went, people spoke lies, but swords spoke the truth. In battle, people were more likely to follow their instincts. Beneath Bei Bei's gentle temperament lay a heart brimming with sharpness; perhaps even that modesty was one of the ways he displayed his edge. As for Xu Sanshi's flashy, impatient exterior, perhaps it was a personality he had deliberately adopted in his pursuit of Jiang Nannan.

The two were on the verge of clashing, and the audience's attention was drawn to the fight on the Soul Fighting Stage. Yet Huo Yuhao began making plans of his own.

He wanted to fish.

He remembered that in Xu Zihuang's timeline, Huo Yuhao had been discovered and reported for using an offensive soul skill. Could he lure that person out now?

Huo Yuhao chuckled inwardly and released his martial soul. Just as he was about to act, Qiu'er and Dong'er grabbed his hands.

"You can't."

"Absolutely not."

Right, they knew too...

"I'm just copying a soul skill..."

Seeing Huo Yuhao say that, Qiu'er and Dong'er relaxed and laughed it off.

Intense Soul Power fluctuations surged from Huo Yuhao's body. Then he covered his eyes and pretended to be dizzy.

"What's wrong?"

"Are you okay?"

Qiu'er and Dong'er asked worriedly.

"I'm fine... It's just an aftereffect from this afternoon. I'll be okay after resting for a bit."

"Teacher! I report Huo Yutong for cheating!"

He took the bait!

Huo Yuhao looked toward the speaker, only to find a boy he had never seen before. Judging by his aura, his cultivation was not high—probably average among the new students.

Still, it was higher than Huo Yuhao's bottom-of-the-barrel cultivation...

"Bullshit! How dare you slander our class monitor! You're asking for a beating!"

"I know him! This brat's from Freshman Class Nine! I ran into him before!"

"Beat him up!"

"Get him!"

At that moment, several nearby students suddenly leaped up and surrounded the boy, raining punches and kicks upon him.

Huo Yuhao was stunned! Only then did he realize there were so many students from Freshman Class One here. Even one of the students who had previously been expelled was among them.

The three expelled students had already regained their enrollment. Though they had not seen the whole process, they knew they could continue attending school because of Huo Yuhao, and they were immensely grateful. If not for the pretty upperclassman beside Huo Yuhao making them too embarrassed to approach him, they would have greeted him long ago. When that passerby had been telling stories earlier, the few of them had even listened in while snickering.

After Huo Yuhao's battle that afternoon, he had become the sun in the hearts of Freshman Class One's students!

And now someone was actually slandering Huo Yuhao?

Six punches in one second was my limit, not loyalty's limit!

Don't hold back—we're not afraid the Spirit Eyes won't see clearly!

Loyal! Faithful!

"What are you doing? Stop at once!" The referee teacher ignored the match and sternly rebuked them.

The students acted as though they had not heard him, continuing to beat the boy mercilessly without even turning their heads.

"Stop! Don't hit him anymore!" Huo Yuhao hurriedly intervened. His words proved even more effective than the teacher's, and they immediately stopped.

The referee teacher glanced at Huo Yuhao in surprise, his heart filled with wariness.

It was only the first day of school, yet his classmates already listened to him so readily. Was this an inborn leader?

Xu Sanshi, meanwhile, was furious. He angrily questioned Bei Bei, "Damn it! You were playing dirty, weren't you?! No wonder you were so confident you could beat me—you had a trick prepared!"

"No," Bei Bei said blankly. "This was what I prepared."

His second and third soul skills lit up. Thunderous Might condensed in his palm, and he struck out. Xu Sanshi was caught off guard and hit head-on, slammed straight to the ground. Bei Bei had figured out this move himself after seeing Huo Yuhao imprint and use his soul skill on the way back to the academy.

"Y-you cheated!" Xu Sanshi stammered slightly from the shock.

"Cheated my ass. The referee never said it was over. A bet is a bet—hand over the Blackwater Pill." Bei Bei smiled. He had confidence in the character of his little junior brother, Huo Yuhao. With Huo Yuhao's intelligence, Bei Bei had immediately guessed that he was most likely copying a soul skill.

The referee glanced at them without announcing the result, then walked toward the group in the stands.

"What happened?" The referee's tone carried its own authority. He had overseen the Soul Fighting Area for years and would never permit cheating under his watch.

"T-teacher! They cheated, and then they beat me up!" The boy said indignantly, his face bruised and swollen.

The referee turned to Huo Yuhao. Huo Yuhao calmly replied, "I didn't."

"Y-you're lying! My classmates told me that spiritual-type soul skills are hard to detect and impossible to guard against, and you just happen to be spiritual-type! I sensed your Soul Power fluctuations just now. You must have done something!"

"How did you know I'm spiritual-type?" Huo Yuhao asked curiously.

"My classmates told me!" Though the boy had not said who, Huo Yuhao had already formed a guess.

Xu Zihuang. He was in Freshman Class Nine too.

"Then you guessed wrong. My soul skill is Imprint. I was just curious about Senior Sanshi's soul skill and wanted to copy it to try it out." Huo Yuhao shook his head. "If you don't believe me, you can ask someone else to verify it."

With that, Huo Yuhao pulled the boy up from the ground.

"Everyone, disperse. This was just a misunderstanding. I believe he didn't do it on purpose," Huo Yuhao said loudly.

"Since the class monitor says so, we'll leave it at that. Hehe."

"Goodbye, Class Monitor!"

"Goodbye."

The referee teacher was quite satisfied with Huo Yuhao. Normally, when some people saw so many others supporting them, they would stir up trouble even when they were in the wrong—let alone when they had reason on their side. Yet Huo Yuhao had let the matter go lightly. The referee greatly appreciated such nobility; Huo Yuhao was far better than those noble-born students who formed cliques and caused trouble whenever they had nothing better to do.

"You're very good." The referee turned back to the Soul Fighting Stage and announced, "Xu Sanshi versus Bei Bei—Bei Bei wins!"

When Bei Bei emerged from the Soul Fighting Area, there was another figure behind him: Xu Sanshi. The moment he came out, he rushed toward Huo Yuhao. Just as he was about to look him over from head to toe, two people blocked his way.

"Bei Bei, your little junior brother sure is popular with women. He has such pretty girls beside him, and they're even twins." Dong'er and Qiu'er were the ones blocking Xu Sanshi's path. "He looks so weak. Did you really learn that move from him?"

"Of course. Who do you think his senior brother is?" Bei Bei said proudly. "Yutong, this is for you."

As he spoke, he handed Huo Yuhao a small porcelain bottle.

"Thank you, Senior Brother. What is this?"

"This is a Blackwater Pill. It can improve your aptitude. Take one first, then take the other later after the medicinal effects have been absorbed," Bei Bei explained. "You have to thank Senior Brother Sanshi for this. He provided all of them."

"Thank you, Senior Brother Sanshi." As he spoke, Huo Yuhao popped a pill into his mouth.

"So you bet me the Blackwater Pills for this kid? Hehe. He looks good enough in every way, except his aptitude is far too poor." Xu Sanshi was straightforward and accepted his loss. "The Blackwater Pill is indeed perfect for you. Next time you grill fish, make sure to prepare some for me. Nannan seems to like it."

After saying that, he swaggered away.