They Left One After Another
Xuan Zi glanced at him and said evenly, "You could say that."
"But for the next five years, you'll be under constant scrutiny. Only if you're strong enough in the end will you represent the academy. You'll face several rounds of assessment along the way, so becoming the Shrek Seven Devils won't be easy."
A smile tugged at Dai Huabin's lips. At last, I have a chance to become one of the Shrek Seven Devils.
Dai Yueheng, just wait. I'll surpass you.
And Huo Yuhao... So what if you beat me with underhanded tricks? Heh. I'm on the Shrek Seven Monsters Reserve Team now, while you're nothing...
A while later, the seven left one after another.
Back in his dorm alone, Bei Bei stared at the letter Tang Ya had left on the desk, his emotions in turmoil.
He clenched his fists and gazed into the distance.
"Xiao Ya, why didn't you wait for me?"
"No. I have to find you. This letter only appeared this afternoon. You can't have gone far."
With that, Bei Bei sprang up and dashed out, vanishing into the night.
The same thing happened to Wang Dong.
After failing to make the cut, she returned to her dorm in low spirits.
The sight of Huo Yuhao's empty bed made her heart tighten.
Then she found the letter he had left behind.
Her expression changed the moment she finished reading it, and she rushed out.
Meanwhile, Xu Sanshi had gone outside the academy for food after the matches. He happened to spot Wang Dong sprinting past and grew curious.
"Isn't that Wang Dong? She's with Tang Ya's Tang Sect, isn't she? Where's she rushing off to?"
Xu Sanshi bit into his grilled meat as he muttered to himself.
A moment later, another figure dashed out.
Xu Sanshi froze, then shouted, "Bei Bei! Where are you going?"
Bei Bei raced on without looking back.
Xu Sanshi frowned. "That's strange. What's gotten into everyone today?"
"I'd better go see!"
Song Que and the other two weren't in a hurry.
Once they were ready, the three ate a quick meal outside the academy and set off toward the Sunset Forest.
Song Que's home was in a small town on the border of the Heavenly Soul Empire, not too far from Shrek Academy.
At full speed, they could get there in a day.
Instead, the three chatted as they walked, making no effort to hurry.
When night fell, they stopped and found a place to rest.
"It's not far to my home," Song Que said. "Let's rest tonight and leave early tomorrow."
"We'll get there after another half-day or so."
Tang Ya nodded. She spotted a stream in the distance, and her eyes lit up.
"Yuhao, look! There's a stream over there. I bet it has fish. Let's rest there."
"Hehe. I'll catch the fish, and you can grill them."
Huo Yuhao looked over and nodded.
Song Que laughed. "All you think about is food."
"You're exploiting your disciple's labor."
Tang Ya gave a sheepish smile. "What's the big deal? You're only joining the Tang Sect in name."
"You'll leave once we've had our revenge anyway."
Huo Yuhao didn't mind. He smiled and said, "It's fine. That's easy enough."
Soon the three had settled beside the stream and built a fire.
Not long after they left, a handsome figure came hurrying up the road behind them.
Is this the right road? Yuhao said they might head for the Heavenly Soul Empire. This should be it.
A voice suddenly called from behind her.
"Wang Dong? What are you doing here?"
Wang Dong turned and paused in surprise.
"Senior Brother Bei Bei? Why are you here too? Are you looking for Yuhao?"
Bei Bei quickened his pace and fell into step beside her.
"Yuhao? He left too?"
"I'm looking for Xiao Ya. She said she wanted to return to the Heavenly Soul Empire and find a chance to avenge the Tang Sect."
"Did Yuhao go with her?"
Wang Dong's gaze sharpened. An inexplicable sense of loss stirred inside her.
"Looks like they left together."
But why didn't he tell me? Why did he leave without a word...?
Bei Bei glanced at her but said nothing.
A moment later, he spotted smoke rising in the distance and cried out.
"Look over there!"
"Let's check it out. We might find them."
They picked up their pace and headed toward the smoke.
Before long, they reached the campfire.
"There they are!"
"Xiao Ya!"
"Yuhao!"
Song Que had been sitting by the fire with nothing to do. At the shouts, he turned toward the voices in surprise. Damn, they followed us all the way here.
Bei Bei I can understand, but why did Wang Dong come too?
Did God King Tang install some kind of automatic follow program in Wang Dong? Why does she follow Yuhao everywhere?
Quite some time later, the five sat around the fire, eating grilled fish and chatting.
"So you're the one behind all this, Song Que!"
Bei Bei glared at Song Que.
"You're only a little stronger than me. Are you sure you can beat Tie Li?"
Song Que smiled. "Of course!"
"I'll reach level fifty soon. He's just an ordinary Soul Emperor. I can handle him."
Bei Bei opened his mouth, then fell silent.
He wanted to leave with them, but his circumstances were different. He couldn't walk away from Shrek Academy as easily as they could.
Wang Dong was the first to speak. "I'm going too."
"Shrek Academy is so unfair. I don't want to stay there either."
Song Que glanced at Wang Dong, his expression conflicted.
He very much wanted to separate Wang Dong from Huo Yuhao.
After all, she was an important pawn God King Tang used to keep Huo Yuhao in check.
But Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong were close. Song Que couldn't force her away, and he certainly couldn't tell them the real reason.
Huo Yuhao hesitated, then looked at Song Que. "Brother Song Que, what do you think...?"
Song Que smiled, understanding what Huo Yuhao meant.
"Wang Dong, are you sure?" he asked. "You're different from us. You're talented, and the academy values you. You don't need to come with us."
"We don't know what lies ahead. It might not be better than Shrek Academy."
A mysterious glimmer flashed in Wang Dong's eyes. "I'm sure," she said firmly.
"Yuhao is my best friend. Besides, we have the Power of Haodong, so training together is twice as effective. If I stay with him, I'll improve even faster."