Mu En and Wang Dong

"Huo Yuhao greets his teacher!"

Huo Yuhao bowed without hesitation.

Becoming Qian Duoduo's disciple was a deal with nothing to lose and everything to gain. Only a fool would refuse!

For one thing, Qian Duoduo was the vice dean of the Soul Tool Department. Shrek's Soul Tool Technology might not rank among the continent's best—it was even a little lacking—but the man had power and influence!

Preferential access to resources, connections to smooth his path, an easier time at the academy—those were real benefits that would let him sail through his weaker years.

For another, compared with Yan Shaozhe and Xuan Zi, Qian Duoduo was practically a "divine mentor."

Yan Shaozhe possessed the Bright Phoenix Martial Soul, yet his mind was as narrow as the eye of a needle. He saw no farther than his own interests—a peacock among phoenixes.

As for Xuan Zi, don't even mention him. He was a walking disaster in Douluo form: whoever teamed up with him ran into trouble. Even the original Huo Gua's heaven-defying luck could not withstand his "reverse blessing."

He was the kind of big shot who caused more chaos on a whim than villains did after racking their brains to scheme. Follow him, and every day would turn into a fight for survival.

"Good, good, good! Yuhao, from today on, you're an official Shrek Academy student—and a core disciple of my Soul Tool Department!" Qian Duoduo pulled Huo Yuhao upright. A scarlet card suddenly appeared in his palm, engraved with intricate treasure patterns. "This is the Treasure Gathering Pavilion's top-tier VIP card. You can choose one treasure free each year, get forty percent off purchases, and buy on credit with no limit."

"Thank you, Teacher!" Huo Yuhao accepted the red card. It felt cool against his fingertips, but inside he was bursting with delight. These perks are incredible! The original Huo Gua practically signed away his life for a Golden Radiance Left Arm Bone, and I've gone straight to the top. What a steal!

In the original story, Wang Dong's Golden Radiance Left Arm Bone came from the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, and Huo Gua had found a bargain there in Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue. The place was practically a treasure trove.

"Go on. Let young Ruo Ruo arrange your lodging." Qian Duoduo's eyes darted about, then he vanished with a whoosh. He had clearly gone to "show off" to Yan Shaozhe.

Huo Yuhao shook his head helplessly and turned to Han Ruoruo, who had arrived belatedly and was still catching her breath. He smiled gently. "Senior, sorry for the trouble."

Han Ruoruo had just nodded when two terrifyingly powerful auras erupted behind them, one fiery and one unyielding, colliding hard enough to make the air tremble—

"Qian Duoduo! You shameless old bastard! You dare steal a genius from my Martial Soul Department?" Yan Shaozhe's roar was deafening. Veins bulged as he fought the urge to rush over and tear Qian Duoduo apart. "Huo Yuhao belongs in the Martial Soul Department! Twin Ultimate Martial Souls—he's a future Super Douluo! What the hell would an old fossil from the Soul Tool Department know?"

"Heh-heh~" Qian Duoduo's voice carried a thoroughly punchable grin. "Old Yan, you can't put it like that. Yuhao chose to become my disciple. You can't just snatch someone else's student, can you?"

"What the hell is 'heh-heh' supposed to mean? Stop playing dumb! Hand him over!" Yan Shaozhe's curses grew fouler by the moment, like a hotheaded child whose favorite toy had been stolen.

The two auras alarmed all of Shrek Academy, and plenty of students poked their heads out to look. Huo Yuhao, however, remained perfectly calm—

Compared with the manifestations of an Aeon and Erlang Zhenjun, the sacrifice of a million-year soul beast, and the Undead Calamity, this little commotion was hardly worth mentioning.

More importantly, fate had already changed without a sound. Because he had arrived half a day late, he had not been assigned to the class taught by Zhou Yi, that "Abbess Extermination." Instead, he was in Mu Jin's Class Nine!

Just as well. I won't clash with Zhou Yi the moment I enroll. As Huo Yuhao followed Han Ruoruo toward the dormitory building, he made his plans. Mu En should be able to sense ultimate light, right? I'll quietly release a little of my aura when the time comes and see if I can gain another powerful backer. That'll make my days at Shrek even more secure.

Without breaking stride, Huo Yuhao soon reached the dormitory building.

Beneath it, an old man reclined in a wicker chair, waving a palm-leaf fan. He looked languid, but an authority lay hidden beneath it. This was Shrek Academy's pillar of strength—Mu En.

A gentle smile on his lips, Huo Yuhao stepped forward. "Grandpa, I'm here to get my dormitory number."

Mu En slowly lifted his eyelids. A sharp glint flashed through his eyes like starlight—

He had sensed more than Qian Duoduo and Yan Shaozhe's fierce quarrel. He had also caught the wisp of light within Huo Yuhao, pure to the extreme, concealed yet vast.

"Second floor, first room. Dormitory 108." Mu En's voice was steady as he handed over a brass key, warm to the touch. He laid down the rule in a tone that brooked no argument. "The third floor and above are the girls' dormitories. Boys are strictly forbidden from entering. Any violator will be expelled immediately."

Bei Bei: ...

"Thank you, Grandpa." Huo Yuhao took the key, already making plans. First, he would check whether his roommate was one of those from the original story. If so, he would make himself scarce at once.

It was not that Huo Yuhao disliked anyone. He simply did not want to tie himself to the plot too early. Besides, who wanted "fate" to arrange everything for him the moment he arrived?

He walked briskly toward the stairs, unable to help grumbling to himself. I hope my roommate's changed. Otherwise, I'll have to go to the trouble of finding an excuse to leave. If I can't deal with it, I can at least dodge it~

Watching Huo Yuhao's retreating back, Mu En slowly lowered his fan. His fingers tightened unconsciously around it, his knuckles turning faintly white.

He tipped his head back and let out a turbid breath, as though it carried half a lifetime's burdens and hopes. The languor vanished from his eyes, leaving only a gravity as deep as a sea of stars. "Have the gears of fate finally begun to turn?"

As the words fell, a fierce light blazed in his eyes. His voice trembled with emotion he could not suppress. "Heaven favors Shrek! To think I, Mu En, would meet such a successor in my twilight years!"

Shrek Academy was the work of his life, the thing he had guarded for all his years, an obsession carved into his bones.

But only he knew that this seemingly glorious academy of ten thousand years was beset by troubles within and without—

Its surface gleamed, but parasites bred inside, and rotten roots had quietly spread.

In the original story, his chance meeting with Huo Yuhao had kept Shrek's flame burning for another ten thousand years. Without that meeting, however, only two paths would have remained to him:

He could tear out every parasite with thunderous force before his lamp ran dry, preserving a sliver of hope even if it gravely wounded Shrek. Or he could wash his hands of it and let the centuries-old academy fall to internal strife, its future uncertain and its survival in doubt.

"Destruction never comes from an enemy's iron hooves, but from roots rotting within..." Mu En murmured, a barely perceptible ache in his voice.

He had lived his life honorably. He protected his own, but never indulged them. How could he tolerate such decay?

An uncompromising ruthlessness flashed through his eyes—the resolve of a Limit Douluo. He, Mu En, had always defied heaven and changed fate. How could he sit by and watch his life's work go to waste?

Given his nature, he would root out the parasites and put his own house in order!

And the light within Huo Yuhao, pure to the extreme, was like a ray of dawn. It could not only restrain evil but also wash away filth. It was practically "natural disinfectant" made to cleanse Shrek!

A long-absent smile curved Mu En's lips, and hope rekindled in his eyes. "With this boy here, Shrek's future is secure!"

(A win-win? It looked like Mu En had profited, but the Grand Elder wouldn't care.)

At the same time, the door to Dormitory 108 swung open.

Huo Yuhao stared at the youth inside, with her fluffy pink-and-blue short hair, arms folded, and chin tilted up. He fell silent on the spot.

With that arrogant air, who else could she be but Wang Dong?

"You're my new roommate?" Wang Dong paid no attention to his silence and launched straight into her "rules." "I have a few conditions. First, don't touch my things without permission. Second..."

"Of course." Huo Yuhao nodded suddenly, his tone gentle and utterly unruffled. He turned and headed out, leaving the rest of his words hanging in the air. "After all, I only came to take a look. I never planned to stay."

Wang Dong: "?"

She stood frozen, her eyelashes fluttering. Secretly, she felt a wave of relief.

She had entered the academy disguised as a boy. Having no roommate to disturb her could not have been better! But why had this new roommate left so readily?

Downstairs, Huo Yuhao went straight to Mu En, his smile as gentle as ever. "Sir, may I apply to live outside the dormitory?"

"In principle, students must live on campus." Mu En waved his fan, understanding amusement hidden in his eyes, then changed tack. "But geniuses always have privileges. Give me the key."

His withered yet rock-steady hand reached out and took the brass key Huo Yuhao offered.

The instant their fingertips touched, Huo Yuhao suddenly felt lighter all over, as if some invisible shackle had fallen away.

Mu En toyed with the key and asked casually, "Boy, what's your Martial Soul?"

Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow, his composure perfectly measured. "Which one?"