Huo Yuhao Hasn't Reported In Yet? (Please Keep Reading)

The hall still held traces of the intimacy and awkwardness that had yet to fade.

Yet Zhou Yi, whose will to defy had only just been erased by the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame and who had surrendered wholeheartedly, showed a flicker of hesitation and embarrassment.

"Well... to answer you, Master..."

Zhou Yi parted her red lips. A rare unease had appeared on the mature, beautiful face that usually commanded such authority. "The Star Dou Great Forest is vast beyond measure. I know where many of the lower-level Soul Beasts live around its outskirts, but high-age Soul Beasts with a Mental Attribute are extraordinarily rare to begin with. Their exact lairs... I'm not entirely sure where they are."

At her halting answer, Xiao Dong's brows drew together. His teasing gaze swept across her flushed face, and he let out a scoff.

"Teacher Zhou Yi, and here I thought you were a renowned senior instructor of Shrek Outer Court. You're so high and mighty when you lecture your students, yet when it matters, you can't even find out something this basic?"

The mockery beneath his level tone made Zhou Yi stiffen. Her cheeks, already flushed, turned red to the ears. She was so mortified she wished she could crawl into a crack in the floor.

In all her years teaching at Shrek Academy, she had only ever been the one to give others a tongue-lashing. When had a boy more than ten years her junior ever scolded her to her face?

The humiliation left this usually fiery woman almost beside herself with shame.

"Please don't be angry, Master... I wasn't deliberately hiding anything."

Biting her lower lip, Zhou Yi cautiously raised her watery eyes to Xiao Dong and explained in an aggrieved voice.

"At Shrek Outer Court, I've always taught practical combat and physical training. I haven't studied the finer points of Soul Beast ecology or Martial Soul Theory in depth."

Then something seemed to occur to her. Her eyes brightened. "But if you urgently need information on high-level Mental Attribute Soul Beasts, I know Teacher Wang Yan, who specializes in teaching theory."

"That bookworm spends all day buried in the Library and ancient texts. He knows the habits of all kinds of obscure Soul Beasts inside out. Ask him, and he'll surely give you a detailed map of their locations!"

At Wang Yan's name, Xiao Dong narrowed his eyes. His fingers tapped the armrest for a moment before he gave a faint nod.

In the original Peerless Tang Sect, Wang Yan had indeed been a formidable expert in theory.

"If someone knows, then let's go. Take me to meet this master of theory."

Xiao Dong rose to his feet and gave the order calmly.

"Yes, Master."

Zhou Yi quietly breathed a sigh of relief and moved to lead the way.

But just as she took two steps, Xiao Dong stopped without warning behind her.

His gaze sharpened. In a flash, he recalled a crucial point in the original story's timeline.

"Wait."

Xiao Dong called out to the woman as she was about to open the door.

"Do you have another order, Master?"

Zhou Yi stopped at once and turned to the boy in black, puzzled.

Xiao Dong folded his arms and fixed his gaze on her lovely face. "Zhou Yi, how long until this year's Shrek Outer Court freshmen are officially sorted into classes and begin school?"

Though she did not understand why he had suddenly taken an interest in the minor details of freshman enrollment, she answered without hesitation.

"Master, there are exactly three days left before freshman registration closes."

"Three days left..."

Thought flickered in Xiao Dong's eyes. Then the corner of his mouth curved in a way Zhou Yi could not read. He asked another question.

"Among the freshmen who have registered or submitted letters of recommendation, have you heard of or noticed a boy named Huo Yuhao?"

"Huo Yuhao?"

Zhou Yi paused at the unfamiliar name, her brows knitting tightly in confusion.

She searched her memory for every talented newcomer who held a recommendation from a top faction, then shook her head and answered honestly.

"I haven't heard of him."

Curiosity got the better of her. She looked up and ventured a quiet question. "Could this boy, Huo Yuhao, be an old acquaintance of yours... or an enemy?"

At her denial, Xiao Dong's heart gave a violent thump.

He hasn't registered!

What did that mean? It meant the main story of Peerless Tang Sect had yet to truly begin on the Douluo Continent!

The little beggar who, in the original course of fate, had endured endless abuse at the White Tiger Duke's Mansion and ventured into the Star Dou Great Forest alone with nothing but a White Tiger Dagger might still be on his way there!

Perhaps... he hadn't even met the Million-Year First Soul Beast that would change his destiny forever: the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm!

At the thought, uncontainable joy erupted deep within Xiao Dong like a volcano!

The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was a divine-level Soul Beast with a full million years of cultivation!

He came with four heaven-defying Mental Attribute abilities capable of overturning a battle, and his body held a vast, sealed source of power potent enough to forge a god!

In the original course of events, that staggering opportunity had fallen straight into the lap of Huo Yuhao, who would one day take his enemy for a father.

But now that Xiao Dong had arrived in this world, leaving such a heaven-defying opportunity to that child of fortune would be a shameful waste!

His mind made up, Xiao Dong flung his plans to stroll around Shrek Academy beyond the nine heavens and turned around at once.

"I won't be going to Shrek Academy today after all."

He glanced at the bewildered woman before him and waved a sleeve. "Since you know Wang Yan, get me a detailed map showing where the high-level Mental Attribute Soul Beasts live in the Star Dou Great Forest."

The moment he finished speaking, Xiao Dong had no patience for another word. The terrifying power of his Homelander Physique surged through him.

Boom!

He bent slightly, then shot away like a cannonball from the barrel. A piercing sonic boom followed as he became a gale that swept across the courtyard and vanished at the far end of the sky in an instant!

His swift, decisive departure left Zhou Yi staring in disbelief. It was some time before she came back to herself.

The boy's oppressive presence had faded from the empty hall. At the half-open door, a breeze stirred a few fallen leaves. Everything was unusually quiet.

"He... really just left like that?!"

Zhou Yi stood rooted to the spot, hardly able to believe it. She looked down at her voluptuous body, her feelings tangled beyond description.

When the boy had lifted her chin earlier, she had already prepared herself to let him do as he pleased. She had even absurdly begun to consider how she might avoid pregnancy afterward while submitting to his advances.

Yet when it came time for serious business, that mysterious, cold-hearted boy, whose methods seemed godlike, had shown no interest in taking another look at her hidden charms. He had simply left without a moment's hesitation, as though she were nothing more than a guide he could discard after use!

"That little bastard... does he really think no one else wants me?!"

An inexplicable mix of embarrassment, anger, and wounded pride crept into Zhou Yi's heart.

She hurried to the large dressing mirror at the side of the room and, in a fit of pique, pulled off her coarse white robe.

The mirror reflected a lush, mature body that would have sent any ordinary man into a frenzy. Her fair, delicate skin glowed softly in the sunlight. Beneath her slender waist were full, rounded hips and long, taut legs.

With beauty like this, that little bastard had somehow managed to turn around and leave?!