An Awkward Morning, Huo Yuhao's Change in Status

Wang Dong'er did not go with Huo Yuhao. She was not worried that he would be punished for arriving late.

Huo Yuhao was the apple of Zhou Yi and her husband's eyes, and the Soul Tool Department valued him highly.

Wang Dong'er also knew that Huo Yuhao would most likely tell an enormous lie to explain why he had gone off alone to obtain a Soul Ring.

She was afraid she might burst out laughing if she listened beside him and give the game away, so she did not go along.

Huo Yuhao's acting was quite good, and he successfully got past Zhou Yi.

"I'm back."

Huo Yuhao opened the door and flopped straight onto Wang Dong'er's bed.

"I rushed all the way back, then had to explain everything properly to Teacher Zhou and the others. I'm exhausted."

"I really don't have any strength left. I need to sleep."

"Go sleep in your own bed. Why are you lying in mine?"

Wang Dong'er gave Huo Yuhao a few kicks.

Huo Yuhao rubbed his head against the quilt. "Your bed smells nice. It's really comfortable to sleep in."

Huo Yuhao curled up slightly and lay smiling on Wang Dong'er's bed, soon falling asleep.

Wang Dong'er reached out and stroked his head.

Going to such a dangerous place alone really had been far too hard on him.

She lay down beside Huo Yuhao, then pulled up the quilt to cover them both.

The two drifted into dreamland nestled against each other.

Early the next morning, Wang Dong'er suddenly felt something poke against her and opened her eyes.

Looking at Huo Yuhao, whose face was only a thumb's length from hers, she suddenly realized something.

Wang Dong'er flung the quilt aside and lifted Huo Yuhao straight off the bed onto the floor.

Huo Yuhao woke up and rubbed his backside.

"Dong'er, you kicked me off again."

"You jerk!"

Wang Dong'er threw the quilt over Huo Yuhao's head.

Only then did Huo Yuhao notice that he had an erection.

He did not pay it much mind, though. He had started having this reaction a month ago, and it was perfectly normal.

Wang Dong'er seemed to care quite a bit, though. Could it be that she had not started having this sort of reaction yet?

A thought suddenly occurred to Huo Yuhao. Why not take a look?

The thought quickly vanished. He was afraid Wang Dong'er would beat him to death.

After Huo Yuhao got up and washed, it finally went down.

Throughout that time, Wang Dong'er did not dare look at him.

"Wang Dong, hurry up. Let's go eat in the cafeteria. I'm starving to death." Huo Yuhao had not eaten anything since returning yesterday.

"I'll be ready in a moment."

At home, Wang Dong'er needed at least half an hour to wash and get ready. At school, she finished in four or five minutes.

The two went to the cafeteria together for breakfast.

There, they met three familiar faces: Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, and Cui Yajie.

After a month apart, the three had changed quite a bit as well.

Ever since waking up, Dai Huabin had wanted another match against Wang Dong'er and Huo Yuhao. He believed that if he and Zhu Lu used their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, they could definitely defeat them. He had simply been too careless before.

Dai Huabin walked over and said, "Wang Dong, Huo Yuhao. Do you dare compete against us in this Promotion Assessment?"

Wang Dong'er raised her chin. "Why wouldn't we?"

"Fine, then let's make a bet. We'll see who gets the highest score in the Promotion Assessment. The loser has to kowtow to the winner and admit they were wrong."

"There's no need to drag anyone else into it. I'll take your bet."

Huo Yuhao pulled Wang Dong'er behind him.

"Dong'er, this is between Dai Huabin and me. Stay out of it."

Seeing Huo Yuhao's determined expression, Wang Dong'er nodded. "All right, then you take him on. Just don't lose."

"Don't worry. There's no way I'll lose." Huo Yuhao was very confident.

"Dai Huabin, the bet is between the two of us. Do you dare?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Dai Huabin smiled as his plan fell into place.

He would have been somewhat worried about facing Wang Dong'er. After all, she was one of the strongest students in their class.

Huo Yuhao was an entirely different matter. A month ago, he had only been a One-Ring Soul Master. Even if he had obtained a Soul Ring this month, his Soul Power could not be above rank twenty-two. He could not possibly be a match for Dai Huabin.

He was already picturing Huo Yuhao kowtowing to him and admitting he was wrong.

"Yuhao, let's go. Looking at them ruins my appetite."

"You!" Dai Huabin was furious, but he did not dare start a fight here.

Wang Dong'er and Huo Yuhao went to a table far away from them and sat down to eat.

It had been so long since they had eaten the school's food that they rather missed it.

"Dong'er, trust me. I can beat Dai Huabin."

"Of course I trust you."

Wang Dong'er's trust made Huo Yuhao very happy.

He began wolfing down the large steamed buns. He really was ravenous.

After eating, they hurried to the classroom.

Before long, Wang Yan and Zhou Yi walked in.

Zhou Yi's presence was as imposing as ever, and the students immediately fell silent.

This time, Zhou Yi was the one to speak.

"A new school year has begun, but whether you can stay at the academy for another year remains to be seen."

"Next comes the Promotion Assessment. Listen carefully to the rules. I will not repeat them."

"The Promotion Assessment requires you to fight soul beasts in the Beast Arena. You may choose your own soul beast. The stronger the one you choose, the higher the score you can earn."

"Of course, choosing a weaker soul beast doesn't necessarily mean you can't get a high score. Your overall performance will also be taken into account."

"Let me warn you: don't choose a soul beast that's too strong. If you lose right away, you won't get many points. If you're eliminated, don't blame me for not warning you. So think carefully about what kind of soul beast you can actually handle."

"Students of the control system will be somewhat weaker in combat, so you can find ways to draw things out as long as possible. That can also increase your score."

Everyone discussed this in hushed voices. Quite a few had sought out soul beasts to fight during the holiday, so they were not particularly worried.

"Oh, and there's one more thing."

"Huo Yuhao, stand up."

Huo Yuhao rose.

Zhou Yi looked at him and said, "Starting today, Huo Yuhao will no longer receive the privileges of a Core Disciple of the Martial Soul Department."

The students were shocked, but Dai Huabin was delighted to hear it. He supposed it was a punishment for Huo Yuhao's late arrival.

Yet Zhou Yi's next words left them even more bewildered.

"At the same time, starting today, Huo Yuhao officially becomes a Core Disciple of the Martial Soul Department and will receive the privileges of one."

"What?"

For a moment, no one could make sense of it.

Huo Yuhao was also a little surprised. Zhou Yi had not mentioned this to him yesterday.

"On what grounds?" Dai Huabin asked.

With pride in her voice, Zhou Yi declared sternly, "On the grounds that he became a Level 2 Soul Engineer in just one year, breaking the academy's record outright. This was a joint decision by the Martial Soul Department's teachers and vice dean. Questioning it will do you no good."

"All right, Huo Yuhao. Sit down."

Huo Yuhao sat down and looked at Wang Dong'er, his face wreathed in smiles. His heart was still racing with excitement.

"Congratulations, Yuhao," Wang Dong'er whispered.

"Thank you."

Huo Yuhao was very happy. He felt that his hard work had paid off.