In the blink of an eye, it was the next morning. Sunlight spilled through the gaps in the curtains. Wang Dong opened his eyes, stretched, and rolled out of bed.
He glanced at the bed opposite his. Same as always-Dai Huabin had gotten up early and left, clearly not wanting to spend time with him.
He had arranged to have breakfast with Huo Yuhao at the cafeteria.
By the time he reached the cafeteria entrance, Huo Yuhao was already waiting there.
He wore a pale blue dress that day, his long hair tied in a ponytail. He looked fresh and clean, like a flower adorned with morning dew.
Wang Dong's eyes lit up, and he hurried over. "Have you been waiting long?"
Huo Yuhao shook his head. "No, I just got here."
"Come on, I'll treat you to something good today." With that, Wang Dong led him into the cafeteria.
He ordered a whole table of dishes-meat and vegetables, soup and rice-until the table was packed.
As the heir to the Clear Sky Sect, Wang Dong hadn't come to Shrek Academy to endure hardship. Naturally, he spent as he pleased.
The food at Shrek Academy was quite good, and it wasn't too expensive either, at a few dozen Gold Soul Coins per meal.
Looking at the table full of food, Huo Yuhao felt a little embarrassed. "Isn't this way too much...?"
"Eat more. You're still growing." Wang Dong placed a piece of Soul Beast meat in his bowl.
"Build up your strength as quickly as possible. It'll make Martial Soul Fusion easier."
"Besides, all this is for you... mine is over there."
Wang Dong pointed at a nearby table, which was packed even fuller with twenty deluxe set meals.
Huo Yuhao was utterly dumbfounded. He said this was the first time he'd realized Wang Dong could eat so much.
Wang Dong couldn't help it... the power of the Golden Dragon King Bloodline strengthened him, but it came at a price. He got hungry easily if he didn't eat that much.
Still, eating so much could also speed up his cultivation.
Not a bad deal.
The two quickly finished eating and headed to class. As class president, Wang Dong sat in the front row, with Huo Yuhao beside him.
Once they were seated, Wang Dong naturally reached out and took Huo Yuhao's hand.
"What are you doing?"
"Cultivating. Don't be nervous... this is normal."
Huo Yuhao blushed faintly but didn't pull away. He was already used to it. Wang Dong had said this was cultivation-they had to make full use of every moment to circulate Haodong Power and increase their cultivation speed.
Although he always felt something was a little odd about it, he couldn't put his finger on what.
Dai Huabin, sitting behind them, happened to see the whole thing. His expression instantly darkened, and he clenched his teeth.
His relationship with Huo Yuhao was terrible. As an illegitimate child, Huo Yuhao had never been welcome in the Dai Family, and Dai Huabin had never treated him kindly.
He had planned to keep suppressing this illegitimate son at the academy, only to find that Huo Yuhao had actually teamed up with Wang Dong.
They were both people he hated, and now they were sitting in the front row holding hands as though no one else existed. The more Dai Huabin thought about it, the angrier he became. Finally, he couldn't hold back any longer. He stood up, pointed at the two in front, and shouted:
"Teacher Zhou! Look at them! Holding hands during class-isn't that setting a bad example?"
The classroom instantly fell silent, and everyone turned to look at the front row. Startled, Huo Yuhao instinctively tried to pull his hand back, but Wang Dong only held it tighter.
Zhou Yi looked up from the lectern. She glanced at Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao's joined hands, then at Dai Huabin, her brow furrowing slightly.
A wave of whispers immediately swept through the classroom.
"Wow, they're really holding hands?"
"The class president and Huo Yuhao... are they dating?"
"No way! School only started a few days ago!"
Sitting in the back row, Xiao Xiao's eyes went wide as she finally noticed the two clasped hands in front. Just yesterday, she had joked about pursuing Wang Dong, and now he was already holding hands with Huo Yuhao?
Meanwhile, quite a few girls in the class felt their hearts shatter into pieces. Wang Dong was handsome, powerful, and the class president-practically the blueprint for a perfect boyfriend.
They had still been nursing a little hope, but now those dreams had been crushed outright.
Wang Dong stood up and calmly explained, "We're cultivating."
"Cultivating?" Dai Huabin sneered. "Holding hands during class counts as cultivation?"
"That's right." Wang Dong nodded, his tone unruffled. "Huo Yuhao and I have reached one hundred percent Martial Soul Fusion compatibility. Holding hands like this lets us circulate Soul Power and cultivate faster. I reported this to our teacher beforehand."
Zhou Yi nodded and took over. "That's correct. Wang Dong did report this to me. Their Martial Soul Fusion compatibility has reached one hundred percent, and physical contact accelerates their Soul Power cultivation. This is a special circumstance, and I approved it."
She paused and swept her gaze across the class. "If any of you can find a partner with one hundred percent Martial Soul Fusion compatibility, you may do the same."
Although Zhou Yi was strict, she still gave exceptional students preferential treatment.
Besides, she always felt a little afraid whenever she saw Wang Dong.
The classroom erupted.
"One hundred percent Martial Soul Fusion compatibility?! That's insane!"
"Is that really true? Doesn't that mean they're born partners?"
"I'm so jealous... I want a partner with one hundred percent Martial Soul Fusion compatibility too!"
"Dream on. Shrek Academy might not see even one such pair in ten years!"
The way many students looked at Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao changed, filling with envy and even a trace of jealousy.
One hundred percent Martial Soul Fusion compatibility was a stroke of fortune that could only be encountered, never sought. Countless people went their entire lives without finding it, yet these two new students had stumbled right into it.
Dai Huabin stood at his seat, his face livid and his teeth clenched so hard they nearly cracked. He had never imagined that the two people he hated most would actually possess one hundred percent Martial Soul Fusion compatibility!
What did that mean? It meant their cultivation speed would far surpass that of ordinary people. It meant they would grow stronger and stronger. It meant suppressing Huo Yuhao would become even more impossible.
He clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms, and a vicious gleam flashed in his eyes. No. I absolutely cannot let them grow into their strength. They've already signed their death warrants!
In the front row, Huo Yuhao's face had turned red all the way to his ears under the entire class's scrutiny. He lowered his head, wishing he could bury his face in his desk.
Wang Dong remained perfectly composed. He even smiled at him and whispered, "Don't be nervous. You'll get used to it."
Huo Yuhao felt both embarrassed and annoyed, yet he couldn't find anything to say in protest. All he could do was blush and let Wang Dong hold his hand, feeling the warm current of Soul Power flowing between them.
He stole a glance at Wang Dong's profile, and an indescribable feeling suddenly welled up inside him. This person... always finds a way to make me obediently do as he says.
Wang Dong chuckled.
Winning over little Huo really is easy.
P.S. Guys, I've decided to pick up the pace. I'm worried a lot of you will say I'm dragging things out.
Actually, I wanted to write a slow-paced fanfic with gradual growth... just like the original, except with changes to Martial Souls and genders, and see what sort of butterfly effect that would create.
Things will diverge once Huo Yuhao acquires his Second Martial Soul...
After that, it'll be a nonstop thrill ride.
Before you continue