"It's you!"
Tang Ya's eyes widened, and she blurted out, "You're a new student this year too?"
"You two talk."
Gu Yunxiao disliked this sort of "liveliness." He got off the bed, rose, walked past Bei Bei and Tang Ya, and left the dormitory, heading toward the gray teaching building in the distance.
This was a good chance to check out the Practical Soul Tool Department's freshman classroom and scout the place in advance.
Bei Bei and Tang Ya stood at the dormitory doorway, watching him go. They remained stunned for quite a while before coming to their senses.
"Yuhao, he... is your roommate?" Bei Bei looked at Huo Yuhao inside the dormitory.
"Yes."
Huo Yuhao nodded and walked up to Bei Bei with a wry smile. "Senior Brother, I only just arrived at the dormitory. I only found out myself a moment ago."
"..."
Bei Bei fell silent for a while before saying, "Yuhao, try to keep your contact with him to a minimum. There's some bad blood between us, after all."
The incident in the Star Dou Great Forest was still fresh in his memory.
Had they not been lucky enough to encounter another Thousand-Year Mandala Snake of an age suitable for Tang Ya, they might not even have made it back today.
"Senior Brother, he... also cleaned the dormitory."
Huo Yuhao scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed. "I thanked him just now and told him I'd do the cleaning tomorrow."
"That's fine."
Bei Bei shook his head and smiled. "Although there's bad blood between us, he isn't the sort of person who refuses to listen to reason."
"As long as your well water stays out of his river, he won't bully you."
"All right, I understand."
Huo Yuhao nodded.
"The sort of person who refuses to listen to reason?" Tang Ya's ominous voice drifted from behind Bei Bei. "Bei Bei, who exactly are you talking about?"
"..."
The corner of Bei Bei's mouth twitched. He turned around, looking thoroughly embarrassed. "Xiaoya, that's not what I..."
"Hmph!"
Tang Ya snorted coldly and walked away without looking back.
"Ah." Bei Bei sighed, feeling rather helpless.
Seeing that the "distance" between Bei Bei and Tang Ya seemed to be growing, Huo Yuhao immediately suggested, "Senior Brother, why don't you go find Teacher Tang Ya first?"
"It's fine."
Bei Bei shook his head. "I'll show you around the academy first. Once we've sorted out your affairs, I'll go find Xiaoya."
"Thank you, Senior Brother."
"Let's go."
Bei Bei led Huo Yuhao out of the dormitory.
As they passed the old man by the entrance, Huo Yuhao gave him a polite smile. But he failed to notice that Bei Bei, beside him, also smiled at the old man.
Only after the two had walked far away did Mu En, reclining in his lounge chair, react. A smile touched his lips. "Huo Yuhao... a polite child."
Hum.
Suddenly, the space beside Mu En rippled slightly, and a refined-looking middle-aged man stepped out.
Mu En did not even turn his head. With a slight stir of his will, powerful spiritual power descended, concealing this small patch of space.
"Shaozhe, with the new students enrolling, you must have plenty to attend to. How did you find the time to come here?" Mu En rocked in his lounge chair, his voice calm.
"Teacher."
Yan Shaozhe first bowed, then took out an enrollment registration form and respectfully handed it to Mu En.
Mu En accepted it, his gaze falling upon the form.
After a single glance, the lounge chair beneath him stopped rocking. Much of the cloudiness in his eyes vanished, replaced by a sharp gleam.
"Dormitory 108. So it's that child."
Mu En murmured softly, then changed the subject. "Shaozhe, is the information about Gu Yunxiao on this form accurate?"
"Teacher, it's absolutely accurate!"
Yan Shaozhe nodded.
"A rank-thirty-seven Soul Elder at this age, an ultimate ice martial soul, three Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings, and a mysterious yet astonishing background..."
"This child will surely reach the pinnacle of a Limit Douluo in the future."
Mu En smiled kindly, offering an extraordinarily high appraisal.
Yan Shaozhe's pupils contracted, and shock rocked his mind.
Not merely the potential to become a Limit Douluo, but the certainty that he would reach that pinnacle.
Such an appraisal was truly astounding.
"Teacher, what concerns me most is still Gu Yunxiao's identity. We don't know which sect, school, or family he belongs to."
Yan Shaozhe spoke.
As for Gu Yunxiao being a spy?
That was utterly impossible!
No major power with any sense would send such a monstrous prodigy to serve as a spy in a rival organization.
"This child's background is extraordinary. He is far from ordinary."
"The power behind him has not only at least two Super Douluos, but a Limit Douluo as well."
Mu En's startling words left Yan Shaozhe frozen on the spot, utterly dumbstruck.
"Teacher, is... is what you're saying really true?"
Yan Shaozhe's eyes widened as he stared at Mu En in disbelief.
He had guessed that Gu Yunxiao's background was unusual, but he had never imagined that there were not only Super Douluos behind him, but even a Limit Douluo.
As for Titled Douluos, there were surely those as well!
This background was truly astonishing!
But across the entire continent, what power besides their Shrek Academy possessed such terrifying reserves of strength?
Seeing what was on Yan Shaozhe's mind, Mu En shook his head and sighed. "Shaozhe, Shrek Academy is only the continent's greatest power on the surface."
"In the shadows, there are still other powers capable of standing on equal footing with us."
"Take the Clear Sky Sect, which has remained hidden from the world for years. As the sect of our ancestor Tang San, it surely has a Limit Douluo presiding over it as well."
"And then there are... Evil Soul Masters."
At the mention of Evil Soul Masters, a trace of melancholy appeared on Mu En's face.
Yan Shaozhe did not notice it, however. Instead, his thoughts turned to the Clear Sky Sect.
"Teacher, the Clear Sky Sect once sent someone with a message saying that one of their disciples was preparing to come to Shrek Academy. They simply didn't reveal that disciple's identity."
"Could Gu Yunxiao be from the Clear Sky Sect? Besides his Extreme Dust Ice Bow martial soul, perhaps he actually has a Clear Sky Hammer martial soul as well."
"He has... twin martial souls!"
Yan Shaozhe ventured a bold guess.
"..."
Mu En remained silent for a while, then nodded slightly. "That is certainly possible. Perhaps this child isn't named Gu Yunxiao at all, but Tang Yunxiao."
"He may be using an alias and concealing his origins because he doesn't want to attract too much attention."
"After all, the Clear Sky Sect has remained hidden for years. Now that a disciple is out gaining experience, once his identity is exposed, it will surely draw attention from many sides."
"Especially the Star Luo Empire. They have actually been searching for the Clear Sky Sect in secret all this time, hoping to gain its support once more."
If he was a disciple of the Clear Sky Sect, then everything made sense.
After all, the Clear Sky Sect had produced a god.
That fact alone could explain the otherwise unreasonable phenomenon of Gu Yunxiao possessing three Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings while only at the Soul Elder level.
It was only natural for a sect that had produced a god to possess some methods that defied common sense.
"Teacher, Gu Yunxiao probably isn't an ordinary disciple of the Clear Sky Sect either. He may very well be the heir to its sect master."
Yan Shaozhe continued speculating.
"Yes."
Mu En agreed with Yan Shaozhe's conjecture. In his heart, he too believed that Gu Yunxiao was the Clear Sky Sect's heir.
Otherwise, there was no way two Super Douluos would be protecting him in secret.
"If that's the case, persuading Gu Yunxiao to help Xiaotao suppress her evil fire will be much easier. After all, Shrek and the Clear Sky Sect have ties."
"And if the two of them end up together, it would be equivalent to a marriage alliance between two superpowers."
Before you continue