Mu Jin could not help secretly rejoicing as he watched Nezha effortlessly subdue more than twenty male students single-handedly, with enough strength to spare that he could even hold back.
Who but Nezha could win the freshman assessment three months from now? As long as Nezha secured first place among the freshmen, no other homeroom teacher could match Mu Jin's performance. His promotion to senior teacher was in the bag.
He suppressed his excitement, letting none of it show on his face, and said gently to Nezha, "Nezha, go back to the stands and have a good rest."
Nezha nodded, put away the Fire-Tipped Spear, and turned toward the stands. His steps were leisurely, his black hair swaying gently as he walked. Nothing about him suggested he had just fought a one-against-twenty Soul Fighting match.
Mu Jin turned and hurried out of the Soul Fighting Arena to find the teacher responsible for healing in the Soul Fighting Zone.
Soon, an ordinary-looking male teacher of around forty followed Mu Jin into the Soul Fighting Arena.
From the edge of the arena, he saw male students sprawled every which way across the platform. Some clutched their arms, some rubbed their chests, and others simply lay spread-eagled, staring blankly at the sky.
Teacher Li's face darkened on the spot. He turned toward Mu Jin, his tone dripping with undisguised resentment. "Teacher Mu Jin, are you trying to work me to death?"
Smiling, Mu Jin patted his shoulder, his tone as sincere as could be. "Teacher Li, sorry for the trouble."
Teacher Li sighed and followed Mu Jin onto the platform as though resigning himself to his fate, then crouched to examine the male students lying on the ground one by one.
"There's nothing seriously wrong with any of them. They're all superficial injuries, and some rest will do the trick. That boy named Nezha knew exactly how far to go. All blunt strikes, with no damage to their muscles or bones."
Mu Jin nodded. He had expected this outcome.
He looked up toward the stands. The female students were still clustered around Nezha in rings, some offering him water, others towels, and still others bending down to fuss over him, all but pressing their faces right up to his.
Mu Jin put his hands on his hips and called toward the stands, "All right, now that the male students have finished their test, you girls come down too!"
Only after hearing their homeroom teacher speak did the female students reluctantly disperse from Nezha's side and head toward the Soul Fighting Arena in twos and threes.
Ning Tian, Wu Feng, and Nanmen Yun'er went down as well.
Nezha sat in the stands and watched them walk onto the platform. Casually picking up Ning Tian's pink water bottle beside him, he took a sip, looking as relaxed as a spectator watching a show.
When classes ended, Nezha, Ning Tian, and Wu Feng met up with Zhou Hu, who had come over from Class Ten. Nanmen Yun'er naturally tagged along too.
The three girls walked ahead, while Zhou Hu trailed beside Nezha with his neck tucked down. As the group stepped out of the teaching building, the evening breeze brushed their faces, carrying the fresh scent of distant grass and trees.
Then their steps faltered.
An extraordinarily enticing aroma drifted into their noses on that breeze. Rich and toasty, carrying the smoky warmth of charcoal grilling mixed with the spicy fragrance of some secret seasoning, it carved a path straight through the evening air and burrowed into everyone's nostrils.
"That smells amazing! What is it? Grilled fish, maybe?"
Wu Feng twitched her nose, her fiery-red ponytail swaying along with it, and her crimson eyes instantly lit up.
Seeing her expression, Ning Tian smiled faintly, her platinum-blond hair stirring gently in the evening breeze. "Let's go take a look, then."
"Okay!"
Following the scent of grilled fish, the group soon reached the bustling snack street outside the academy.
The snack street lay by the eastern gate where the entrance tests had originally been held. With the crowds from the tests gone, the street had returned to its usual bustle.
All kinds of stalls lined the street, their banners fluttering as smoke rose into the air. The smells of countless foods mingled together-pan-fried, stir-fried, simmered, deep-fried, and grilled; sweet, salty, sour, spicy, and savory-weaving a vast, airtight net of flavors.
Yet even amid that jumble of aromas, the scent of grilled fish remained unmistakable, like an invisible thread drawing their footsteps forward.
They had not gone far before they spotted a stall surrounded by quite a few people.
The stall was simple: a metal grill with charcoal burning inside, its dark-red glow illuminating several black carp sizzling on the rack.
Cleaned raw fish and assorted bottles and jars of seasonings sat beside it. The containers were covered in greasy stains and had clearly seen years of use.
Behind the stall, Huo Yuhao focused intently on the fish he was grilling, his expression so earnest it bordered on reverence. His left hand turned the iron skewers while his right sprinkled seasonings, his movements practiced and deft. A thin sheen of sweat beaded at his temples, glowing warmly in the charcoal light.
Beside the grill, a pretty girl with a scorpion braid held a freshly grilled fish skewer and ate with relish, a tiny fleck of char still clinging to the corner of her mouth. It was Tang Ya.
"Wow, that really smells good!"
Wu Feng's eyes lit up. Taking Ning Tian by the hand, she pushed toward the crowd, her fiery-red figure especially conspicuous among the people.
There was no denying that Huo Yuhao really knew how to grill fish.
The rich aroma drifted far, drawing plenty of students coming out of the academy. A ring of people surrounded the stall: some waiting to collect their fish, others drawn by the smell and joining the queue, and a few simply watching the bustle.
His hands never stopped moving as he grilled one fish after another. Oil dripped onto the charcoal with a sizzle, sending up curls of white smoke, and soon it was Wu Feng's group's turn.
"Five grilled fish skewers for us, please."
As soon as she reached the stall, Wu Feng spoke impatiently, one hand on her hip and the other gesturing the number.
Huo Yuhao looked up at her voice. Seeing Nezha and the others approach, he froze for a moment.
The charcoal glow lit his somewhat youthful face, flickering in his deep-blue eyes. These were the very people he had briefly met in the Star Dou Great Forest.
Huo Yuhao quietly stole a glance at Nezha.
He had not forgotten Brother Sky Dream's warning to be careful around this person. He had engraved every word of the million-year soul beast's warning in his heart.
With the spiritual power he had cultivated through the Great Firmament Celestial Art, Nezha naturally noticed Huo Yuhao's fleeting, barely perceptible glance.
There was a trace of wariness in that gaze, difficult to detect, like a young beast secretly observing a being stronger than itself.
Nezha did not care. Huo Yuhao was a child of destiny; if Nezha happened upon an opportunity meant for him, he would take it, and if he did not, so be it. He had his own path to follow.
The Great Firmament Celestial Art was not something a mere Little Scumbag could suppress.
Besides, a fragment of Electrolux's soul still lay dormant in his mind.
"Big brothers, big sisters, it's you! I never thought we'd meet again!"
Huo Yuhao quickly withdrew his gaze and feigned surprise, breaking into a grin that revealed a neat row of white teeth. His smile looked as guilelessly delighted as though he had stumbled upon a bargain by the roadside.
He scratched the back of his head, his deep-blue eyes curving into two crescents, thoroughly concealing that brief flash of vigilance.
Wu Feng and the others also showed a little surprise when they saw that the stallholder was Huo Yuhao. But she did not ask why he was selling grilled fish outside the academy. By now, the fish on the grill had already seized her attention completely.
Her nose twitched, and her eyes shone as she stared at the fish that was nearly done. Its golden-brown skin gleamed with oil, a few grains of coarse salt and cumin clinging to its surface and trembling in the heat rising from the charcoal.
"So it's you, kid! I never would've guessed you were this good at grilling fish. Perfect-give us five!"
Wu Feng waved her hand grandly, her fiery-red ponytail swinging, her bold spirit soaring into the clouds.
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