Zhou Sichen watched from the side, dumbstruck, his mouth slightly open. He could hardly believe his ears. Was this really the same Dai Youheng who had granted almost every request Wang Dong, Huo Yuhao, and the others made, and had even gone out of his way to help them?
Wang Dong was thoroughly infuriated by his cold attitude, which even carried a hint of "What the hell does that have to do with me?"
When had anyone ever brushed her off like this in her entire life? Especially someone who had always tried to please her before!
"You...!" Wang Dong's pretty face flushed with anger. She slammed a hand on the desk and was about to stand up and argue.
Seeing this, Xiao Xiao hurriedly caught her sleeve and whispered, "Let it go, Wang Dong. It's only breakfast. Bringing it for us is a favor, not an obligation. This really isn't a big deal. We can just go to the dining hall ourselves tomorrow."
Xiao Xiao was relatively gentle and rational. Although she also found Dai Youheng a little strange today, she did not think he was obliged to bring them breakfast. Even less did she want to clash with a classmate in the classroom on the first day of the new term.
Wang Dong's chest rose and fell several times. She glanced at the looks the other students were giving her, then at Xiao Xiao beside her, trying to soothe her. In the end, she forced her anger down and sat back down in a huff.
Still, she shot a fierce glare at Dai Youheng's back and muttered, just loudly enough for those beside her to hear, "As if anyone wanted him to bring it! Hmph!"
The little disturbance subsided for the time being.
Yet the atmosphere in the classroom had grown somewhat delicate.
Almost every student who knew Dai Youheng could now sense the enormous change in him. His fawning enthusiasm, that eagerness to orbit Wang Dong's trio, had vanished, replaced by cold detachment and indifference.
Zhou Sichen stole a glance at Dai Youheng beside him, who was leafing through a book as though nothing had happened, and swallowed. What on earth happened to Youheng over the break? How has he become a completely different person?
Meanwhile, Dai Youheng's mind had long since flown elsewhere. He was only considering how to make more efficient use of his time at the academy, and how to find a reasonable excuse to leave as soon as possible.
Wang Dong's anger? His classmates' gossip? He could not have cared less.
Just then, an elderly woman wearing a blue teacher's robe strode in with forceful steps. Her expression was stern, her eyes as sharp as a hawk's.
She merely stood there and swept her gaze across the room, but the invisible pressure she exuded instantly silenced the remaining whispers until not even a crow or sparrow could be heard.
It was none other than their homeroom teacher, Zhou Yi, renowned for her severity and "twisted" teaching methods.
"It's the first day of term, and you're already making as much racket as a marketplace! What kind of behavior is this?" Zhou Yi's voice was hoarse yet piercing, carrying unquestionable authority. "I see you had such a comfortable break that even your bones have gone slack! If you have energy to spare and can't stand the sight of each other, go fight in the Soul Fighting Zone right now! Lose, and you'll have a perfect excuse to lie in the infirmary and slack off, won't you?"
Her icy gaze scraped like a knife across several students who had whispered most animatedly when Wang Dong lost her temper, frightening them into immediately shrinking their necks.
Yet this reprimand, enough to make most new students fall as silent as cicadas in the cold, passed Dai Youheng like wind past his ears.
He maintained a posture that suggested he was listening attentively, but his eyes were slightly unfocused. His mind was already wholly absorbed in his own affairs, and he did not take in a single word of Zhou Yi's jabbering.
I've taken that fellow's place, so the martial soul I use in everyday life can naturally only be the Evil Shadow Demon Tiger. The Fate-Reversing Heavenly Demon Pill and Snow Empress's soul ring must remain hidden as trump cards, he calmly analyzed his future plans. That works, too. The Evil Shadow Demon Tiger's soul ring configuration is the standard two yellow and one purple, completely unremarkable. But the Heavenly Demon Pill's first soul ring is already seven 100,000 Years old. That's far too shocking, and unlike Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, it can't disguise itself as a ten-year soul ring. Once exposed, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Right now, there are two things I need most urgently. He organized his thoughts. First, an "opportunity," or a "cheat," like the ones Tang San and Huo Yuhao had, something that can make my strength soar. I won't get anything like that by studying step by step at the academy. I have to go out and search for it. Second, a reliable "backer," or a "guardian." On the surface, I'm the White Tiger Duke's son by a concubine, but the protection that identity provides is limited and not entirely under my control. I need power that truly belongs to me.
He also passed these two central problems to Snow Empress to consider. They were now two souls in one body, sharing honor and disgrace, so naturally they had to plan together. There was nothing wrong with having another mind to think things through.
Snow Empress's cool, clear voice answered in his mind, carrying a hint of teasing. "Fortuitous encounters? Your big sister can't conjure those up for you. As the name suggests, those depend on your luck and fortune. But as for a guardian, I do have an idea. Back home, your big sister has a very powerful, very obedient little fellow!"
Dai Youheng's heart stirred, and he immediately thought of that being from the original story. "Sister Snow Empress, you must mean your adopted son, Ice Bear King Xiaobai, right? He's certainly powerful, and for your sake, he would absolutely be willing to help. But..." He shifted to the crucial issue. "He's still a soul beast, after all. Even if he can briefly take human form after reaching the ferocious beast level, a Titled Douluo could easily see through to his true nature. He isn't suited to living in the human world long-term as my publicly acknowledged guardian."
"Oh!" Snow Empress gave a soft laugh tinged with surprise. "Little brother Youheng, you really are well-informed. You even know so much about my darling son Xiaobai."
She paused, her tone turning mysterious. "But my plan isn't to have Xiaobai come and serve as your bodyguard directly. Instead, we'll use his strength to help us deal with another soul beast."
"Your Fate-Reversing Heavenly Demon Pill martial soul follows an extremely unusual rule. As long as you absorb a soul ring over a hundred thousand years old, the first soul skill it produces is always some kind of enhancement pill. The second soul skill, however, becomes a completely different special soul skill depending on the traits of the soul beast you absorbed."
"Based on that, I know of an extremely unusual hundred-thousand-year soul beast that might be very suitable for you right now!" Snow Empress's voice held a hint of enticement. "You need to cultivate to rank forty as soon as possible, then find a way to request leave from the academy. We'll go find Xiaobai and have him suppress, or even severely wound, that soul beast. Then you'll deliver the final blow. I have a way to let you absorb its soul ring beyond your level!"
"I suspect the second soul skill that soul beast grants you will perfectly solve the 'guardian' problem troubling you most right now!"
Before you continue