Within Shrek Academy, the main road was broad and level, lined on both sides with dozens of rare plants and trees that had clearly been carefully pruned.
A faint spiritual energy lingered among the greenery, sharing the same source as that of the Star Dou Great Forest.
As Huo Yuhao continued onward, he saw ten granite statues, each over ten meters tall, standing silently in the center.
The three at the front were Shrek's Golden Iron Triangle. He had heard that the somewhat thin middle-aged man on the left was the Grandmaster who had taught a god.
The seven behind them were the widely known first generation of the Shrek Seven Devils. Huo Yuhao's gaze lingered on Tang San in the middle.
His master seemed to have a serious conflict with this man, and looking at the statue always gave him a bad feeling, though he did not know why.
With a click, the door to Dorm Room 103 opened, revealing Wang Dong, a beautiful youth wearing a white shirt and carrying a luggage bag.
With pink-to-blue gradient eyes and hair, fair skin, and delicate features, she exuded a bold air. Had this not been the boys' dormitory, anyone who did not know might have taken her for some short-haired tomboy.
Just as Wang Dong entered, a wave of stale air rushed out, and he coughed as the rising dust caught in his throat.
"Cough, cough, cough! Does no one clean these freshman dorms?"
Wang Dong frowned and surveyed her surroundings in distaste.
The floor and windows were covered in dust, cobwebs filled the corners, and chairs sat scattered about... the entire room had gone at least two months without cleaning.
Looking at the empty bed on the other side, Wang Dong felt a moment of frustration.
Damn it, why had she chosen to come to Shrek disguised as a boy in the first place? Had a donkey kicked her in the head?
She still had no idea what her roommate would be like. If they turned out to be an especially slovenly sort, she would not bother arguing. She might as well just make a run for it.
She could cultivate at the Clear Sky Sect anyway, and both her eldest dad and second dad doted on her. Wouldn't that be much better than here?
After spending so long thinking through her escape route, Wang Dong looked at the filthy room again.
"Forget it. I'll clean my side first."
Huo Yuhao walked out of the cafeteria feeling somewhat disappointed. It was bad enough that the academy's food cost more than the food outside, but it did not even taste as good.
No wonder Sister Lexuan and the others had looked that way at his grilled fish. Had the competition made it shine by comparison? It looked like he would have to find a way to cook for himself from now on.
Right, speaking of Sister Lexuan, he might as well take this opportunity to visit her.
But Sister Lexuan was a core disciple of the inner courtyard. Could that card she had given him really let him walk straight in?
I am Ling Luochen, a rank fifty-five Control-Type Battle Spirit Master with an ice-type martial soul, known in my hometown as the "Snow Princess."
From the moment I was born, my nobility was destined. Even at Shrek, where experts gather like clouds, I stand among the best as one of the Shrek Seven Devils.
This princess is so noble and beautiful, yet one question has always troubled me.
How does everyone have a partner, whether they're good-looking or ugly?
Ling Luochen looked at the couple flaunting their affection beside her, irritation filling her heart. Can't you two see there's someone right here? Could you go drop dead?
Ling Luochen stood beside them just like that and watched for a while. Seeing that they showed no reaction at all, she left on her own.
"Damn, it was so awkward with Senior Ling watching the whole time. Thank goodness she left."
"Yeah, her expression was so scary."
"..."
She had heard every word.
Ling Luochen held a horoscope magazine in her hand. It said today was her best day for romance, yet she had barely seen any boys so far, while couples were everywhere. They might as well call it her best day for being force-fed lovey-dovey displays.
At that thought, Ling Luochen suppressed her irritation and planned to head back to her residence by way of the Tree-lined Path.
Just then, a slender young figure passed ahead at an unhurried pace.
With tousled blue-and-white hair and eyes as ice-blue as her own, the boy looked like a porcelain doll.
Wait, whose kid was this?
She had finally run into someone good-looking, but he was far too young.
After confirming that there was indeed no such person in the inner courtyard, Ling Luochen continued on her way with some regret.
Yet the instant they brushed past each other, her steps abruptly halted.
The faint trace of extreme cold emanating from the boy quietly entered her perception, and her martial soul actually produced a flicker of resonance of its own accord.
Ling Luochen pressed her thin lips together, towering waves surging in her heart. Could this boy possess an ultimate ice martial soul?
Intense curiosity overwhelmed her irritation outright. Lowering her gaze and lightening her steps, she quietly followed behind the boy.
"You have to admit, ultimate ice really does a great job of cooling things down."
Within the Sea of Consciousness, Tian Meng lay comfortably on a lounge chair with an ice pop made from ultimate ice in his mouth.
The weather was rather hot this season, and all of Shrek was steeped in sweltering heat. Yet Huo Yuhao had discovered that by circulating just a little soul power, he could have the cold form a natural barrier around his body, shutting out the heat completely.
The Ice Empress lounged lazily to one side. At his words, she scoffed, her cool voice carrying a touch of haughty pride. "It's merely the most basic application of ultimate origin. Hardly anything remarkable."
"Yes, yes, my Bingbing is the best~ Speaking of which, that girl doesn't really think she's hiding herself well, does she?"
Huo Yuhao and the others had long since noticed Ling Luochen's sneaking about, but Huo Yuhao did not expose her. After all, she did not seem to harbor any ill intent.
Ling Luochen followed Huo Yuhao through a long corridor and farther inside, finally stopping before the entrance to an elegant, secluded bamboo courtyard.
The instant she clearly recognized the courtyard, Ling Luochen, who had remained calm and composed all along, froze completely in place.
Her pupils abruptly contracted, and disbelief covered her face.
This was... Senior Sister's residence!
Everyone in Shrek knew that Senior Sister had never liked others disturbing her.
After that incident not long ago, she had become even more reclusive, and even fewer people had seen Senior Sister appear in public.
Yet that boy had just walked straight into her courtyard.
Sister and brother? No, they looked nothing alike. She herself looked more like the boy than Senior Sister did, and she had never heard anything about it before.
Ling Luochen recalled all the couples she had encountered today. Could it be-
An absurd, audacious guess slammed into Ling Luochen's heart.
Rays of sunlight fell across her cool, exquisite profile, and heat crept up the roots of the usually impassive Ling Luochen's ears.
The age gap, the difference in status...
Two people who seemed to have no connection at all actually shared such an intimate relationship.
The Senior Sister everyone revered, in private with a talented younger boy...
Ling Luochen's breath caught slightly. She stood frozen in the bamboo grove's shadows, her heart churning like rivers and seas.
Wasn't this horoscope far too inaccurate, letting her stumble upon a scene like this?
What should she do? What should she do? What if she was discovered? Senior Sister wouldn't silence her for good, would she?
Just as Huo Yuhao stepped into the courtyard, a woman's voice, gentle as water, softly rang out. "Little Yuhao, what brings you here?"
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