After successfully resolving the crisis with the Golden Wolf, Huo Yuhao and his group completed the Soul Tool testing mission and returned to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
Xuan Ziwen stared at the nearly destroyed All-Terrain Detection Soul Tool, his brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly. He adjusted his glasses, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the three of them. "So... you used a priceless Soul Tool to play a game of hill-climbing?"
Huo Yuhao touched his nose, about to speak, when Ju Zi suddenly stepped forward. "It's my responsibility." Her voice was soft, yet unusually firm, "If it weren't for covering our retreat..."
Xuan Ziwen waved his hand to interrupt her explanation, but his gaze fell on Ju Zi's fingers tightly gripping Huo Yuhao's clothes. A knowing glint flashed in the old fox's eyes, but in the end he just sighed, "Never mind, it's good that he's alright."
In the stillness of the night, Ju Zi sat alone by the dormitory window. The moonlight, like water, shone on the notebook in her hand—a notebook meticulously recording the proportions of every spice Huo Yuhao used when grilling meat. Her fingertips gently traced the words, and she suddenly smiled, a smile as sweet as if she had tasted the sweetest honey in the world.
What that boy brought was more than just a familiar feeling. He forcefully entered her long-closed world, and in the most clumsy yet sincere way, he gradually melted the walls she had built around her heart.
Huo Yuhao's appearance was like a ray of light shining into her gloomy life. Although her belief in unifying the continent remained unchanged, an indelible figure lingered in her heart. Recalling his selfless protection during the crisis, and those resounding promises, Ju Zi suddenly understood—
She finally had someone she could rely on.
Memories flashed through my mind: Huo Yuhao's back as he stood shielding her from the pack of Golden Wolf; the way he clumsily wiped her tears; and those words, "I will share your pain"...
Ju Zi buried her burning cheeks in her palms. She had never imagined that her heart, Ice Seal by hatred, would flutter for a boy younger than herself. Even more absurdly, whenever she thought of him, a strange feeling would well up in her chest—like the sense of security and joyful happiness she felt when her father lifted her high as a child.
"Dad..." she whispered to the night sky, as if that would grant her some kind of permission, "Did you send him to me?"
"He must have been sent by Dad to protect me." A sweet blush spread across Ju Zi's face. In her mind, how could a man who could gain her father's "approval" not make her heart flutter?
The moonlight gently enveloped her, as if responding to this belated stirring of the heart.
What is love?
Ju Zi tossed and turned all night, finally arriving at the answer at dawn:
Love is the sweat dripping from his forehead as he grills meat;
Love was the unwavering sight of him turning away from the wolves;
Love is his stubbornness in choosing to protect her even though he could have escaped alone.
Love came unexpectedly, yet it felt so natural. By the time she realized she had fallen for Huo Yuhao, the feelings were already deeply rooted. Sometimes she would suddenly stop her experiments and unconsciously smile.
Sometimes, thinking of him makes my heart race and my cheeks burn.
When she suddenly realized she had fallen in love with someone, that feeling was the most devastating.
Recalling what happened, Ju Zi covered her face and muttered softly, "Is this little guy really that handsome?" but she couldn't hide the joy in her eyes. Meeting Huo Yuhao in the long journey of life was perhaps the best gift fate had given her.
There are always some foolish people who fail to recognize their own strength or the strength of others, and recklessly provoke others. As a result, they may not even know how they died.
Blindly courting death is not uncommon for fools.
Wang Shaojie is a case in point.
Huo Yuhao had just returned and was heading to the classroom when Wang Shaojie, that uninvited guest, showed up at the door. He was clearly there to cause trouble for Huo Yuhao. After all, he was a member of the royal family and had a special status. Getting an exchange student from the Shrek Academy would be a piece of cake for him.
He didn't care about Huo Yuhao's identity, because they were currently in the Sun Moon Empire, where the royal Sun Moon Empire held all the power, which gave him such confidence.
"It's him! It's him!" Wang Shaojie pointed at Huo Yuhao with a ferocious expression. Behind him stood six middle-aged men in military armor, who simultaneously unleashed their Martial Soul —two Soul Emperor and four Soul King —a truly formidable lineup. "Take him down! Take him down! This madman who insulted the royal family!"
Wang Shaojie's voice still trembled slightly.
Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow, a playful smile curving his lips, "Who told you I'm Huo Yuhao's?"
These words stunned all six officers, who turned to look at Wang Shaojie in unison. One of the Soul Emperor even whispered, "You haven't mistaken me for someone else, have you...?"
"Bullshit!" Wang Shaojie jumped up and down in anger, his face trembling with rage. "I'd recognize him even if he were ashes!" He pointed at Huo Yuhao and cursed, "This bastard humiliated me! I won't be satisfied until I tear him to pieces!"
The atmosphere in the corridor suddenly froze. Huo Yuhao calmly adjusted his cuffs, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. He had long expected Wang Shaojie to retaliate, but he hadn't expected the other party to be so foolish as to make a move openly in the academy.
The middle-aged Soul Emperor's face was gloomy, and the golden handcuffs on his hands gleamed with a cold light. "You are suspected of assaulting a member of the royal family. Surrender immediately!" His Soul Power surged, and his five companions behind him also released their pressure at the same time. If Huo Yuhao resisted even slightly, he would be struck down with lightning speed.
Huo Yuhao merely smiled dismissively, as if he had anticipated this scene. He sized up Wang Shaojie's blustering yet cowardly appearance, shook his head, and sighed, "You bunch of rotten potatoes and stinking eggs think you can take me down? That's far too childish."
"Arrogant!" Wang Shaojie roared, his face contorted in rage. "Who do you think you are, to dare to oppose the royal family?"
A cold glint flashed in Huo Yuhao's eyes. "What? You cried and ran to your parents after being taught a lesson? Don't you even have a little shame?"
"Hahaha!" Wang Shaojie suddenly grinned maliciously, his voice chillingly cold. "So what? Haven't you heard the saying, 'Background is also a kind of power'? Someone like you, an exchange student who came to the Sun Moon Empire, doesn't know any limits. Do you think you can mess with me? Judging from your appearance, you're probably a bastard without parents."
"If I wanted to, killing you would be as easy as crushing an ant."
"Background is also a form of strength." Huo Yuhao suddenly sneered, his laughter carrying a chilling undertone. "Don't you know that the strength of a background is built upon power? Now I'll show you what true strength is."
In an instant, crimson-gold flames ignited in his eyes. This was not a metaphor—two real, tangible golden flames danced within his pupils. An indescribable pressure swept out like a tsunami, and the glass throughout the entire corridor shattered simultaneously!
Kneel down.