Sea God Lake's water was clear enough to see the bottom, and several figures were busily working at its center.
These people were all academy teachers. Most possessed the ability to control vegetation and earth, and a brand-new island was slowly taking shape in their midst.
Bored, Huo Yuhao held a teacup and watched the construction on Sea God Lake, while Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao sat cross-legged nearby, cultivating through meditation in preparation for the afternoon's freshman assessment.
In pursuit of efficiency, the academy had canceled all freshman classes so the freshman assessment could proceed quickly.
To avoid wasting time, Wang Dong'er suggested cultivating nearby until the competition began. After some thought, Xiao Xiao agreed.
Huo Yuhao had no say whatsoever and could only go along with them. He had nothing to do anyway.
Sounds continued to ring out from the assessment area not far away. Even by Sea God Lake, the surges of Soul Power remained distinct.
Huo Yuhao sipped his tea and put it away, then placed both hands behind his head and slowly lay back on the grass.
"Yuhao, have you finished your freshman assessment?"
Tang Ya appeared from somewhere, bent down, and leaned closer.
Huo Yuhao looked up. Full, proud peaks stood quietly before his eyes, bouncing from time to time.
Farther up was Tang Ya's delicate face, her little lips pink and smooth, making it hard to help oneself.
Only after looking upward once more did Huo Yuhao slowly close his eyes.
Seeing the two still cultivating nearby, Tang Ya refrained from addressing him as Lord Shadow.
She knelt beside him, cupped Huo Yuhao's head, and settled it onto her thighs.
Huo Yuhao let her move him. The round softness beneath the back of his head made him even sleepier.
With the warm sunlight and fresh air around him, Huo Yuhao fell peacefully asleep.
Tang Ya gazed at Lord Shadow lying on her lap, her eyes filled with infatuation. Her right hand uncontrollably reached up to stroke Huo Yuhao's soft, short hair.
That alone flushed Tang Ya's entire face. Her whole body trembled uncontrollably, and her little hand shook slightly. Once again, she slowly reached up to stroke Huo Yuhao's hair.
Tang Ya's eyes grew hazy. Her soft, seemingly boneless little hand slowly slid down along the side of Huo Yuhao's face...
"Ah..."
By the time Huo Yuhao woke again, Tang Ya had disappeared.
He touched his hair and found it a little damp, then glanced at where Tang Ya had been kneeling. Some warmth still lingered there, and glistening droplets kept dripping from the grass onto the ground.
Huo Yuhao found it a little strange but did not investigate. Instead, he shifted to another spot and checked the time.
There was probably still a while before the assessment, so he could sleep a little longer. Closing his eyes, he fell asleep again.
In his groggy state, he seemed to find a soft body pillow. Its soft texture felt very comfortable, so Huo Yuhao simply hugged it and slept peacefully.
Xiao Xiao felt something unusual against her body and slowly emerged from cultivation, discovering Huo Yuhao nestled against her chest with both arms around her waist.
Her little face instantly turned scarlet. How could an innocent young girl like her have ever experienced such teasing? She nudged Huo Yuhao with her little hands, trying to remove his arms.
"Mm... Xiao... Xiao, don't move..."
Still groggy, Huo Yuhao nudged his head forward and hugged her even tighter.
Xiao Xiao dared to move even less. Her little face grew redder, her flushed skin looking as though water might seep out with a pinch. She stared helplessly at Huo Yuhao in her arms, unsure what to do.
Huo Yuhao sensed a warm spot not far away and instinctively moved toward it.
Watching Huo Yuhao's head draw closer and closer to that place, she could not bear to wake him. Torn and embarrassed, she felt tears well up at the corners of her eyes. Xiao Xiao was nearly frantic enough to cry, her heart tangled in knots.
Even though I've already decided on Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong is still right beside us! ...
Besides, isn't this sort of thing... isn't it a little too soon? This is just too embarrassing!
Still unconscious, Huo Yuhao stubbornly continued in that direction, drawing visibly closer and closer.
Overwhelmed by embarrassment, Xiao Xiao's mind simply crashed. She froze in place, at a complete loss.
"Huo Yuhao! What are you doing?! You big pervert!"
An explosive shout suddenly rang out beside them!
Wang Dong'er darted over and grabbed Huo Yuhao by the collar.
Huo Yuhao jolted awake. Before he could make out what was happening around him, a tremendous force suddenly came through his collar.
Wang Dong'er put all her strength into it, her little face flushed and her pupils trembling violently. Her Soul Power erupted, and she heaved with both hands, flinging Huo Yuhao away.
Splash!
Huo Yuhao fell straight into Sea God Lake.
Glug, glug... glu... glug.
Feeling the weight vanish from her arms, along with Wang Dong'er's shout, Xiao Xiao finally came back to her senses.
She quickly stood up and ran into a nearby patch of tall grass to straighten her little skirt. Watching the continuously bubbling Sea God Lake, her face filled with shame and indignation.
Atop the raised platform in the assessment area.
The familiar female teacher stood there, still holding a roster and continually flipping through the newly regrouped lists.
The female teacher called from the platform, "Huo Yuhao's team? Huo Yuhao's team? Where are you?"
Since Huo Yuhao's team had achieved the best results in Area Thirty-Three last time, they were still the first to take the field.
"Teacher, we're here."
Wang Dong'er raised her hand and walked in through the entrance.
Behind her came Xiao Xiao, whose blush had yet to fade, and Huo Yuhao, who was dripping water.
The members of the other teams looked at the dripping Huo Yuhao in astonishment. What exactly had happened to their team? How had he ended up like this?
Wang Dong'er felt thoroughly uncomfortable under their strange looks. "What are you staring at?! Stop looking and get back to whatever you were doing!" Butterfly wings spread behind her, unleashing a gust that blew sand and dirt into everyone's eyes.
Everyone had seen Wang Dong'er's strength, so they did not dare say much and could only accept their bad luck.
Who knew what had gotten into this brat?
The spectators hurried toward the stands, leaving only a team of one boy and two girls standing across the field.
On the raised platform, the female teacher swept her hand, announcing that both teams should enter. "Freshman Class One's Huo Yuhao team and Freshman Class Seven's Huang Chutian team will undergo the assessment."
After glaring fiercely at Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong'er pulled Xiao Xiao onto the field without paying the slightest attention to Huo Yuhao behind them.
Huo Yuhao shook his head helplessly and could only follow, accepting his bad luck. All he had done was take a nap.
Who had he ever offended?