From the moment the four of them stepped out of the dormitory building, they became the center of attention in Shrek Academy’s freshman area.
A handsome, composed young man accompanied by three girls—each strikingly distinct in style, yet every one of them an absolute beauty.
The proud and spirited Wang Qiuer, the aloof and ethereal Gu Yuena, and the cute, clingy Sister Tianmeng.
Walking down the path, this group didn’t just command a hundred percent turn rate; it was two hundred percent, because every passerby looked back twice to make sure their eyes weren’t playing tricks on them.
“That blonde girl looks so fierce…
and the silver-haired one…
I don’t even dare look at her!”
“My god, who is that guy?
It’s only the first day of school, and he’s…
he’s already walking around with three beauties?!”
“More than three!
Didn’t you see the new girl with ice-blue hair?
She was clinging right onto him!”
“A real winner in life…
Now *that* is the ultimate dream for us male students!”
Though the whispers around them were low, every single word drifted clearly into Huo Yuhao’s ears.
He could clearly feel countless gazes—a mix of envy, jealousy, gossip, and awe—locking onto him.
*This misunderstanding is so deep even jumping into the Heavenly River wouldn’t wash it clean,* Huo Yuhao thought to himself.
*Just destroy the world already.
Hurry it up.*
He quickened his pace, wanting nothing more than to finish breakfast, check the class assignment bulletin board, and find a quiet place to relax.
However, while he wanted to hurry, his two “roommates” beside him didn’t share that sentiment.
In the cafeteria, when Huo Yuhao took a tray and sat down in a corner, Gu Yuena and Sister Tianmeng sat beside him almost simultaneously, flanking him left and right without leaving an inch of space.
Wang Qiuer sat opposite them at her leisure, watching the scene with great amusement.
“Yuhao, say ah~” Sister Tianmeng picked up a steamed bun with her chopsticks and offered it to Huo Yuhao’s lips with a beam.
Helpless, Huo Yuhao could only open his mouth and eat it.
On the other side, Gu Yuena quietly peeled a hard-boiled egg from her own tray and placed it into Huo Yuhao’s bowl.
Then she raised her silver eyes to look at him quietly, the look in her eyes self-explanatory.
Huo Yuhao was forced to silently eat the egg as well.
Opposite them, Wang Qiuer scooped a small spoonful of porridge and extended it toward Huo Yuhao.
“Yuhao, come on, open up~”
“Aah,” Huo Yuhao said unclearly.
He opened his mouth and accepted Qiu’er’s feeding…
The students at the surrounding tables slowed their eating, pricking up their ears and barely daring to breathe.
This was way too juicy!
Huo Yuhao silently ate his porridge, feeling like he wasn’t having breakfast, but enduring torture.
After finally suffering through breakfast, the four of them headed toward the freshman class assignment bulletin board together.
It was already packed with a sea of people.
Freshmen were squeezed together, looking for their names with a mix of nerves and anticipation.
“Make way, make way!”
“Ouch, you stepped on my foot!”
“Class 1!
I’m in Class 1!
Awesome!”
“Sobbing…
I got put in Class 9.
Is that the worst class?”
Amidst the noisy chatter, the arrival of Huo Yuhao and his three companions was like pouring a ladle of cold water into a pot of boiling oil.
The crowd automatically parted to both sides, clearing a pathway.
The aura of this group was simply too overwhelming.
Wang Qiuer walked at the forefront, bearing the inherent pride and majesty of the Emperor Auspicious Beast; wherever her gaze fell, no one dared to meet her eyes.
Behind her, Gu Yuena was expressionless, yet the distant, chill atmosphere stemming from her Silver Dragon King bloodline seemed to place her above all creation, dropping the temperature of the surrounding air by several degrees.
One domineering as fire, the other aloof as ice.
It felt as though two primordial beasts were confronting each other, the invisible pressure making it difficult for everyone to breathe.
“Are they…
are they about to fight?”
“What terrifying aura…
Are they really freshmen?”
“The guy standing in the middle…
he’s truly a god among men!”
Huo Yuhao seemed completely oblivious to all this, his calm gaze sweeping across the bulletin board.
The freshmen of Shrek Academy’s Outer Courtyard were divided into ten classes, with Class 1 being the strongest, and so forth down the line.
Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya were assigned to Class 1.
Then, his eyes shifted down.
Class 2, Class 3, Class 4…
Finally, on the list for Freshman Class 5, he saw his name.
“Huo Yuhao.”
And right next to his name sat another.
“Gu Yuena.”
Seeing this result, Huo Yuhao was not surprised.
“I saw it,” Gu Yuena’s voice sounded beside him.
It was still aloof and calm, but Huo Yuhao could catch a subtle, almost imperceptible hint of delight.
She was happy to be placed in the same class as him.
Huo Yuhao raised his head to look at another roster at the very top: the Inner Courtyard Direct Admission List.
Sure enough, Wang Qiuer’s name was prominently listed, followed by the note: “Exceptional Assessment Results, Direct Promotion to Inner Courtyard.”
“I have to go report to the Inner Courtyard now.” Wang Qiuer crossed her arms, looking at Huo Yuhao.
“You’d better miss me~”
“I know.”
“Hmph, good then.”
Wang Qiuer straightened up, regaining her proud demeanor.
She turned and walked a couple of steps, then seemed to remember something.
Looking back, she blinked at Huo Yuhao, a sly smile curving her lips.
“Don’t get too comfortable in the Outer Courtyard.
I’ll be coming back for you.”
With that, under the awe-struck gazes of the freshmen, she turned briskly and walked toward the Inner Courtyard.
As Wang Qiuer departed, the fiery, domineering pressure instantly vanished, and the surrounding air felt much lighter.
Huo Yuhao watched her receding figure and smiled slightly.
In this life, she was no longer the lonely Emperor Auspicious Beast, nor was she a tragic victim of fate.
She would have a complete life of her own.
“Let’s go,” Huo Yuhao said to Gu Yuena beside him.
The two passed through the crowd and, following the bulletin board’s directions, located the Freshman Class 5 classroom.
A dozen or so people were already scattered throughout the room, sizing each other up in a somewhat formal and hesitant atmosphere.
The moment Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena walked in, everyone’s eyes were instantly drawn to them.
The boy handsome and steady; the girl aloof and otherworldly.
Gu Yuena in particular, with her stunning silver hair, silver eyes, and ethereal aura untainted by mortal dust, left several noble youths who prided themselves on being well-traveled utterly spellbound.
Ignoring the staring eyes, the two walked straight to empty seats in the back row and sat down.
Before long, a gentle-looking female teacher around twenty-seven or twenty-eight entered the classroom.
She wore a light green dress and carried a warm, pleasant smile that felt like a refreshing spring breeze.
“Hello, students.
I’m your homeroom teacher, Mu Jin.”
Her voice was as gentle as her demeanor.
“Welcome to Shrek Academy, and welcome to Freshman Class 5.
“There are sixteen students in our class.
I know that after seeing the class placements, some of you might feel disappointed, thinking Class 5 isn’t the best class.”
Teacher Mu Jin’s eyes swept over every student, her gaze sincere and warm.
“But I want to tell you all that Shrek never defines a student’s future by the class they’re placed in upon admission.
Though our Class 5 might not be the strongest overall, I believe every single person has their own shining point. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
“One month from now will be the freshman entrance assessment.
That is the real stage for you to show your true worth.
Let us work hard together and prove ourselves to everyone!”
Her words were filled with encouragement and strength, enlivening the previously gloomy atmosphere in the classroom.
Huo Yuhao listened quietly, developing a favorable impression of Teacher Mu Jin.
She was a kind and responsible teacher.
While Teacher Mu Jin introduced the class situation, Huo Yuhao casually scanned his classmates.
These students generally had Soul Power between Rank 20 and Rank 30.
Among peers their age, they were already geniuses, but in a place like Shrek where monsters gathered, they were indeed not top-tier.
Suddenly, his eyes rested on a corner of the classroom.
A boy sat there wearing old clothes, thin with dark skin, sitting silently in the corner and appearing entirely out of place.
Resting across his knees was a long object wrapped in cloth strips; judging by its contour, it appeared to be a saber.
He seemed to sense Huo Yuhao’s gaze and looked up.
Their eyes met in midair.
What kind of eyes were those?
Resolute, calm, and carrying a hint of vicissitude unbefitting his age, as if hiding countless stories.
After Teacher Mu Jin finished her introduction, it was time for student introductions and free interaction.
Without hesitation, Huo Yuhao stood up and, under everyone’s surprised gazes, walked straight toward the boy in the corner.
Without a word, Gu Yuena stood up as well, staying right by his side.
“Hello, I’m Huo Yuhao.”
Huo Yuhao stopped in front of the boy and offered his hand with a gentle smile.
“This is Gu Yuena.
We’ll be teammates from now on, so let’s look out for each other.”
The boy froze for a moment, clearly not expecting anyone to initiate a conversation with him—let alone the most eye-catching person in the class.
Looking at Huo Yuhao’s sincere gaze, he hesitated for a few seconds before reaching out to shake his hand.
His palm was covered in thick calluses, and his grip was firm.
He raised his head and looked at Huo Yuhao with resolute eyes.
“I’m Wang Xiaoli.
Martial Soul: ‘Soul-Cutter Blade’.
Rank 28 Attack-type Soul Master.”
His voice was somewhat raspy, but every word was clear.
“I hope I won’t hold you back.”
*Soul-Cutter Blade?*
Huo Yuhao’s brow twitched slightly.
That Martial Soul name was interesting.
He could feel an extremely sharp and pure power dwelling inside this youth named Wang Xiaoli.
He was definitely not as simple as he appeared.
“You won’t,” Huo Yuhao smiled.
“Likewise, we’re in your care.”
With their brief conversation over, Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena returned to their seats.
However, the way many people in the classroom looked at Wang Xiaoli had already changed.
To be personally approached by someone like Huo Yuhao…
was this unremarkable boy some sort of hidden master?
Huo Yuhao ignored the surrounding gazes and leaned back in his chair, gazing out the window toward the depths of Shrek Academy—the direction where the Inner Courtyard lay.
Wang Qiuer had gone to the Inner Courtyard.
Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya were in Class 1.
The destinies to be altered, the karma to be resolved—everything was stepping onto the right track, step by step.
So then…
Huo Yuhao’s eyes grew deep and distant as a figure quietly surfaced in his mind.
It was a girl in a pinkish-blue dress, with long, soft blue hair, breathtakingly beautiful.
*Wang Dong’er…*
*You should be at Shrek as well, right?*