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After class, Mu Jin called for Su Wen, Xie Huanyue, and Wang Dong to come to her office.
The rest of the students chattered noisily, excitedly discussing the upcoming assessment.
For these newly enrolled youths—the most gifted on the entire continent—any ranked competition naturally drew great interest. The topic of conversation was already beginning to shift toward Su Wen.
After all, since his stunning battle on the first day of school, he had only remained a lingering legend.
"Xiao Wen, something has come up. The academy hopes for Xie Huanyue to switch dorms with Wang Dong. I wonder if you…"
Mu Jin's gaze never left Su Wen. She was well aware of his identity. In a situation like this—such a sudden, inexplicable dorm exchange—if he refused, no one would dare force him.
As for Xie Huanyue, he was completely ignored. He looked pitiful and wronged but didn't dare complain in front of the teacher.
Su Wen's pupils shrank sharply.
He quickly concealed his surprise, took a deep breath, and said, "That's fine, Teacher. I have no objections."
Outside the office…
Xie Huanyue burst into tears. "Boss, you can't abandon me, wuuuuu~"
Wang Dong occasionally glanced curiously at Su Wen's profile but remained silent.
On the surface, Su Wen's expression was calm, but within, waves of shock and unease surged violently.
What the hell?!!
The leash is being fastened to me?
He was all too clear on Wang Dong's identity—essentially the tether left behind by Tang God-King to reel in Huo Yuhao. All those so-called Martial Soul Fusion Skills were most likely the result of divine intervention. To be targeted by Tang God-King so early could only mean trouble.
Fortunately, with Destruction still around, Tang God-King wouldn't dare act recklessly.
In the original story, he mostly influenced the situation through the Clear Sky Sect, rarely sending his true divine sense down. This meant that the God Realm was not entirely under his control.
As long as Su Wen didn't completely break with him and force him to personally descend, he could still develop safely.
"You were moved into Wang Dong's original dorm?" Su Wen suddenly paused and turned his head toward the rambling Xie Huanyue.
"Yeah!" Xie Huanyue's face was full of misery.
"And with a boy named Huo Yuhao. Wang Dong, what do you think of him? Is he easy to get along with?"
"Mm… so-so, I guess. His strength is really weak, his talent is poor, but he's quite tenacious. That's about it." Wang Dong was a little baffled by Xie Huanyue's fast-changing demeanor—crying his eyes out one moment, acting all casual the next. She just shrugged.
"Wang Dong, was this switch arranged by your family?" Su Wen turned his gaze on her again.
"I… I'm sorry…"
Wang Dong bit her lip, her face darkening.
Her two fathers had gone too far this time. It was one thing to force her into cross-dressing and living in the boys' dorm, but now they were even meddling with her dorm assignment. Even though she felt indifferent toward that boy called Huo Yuhao—barely interacting with him outside of class—being treated so dismissively still left her uncomfortable.
"It's fine."
Su Wen smiled gently.
"I'm not blaming you. There are many things beyond our control right now… Mm, let's start over. I'm Su Wen from Class Two." After hesitating, he didn't press further, simply extending his hand with a warm smile.
Toward Wang Dong, whether it was to avoid drawing Tang God-King's suspicion or out of pity for her plight, he felt no resentment.
After all, she was nothing more than a tool from beginning to end—her soul split, memories incomplete, and later, reduced to nothing but a vessel. Love, friendship, everything she had was inherited by another "self." She was a pitiful soul at best, deserving only sympathy.
"Hm?"
Wang Dong'er lifted her head, her pale blue eyes blinking. Almost instinctively, she raised her hand, clasping his.
This big demon… wasn't nearly as difficult to get along with as she'd imagined.
"Th-thank you…"
She suddenly stuttered, a faint blush coloring her cheeks as her gaze drifted to the side.
Dorm 108.
Huo Yuhao silently watched Wang Dong tidying her bed. A deep, suffocating ache welled up inside him, as though something most important to his life had been taken away. Yet all he could do was endure it powerlessly.
He held it in until Wang Dong left.
Then he slapped himself and muttered inwardly, "It's just a dorm mate. Is this really worth it? Huo Yuhao, your purpose in coming to Shrek Academy is to become strong—and to avenge your mother!"
With that, as the dorm grew quiet, he sat cross-legged and resumed cultivating.
Meanwhile, in another dormitory…
"Wang Dong?"
"You're… Ning Tian?"
The two stared wide-eyed at each other, utterly dumbfounded.
Ning Tian clenched her fists. She had never felt such intense hostility toward anyone before. Ma Xiaotao being Su Wen's childhood friend was one thing… But Wang Dong? What right did she have?!
The Light Goddess Butterfly was without doubt a female martial soul. Ning Tian hadn't realized it herself, but her father had told her so before leaving.
A girl—boldly sneaking into the boys' dormitory! And she even beat her to it?
What was she after? A midnight tryst? A sneak attack?
Rage surged in Ning Tian's chest. If she had known that the Clear Sky Sect's little princess had this privilege, then as the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's little princess, she would have cross-dressed and claimed a spot in Su Wen's dorm too. She had never imagined someone could be this shameless!
"Uh…" Wang Dong shrank her neck. She had been confident in her disguise, but from the way Ning Tian's golden eyes glared at her, brimming with barely contained fury, she felt exposed.
"Hmph!"
As night fell, more students returned to the dorm. Regardless of gender, everyone had to head back once darkness settled. Ning Tian clung to Su Wen for a while longer before finally leaving, planting a soft pink "strawberry mark" on his cheek. Her beautiful eyes shot Wang Dong a sharp, warning glare before reluctantly departing.
When she was gone—
Only two people remained.
Wang Dong shifted awkwardly, her whole body stiff with unease.
Facing Huo Yuhao, she could boldly state her demands. But Su Wen… she still remembered vividly how he had smashed through a wall with one punch and lifted Xie Huanyue up for a brutal beating. Though he now appeared mild-tempered, if he really fought, ten of her wouldn't stand a chance.
"Have you ever held hands with Huo Yuhao?"
Lights out.
Both lying on their own beds.
Su Wen suddenly spoke.
"Huh???" Wang Dong's eyes flew open wide.
"I don't even like boys! Why would I hold hands with him?"
Su Wen's heart sank in realization.
In the original story, the two had discovered their Martial Soul Fusion by accident. But now, three months into the school year, there wasn't even a hint of progress…
Damn. The more he thought about it, the more terrifying it seemed.
Wait!
A thought flashed across his mind.
He turned toward the other bed, where Wang Dong was tightly cocooned in her quilt. "Want to try a Martial Soul Fusion?"
"What's your martial soul? Mine are the Light Goddess Butterfly and the Clear Sky Hammer. There's no way it could be that coincidental. Do you know how rare Martial Soul Fusions are? The odds are less than one in a million!"
Wang Dong pouted and muttered, too lazy to get up.
Tomorrow morning she would have to face that old hag Zhou Yi again. Ugh, had she really transferred classes?!!
And then, Su Wen could only stare dumbfounded as the girl suddenly jumped up, eyes shining with excitement.
"Come on, let's try it!"
(End of Chapter)