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"Teacher, I…" Xiao Xiao lowered her head, tears streaming down her cheeks, dripping onto the ground one by one. The girl truly felt wronged.
"Hmph! Whether you want to make it into the top three or not, you should know better than anyone!" Zhou Yi shot her a cold glance, then took a deep breath to suppress her anger and said in a slightly calmer tone, "I went out of my way to put you into this team, intending for you all to serve as the trump card of New Class One. Even though Wang Dong has left, as long as you were willing to… ahem… there was still hope for you to fight your way into the top three. Don't squander my good intentions…"
With that, Zhou Yi turned and left without another word.
Xiao Xiao stood there in silence, her expression full of gloom.
Chen Yanjin disappeared without saying a word. Huo Yuhao glanced at the tear-streaked girl, hesitated for a moment, then turned and left as well. After all, remembering how Xiao Xiao had looked down on him before, he now felt a faint satisfaction, almost like revenge. The one Zhou Yi scolded was you, not me. The teacher may be harsh, but she never scolds the wrong person. If she says you're wrong, then you really are wrong…
The first day of the round-robin tournament only had one match. The purpose was for the academy to let students adjust to the format.
Xie Huanyue's team faced off against the so-called "Chicken Leg Squad" from the original story and, naturally, crushed them with ease.
At the dining hall.
Because the freshmen had just finished their assessment, the place was packed to the brim. Senior students were left wailing outside, unable to squeeze in no matter what. The scene was reminiscent of military training back in the past life—especially since freshmen were still growing, their appetites were enormous.
"Ahhh, so satisfying!"
Xie Huanyue put down his bowl and chopsticks, patted his stomach, and wore an expression of bliss.
Before him was already a wobbling mountain of bowls and plates, nearly two meters tall. And he wasn't the only one—there were quite a few new students this year with an equally monstrous appetite.
"Junior, can't you leave some food for us seniors? Let me lick your plate at least! I haven't eaten in three days—I'm about to starve to death…" Beibei exaggeratedly clung to Xie Huanyue's arm.
Tang Ya couldn't help but laugh, then lightly smacked Beibei on the shoulder.
"Starving to death after just three days? Where's your dignity as a senior?"
"A bunch of gluttons~"
Xie Huanyue: "???"
Why am I taking the blame too?
"No worries, Senior. According to soul master research, a Soul Elder's body has enough stored energy to survive for several years without food." Xie Huanyue explained with a silly grin.
"So going without a meal or two won't kill you."
"You brat… deep breaths. Feeling light-headed is normal." Beibei sat behind the chubby Xie Huanyue, putting him in a playful chokehold while gritting his teeth.
"Xiao Xiao?!"
Amid the laughter, Wang Dong suddenly exclaimed.
Su Wen raised his head in surprise and spotted Xiao Xiao walking into the dining hall, her small figure drooping with exhaustion. Even from afar, her demeanor made it clear she had been crying not long ago—her eyes were still red and swollen.
Something was definitely off.
"Maybe it's because I transferred to another class," Wang Dong muttered guiltily.
After all, she had dragged Xiao Xiao into that pit in the first place. With her there, she had thought she could at least ensure Xiao Xiao reached the top four. But who would've thought it would backfire and harm her instead?
"I'll go talk to her." Almost instinctively, she looked toward Su Wen.
He gave a slight nod, and only then did Wang Dong walk quickly toward Xiao Xiao.
Su Wen raised a brow.
If it were only about missing out on the rewards, Xiao Xiao might be upset, but she wouldn't be this devastated. Could it be related to Zhou Yi?
Shaking his head, he went back to eating.
That night, in the dormitory.
After finishing her wash-up, Wang Dong quickly slipped out of her clothes and dove into her warm, fragrant blanket.
While chatting, she suddenly brought up what had happened earlier in the day.
"Su Wen, everyone says you're from the inner courtyard… Do you have, you know, some… special connections there?"
Su Wen blinked. "Hm?"
"It's like this. I went to find Xiao Xiao today…" Wang Dong recounted Xiao Xiao's plight in full detail, then clenched her fair little fist, her face filled with indignation. "I never imagined Teacher Zhou Yi could be such a person! For the sake of New Class One's results, she actually threatened a twin martial soul student to attach a spirit ring to her second martial soul so early?! Outrageous!"
"And that Huo Yuhao too—I didn't expect him to be Zhou Yi's lapdog. I really misjudged him! To think I even kindly grouped him and Xiao Xiao together!"
"Huo Yuhao's been performing well in the Soul Tool Department. Director Fan Yu thinks highly of him. And Fan Yu… is Zhou Yi's husband." Su Wen spoke evenly.
"What?!" Wang Dong's eyes widened.
"Mm. Just as you're thinking—Zhou Yi never despised Huo Yuhao for his low soul power. Instead, she always pinned great hopes on him. By your account… Xiao Xiao was probably nothing more than a disposable pawn." Su Wen's eyes narrowed slightly as he sat cross-legged on his bed, deep in thought.
"And the academy's higher-ups just let this happen to a twin martial soul student?" Wang Dong was furious.
"Most likely Zhou Yi suppressed the information. For the sake of results, that beast really has no conscience." Su Wen shook his head.
In just three short months, New Class One had already been whittled down from one hundred students to fifty-four. At this point, it had nothing to do with strict teaching—it was sheer madness.
"Then… can you help her?"
Wang Dong asked softly, "If you do, then we'll be brothers! When I inherit the Clear Sky Sect in the future, I'll definitely stand by you to the end!"
"I can at least bring up Xiao Xiao's talent to the academy." Su Wen mused aloud.
He was aware of Yan Shaozhe's long-term plans.
The fact that Yang He had not been expelled yet showed that the Dean of the Martial Soul Department was playing a larger game. Yan Shaozhe might be shortsighted in the struggle between martial souls and soul tools, but he was no fool, and he certainly had courage. Zhou Yi had long been on his list of people to purge, yet her name kept getting crossed out—only because of her husband, Fan Yu.
Shrek's so-called "Number One Soul Engineer," Qian Duoduo, was somewhat overrated. In truth, Fan Yu might well be the true number one in soul tool research. His importance to Shrek could not be overstated, which was why Yan Shaozhe's plan kept meeting resistance from several elders.
Especially Elder Song—Xian Lin'er's mother and one of the most senior members of Sea God's Pavilion—who openly supported Fan Yu and Zhou Yi.
"Thank you!"
Wang Dong suddenly stood up and gave Su Wen a deep bow.
"…."
The corner of Su Wen's mouth twitched.
Why does this look exactly like some Clear Sky Sect brat standing at attention? That sudden bow nearly gave me whiplash…
"Are we cultivating tonight?" Su Wen asked softly.
"Mm-hm~"
The next second, in the darkness, a slender, cool body slipped under his blanket. This time, it was Su Wen's bed. Dressed only in her undergarments, Wang Dong's eyes held a trace of urgency. "Let's do it!"
Moments later—
Their auras intertwined, faint four-colored radiance flickered around them. Soul power circulated through their bodies in cycles, refining their meridians until they grew tougher and tougher. The speed of their cultivation increased visibly.
The two sat cross-legged upon the bed, enveloped within a faint cocoon of light.
(End of Chapter)