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"I'll sign up. Huo Yuhao."
Huo Yuhao slowly stood, enduring the burning pain in his throat as he shot a complicated glance at Su Wen.
"Alright."
Su Wen gestured casually and squeezed Ning Tian's hand. Her pretty face flushed with annoyance, and she shot him an angry glare before gracefully recording the name on the list, her handwriting as elegant as she was.
"Thank you…" Huo Yuhao nodded slightly, then silently turned and left.
"He looks as pitiful as a stray dog~" Wu Feng mumbled around a candy, her gaze following Huo Yuhao's retreating figure.
Su Wen's expression was calm as he gently pinched Ning Tian's soft, slender wrist.
That day, when they were leaving the library, Senior Zhang Bailin had warned him: "Huo the Cheat seems to hold a grudge against you."
Was it because of Zhou Yi?
In the original story, Huo Yuhao's deep bond with Zhou Yi only formed after the winter break. But because of Su Wen's arrival, which poached most of her students, Zhou Yi had started to value and invest in Huo Yuhao much earlier, strengthening their relationship ahead of schedule.
It was understandable.
So, what? Did he want revenge? When he became a god, was he going to make Su Wen kowtow at Zhou Yi's grave?
The thought was so absurd that Su Wen couldn't help but chuckle.
…
Star Dou Forest.
Atop a colossal, ancient tree, three figures in black robes stood sentinel.
The leader gazed into the distance, where the faint silhouette of a massive city was visible on the horizon.
"Big Brother, what are the Sect Master's orders?" another robed figure asked, his voice laced with confusion. "Are we to capture the hundred-thousand-year soul beasts or not?"
"Of course, we capture them, you fool!" Zhongli Tian snapped, throwing back his hood to reveal a cold, sinister face. "We were too close to Shrek Academy before, and the Sect Master's aura drew out that Yan Shaozhe. We had to retreat deeper into the forest. Now that he mistakenly believes we've withdrawn, we can proceed."
"Good heavens… three hundred-thousand-year soul beasts? Our sect doesn't have many people stuck at the ninth bottleneck. Won't the soul rings be wasted?" Zhongli Ren said with a click of his tongue.
"Impossible!" Zhongli Di sneered. "These three soul beasts are meant for the Sect Master's Bone Dragon. Their souls will be devoured. As for their soul bones… hehe."
"It's not like they'd fall to us, anyway," Zhongli Ren muttered with a pout.
"Silence!" Zhongli Tian's eyes narrowed. "Conceal your auras completely. Don't let the denizens of the Star Dou Forest detect us. We will divert the disaster toward Shrek Academy and then retreat swiftly, leaving no evidence."
"If a beast tide truly erupts, it will have nothing to do with us."
"Yes, sir!" ×2
Flap, flap~
Suddenly, several black crows landed on the treetop, a hundred meters high. They flapped their wings, but instead of harsh caws, human words emerged: "Prepare yourselves. The operation is beginning!"
…
Half a month later.
Outside the gates of Shrek Academy, a crowd of disciples in both inner and outer court uniforms had gathered. Su Wen was among them. Ning Tian and Wang Dong, still far from their bottlenecks, had remained at the academy to cultivate.
Among the crowd, however, a stunningly beautiful figure caught Su Wen's eye, making him pause.
"Senior Sister Lexuan?"
Su Wen stared in surprise at the gentle woman before him.
"Come here, let your big sister give you a hug~"
Zhang Lexuan pulled Su Wen into a tight embrace. She then cupped his face, pinching his cheeks as she inspected him from all angles before nodding in satisfaction. "Mm, you've grown taller."
"I'm not a child anymore…" Su Wen protested weakly.
…
"Who is that?"
"I hear she's the Inner Court's Eldest Senior Sister."
"She seems close with the Outer Court's Demon King?"
"It certainly seems so…"
…
The outer court disciples whispered among themselves, while the inner court disciples, knowing the history, simply watched with knowing smiles.
Today, Zhang Lexuan wore sea-blue cloth shoes and a long green dress that perfectly accentuated her graceful figure. She was gentle and captivating, yet carried an air of distance—like a celestial fairy who had descended to the mortal realm.
She instinctively took Su Wen's hand, just as she had five years ago in the Star Dou Forest.
Feeling her soft warmth and inhaling the faint scent of orchids, Su Wen felt a bit awkward and rubbed his nose with his free hand.
"To me, you'll always be a child," Zhang Lexuan said with a smile, squeezing his hand. Her touch was cool, soft, and smooth.
The new inner court disciples watched in awe. "No wonder he's called the Inner Court's Demon King of Chaos. Even the Eldest Senior Sister treats him this way. She's kind to everyone, but she always keeps a distance that countless seniors have failed to cross. Yet he managed it. Is he cultivating some kind of demonic art?"
"Senior Brother, the Demon King has never officially entered the Inner Court, has he? Why call him that?" an outer court disciple asked.
"He grew up in the Inner Court. He was an adorable, chubby little kid, but he lost his cuteness as he got older. He spent all his time challenging people, and his talent was simply monstrous. He even defeated Yao Haoxuan before he officially enrolled, which is hilarious—that guy is still nailed to the Inner Court's pillar of shame. Only after Su Wen ruined Zhou Yi did he dare show his face again. That's why we call him the Demon King of Chaos."
"You can't beat him, and you can't run from him," the senior sighed emotionally. "And I'm already a Soul King!"
"Who's leading the expedition?" Su Wen asked quietly.
"Elder Xuan."
Zhang Lexuan paused for a moment before saying his name.
Su Wen nodded. He wasn't surprised. As Shrek Academy's strongest figurehead, Elder Xuan's presence showed how seriously this mission was being taken. Still, the old man was undeniably eccentric…
…
"Move out!"
Elder Xuan's slovenly figure appeared, a chicken leg in one hand and a wine gourd in the other. When his eyes met Su Wen's, however, they flickered away guiltily.
The group set off toward the core of the Star Dou Forest.
"So, what kind of soul beast are you hoping to find?" Zhang Lexuan asked with a smile, deliberately pulling Su Wen to the back of the group. She held his hand tightly, as if trying to make up for lost time.
"An Emerald Swan, perhaps. Or another bird-type soul beast," Su Wen said, his tone growing serious.
"Why a bird?" she asked softly.
"For air superiority. I'm at a disadvantage against flying agility-type opponents," Su Wen explained.
"And what about Gale?" Zhang Lexuan's lips curved into a slight smile.
"Gale is… wait a minute." Su Wen stopped, a look of realization dawning on his face.
Currently, Gale was just an agility-type spirit. It was overwhelmingly powerful in the right terrain, but on open plains, its advantage vanished.
But Gale could evolve. Its attribute was wind. That meant, in the future, it was destined to achieve absolute dominance of the sky. In its very next stage, it would likely be able to command the wind itself.
Understanding washed over Su Wen.
It wasn't that a bird-type soul beast was a bad choice. It was that he didn't need to rely on one for control of the air…
(End of Chapter)