Huo Yuhao nodded. A pale golden light flickered through his eyes as he released his Spirit Eyes. When he did, a white and purple soul ring rose up from his feet.
Astonishment once again appeared on Fan Yu, Zhou Yi, and Wang Dong's faces,
A thousand year soul ring, another thousand year soul ring. The second soul ring of Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eyes was actually another thousand year soul ring. Just what had he done during the past month!? Under a situation in which he didn't even have a single attacking soul skill, he'd actually obtained a thousand year soul ring. This was simply too inconceivable.
"A thousand year soul ring? You, how did your body endure it?" A puzzled look filled Zhou Yi's face, "If it was already somewhat fishy that you were able to obtain a soul ring for your second martial soul, just how in the world did you get that thousand year soul ring for your Spirit Eyes? Don't tell me that you also got it after sleeping for a while. If that's the case, I'll go run to the North and sleep there every day."
Somewhat embarrassed, Huo Yuhao said, "I didn't get it just by sleeping. I killed a soul beast, then discovered that it had a spiritual attribute to it. After that, I absorbed its soul ring. I didn't even know that it was a thousand year soul ring. As for why I could endure it, it seems to be because I've obtained a soul bone…"
The trio's facial muscles twitched simultaneously.
Two thousand year soul rings and a soul bone? Did Huo Yuhao fall into a treasury?
Fan Yu said, "Carefully explain everything to us. Just what in the world happened?"
Huo Yuhao nodded obediently. "I really got that soul bone after waking up. It seems to be related to the Ice Jade Scorpion; it's a torso bone. I discovered that after I pour soul power into my backbone, I can emit an extremely intense chilliness. However, this can only be maintained for a very short time before my soul power's fully drained. After killing that soul beast, I directly started to absorb it. This was because I didn't know it was a thousand year one. By the time I noticed that the soul ring coming from its body was a purple one, it was too late. In the end, I finished absorbing it without feeling much pain. Could it be because the soul bone strengthened my physique?"
Zhou Yi nodded. "It's possible. Tell us the important part of this story; tell us how you killed that thousand year soul beast. Even three-ringed students might not be able to easily kill a thousand year soul beast, but you were only a one-ringed Soul Master at that time."
Huo Yuhao said, "The soul beast I encountered was very strange. When I first bumped into it, it was a fierce, snow-white tiger. It seemed extraordinarily strong, and I knew that it wasn't something to be trifled with at first glance. I didn't even have any thoughts of fighting with it! Thus, I turned around and ran away. After I ran a long distance away, I turned around. I discovered that it hadn't chased after me; it was only looking at me. At that time, I felt that it was very strange, as tiger-type soul beasts are extremely aggressive. This point was especially emphasized during our classes. However, why didn't it take the initiative to attack me? Because of that, I mustered some courage to quietly return and observe it. In the end, I discovered that the tiger was still looking at me, but it didn't have any intentions of making a move. Then, I tried using a long-range soul tool to attack it. But, who would've predicted that the tiger's body would suddenly turn illusory, causing my attack to miss? Right after that, it charged towards me."
"At that time, I felt that I was definitely screwed. I didn't even have enough time to regret my actions, and I ran away again. However, that tiger was much faster than me. Within a few moments, it caught up to me and pounced towards me viciously. Panicked, I released that Scorpion martial soul and blocked it with my hand. My body sank, and I fell down. Because I thought that I was finished, I subconsciously grabbed the throat of that tiger. That white tiger also attacked me, and it even released a spiritual attack. However, I had my Spirit Eyes! Though I felt waves of dizziness from its spiritual attack, I didn't suffer any real injuries. By the time I woke up from its spiritual attack, I discovered that the soul beast I'd grabbed was actually not the white tiger; instead, it'd turned into an enormous worm. It was a full meter long, and its entire body was snow-white and translucent. Oh, right. It was just like an especially large silkworm. After using that Scorpion martial soul, I felt that I'd become extraordinarily strong. That large silkworm seemed to have been crushed to death by me. I didn't think much of it then. After all, spiritual-type soul beasts aren't easy to find in the first place. Since I was able to bump into one, I hurriedly absorbed it. Then, I obtained this thousand year soul ring."
Wang Dong asked, suspicious, "What you're saying is too farfetched. Why was it a tiger, then a large silkworm all of a sudden?"
Huo Yuhao gave a mysterious smile, "Originally, I thought the same as you. However, I understood everything after trying out the new soul skill I obtained. Teachers, please take a look at this."
With that, the hint of golden light in Huo Yuhao's eyes suddenly intensified. Instantly, the purple soul ring around him blossomed with a dazzling light. He quickly took a step backwards, arriving next to Wang Dong. Right after that, Fan Yu and Zhou Yi astonishedly discovered that there were unexpectedly two Wang Dong's in front of them; there was no longer a Huo Yuhao.
Turning towards the 'Wang Dong' beside him, Wang Dong was immediately gobsmacked, "This, what is this skill?"
A distorted halo of light flickered slightly on 'Wang Dong's body, and he turned back into Huo Yuhao. Right after that, Huo Yuhao revealed another astonishing scene. The rhythmically undulating soul rings around his body transformed yet again.
The originally white and purple soul rings instantly transformed into two blood-red soul rings which were filled with a terrifying aura. The pressure that suddenly appeared caused even Fan Yu and Zhou Yi to subconsciously release their own soul rings while quickly retreating backwards.
"Hundred, hundred thousand year soul rings?" Wang Dong blurted out involuntarily. His reaction wasn't as violent as those of the two teachers. The martial soul fusion that he had with Huo Yuhao caused him to be unable to sense any danger from the two hundred thousand year soul rings.
The lights changed yet again, and the two terrifying blood-red soul rings transformed again. This time around, they turned into a weak white color that represented the white of a ten year soul ring.
The gap between a hundred thousand year soul ring and a ten year soul ring was quite large.
Huo Yuhao smiled mischievously. "This is my all-new spiritual-type skill; my thousand year soul skill: Imitation. By using my spiritual undulations, it can bend space and allow me to imitate various shapes. However, the range of my Imitation can't exceed a diameter of three meters. Imitation gives me another special ability–that is, the ability to change the color of my soul ring as I wish. Though it doesn't possess any attacking abilities, it should be quite useful if I use it well."
Right, this was the second soul skill of Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eyes. The story he'd just told wasn't a full lie; the way he'd obtained this second soul ring wasn't much different from how he'd narrated it. Only, the Iceworm he'd killed had been found by the Skydream Iceworm. Moreover, it was the Skydream Iceworm who'd exposed the other Iceworm's illusory imitation.
The race the Skydream Iceworm was most familiar with was undoubtedly his own race! This Imitation skill seemed powerless, but it was the Iceworm's best life-protecting measure. This skill was especially important to the current Huo Yuhao. With his Imitation, he could arbitrarily change the colors of his soul rings, allowing him to reveal the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion's first soul skill without being scared of anything. This was also why the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion's soul ring had been purple when it had appeared earlier.
"Nice, nice imitation." In what was practically an instant, Fan Yu's eyes lit up. As a powerful soul engineer, he immediately thought of a few effective uses of this skill within the domain of soul engineers. More importantly, he could conceal Huo Yuhao's abilities to an even greater degree with this skill!
At this moment, Huo Yuhao was astonished as well. This was because of the number of soul rings surrounding Teacher Fan Yu.
There were two yellow rings, two purple rings, and four black rings, totalling eight soul rings. The merely forty-or-so year-old teacher was unexpectedly a powerful Soul Douluo, an eight-ringed Soul Douluo! With his teacher's age, it wasn't an impossibility for him to charge towards the Titled Douluo realm.
Fan Yu spoke with a low voice. "Yuhao, Teacher needs you to give me an answer right now. Will you choose to remain in the Martial Soul Department, or will we announce that you are a core disciple of the Soul Tool Department?"
Without any hesitation at all, Huo Yuhao knelt down again. Respectfully, he said, "A teacher for one day, a father forever. Teacher, I am willing to continue studying soul tools with you."
"Good, good." Fan Yu was overjoyed. Stepping forward, he propped Huo Yuhao up. "Good child. Since that's the case, your teacher has to issue you a command. Since you have this soul skill, you should use it. From now on, regardless of whether you are participating in the academy's assessments or interacting with the other students, you have to use your Imitation to change the color of your soul rings to white." With that, the hint of a naughty smile appeared in his eyes.
Zhou Yi said unhappily, "Are you teaching him how to eat a tiger by disguising himself as a pig?"
Fan Yu smiled slightly, "Is there anything bad about that? Those old fellas from your Martial Soul Department are each shrewder than the other. If they were to learn the truth, would they not try to steal him from us?"
Zhou Yi asked, doubtful, "Didn't Dean Qian win his bet with Dean Yan? Would Dean Qian renege on his deal?"
Fan Yu laughed coldly. "Is there anything he won't do? In front of an outstanding student, what do bets count for? Even if Dean Yan always has a solemn appearance, he can twist his words from black to white for the sake of the Martial Soul Department's strength. You've always thought that Dean Qian was very crafty, right? But, Dean Qian is still a ways off from Dean Yan. Caution is always the path to safety. Wang Dong, you have to keep this a secret as well. Otherwise, you'll be making enemies, even within our Soul Tool Department. Let's do it this way; you two can go back to your dorms first, and let me take care of this matter. Yuhao, you'll have to remain in the Martial Soul Department and learn some foundational knowledge until you graduate from Year 3, at the very least. Because of this, even if I announce the fact that you're a core disciple of the Soul Tool Department, you can't be arrogant. You have to continue learning in a steadfast manner in the Martial Soul Department."
"Yes, Teacher."
This ordeal could be considered to have been crossed. Huo Yuhao couldn't help but inwardly let out a long sigh.
Fan Yu rushed out the door, while Zhou Yi brought Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong back to their dorm room and told them to report to Year 2's Class 1 tomorrow morning to take the advancement test. It didn't matter how Fan Yu handled things; Huo Yuhao would still have to take the advancement test. If a student wasn't able to pass their advancement test, not even the dean would be capable of allowing that student to remain; the rules weren't so easily changed.
Once Zhou Yi left, Huo Yuhao let out a sigh of relief. He'd rushed the entire way to the academy, and was extremely tired. He didn't even wipe his bed off before he laid down on it and stretched his body.
Wang Dong angrily said, "Huo Yuhao, get up."
"What do you want!? You can't be diligent enough to the point that you'll drag me into cultivating with you as well, right? Just forget about it for today, I'm exhausted. Let me sleep." After speaking, he rolled over, and almost instantly began to snore.
Wang Dong couldn't help but be startled when he saw this. How could this guy just fall asleep like this?
Despite what he'd said, he'd still come back in the end, and had even become a twin-souled soul master in the process. However, a mist seemed to surround him; what sort of person was Huo Yuhao?
Originally, Huo Yuhao had just been an orphan to Wang Dong, but now it seemed that Hu Yuhao had changed. An air of mystery surrounded him. His story was extremely bizarre and nigh unbelievable, but the facts still stood: He now had twin martial souls and two thousand year spirit rings. With these facts before them, his bizarre story really didn't seem to have any flaws at all. The only person who knew he was lying was Wang Dong; there was no way that his soul would show signs of shattering! Could it be that he hadn't noticed it because he was hallucinating?
In the end, even though his mind was full of doubt, Wang Dong still decided not to wake Huo Yuhao. He sat down on his bed, still covered with a fur mat, and thought, Forget it, doesn't everyone have a few secrets? Am I not the same? Why should I be so inquisitive? At least the sincerity he shows towards me hasn't changed, and that's enough for me.
Once his thoughts reached this point, Wang Dong couldn't help but reveal signs of fatigue on his face. Even this villain is asleep. Why should I cultivate if he's sleeping? I'm going to sleep as well! He quickly lay down and pulled the quilt over him. However, he soon got up, took another quilt from his storage soul tool, and covered Huo Yuhao with it.
"When I get up tomorrow, I need to wash these sheets… Hmph, your bed's covered in dust. I'll give you the mat later." When he came back, he'd made sure to bring another set of bedding with him.
After doing this, Wang Dong climbed back into his bed and soon fell asleep. This was the first time that he'd managed to sleep soundly in the last few days.
Huo Yuhao woke up early the next morning. He looked towards Wang Dong, who was still asleep in his bed, and couldn't help but smile.
It sure felt good to be back!
The day had just started as he carefully opened his window without making a sound. Afterwards, he gazed into the distant eastern sky.
When light gradually began to appear over the horizon, Huo Yuhao took a deep breath and immediately began to cultivate the Purple Qi from the East.
His Spirit Eyes finally had their second soul ring, thus both his martial soul and eyesight had increased in strength. The four soul skills his first soul ring gave him had also increased in power due to the Skydream Iceworm; every single one of them now had the power of a thousand year soul ring. Even though he was only a two-ringed Soul Grandmaster, in terms of both his ability and number of skills, he could match a three or even a four ringed soul master.
His Purple Demon Eyes had also been strengthened alongside his Spirit Eyes. Purple light would now appear when Huo Yuhao used his Spiritual Shock, akiu to when he'd used it before, with the help of Wang Dong and their Haodong Power.
His trip to the north had gone just as the Skydream Iceworm had said it would; Huo Yuhao's overall power had increased, and he finally had a certain degree of fighting ability.
Purple light rippled in his eyes as he cultivated, which he did until the sky outside had become quite bright.
Huo Yuhao patted Wang Dong a few times through his quilt and said, "Hey, lazy pants, it's time to get up."
"Don't be noisy, let me sleep a bit more." Wang Dong covered his head with his quilt and refused to get up.
Hu Yuhao mischievously smiled, then reached into the quilt. He proceeded to touch Wang Dong's neck and activate his ice martial soul.
"Ah!" Wang Dong shouted and almost jumped out of his bed. A pair of slender legs were revealed as his quilt flew off of him.
"Bastard, you almost froze me to death! I'll fight you to the death Huo Yuhao!" The coldness he'd felt on his neck had caused him to immediately wake up. When he saw Huo Yuhao standing over him with a mischievous smile, he immediately knew what had happened, and pounced on Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao naturally wouldn't just wait for him. He used his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to quickly run away. Since his body had been improved by the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, it was now even even stronger than Wang Dong's, and in turn his speed was much faster than before. He retreated straight out the door of their room.
"I'm gonna wash up first, then we can eat breakfast together."
"So cold…" Wang Dong touched his neck and shivered. He looked towards the door and couldn't help but laugh. "Huo Yuhao, just you wait!"
However, Wang Dong never got his revenge, as before they even reached the cafeteria for breakfast, Tang Ya, Bei Bei, and Xiao Xiao all come looking for them.
When the five of them met, things naturally became very lively. Huo Yuhao recounted the events of last night again, but he didn't mention how old his new soul rings were, as he was still waiting for news from his teacher Fan Yu.
"Since teacher Fan Yu has decided to help you stay, it seems we can relax. Little Yuhao… if you do this again little Yuhao, I'll kick you out the door!" Even though Tang Ya's words were fierce, the worry in her eyes showed her true feelings.
Huo Yuhao apologized, "Teacher Tang Ya, senior brother, I promise that I won't do this again. If I have any issues, I'll discuss them with you guys first from now on."
Bei Bei looked at him with a meaningful look as he patted his shoulder, then said, "Junior brother, though this is a good thing… As brothers, I shouldn't need to say any more. You should first focus on passing your advancement test."
"Yes, senior brother." Hu Yuhao respected Bei Bei even more than Tang Ya.
Bei Bei chuckled and said, "Let's go eat breakfast together." There were only two cafeterias in the outer courtyard, both divided by year: one for the the Martial Soul Department and one for the Soul Engineering Department. Since they were all currently in the same department, they all ate in the same cafeteria.
Being promoted from Year 1 to Year 2 meant that the building Hu Yuhao studied in would change as well. Originally, they'd been first years, and thus had studied in the white building meant for Year 1 students. Now they'd be studying in the yellow building meant for Year 2 and Year 3 students. Huo Yuhao hadn't come to register yesterday, but both Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao knew where to go. Thus, the three of them arrived before the yellow school building, then walked directly towards the Year 2 Class 1 classroom.
As they walked, they met three people that they knew.
Dai Huabin seemed to have grown taller, while his original cold demeanor seemed to have become more gloomy. He didn't look like a twelve or thirteen year-old teenager at all anymore. Rather, he seemed far more mature than his fellow peers.
Next to Dai Huabin was Zhu Lu; her body had begun to mature as well. Girls developed earlier than boys, and she was now almost as tall as Dai Huabin. She possessed the Netherworld Civet beast soul, thus she made no sound when she walked.
The third person with them was naturally the young girl who owned the Ninetailed Fox soul, Cui Yajie. Compared to Dai Huabin—who was an Assault System Soul Master—and Zhu Lu—who was an Agility System Soul Master—she was different. Her abilities were a bit mixed, as her Charm was considered a control type ability, while her second skill, the Foxtail Needle, was considered to be between the assault and agility systems. When Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu had been sent to Class 2, she'd followed them. After all, they'd been a group during the freshmen assessment.
Huo Yuhao's group of three saw them, thus Dai Huabin's group naturally also saw them. The six of them stood facing one another.
When he saw Huo Yuhao's group, Dai Huabin's expression sank. The two groups could be considered to have a feud with each other. First, Huo Yuhao had beaten them during the freshman assessment. Afterwards, Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu had been expelled by Zhou Yi simply because Huo Yuhao ran for class representative.
Dai Huabin could endure losing their battle in the freshmen assessment; after all, it had been director Du Weilun's decision in the end. No matter what objections he had, he could only endure. At the same time, he also believed that, in terms of individual strength, he was still above both Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong.
However, to be expelled from Class 1 by Zhou Yi was a huge disgrace to him. Dai Huabin had never experienced this sort of humiliation in his life. As the son of the White Tiger Duke, not only had he received a strict education, he'd also developed a temperament like he was above others. If he hadn't, he wouldn't have ordered someone to beat Hu Yuhao up when he'd blocked the road at such a young age, and thus caused a tragedy for Huo Yuhao and his mother.
As the son of the White Tiger Duke, Dai Huabin naturally wouldn't be so shocked by this humiliation that he would stay down forever. In fact, it instead stimulated his morale. Not only had he become the class representative of Class 2 through his own efforts, he'd also spent a lot of effort cultivating during the past year. His diligence hadn't been any less than Huo Yuhao's, and his efforts, on top of the fact that he was already a gifted person, had allowed his cultivation to take great strides. His soul force was now Rank 36. He was definitely the strongest amongst the Year 2 students; there was no one who could match him.
It was just like the saying: 'When enemies meet, their eyes turn red'. Zhu Lu's eyes became cold, and she mockingly said, "Isn't this Huo Yuhao? Oh wait, I heard that you didn't register yesterday. Have you come to wrong place, or don't you know that the rules of the school state that students who don't register on time will directly be expelled."
Huo Yuhao smiled, his eyes still locked onto Dai Huabin, and replied, "What does this have to do with you?"
"Of course this has something to do with me," Zhu Lu said, "as a student of Shrek Academy, I naturally must defend the rules of the academy. This isn't a place you should be in, so get the hell out of here."
The relationship between the two groups had already become irreconcilable, and now that she had an excuse, she definitely wouldn't be polite.
Wang Dong replied disdainfully, "Who do you think you are? What makes you think that you can take the place of the academy in order to uphold its rules? If you two hadn't relied on your statuses as core disciples, you both would've screwed off already."
Wang Dong had pricked Dai Huabin's soft spot. An angry glint flashed through his eyes, and he snorted coldly. "You're courting death." He took a step forward and sent a palm strike straight towards Wang Dong.
At that moment, a ball of black light suddenly appeared between the two parties. It was Xiao Xiao's Threelives Soulcrush Cauldron.
Dai Huabin didn't stop his attack, and allowed his palm to slam into the Threelives Soulcrush Cauldron. At this moment, the gap in their cultivations fully manifested itself. With a muffled noise, the Threelives Soulcrush Cauldron flew uncontrollably towards Wang Dong.
At that moment, Xiao Xiao only had two choices: she could either withdraw her martial soul and expose Wang Dong to Dai Huabin, or she could allow her Threelives Soulcrush Cauldron to careen uncontrollably towards Wang Dong.
While Xiao Xiao was hesitating, a figure flew forwards and grabbed onto the Threelives Soulcrush Cauldron, stopped it, and placed it on the ground. This then separated the two parties.
The person who'd made a move wasn't Wang Dong, but Huo Yuhao.
Dai Huabin hadn't activated his martial soul, nor had Huo Yuhao. Even though Dai Huabin had only used a single hand, and though Huo Yuhao had used both of his hands, he was still able to stop the Threelives Soulcrush Cauldron in an extremely stable manner.
Dai Huabin was inwardly astonished. He'd fought Huo Yuhao previously, and his impression of Huo Yuhao from then was that, even though he was extremely crafty, and even though his martial soul was somewhat unpredictable, he definitely wasn't on par with him in terms of physical strength. Dai Huabin's physical strength was considerably astonishing; if it wasn't, he wouldn't have been able to swat Xiao Xiao's Threelives Soulcrush Cauldron away like he had. However, he'd been stopped by Huo Yuhao this easily. In other words, even though Huo Yuhao wasn't his equal in strength, he wasn't that far off. How could this be?
Xiao Xiao was similarly astonished. Though she'd heard the bizarre story of how Huo Yuhao's second martial soul had awakened, she still thought that Huo Yuhao was a control-type soul master. She'd never expected him to be this strong.
Huo Yuhao indifferently said, "Dai Huabin, if you wish to fight, we'll gladly welcome you in the Soul Duelling Arena at any time. However this is a school building. Don't you know the school rules?" Once he finished speaking, he motioned for Xiao Xiao to withdraw her Threelives Soulcrush Cauldron.
After a brief moment of rage, Dai Huabin regained his composure. He coldly replied, "There's no need to wait for us to go to the Soul Duelling Area Huo Yuhao. We're about to start the advancement test. Do you dare to make a bet with me?"
"What' bet?" Huo Yuhao asked.
Dai Huabin replied in a low voice, "We'll bet on the results you three get compared to the results that we three get in our advancement test."
Wang Dong asked in an arrogant tone, "Stakes?"
Dai Huabin replied, "If you lose, I want the prize that you won during the freshmen assessment."
The moment he finished speaking, the expressions on all three of Huo Yuhao's trio changed. Other than the privilege to ask the academy to help them obtain a soul ring, the most important reward they'd obtained from the freshmen assessment was the left leg bone of the Emptybright Devil Leopard, which Xiao Xiao had already fused with.
Soul bones weren't like soul rings that could only follow a single soul master; when a soul master died, their soul rings would naturally dissipate. However, soul bones could be passed on. As long as the soul bone itself wasn't broken, it could still be re-absorbed by another person if its original owner had passed on, or if they'd had the limb possessing the soul bone broken.
Though Huo Yuhao and the rest didn't know whether or not Dai Huabin truly knew what the reward they'd obtained from the freshmen assessment was, this stake was equivalent to breaking off Xiao Xiao's leg!
When Zhu Lu saw the change in the trio's expression, she became very pleased and said, "What? Scared? If you're scared, just screw off with your tails between your legs."
"Bet, take the bet." Xiao Xiao said as she flew into a rage. Even though she normally had a decent temperament, how could she endure being coerced by their opponents like this?
However, Huo Yuhao shook his head. He looked towards Dai Huabin and said, "Change the stakes."
"I don't want to," Dai Huabin said coldly, "you can either bet or scram."
A fierce light flashed through Huo Yuhao's eyes. "If you lose, then what will you do?"
Dai Huabin replied, "If we lose, we'll naturally bring out something of equivalent value."
Huo Yuhao took a deep breath, then said in a low voice, "Fine. Then, I'll just confirm the stakes of this bet; The reward we got from the freshmen assessment was a soul bone, a left leg bone. Xiao Xiao's already fused with it. If we lose, then we'll follow your request and cut off Xiao Xiao's left leg and give you her soul bone. On the other hand, if you lose, I want one of your legs and a soul bone of the same rank. This shouldn't be too excessive. As long as you can bring out a soul bone of equivalent value, we'll bet with you."
At this moment, the expressions of Dai Huabin's trio changed. They hadn't known what Huo Yuhao's trio had gotten as a prize from the freshmen assessment. It was no wonder that Huo Yuhao had asked him to change the stakes; this unexpectedly involved the severing of a limb. However, a fervent look appeared in Dai Huabin's eyes when he heard the words 'soul bone'.
"Fine, I…"
"Shut your mouth!" Just as Dai Huabin was about to reply, a shout suddenly rang out, interrupting him.
Wang Yan charged over angrily and shouted in a deep voice, "Just what are you lot doing?! You're all so young, yet you're actually using your bodies for a joke like this! Dai Huabin, why haven't you registered at Class 2 yet? Just what do you think you're doing by blocking this corridor? Are you trying to get disciplined?"
Huo Yuhao naturally wouldn't take any chances due to a something as simple as a momentary impulse; this was Xiao Xiao's leg! He'd deliberately trapped Dai Huabin when he noticed Wang Yan approaching them. Furthermore, he'd purposefully spoken in a very loud voice so that Wang Yan would hear him.
"Teacher Wang, Dai Huabin is blocking our way, thus rendering us unable to enter the class and register. Furthermore, they've insisted on making a bet with us; they were also the ones who suggested this bet. We had no choice but to take on their challenge, please forgive us." Huo Yuhao respectfully said to Wang Yan, saluting as he did so.
Wang Yan snorted coldly. "I don't object to you using the results of your advancement test as a bet, as it can serve make you work harder. However, I absolutely don't agree to the stakes of this bet. Even if you don't care about yourselves, have you even thought about your families? If you sever your leg, what sort of future would you even have left? I'll be the witness to this bet for you guys. The loser of this bet will have to bow down to the winner, apologize to them, and admit that they were wrong."
"Bowing won't do; that's too soft! You need to make them kowtow and admit that they were wrong!" Zhu Lu screeched.
Wang Yan was just about to reply, but Wang Dong quickly followed up, "Fine then. You were the one who suggested it. If we lose, we'll kowtow and admit that we were wrong. What about if you guys lose?"
After being suppressed by Wang Yan, Dai Huabin already felt somewhat dejected. Without any hesitation at all, he replied, "We'll kowtow and admit that we were wrong as well."
"It's settled then." Huo Yuhao raised his hand and slapped his palm against Dai Huabin's three times. Their bet was now considered to have been properly made. Even if Wang Yan wanted to change it, it was now too late.
Though kowtowing wouldn't mutilate anybody, there was no doubt that, regardless of who won, a large grudge had been formed between the two parties. Both parties had core disciples of the Martial Soul Department, but enmity like this was clearly detrimental towards the unity of the Martial Soul Department's freshmen. As such, Wang Yan couldn't help but furrow his brows slightly. However, the situation had already reached this point. Both parties had already agreed on the bet, thus he could only let it go on like this.
Dai Huabin's trio opened up a path for them, and Huo Yuhao followed Wang Yan to Class 1 beside Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao.
The students of Class 1 couldn't help but feel greatly astonished when they saw Huo Yuhao return. Though Huo Yuhao wasn't considered too strong in the eyes of a large majority of students, his match with Wu Feng had left a long-lasting impression on everyone present. Furthermore, even though he was the class monitor, he'd actually missed the registration date yesterday. However, he'd still re-appeared today. Some of the students who were friendlier with Huo Yuhao couldn't help but feel worried for him, while some of the students who had enmity towards him felt schadenfreude.
Huo Yuhao sat down in the same seat he'd originally sat in during Year 1. However, just as he was sitting down, Zhou Sichen, who was sitting in the row behind him, asked curiously, "Boss Huo, why'd you come back? Reporting in late is very troublesome."
The person who'd been left in the most wretched state after Huo Yuhao's match with Wu Feng had been Zhou Sichen. He'd lost almost twenty thousand gold soul coins in one go after betting with Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao. Even he couldn't afford to take out that much money in one go!
After that day, Zhou Sichen and Cao Jinxuan had been considered friends with Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao. They'd also maintained a relatively decent relationship with Huo Yuhao's gang. When Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, and Huang Chutian were expelled from Class 1, the most conspicuous students in Class 1 had naturally been Huo Yuhao's trio, in addition to Zhou Sichen, Cao Jinxuan, and the Lan sisters. Moreover, Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo were extremely friendly towards Huo Yuhao's trio. These powerful students were all amicable towards one another, thus, in addition to the cohesiveness of the original students of Class 1, it naturally resulted in the Year 1's Class 1 being extremely united. Only a small number of envious students had disassociated themselves from the rest. However, there was definitely a limit to the number of accomplishments envious people could achieve. It was still hard to say whether or not they could pass the advancement test.
Huo Yuhao whispered, "Let's just listen to our teacher's arrangements. There shouldn't be too big a problem if we do."
Zhou Sichen laughed mischievously. "That's fine. In the event that you're screwed, you'll just end up helping that brat surnamed Cao."
Right! Amongst the control-type soul masters, disregarding Huo Yuhao who'd personally been appointed by Zhou Yi, Cao Jinxuan was the strongest individual in terms of personal strength. Though the Lan sisters had a fusion skill, they were still two separate individuals. If Huo Yuhao hadn't been there, it was extremely likely that the class monitor in charge of the control system would've been Cao Jinxuan.
Cao Jinxuan was seated beside Zhou Sichen. When he heard what was said, he immediately became angry. "Zhou Sichen, return the money you owe me! When are you going to return the two hundred gold soul coins that you owe me? You actually dare to insult me, despite knowing that you owe me money? Pay me back right now, interest too!"
"Ah! I forgot." Zhou Sichen's expression immediately changed when he heard this. With a fawning look on his face, he turned towards Cao Jinxuan. "Brother Cao, come now. What sort of relationship do us brothers have!? I was just kidding! I was only praising you! If it weren't for your strength, how could you succeed Boss Huo's position?"
"You're just trying to drive a wedge between us. Cut the crap and return my money!" Cao Jinxuan jumped up and grabbed Zhou Sichen by the neck.
When they saw the two buffoons horsing around, Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao couldn't help but laugh. Even though they were fiercely arguing with each other, the two of them were actually very close friends with each other. They, along with Long Xiangyue who'd gone to Class 2, had all grown up together. They had a relationship that was essentially familial.