The dormitory building covered a vast area, although it appeared as a single structure, it was divided into sections colored in white, yellow, purple, and black. These colors represented different areas where students of varying grades resided, spanning six floors.
Huo Yuhao headed straight to the entrance of the white dormitory building, where he spotted an elderly man sitting there, looking quite advanced in age.
The old man wore a gray cloth robe, his face lined with weathered wrinkles, his eyes tinged with yellow, eyelids drooping, giving him the appearance of someone in their twilight years.
Sunlight from between the buildings fell directly on the old man, and the reclining chair he sat on seemed quite comfortable.
"Ah, Yuhao, this person's cultivation isn't ordinary, is it?" Suddenly, the voice of Yao Lao appeared in Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea.
Throughout the journey, Yao Lao had been using Huo Yuhao as a medium to inquire about the methods of using spiritual power or soul power on the Douluo Continent with the Ice Silkworm.
Now, he could enter Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea or communicate with him mentally.
Huo Yuhao smiled faintly and said in his spiritual sea, "If I'm not mistaken, this gentleman is currently the strongest individual in Shrek Academy, a ninety-ninth rank Limit Douluo, Dragon God Douluo Mu En. Teacher, look, the sunlight falling on him is being absorbed into his body, indicating his exceptional control over the light element."
Of course, he couldn't be mistaken, as the original text was written this way.
"A ninety-ninth rank Limit Douluo, hmm, quite interesting," Yao Lao remarked.
"Teacher, will he detect your presence?" Huo Yuhao asked anxiously.
As one of the strongest individuals on the Douluo Continent, Mu En's strength was beyond his imagination.
If Mu En were to realize he was carrying a soul, the best-case scenario would be being treated as an evil soul master and having his soul power sealed and exiled.
"Don't worry, he still can't perceive my existence," Yao Lao said with a smile. "But if you want to learn alchemy, it's better not to reside in this academy. After all, this dormitory building is too close to him. Even if I use soul power to conceal you, it's easy for him to detect traces."
"I understand." Huo Yuhao nodded knowingly, immediately making a decision.
Putting on an impeccable facade of innocence, Huo Yuhao respectfully approached and said, "Grandpa, hello. I'm a new student here to check in at the dormitory. Do you need to inspect my new student badge?"
Mu En, without even lifting his head, extended his shaky right hand, his voice hoarse and low, "Show me your badge and dormitory key."
Huo Yuhao handed over his new student badge and dormitory key. Mu En glanced at them, then said, "Go ahead, Dorm 108 is the third room on the left on the first floor. From the fourth floor upwards is the girls' dormitory, you can't go up there. If caught, you'll be expelled."
"Alright, understood. I'll have to go outside to rent a room, huh," Huo Yuhao muttered inwardly.
He bowed again to thank Mu En before walking straight into the dormitory building. Mu En, however, glanced at Huo Yuhao's departing figure with a faint smile.
"An interesting kid, but prying into others' minds at will isn't a good habit. Considering you're quite polite, I'll forgive you this time."
Following Mu En's directions, Huo Yuhao quickly found the location of Dorm 108.
He could tell that the interior of the dormitory building had already aged considerably, having been used for many years. At the end of each hallway, there was a communal bathroom on either side, reminiscent of the ordinary middle and high school dormitories back on Earth.
It could only be said that the higher-ups at Shrek Academy had come up with such outrageous dormitory arrangements. Hadn't all the money they collected over the years gone into their own pockets?
And there was another crucial issue. Although Wang Dong was disguised as a boy, she should have been lacking some necessary facilities, right? The dormitory used communal bathrooms, so how did she manage her needs? Even if she went in when nobody was around, she still needed to confirm beforehand, right? If she happened to encounter a fellow male student relieving himself, wouldn't that be... well, at least a three hundred yuan fine?
The door of Dorm 108 was open, and Huo Yuhao walked straight in, finding that there was already a "young man" inside.
The youth had a delicate appearance, fair skin, and a pair of large, distinctive eyes that were a faint powder blue. His neat short hair was of the same color, and he seemed to be of similar height and age as Huo Yuhao, indeed the Heroic Soul Fragment of Wang Qi'er, Wang Dong'er.
Of course, she should now be referred to as Wang Dong.
"Who are you?" Wang Dong, seeing Huo Yuhao enter the dormitory, said arrogantly. "Oh, you're the one sharing this dorm with me? Good. You have half an hour to clean up the dorm, then I'll allow you to temporarily stay with me."
"But I have a few rules you must remember: First, no bringing people into the dorm casually; second, no walking around the dorm naked to annoy others; third, no snoring at night; fourth, don't disturb me; and fifth, you'll be responsible for cleaning the dorm, but don't touch my bedding. Got it?"
Huo Yuhao surveyed the dorm room. It seemed like it hadn't been occupied for over a month, covered in thick dust everywhere.
Wang Dong's luggage was still on the only relatively clean table in the room. It seemed that this little princess, who had been pampered since childhood, didn't know how to do household chores.
If Huo Yuhao hadn't come, she might have had to sleep on that table tonight.
"Why should I listen to you?" Huo Yuhao smiled slightly.
Wang Dong snorted coldly, "If you don't listen to me, I'll kick you out. Don't believe me? Try it."
"No, no need to try." Huo Yuhao smiled again and shook his head. "I thrive on advice. Since you won't allow me to stay in this dorm, then I'll leave."
With a shrug, Huo Yuhao walked straight out of the dormitory building. Wang Dong, on the other hand, looked puzzled as she watched him leave, hesitated for a moment, then followed after him.
Back at the entrance of the dormitory building, Huo Yuhao stood in front of Mu En. Mu En's face showed a mix of astonishment and amusement as he looked at Huo Yuhao with a very peculiar expression.
"Indeed, he can sense everything that just happened," Huo Yuhao concluded in his mind, smiling as he asked Mu En, "Grandpa, may I ask if students from our academy are allowed to rent houses in Shrek City?"
Mu En was slightly stunned. Even he hadn't expected Huo Yuhao to ask such a question.
"In principle, it's not allowed, but..."
"But my roommate seems very opposed to me staying with him, so now I'm homeless. If you don't agree, then I'll have to stay with you, Grandpa," Huo Yuhao said somewhat stubbornly.
"Heh, you little rascal," Mu En chuckled helplessly, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.
"Alright, go back to the registration office, return the dormitory key to them, then you can go rent a house in Shrek City on your own. But you need to understand, the cost of living in Shrek City is very high."
Huo Yuhao nodded with a smile and walked straight towards the direction of the registration office. Meanwhile, Wang Dong also followed him out of the dormitory, watching his back with a somewhat disdainful smile.
"Are you even brave enough to act? With your cowardly attitude, do you still want to establish yourself at Shrek Academy?" Upon hearing Wang Dong's words, Huo Yuhao turned around and smiled faintly. He picked up a head-sized piece of rubble nearby and casually tossed it into the air.
Then, he shifted his feet, tilted his body sideways, and suddenly thrust his elbow out, striking the piece of rubble directly.
"Eight Extremities Crush!"
"Boom!"
A flurry of white stone dust filled the air as the piece of rubble instantly shattered into numerous peanut-sized fragments.
Mu En's eyes revealed a hint of contemplation, while Wang Dong, on the side, sneered at Huo Yuhao's action.
"Is he trying to show off to me? Instead of daring to fight me for real, he vents his frustration by throwing a piece of rock. How ridiculous."
However, Mu En, at this moment, watched Huo Yuhao's departing figure with a slight smile and shook his head. "If it came down to a real fight, you might not be his match."
"Why?!" Wang Dong exclaimed incredulously. "I'm clearly much stronger than him. If I wanted to deal with him, he wouldn't even stand a chance against me. Why should he win?"
Mu En pointed to the occasional redness revealed in Huo Yuhao's movements, indicating his hidden strength.
"His endurance far surpasses yours. In a life-or-death struggle, he wouldn't harbor any fear. But you're different; not everyone can face death as calmly."
Wang Dong paused for a moment, feeling a bit stunned, then didn't say anything, just bowed to Mu En and went straight back to the dormitory.
After Wang Dong left, Mu En's gaze became more profound. He stretched out his old, withered hand, trying to imitate Huo Yuhao's movements just now, but seemed to be unable to do so.
"A self-created soul skill? But its power... Indeed, there are many little monsters in this year's academy."
Although Shrek Academy theoretically didn't allow students to live off-campus, the teacher at the registration office immediately arranged everything for Huo Yuhao upon hearing that it was the personal order of the one who lay 'dead' at the entrance of the New Student Teaching Building.
Although few students knew, the teachers of Shrek Academy understood that he was the current Lord of the Sea God's Pavilion, the highest decision-maker of Shrek Academy. Since even he agreed, there was no need to adhere to any regulations.
The cost of living in Shrek City was indeed high. Huo Yuhao found a hotel in the city and settled on a monthly accommodation fee of three hundred gold soul coins.
But the hotel only provided accommodation, not meals. Huo Yuhao had to eat at the Shrek Academy cafeteria every day before returning to the hotel.
Although it was a bit troublesome, it was worth it. After all, he didn't want to attract suspicion by practicing things that didn't belong to this world under others' noses.
Three days later was the date of the opening ceremony. Lying on the hotel's large bed, Huo Yuhao recalled the notice he had seen on the class division announcement board.
Huo Yuhao, Class One of the New Students, Homeroom Teacher, Zhou Yi!