Afternoon, the next day.
At the east gate of Shrek City.
Dai Huabin, his face still somewhat pale, quickly passed the entrance examination and completed his enrollment, accompanied by two middle-aged men.
One of the middle-aged men hesitated for a moment as he noticed the dark, brooding look in Dai Huabin's eyes, clearly still unsettled by the events of the previous day. Finally, he lowered his voice and cautiously reminded him.
"Second Young Master, as your subordinates, we cannot enter Shrek Academy. Please be careful."
"That boy is also a Soul Elder with three rings. His talent shouldn't be underestimated. Once he joins Shrek, he will likely receive significant attention. If something happens, the academy might take advantage of the situation, and it would be difficult to handle things on Madam's side as well."
"Enough! I know what to do. I don't need advice from useless cowards like you who are too afraid to do anything!"
Before he could finish speaking, Dai Huabin impatiently cut him off.
His eyes flashed with a violent gleam as he spoke in a venomous tone.
"This grudge won't end so easily! You two are useless, so I'll handle this myself!"
The two middle-aged men clenched their fists instinctively.
Weren't we the ones who kept you alive when you got into trouble five years ago, and you still haven't learned your lesson? Now you've provoked someone even stronger, and without us, you'd be dead by now.
Though filled with frustration, they could only silently endure. Despite keeping their lives, they would surely face severe punishment for failing to protect the young master properly.
What a disaster it is to have a master like this, truly a stroke of bad luck!
With barely concealed anger, one of the men coldly said, "The task is complete. We'll take our leave now."
With that, they wasted no time blending into the crowd, heading out of Shrek City.
"Useless garbage," Dai Huabin sneered.
Just as he was about to step into Shrek Academy, he suddenly heard a commotion coming from the crowd nearby. Out of instinct, he turned his head and saw a young man walking toward the registration area with three stunning girls by his side, drawing envious and jealous stares from the crowd.
Dai Huabin froze, his body trembling uncontrollably.
"It's him... It's definitely him..."
Dai Huabin's voice shook as an overwhelming, indescribable fear washed over him.
Though the young man's appearance had changed significantly, the deep blue eyes seared into his memory made him instantly recognize who it was.
Under the special training arranged by his mother, he once thought he had overcome his fear. But now, seeing Huo Yuhao again, he realized it was nothing but a delusion.
At that moment, besides the crushing sense of powerlessness, the only thing left in his heart was a fear so intense it felt like it would consume him completely.
His body's instinctive reaction seemed to mock his years of training, making it all feel like a joke.
Why?
Why is he here!?
No, calm down. This is Shrek Academy; he wouldn't dare make a move here.
After taking several deep breaths to suppress the nightmare-like fear, Dai Huabin could no longer bear to stay. He turned and fled into the academy without looking back.
Meanwhile, behind him, Huo Yuhao's deep blue eyes quietly watched Dai Huabin's panicked retreat, saying nothing.
"Yuhao, what's wrong?"
Noticing something off, Tang Ya curiously asked.
"Nothing," Huo Yuhao shook his head. "I just saw someone familiar. Let's go; it's getting late. We should register."
Compared to Huo Yuhao and the shape-shifting Gu Yuena, Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan, who were two or three years older, had developed significantly over the past few years, their youthful features now more mature.
With their senior-year uniforms and already prominent beauty, though not quite at Gu Yuena's level, they still attracted plenty of attention from the new students.
In contrast, the senior students, already familiar with Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan, mostly focused their attention on Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena.
They looked at Gu Yuena in admiration of her stunning beauty and at Huo Yuhao with jealousy, wondering how he could be so lucky.
Not only was he surrounded by three gorgeous girls, but two of them were also well-known beauties of the outer court.
As senior students, they were well aware of the girls' personalities. Jiang Nannan was polite enough, but Tang Ya? In all the years, no one had ever seen her show a kind face to anyone who approached her.
Still, many had tried their luck, believing they might be the lucky one to win her favor—or that persistence might eventually pay off.
But seeing the way Tang Ya smiled and followed beside Huo Yuhao today, they couldn't hold back their disbelief.
That girl, the one who never gave anyone a second glance, was now all smiles, sticking close to that boy?
What was going on?
Sure, the guy was handsome, but there were plenty of good-looking guys at the academy. Why him?
Many of the onlookers pursed their lips in frustration.
Who cares? Three girls? He's not afraid of drowning in affection or what?
As for Huo Yuhao, the target of all this silent grumbling, his attention was on the rising progress of the Sin of Envy within his mind, suddenly feeling that flaunting a bit wasn't so bad after all.
It wasn't until they arrived at the registration area that the crowd snapped out of their daze. A somewhat handsome new student turned to a senior-year student beside him.
"Senior, who are they?"
The senior gave him a sidelong glance. "What? Thinking of trying your luck?"
The freshman awkwardly smiled, about to explain, when the senior shook his head.
"I'd advise you to drop that idea. Those two are our outer court's top beauties, Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan. Many have tried to approach them, only to face rejection. You'll just get cursed at if you try."
The freshman was stunned for a moment, then pointed at Huo Yuhao.
"What about him?"
The senior hesitated, his tone becoming uncertain. "I don't know what's going on with that kid. He seems to be a new student too. I've never heard of Tang Ya or Jiang Nannan having a boyfriend, so it must be something else."
The freshman flashed a confident smile. "If they're not taken, then I still have a chance, right?"
Where do you get such confidence?
The senior's mouth twitched, choosing to stay silent as he watched the freshman march toward Huo Yuhao and the three girls with a pitiful look in his eyes.
(End of Chapter)