Three days later...
"Student Huo, I've said so much because I genuinely hope you'll receive the best guidance. Martial Souls of your caliber..."
In the hallway leading to the Dean's office, Huo Yuhao listened to Du Weilin's endless chatter. He kept a faint smile on his face, showing no sign of being swayed by the persistent lecture.
After all, next to him was Gu Yuena, whose performance exceeded his by quite a bit. Yet Du Weilin seemed to have directed all his persuasive energy solely at Huo Yuhao, completely ignoring Gu Yuena.
It appeared that he valued Huo Yuhao more, but he had yet to mention a single concrete benefit of joining the Martial Soul Department.
If it were any other new student being sweet-talked by the head instructor, they'd probably be overwhelmed with excitement, ready to pledge their loyalty to the department on the spot.
But how could Huo Yuhao not see through Du Weilin's intentions? This meeting was clearly an attempt to attract new talent with resources. They hadn't bothered to pitch to Gu Yuena because they were confident she'd agree to their offer to join the department.
As for Huo Yuhao, he was more of a formality—they'd make an effort to recruit him but wouldn't push too hard if he declined.
With a quiet sigh, Huo Yuhao felt a touch of irony. In his previous life, with only a white soul ring and an inadequate entry level, he understood why he hadn't attracted their attention.
But this time, he had a millennium-level soul ring and was already a Soul Grandmaster, yet still received this kind of treatment.
Since that was the case, there was nothing left to discuss.
Huo Yuhao glanced over at Gu Yuena and softly asked, "Which side do you want to join?"
Seemingly caught off guard by the question, Gu Yuena's purple eyes blinked.
"Wherever you go, I'll go."
Upon hearing this, Du Weilin, who was walking ahead, flinched and abruptly fell silent.
Thinking back on how inseparable the two of them had been recently, a sudden, unsettling thought crossed Du Weilin's mind.
Could it be... that they were bound together?
But he quickly dismissed the idea.
No, it couldn't be. The Martial Soul Department was offering unprecedented resources to recruit both Gu Yuena and Tang San. He couldn't imagine any student saying no to the deal they'd put together.
Besides, it wasn't like students in different departments couldn't see each other. He could understand a young couple wanting to spend every moment together, but surely no one would sacrifice their future over this...
Even as Du Weilin tried to comfort himself, he grew more uneasy.
It was too calm.
Gu Yuena's tone had been so indifferent, as if no offer would sway her decision.
He couldn't afford to take the risk.
If they truly decided to pull something like this, it would ruin the Dean's carefully laid plans.
As Du Weilin considered his options, he glanced back only to see Gu Yuena reaching out to take Huo Yuhao's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.
!!!
Dean, it seems our Martial Soul Department might really lose out this time.
No, I need to calm down. There's still time before we reach the office; I might still be able to salvage this.
… Did the academy rules mention that dating was prohibited?
"Director Du, is something wrong?"
Huo Yuhao's slightly concerned voice brought Du Weilin back to his senses. Looking at Huo Yuhao's handsome face, framed by dark hair, Du Weilin managed a smile that looked more like a grimace.
"Oh, it's nothing."
Waving his hand dismissively, Du Weilin suddenly seemed to recall something and smacked his forehead.
"Oh dear, I just remembered—Dean Yan mentioned to me earlier that he had some business this morning and wouldn't be in his office. How about the two of you wait in my office and have some tea for a while?"
"...Is that so?"
Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow, glancing at the tightly closed door of the Dean's office behind Du Weilin.
"Yes, that's right."
Du Weilin nodded vigorously, shifting his body to stand directly in front of the office door, nervously wiping the sweat from his brow.
"You see, the door's closed. And besides, I am the head instructor—would I deceive you?"
Clearing his throat, Du Weilin adopted a serious tone.
"You might not know this, but barging into the Dean's office without permission is a serious offense and could lead to expulsion. Since the Dean isn't here, we certainly shouldn't go in. Let's go to my office instead."
Before he could finish, a voice with a hint of irritation echoed from within the office, clearly audible to everyone.
"Yan Shaozhe, didn't you send someone to fetch them already? How could such a short walk from the freshman building take so long? Don't tell me you're scheming something behind my back!"
Then came Yan Shaozhe's slightly embarrassed response.
"Ahem, what's with that tone? We're old friends; surely I have some credibility?"
"You? Credibility?"
Xian Lin'er's voice rang out louder, dripping with sarcasm. "I know you're up to something. If you don't bring them soon, I'll fetch them myself."
"Hey, hey, hold on—it's just a minor delay. They're probably already at the door. Let me check."
As footsteps sounded from inside the room, Huo Yuhao turned to observe Du Weilin, whose face was rapidly turning red.
Click.
The sound of the door unlocking was as chilling to Du Weilin as the snap of a guillotine rope.
...
As the door opened, Yan Shaozhe's eyes lit up upon seeing the trio.
"You're here! Welcome, welcome... Old Du, why are you standing in the doorway? Let them in."
Completely oblivious to Du Weilin's look of despair, Yan Shaozhe stepped aside and cheerfully called out to someone within the office.
"See? I told you they were at the door!"
"Thank you, Dean Yan."
Accepting the invitation, Huo Yuhao cast a knowing glance at Du Weilin before walking inside with Gu Yuena.
Yan Shaozhe's gaze briefly flickered when he noticed their joined hands, but he said nothing.
The office was neither lavish nor modern, with a slightly antiquated air. Other than a desk cluttered with documents and a row of storage cabinets, the room held only a few sofas for guests.
Along with Xian Lin'er, there was someone else seated quietly on one of the sofas, catching Huo Yuhao by surprise.
Tang San.
This time, Tang San appeared far more composed than during their last encounter.
Their eyes met briefly, and then Tang San looked away indifferently, as if facing a stranger.
But despite his calm facade, the flash of hostility in Tang San's eyes, along with the swelling anger in Huo Yuhao's spiritual space, betrayed his inner feelings.
After nodding politely at Xian Lin'er, Huo Yuhao sat down beside Gu Yuena. Almost immediately, the Ice Empress's clear voice echoed in his mind.
"Yuhao, it seems the Jealousy essence is close to unlocking."
Her reminder drew Huo Yuhao's focus inward. Within his spiritual space, Tian Meng and the Ice Empress were surrounding the now nearly dark-pink energy sphere.
Due to Gu Yuena's constant presence, along with frequent visits from Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan, the amount of Jealousy essence he'd gathered had skyrocketed since arriving at Shrek Academy.
Moreover, with most of Shrek Academy being soul masters—even if the outer disciples' cultivation was lower—the sheer number was overwhelming.
If not for the fact that many people had witnessed his sparring match with Bei Bei, the Jealousy essence might have already been fully unlocked.
"I wonder what kind of power this Jealousy essence might bring."
Watching the swirling pink energy, Tian Meng blinked his golden eyes thoughtfully.
After all this time, he seemed to have adapted to the effects of the essences of sin and no longer avoided them like he did upon first entering Huo Yuhao's mind.
The Ice Empress then looked at Huo Yuhao and asked quietly.
"Are you sure unlocking these essences won't affect you?"
"Don't worry. At least with these three, there's been no issue, and with some caution, the others should be fine too."
Thanks to his initial instincts, Huo Yuhao had let the essences unlock naturally rather than pushing too hard. So far, unlocking three essences had been relatively smooth.
Among the remaining essences, Jealousy was closest to completion, followed by Lust, while Wrath and Sloth were still in the early stages.
However, after having unlocked three of them, and spending time around the essences, Huo Yuhao had gained some insights into their effects.
Simply put, if a host was naturally proud, then...
(End of Chapter)