Judging by his clothes, he appeared to be a freshman as well. With a hint of pride on his face, he pointed to another bed and spoke to Han Yu.
Han Yu, however, paid him no attention and continued making his own bed.
Irritated by being ignored, the sturdy student's face flushed slightly. He barked angrily, "Hey, are you deaf? How dare you ignore me, Tai Long? Do you even know who I am?"
"Tai Long? The Nine King Kong?" Han Yu's eyes lit up with interest at the name. He stood up, finally giving the student his full attention. He examined Tai Long closely. The boy was bulky and strong but had a somewhat foolish look about him, with an unremarkable face and shifty eyes.
"Hmph! So, now you know," Tai Long smirked. "If you're smart, you'll clean up for me. Otherwise, I'll—"
Bang!
Before Tai Long could finish, the already fragile dormitory door gave way, crashing to the floor with a deafening clang.
A loud thud echoed as something hit the door.
"Ahem! Damn it, you actually hit me! If I don't teach you a lesson, you won't know how many eyes the Horse King has!" a voice cursed angrily.
Tai Long, still on the floor, was furious and struggled to get up.
Suddenly—Swish!—before he could react, a pair of scarlet eyes appeared before him, radiating a chilling, evil aura.
"I'll let you experience an illusion," a low voice whispered ominously.
"Ah!"
Tailong's body trembled as he collapsed to the ground, cold sweat dripping uncontrollably from his forehead. His eyes were filled with fear. In his mind, Han Yu had transformed into a terrifying monster, glaring at him menacingly.
"W-what kind of monster are you? Please, don't kill me! I was wrong, I was wrong!" Tailong stammered, his face pale and lips quivering. He tried to scoot away, dragging himself backward, terrified.
"Brother Han Yu, what's going on?" a voice called out. Huo Yuhao, from the next dorm room, had heard the commotion. He peeked in and saw the scene unfold.
"What are you doing?" he asked, confused.
Han Yu ignored him, continuing to approach Tai Long, whose trembling only worsened. "Don't come any closer!" Tai Long pleaded, crawling backward desperately, as if Han Yu were his greatest fear.
"Hygiene is your job now," Han Yu said coldly. "I'm going out to eat. If the place isn't spotless when I return, you're dead."
The scarlet Sharingan eyes bore into Tailong, who flinched when Han Yu lightly patted his shoulder. "I-I got it! I'll finish everything," Tai Long stammered, shakily picking up a broom and starting to clean.
"And fix the door," Han Yu added, before turning to Huo Yuhao. "Let's go. Time to eat."
Huo Yuhao, glancing at Tai Long with sympathy, knew he was under some sort of illusion, similar to what a mandragora snake could do. Without a word, he followed Han Yu out of the dormitory, leaving Tai Long to his task.
"Brother Han Yu, you're going to be living in the same dormitory, right? You just met, and you're already clashing. If you keep this up, you might get expelled," Huo Yuhao cautioned, looking at Han Yu carefully.
Han Yu shook his head dismissively. "There's nothing wrong with what I did. On the Douluo Continent, strength is what matters. If you want respect, you have to prove your strength."
Ignoring Huo Yuhao's concern, Han Yu continued walking toward the cafeteria. Behind him, Huo Yuhao's eyes dimmed with sadness. Strength? he thought bitterly. How could someone as talented as you understand my situation? His mind flashed to a memory of the White Tiger Duke, and a flicker of hatred crossed his face.
The cafeteria was just behind the dormitory, and Han Yu arrived quickly. However, he frowned as he took in the scene—there were no empty seats anywhere. Was he really going to have to eat standing up?
A number of students were already squatting or standing, eating as quickly as they could. Undeterred, Han Yu walked to the leftmost window and ordered three servings of food. His years of physical training had increased his appetite significantly—he ate much more than the average person.
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao went to the cheapest window to get his meal. Glancing over at Han Yu, a flicker of envy flashed in his eyes before he silently squatted in a corner to eat.
Han Yu, for his part, paid no attention to Huo Yuhao. He didn't know him well, and everyone had their own path in life. He wasn't about to involve himself in someone else's choices.
When it came to food, Han Yu never compromised. For a soul master, maintaining one's health was crucial.
As he ate, a thought crossed his mind: I really need to find a way to make money. The teacher left without giving me a single coin. Did he forget, or…
Looking at the meal that had cost him dozens of gold soul coins, Han Yu frowned. If it hadn't been for Beibei's reward, he might've been worse off than Huo Yuhao. He pulled out a small table he had prepared beforehand, set it up beside him, placed his food on it, and started eating.
"Who's this guy, bringing his own table to eat?" a squatting freshman asked another student, both of them eating hurriedly.
No one had ever spoken to Dai Huabin like that. Since childhood, he had been treated with respect.
"The table is mine, and I won't give it to you. Now, get out." Han Yu's voice was calm, but sharp with impatience. "Did you hear me clearly?"
This blatant dismissal enraged Dai Huabin, whose pride had never been wounded like this before. "You're bold. Not even my father has spoken to me that way. How dare you?" he spat, his anger boiling over.
Furious, Dai Huabin slammed his hands down on the table with enough force to crack it in half, sending Han Yu's food crashing to the floor.
Han Yu frowned, glancing at the spilled food. He had spent dozens of gold coins on it—he wasn't about to let it go so easily. "I don't have a son as old as you. Also, you're paying me double for the table and the food."
Dai Huabin stood there, stunned for a moment, before he processed what Han Yu had said. "How dare you call yourself my father?"
"My son, be good!" Han Yu taunted with a smirk.
"You're asking for death!" Dai Huabin roared, swinging his fist-turned-palm straight toward Han Yu's head.
Han Yu's lips curled in disdain. With a slight twist to the left, he easily dodged the strike. Dai Huabin, caught off guard, staggered forward, his momentum carrying him past Han Yu.
Bang!
In one fluid motion, Han Yu kicked out with his right foot, landing a perfect hit and sending Dai Huabin sprawling to the ground, face first.
Laughter erupted from the nearby students. "Haha! Who is this guy? He just fell flat on his face! What a mess!"
"Shh, don't talk nonsense. He's one of the rare soul masters among the freshmen. If he hears you, you'll regret it," one of the onlookers whispered, trying to stifle the laughter.
Despite their efforts to speak quietly, Dai Huabin heard every word. His eyes widened in fury, his face turning crimson with embarrassment. He sprang to his feet, roaring in anger.
"You! I'll make you pay for this! White Tiger, possess!"
Unable to contain his rage any longer, Dai Huabin activated his martial soul. His hands morphed into sharp tiger claws, a distinct '王' character appeared on his forehead, and black-and-white stripes spread across his skin. Three soul rings materialized around him—two yellow and one purple.
Han Yu remained unfazed, smirking. "Ah, so it's just a kitten with a bad temper."
"No idea," the other replied. "But Shrek Academy has a rule about not taking food out of the cafeteria, so I guess he's just prepared. Doesn't matter—let's finish eating and explore Shrek Academy."
Huo Yuhao, sitting quietly in the corner, watched with a hint of surprise, followed by a wave of inferiority. He envied Han Yu's confidence and lifestyle. One day, he thought, I'll be like him. I'll stand out too, and people will talk about me.
Just then, a low, authoritative voice interrupted Han Yu's meal.
"Hey, kid, you're a freshman, right? Let's make a deal—give me your table."
Han Yu looked up and saw a tall boy standing before him, looking down with a smug expression. The boy had striking features—a handsome, cold face, with distinctive double pupils in his eyes and long golden hair that parted neatly from the top of his head. Beside him stood a girl with an alluring figure, which drew a brief second glance from Han Yu.
"Get lost!" Han Yu said bluntly, his brow furrowing in annoyance at the interruption. He lifted his head and stared at the boy, his patience thinning.
"That must be Dai Huabin," Han Yu thought to himself, noting the boy's double pupils.
In the corner, Huo Yuhao shuddered and cast a cautious glance in their direction.
"What did you say?" Dai Huabin's voice rose sharply, clearly shocked that someone had dared to tell him to get lost.
"Shh, don't talk nonsense. He's one of the rare soul masters among the freshmen. If he hears you, you'll regret it," one of the onlookers whispered, trying to stifle the laughter.
Despite their efforts to speak quietly, Dai Huabin heard every word. His eyes widened in fury, his face turning crimson with embarrassment. He sprang to his feet, roaring in anger.
"You! I'll make you pay for this! White Tiger, possess!"
Unable to contain his rage any longer, Dai Huabin activated his martial soul. His hands morphed into sharp tiger claws, a distinct '王' character appeared on his forehead, and black-and-white stripes spread across his skin. Three soul rings materialized around him—two yellow and one purple.
Han Yu remained unfazed, smirking. "Ah, so it's just a kitten with a bad temper."