As Wang Dong spoke, his gaze drifted pointedly toward the other side of the classroom.
There, Gu Yuena sat quietly in her seat, as if all the clamor of the outside world had nothing to do with her.
She was simply drawing something on a piece of paper. Her long silver hair fell like a waterfall, and the profile of her face was as perfect as a creation of the gods, forming an exquisite painting all on its own.
"Ever since our classmate Gu Yuena enrolled, Senior Sister Jiang Nannan has had to settle for second place."
Wang Dong lowered his voice.
"Classmate Gu Yuena directly parachuted to the top of the 'Kingdom-Toppling Beauty Rankings' with an overwhelming number of votes. Her kind of beauty is no longer at the Mortal level, right?"
Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao followed his gaze and nodded deeply in agreement.
Gu Yuena's beauty possessed a sense of divinity and distance, making one only dare to watch from afar, not dare to desecrate.
"As for the final 'this scoundrel must be executed rankings'..."
Wang Dong's expression became even stranger, containing both a bit of smugness and a bit of annoyance.
"This list was voted on by all the boys in the academy out of jealousy to rank the 'Public Enemies of Men.' Those on the list are guys who have stolen all the spotlight because they're too handsome, too strong, or too popular with the girls."
"And our class monitor, Classmate Caelus..."
Wang Dong spread his hands, his face written with indignation.
"He is at the very top of this list, the number one spot. He's the primary target that all the boys most want to throw a sack over and beat, or put laxatives in his food. Because he's too perfect—so perfect that people can't even find an excuse to be jealous. That makes it even more infuriating, right?"
Xiao Xiao let out a pfft of laughter, finding Wang Dong's current expression extremely amusing.
Huo Yuhao also smiled.
"What about you then, Wang Dong?"
Huo Yuhao followed up curiously.
"You're so handsome, you must be on the list too, right?"
Wang Dong puffed out his chest, a trace of pride appearing on his face.
"Naturally. This handsome guy is second on the 'this scoundrel must be executed rankings.'"
He said this with a great deal of pride.
Being ranked second was, in itself, an affirmation of his charm.
But immediately after, his face fell, and he muttered quietly:
"Damn it, if it weren't for that freak Caelus, the top spot should have been mine..."
Looking at Wang Dong's indignant expression, Huo Yuhao felt a long-lost warmth in his heart.
Since coming to Shrek Academy, he had suffered cold looks and exclusion because of his lowly Martial Soul and Soul Power.
Fortunately, there was Wang Dong, a partner who was sharp-tongued and somewhat arrogant but kind-hearted deep down.
Then he met Xiao Xiao, a girl who had a bit of a temper but was also not bad at heart.
He finally had friends.
As for Caelus, his feelings were a bit more complex.
It wasn't just friendship; it carried a deep sense of gratitude and heartfelt admiration.
He still remembered clearly that after the duel with Wu Feng, Caelus was the first to stand up and affirm his efforts, pointing out the key to his victory.
Because of those few sentences, his situation in the class had improved tremendously.
Those originally disdainful looks turned into curiosity and scrutiny.
The mockery behind his back also gradually disappeared.
Caelus, using his prestige as class monitor, had given him room to breathe.
Huo Yuhao kept this kindness in his heart.
So, seeing Caelus being pulled away by a beautiful Inner Court senior sister, he didn't feel the slightest bit of jealousy, only pure curiosity.
'I hope it's not anything bad,'
Huo Yuhao thought silently in his heart.
Just as his thoughts were wandering, a lazy and somewhat depressed voice suddenly rang out in his Sea of Consciousness.
[Strange... truly strange...]
It was the Heavenly Dream Ice Worm.
[Yuhao, why do I... seem to always feel an icy aura?]
Heavenly Dream's voice was filled with confusion.
'Icy? Who is that? Brother Heavenly Dream?'
Huo Yuhao responded in his heart.
[Icy is the Ice Empress. Back then in the core circle of the Extreme North, I was chased and beaten by her every day... No, I chased and beat her every day. I would recognize her scent even if I were turned to ash.]
The Heavenly Dream Ice Worm seemed to recall some bad memories and forcibly tried to save face for itself.
[But... it shouldn't be. This is Shrek Academy, tens of thousands of miles away from the Extreme North Land. Moreover, that aura is faint and fleeting, disappearing in a flash, as if... as if I'm smelling it through something.]
The Heavenly Dream Ice Worm fell into deep confusion.
Its massive mental force surged within Huo Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness, trying to capture that fleeting sense of familiarity.
But in the end, it still came up empty-handed.
[Forget it...]
The Heavenly Dream Ice Worm sighed dejectedly, attributing it to its own hallucination.
[Sigh, maybe I just miss Icy too much. Staying alone in this tiny Sea of Consciousness of yours is simply too boring.]
Its voice carried the loneliness and solitude of a million-year-old shut-in.
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao felt a bit amused and also a bit sympathetic.
'Brother Heavenly Dream, when I get stronger in the future, I'll take you out to play.'
[Hmph, that goes without saying.]
The Heavenly Dream Ice Worm's Martial Soul immediately perked up, its voice once again full of drive.
[Yuhao, I've decided.]
[When the academy goes on break this time, I'll take you to the Extreme North Land. It's about time to help you obtain your Second Martial Soul.]
'Second Martial Soul?!'
Huo Yuhao's heart skipped a beat.
[That's right, a Second Martial Soul.]
The Heavenly Dream Ice Worm's voice was full of pride and indignation.
[I am a million-year Soul Beast. How can the person I chose be looked down upon every day? This is practically slapping my face.]
[Just you wait. When I help you get an earth-shattering Second Martial Soul and equip it with several hundred thousand year spirit rings, I'll see who still dares to underestimate you. That Dai Huabin, and that Wu Feng, we'll trample them all under our feet.]
The more the Heavenly Dream Ice Worm spoke, the more excited it became, as if it could already see the scene of Huo Yuhao's counterattack and the shock it would cause the entire academy.
And Huo Yuhao, after a brief moment of shock, felt an indescribable surge of excitement and warmth in his heart.
Second Martial Soul... He clenched his fists, feeling the weak but unceasing Soul Power within his body, and a fire ignited in his eyes.
'Brother Heavenly Dream... thank you.'
[What's there to thank? We're brothers.]
The Heavenly Dream Ice Worm's casual voice drifted from the Sea of Consciousness.
In the outside world, a heartfelt and incredibly bright smile appeared on Huo Yuhao's face.
He looked up at the azure sky outside the window, as if he could already see himself soaring above it in the near future.
The clamor and gossip in the classroom continued as usual.
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