With those words falling, Huo Yuhao didn't waste any more time. He directly pushed the pouch on the table back.
Seeing Huo Yuhao act that way, Wang Dong naturally followed his lead and pushed hers back as well.
After all, she and Huo Yuhao were clearly a unified front.
In Wang Dong's heart right now, nothing and no one around her could compare in importance to Huo Yuhao.
So even though she did really want to accept that reward, since Huo Yuhao had made it clear he wasn't going to take it, she naturally wouldn't go against him over such a trivial thing.
Thus, she also spoke up, "In that case, I don't want it either."
Saying that, she mimicked him and pushed the pouch back as well.
Only Xiao Xiao, sitting off to the side, chose to accept hers.
Although she was teammates with Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, their relationship wasn't nearly as close as those two's.
Besides, Xiao Xiao didn't see any problem with accepting such a reward.
So she took it generously.
However—
Among these three, Yan Shaozhe and Elder Xuan's real targets weren't Xiao Xiao.
Whether it was Huo Yuhao or Wang Dong, those were the two they truly wanted to win over.
As for Xiao Xiao—harsh as it might sound—she was basically an afterthought.
So even though Xiao Xiao cheerfully accepted the reward, the fact that Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong refused left Yan Shaozhe and Elder Xuan rather dissatisfied.
Xu Jiujiu: "They're not accepting it?"
"This is a free soul bone, for heaven's sake!"
Vina: "Looks like the Huo Yuhao from this parallel world has terrifying willpower!"
"To stay that calm and rational in front of such a massive reward… that's rare beyond words!"
Du Bu Si: "Could things actually turn around? If this parallel world's Huo Yuhao can stay that rational all the way through… Shrek Academy might not actually be able to win him over."
The crowd inside the dimensional rift began to chatter again.
After seeing this scene, everyone was shocked by the decision made by the parallel-world Huo Yuhao.
He was too calm.
So calm, it was actually frightening.
He wasn't falling for their bait at all!
If not even this could tempt that version of Huo Yuhao, then they figured nothing else could.
The Huo Yuhao inside the rift watched this scene clearly.
He had lived through the same events himself.
But back then, he never thought that by taking too much from Shrek Academy, he would end up completely tied to them.
At the time, all he'd felt was regret—regret that he hadn't gotten enough from Shrek.
Thinking of that, Huo Yuhao couldn't help exhaling softly.
"Looks like… compared to that version of me, I really wasn't rational enough."
"It's true—because I received so much from Shrek Academy, I've already been completely bound to them."
"I don't necessarily dislike that fact, but objectively… it's just how it is."
Off to the side, Elder Xuan from the rift wasn't pleased at all.
He'd thought for sure that the parallel-world Huo Yuhao would take the bait—but no, not even close.
And when he saw everyone in the chat praising that version of Huo Yuhao, he felt even more irritated.
"Hmph! Calm? Rational? Please. He's only acting high and mighty because we haven't offered enough!"
"I want to see what happens when the me from that world and Shaozhe bring out the red card from the Appraisal Fair. Let's see if he can stay that stubborn then!"
After saying that, Elder Xuan looked back at the screen again.
Everyone else inside the dimensional rift followed suit, their curiosity no weaker than his.
At that moment, they were all dying to see—when faced with something as priceless as the red card, could Huo Yuhao really stay as composed as before?
And on the screen—
Though Yan Shaozhe and Elder Xuan were clearly dissatisfied with Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong's decision, they didn't show it.
Because they still had one last trump card—the "Red Card."
And since they'd already decided to recruit Huo Yuhao, they couldn't afford to fall out with him.
Even if his previous refusal annoyed them, they had no choice but to swallow it—his talent was simply too tempting.
So, neither lingered on the topic of the previous reward.
After seeing Xiao Xiao accept hers, Yan Shaozhe sighed lightly and said, "Alright, since this is your own choice, the Academy won't force you."
"Next, let's take a look at the second reward we've prepared."
"This is the Appraisal Fair Red Card!"
"I believe you should all know what that means."
"Every year, the Shrek City Appraisal Fair features countless treasures of immense value."
"The variety is endless—soul bones, cultivation techniques, soul tools, blueprints—anything you can imagine."
"And during the most glorious year, there was even a hundred-thousand-year soul bone!"
Yan Shaozhe continued describing the treasures that could appear at the Appraisal Fair.
He was laying the groundwork, trying to make Huo Yuhao and the others tempted.
When he was done, he said:
"The rarer the treasure, the higher the price—some reach astronomical levels, costing tens of millions, even billions of gold soul coins."
"But with the Red Card, every year you can choose one item you like from the Appraisal Fair for free!"
"All costs will be covered by Shrek Academy!"
"This is an incredible opportunity—I trust you won't refuse it?"
"It's truly precious. I hope you'll accept."
Yan Shaozhe emphasized again, particularly toward Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong—he genuinely feared they'd reject him once more.
But after hearing everything, Huo Yuhao merely paused for a brief moment… before giving his answer without hesitation.
"Sorry," he said calmly, "I can't accept this reward either."
...
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