Bonus Chapter. Enjoy!
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The night was like ink, tenderly embracing the entire Shrek Academy in its arms.
The teaching buildings, which were bustling with people during the day, had now all sunk into a quiet darkness, with only their outlines traced into blurry shadows under the moonlight.
However, in this deep night, one window remained lit.
It was the office of the Dean of the Spirit Department.
Inside the room, two figures sat opposite each other across a large desk.
"...It's confirmed, the Spirit he majors in is indeed mental-type, and his Spirit Power is currently at Rank 43."
Director Du Weilin gently placed the information in his hand on the desk, his voice carrying a hint of amazement that even he hadn't fully processed.
He sat in the guest chair opposite the desk, while at the other end, the Dean of the Spirit Department, Yan Shaozhe, sat upright, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the edge of the table, making a barely audible sound.
"His name is Huo Yuhao."
Director Du Weilin continued, "The information we currently have is that he lives with his mother. They moved to Shrek City about a year ago and run a spirit tool shop in the city to make a living."
"A spirit tool shop?" Yan Shaozhe's tapping finger suddenly stopped, and his gaze narrowed. "You mean... he's also a Soul Engineer?"
Director Du Weilin nodded solemnly. "According to the investigation, all the various spirit tools in that shop were made by Huo Yuhao himself. He is at least a Rank 5 Soul Engineer!"
Although Shrek Academy didn't value spirit tools, Yan Shaozhe also knew what an eleven-year-old Rank 5 Soul Engineer represented.
Yan Shaozhe's brow gradually furrowed, and his voice carried a near-instinctive wariness. "The Soul Tool Department's side... that old fox Qian Duoduo... has a very sharp nose."
"Keep a close eye on this matter for me. No matter what, we cannot let him be snatched away by Qian Duoduo to the Soul Tool Department."
He knew his old rival from the Soul Tool Department too well. If he found out that such a Genius Soul Engineer had come to the Spirit Department, he would probably show up in person tonight to snatch him away.
"Rest assured, Dean," Director Du Weilin promised solemnly. "I will keep a constant watch to ensure Huo Yuhao stays in the Spirit Department and will never give the Soul Tool Department an opportunity."
Yan Shaozhe nodded. Director Du Weilin acted steadily; leaving this matter to him did indeed provide some peace of mind.
Yan Shaozhe picked up his teacup but didn't drink, simply letting the warmth transfer through the cup's wall to his fingertips.
He lowered his eyelids and asked again, "Did you ask about his second Spirit?"
Director Du Weilin knew what Yan Shaozhe was concerned about, and he replied, "Because of what happened at the academy's East Gate today, Huo Yuhao likely still has some... opinions about the academy."
"I was worried that questioning him too deeply would trigger his resistance, so I didn't ask too much."
"However, it is certain that his second Spirit is of the Ultimate Ice attribute."
Upon hearing this, an irrepressible light of excitement erupted in Yan Shaozhe's eyes. The hand holding the teacup trembled slightly, and a few drops of tea splashed out, but he was completely oblivious to it.
"Great... that's wonderful!"
Yan Shaozhe murmured repeatedly, his voice slightly hoarse with excitement.
Those eyes, which were always gentle and composed, were now flashing with a light of near-ecstasy.
His disciple Ma Xiaotao, who was exceptionally talented but suffered greatly from the backlash of the evil fire, had finally seen a turning point!
Moreover, if his judgment was correct, after the evil fire was resolved, Ma Xiaotao's Phoenix flames might also be able to evolve to the level of Ultimate Fire.
When that time came, with two geniuses of Ultimate attributes in hand, Shrek Academy's prestige would surely rise to another level!
Seeing Yan Shaozhe's irrepressible excitement, Director Du Weilin's eyes shifted slightly, and he seized the opportunity to speak again.
"Dean, according to the registration order for new students, Huo Yuhao has been assigned to... freshman class one."
Yan Shaozhe withdrew some of his thoughts from his agitated state and turned to look at Director Du Weilin with a hint of doubt in his eyes, clearly not yet understanding the deeper meaning of these words.
Director Du Weilin didn't beat around the bush and said, "The homeroom teacher for freshman class one is Zhou Yi. Her teaching style... you know it."
"With Teacher Zhou's strictness, and even... certain excessively extreme ways of doing things."
"Student Huo Yuhao just had that conflict with the academy at the gate today and is already feeling sensitive. If he has further friction with Teacher Zhou..."
That was enough said. Yan Shaozhe's eyebrows rose slightly, fully understanding Director Du Weilin's subtext.
He didn't respond immediately but slowly stood up from his seat and began pacing in the office.
The Spirit light stretched his slender shadow, making it flicker long and short as it moved silently across the wall.
After a long while, Yan Shaozhe stopped and turned to Director Du Weilin.
"No need to adjust it," he said in a low voice. "Let Huo Yuhao go to Class 1."
"Dean?" Director Du Weilin's brow furrowed slightly. "This... I'm afraid conflict between them is inevitable."
Yan Shaozhe glanced at him, the corners of his mouth slowly curling into a meaningful smile.
"Isn't that just perfect?"
"A Genius like Huo Yuhao is someone the academy must keep no matter what; there is no doubt about that."
He paused, his gaze falling calmly on Director Du Weilin's face. "So, if we cannot have both..."
At this point, Director Du Weilin clearly understood as well.
Huo Yuhao must stay.
Then the one who should leave would naturally be Zhou Yi.
Zhou Yi, the homeroom teacher of the Spirit Department's freshman class one, indeed had decent teaching abilities.
But her style, which was strict to the point of harshness and her methods which were near-cold-blooded, had driven away countless students over the years and had long since invited much criticism.
If her husband weren't Fan Yu, a powerful figure in the Soul Tool Department, with her way of doing things, she would have been unable to remain teaching at Shrek Academy long ago.
But this time, if she didn't open her eyes and happened to clash with a peerless Genius like Huo Yuhao...
Then even Fan Yu wouldn't be able to protect her.
Having straightened out this layer of interlocking schemes, Director Du Weilin's gaze towards Yan Shaozhe held a few more points of heartfelt awe and admiration.
Brilliant, truly brilliant.
Calm, leave no trace, use the opponent's strength against them—killing two birds with one stone.
Director Du Weilin took a silent deep breath, lowered his eyes, and spoke with even more respect: "The Dean's considerations are thorough. It was your subordinate who was... shallow."
...
The next day.
A gentle ray of morning light pierced through the mist and passed through the small dormitory window, spreading a soft golden glow across the floor.
Huo Yuhao had finished washing up and pushed open the door, carrying a neatly organized basin.
He looked at the bed opposite him. A pinkish-blue head had just poked out from under the covers, hair messily sticking out, with a few stray strands gilded with a fuzzy golden edge in the backlight.
Those pinkish-blue eyes were half-open at the moment, covered in a layer of morning mist, looking like he hadn't fully woken up.
Huo Yuhao set the basin down and reminded him, "Aren't you going to wash up? After we eat, it'll be time for class."
Hearing this, Wang Dong's eyes instantly cleared. He quickly threw off the quilt, jumped out of bed, grabbed his toiletries, and rushed out the door.
Not long after, as the two walked toward the cafeteria together, Wang Dong kept his head down, following half a step behind Huo Yuhao.
That appearance looked very much like a little daughter-in-law who had been wronged but didn't dare to speak up.
This look was a world away from the proud youth with his chin slightly raised when they first met yesterday.
To be able to make someone as proud as a peacock like Wang Dong undergo such a heaven-turning change overnight, the shock brought by Huo Yuhao's four spirit rings was simply too immense.
He had to admit that in front of Huo Yuhao, he... really had nothing to be proud of anymore.
Aside from this face, he really had nothing that could compare to Huo Yuhao.
He sullenly kicked a small pebble by his feet and followed Huo Yuhao into the cafeteria.
The two of them stood and hurriedly finished breakfast, then headed straight for the classroom.
Freshman Class One was located on the first floor of the white teaching building, the first room on the left after entering.
When the two entered the classroom, quite a few people were already sitting in the large room. They found two empty seats in the back and sat down.
Wang Dong's rare pinkish-blue short hair was simply too eye-catching in the classroom, and combined with that exquisite face, as soon as he sat down, he attracted a large number of gazes like a magnet.
A few girls in the front row quietly turned back, their gazes lingering on Wang Dong's face before quickly turning back, whispering to each other. Faint fragments of words like "so pretty" floated over.
Wang Dong was expressionless, as if he were already accustomed to this kind of scrutiny.
Not long after, a steady sound of footsteps came from the hallway.
The whispering in the classroom quickly died down. Everyone simultaneously withdrew their gazes, sat upright, and looked toward the podium together.
A figure walked in; it was an old woman.
With skin like chicken skin and hair like crane feathers, a simple grey robe wrapped around her slightly hunched body, yet her entire being exuded a sharp and harsh aura.
She stood on the podium, her sharp gaze slowly scanning the classroom. Wherever her gaze fell, several timid students instinctively shrank their necks.
What a strict teacher—this was the thought that surfaced in the minds of almost all the freshmen the moment they first saw her.
However, as Huo Yuhao's gaze fell on the old woman, it narrowed slightly.
He saw at a glance that this old woman's age was definitely not that great.
This appearance of wrinkled skin and white hair, looking like an old woman at the end of her life, was clearly a disguise!
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A/N:
5 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.