Chapter 53: Finally Meeting Dai Huabin, Huo Yuhao Chooses...

Wang Dong frowned, holding an even worse impression of Wu Feng, whose figure and temper were both fiery.

Realizing the atmosphere was turning sour, Ning Tian stepped forward and wedged herself between the two.

"Wang Dong was merely inviting me to join the Flame Cult, Wu Feng. Please don't misunderstand."

Wu Feng's angry expression subsided slightly, though her face remained dark. Evidently, she was deeply resentful of Wang Dong's earlier sneak attack utilizing his "shell."

At that moment, Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao ran over, fearing that Wang Dong might be ganged up on.

After hearing the sequence of events, Huo Yuhao felt a slight aversion toward Wu Feng. However, since Ning Tian hailed from the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, recruiting her into the Flame Cult should surely yield a generous amount of destiny points, right?

"Little Yuhao, use mental transmission to tell Wu Feng the following..."

Listening to Zhuge Lan's instructions, Huo Yuhao wore a peculiar expression. Glancing briefly at Wu Feng and Ning Tian, he activated his spiritual telepathy and transmitted his voice.

—As it was a purely unilateral mental transmission, he no longer needed to activate Spiritual Detection Sharing.

[Huo Yuhao: Wu Feng, our Flame Cult champions freedom and supports the courageous pursuit of true love, including love between those of the same sex.]

Wu Feng looked around in suspicion and doubt, her eyes locking onto the smiling Huo Yuhao.

Was it you?

[Huo Yuhao: It was me.]

Is it true?

[Huo Yuhao: It is true.]

Without the slightest hesitation, Wu Feng grabbed Ning Tian by the arm.

"Ning Tian, this Flame Cult sounds rather interesting. Why don't we give it a try?"

"That move Wang Dong used earlier was called Tai Chi, wasn't it?"

"It's incredible! I want to learn it!"

Ning Tian had already been tempted, and after being urged by her good friend:

"Alright then. Along with Nanmen Yun'er, could the three of us give it a try?"

"Of course," Huo Yuhao affirmed. "Gather in front of the freshman dormitory building at noon, and I'll teach you all together."

With the arrangement settled, the two teams hurried off the stage to make room for the following match.

This left Wang Yan immensely relieved. If they hadn't moved along, he wouldn't have been able to hold his ground much longer.

......

During the next two matches, Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong fought side by side, concluding the battles as usual using nothing more than Tai Chi. Aside from maintaining Spiritual Detection Sharing, Huo Yuhao didn't even move his feet throughout the entire process.

—After all, people weren't fools. There was still some slim hope in a three-versus-two, but why on earth would anyone deliberately provoke this disciple of Elder Mu?

The squad successfully advanced to the final four, bringing the morning's freshman examinations to a close. Students swarmed toward the cafeteria for lunch. Ninety percent of them had already learned their outcomes, leaving only the afternoon's finals.

Along the way, Huo Yuhao and his three companions were met with a continuous stream of greetings.

"Class monitor, do your best to win the freshman championship!"

"Wang Dong, you're amazing! How did you manage to get a ten-thousand-year third soul ring?"

"Xiao Xiao is the formidable one here; she completely turned a Control System soul master into an Assault System fighter!"

"Come to think of it, hasn't this Huo Yuhao never even made a move?"

"No way, no way! Does anyone actually think our class monitor is weak?"

"Well, you can never be too sure..."

......

Huo Yuhao only acknowledged the friendly remarks, directly ignoring those filled with doubt. Only the weak hurried to prove themselves; he had no need for outsiders' approval.

However......

Someone couldn't hold back any longer!

"Hum—"

A formidable aura pressed downward, sending a gossipping freshman stumbling.

Ma Xiaotao, her body wreathed in six soul rings, walked over and swept her gaze across the crowd with displeasure.

"I've already said that I'm shielding little Yuhao, yet you lot still dare to spout nonsense here?"

"If I catch you doing this again next time, you can go report straight to the school infirmary!"

"Get lost!"

The surrounding area was emptied of over half the people in an instant.

Ma Xiaotao arrived by Huo Yuhao's side and muttered,

"You guys just stood there and listened? Didn't you do something?"

"If the class monitor hadn't held me back, I would have already rushed over to challenge them to a one-on-one!" Xiao Xiao flashed her small fists.

"I've remembered every single one of them. Once the freshman exams are over and those who remain are still here, I'll challenge them one by one," Wang Dong declared even more fiercely.

"They're just irrelevant people. Instead of wasting time on them, we'd might as well spend it cultivating," Huo Yuhao smiled. "Still, many thanks to Sister Xiaotao. My ears can finally enjoy some peace and quiet for the near future."

"Alright," Ma Xiaotao said happily. "I made a breakthrough today, so I'm in a great mood! Tonight we're heading to the Treasure Appreciation Fair—pick out anything that catches your eye! We'll charge it to the teacher's gold card!"

Uh......

If not for that last sentence, she would have sounded truly magnanimous.

"Great, let's go take a look," Wang Dong replied. "Big Brother gave me quite a few soul gold coins before I left this time, so I can indulge in a proper shopping spree!"

"Then I thank Sister Xiaotao in advance," Huo Yuhao accepted.

"Thank you, Senior Eldest Sister!" Xiao Xiao said obediently.

"Splendid. Perform well, and I'll go watch you guys claim the championship this afternoon," Ma Xiaotao asserted with absolute confidence.

None of the three raised any objections.

A championship? It was as easy as reaching into one's pocket to take something out.

"We've finished eating and are getting ready to cultivate. Will Sister Xiaotao be joining us?" Huo Yuhao asked. "We have new members joining at noon to learn Tai Chi."

Hearing this, Ma Xiaotao frowned.

"Forget it, forget it. What's all this about subduing the rigid with the flexible? When has it ever felt as satisfying as just smashing your way through?"

"I'm heading back to raid the teacher's little treasury, and I'll meet up with you all for the freshman exams this afternoon."

Ma Xiaotao departed in a flurry of wind and action.

Huo Yuhao offered a silent moment of condolence to the senior male disciple.

Upon returning to the dormitory area, Lan Sususu, Lan Luoluo, Ning天, Wu Feng, and Nanmen Yun'er had already been waiting for a long time.

Additionally, Jiang Nannan was present, with Xu Sanshi lingering nearby and currying favor.

This caused Huo Yuhao to furrow his brow slightly.

Jiang Nannan had clearly and decisively rejected him; could Xu Sanshi truly be that dense, or did he simply choose to ignore it?

"Little Yuhao is here," Xu Sanshi said cheerfully. "Nannan mentioned she gained some insights regarding Tai Chi, so I accompanied her to seek your further guidance."

"Sister Nannan truly possesses fine talent in this area," Huo Yuhao acknowledged. "Since there are many people today, I will guide everyone uniformly."

He activated Spiritual Detection Sharing, linking his mind with everyone present.

Experiencing this divine perspective for the very first time, Wu Feng and the others all felt their expressions shift subtly!

Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun'er exchanged glances.

No wonder Wang Dong had managed to execute that sneak attack so effortlessly—it turned out he had such a miraculous skill assisting him!

Not far away, Mu Elder watched the steadily growing group, deep in thought.

......

Amidst the instruction, the noon hour passed swiftly.

Aside from Wu Feng, who remained completely bewildered, everyone else gained some level of insight.

As the start of the freshman examinations drew near, the entire group set off together.

—Naturally, Lan Luoluo and the others, who were not participating in the competition, went along to cheer for Huo Yuhao.

Because this was the grand finale, the teams were required to draw their own opponents.

After Yan Shaozhe offered a few words of brief encouragement, the procedure commenced.

"Freshman Class One, Huo Yuhao's team, step forward to draw lots."

Huo Yuhao consciously stepped forward, smiled at Yan Shaozhe, and reached out to draw a lot from the container.

Number 1.

There were two number ones and two number twos inside the box, signifying that their team would play in the first match.

"Freshman Class Five, Dai Huabin's team, draw your lots."

The moment he stepped back to his original position, Huo Yuhao's gaze instantly sharpened!

He stared at the tall, blonde-haired youth, his eyes carrying an undisguised, chilling glare.

Dai Huabin!

The nightmare of his childhood; as long as he appeared before him, he would endure a vicious beating without any rhyme or reason.

To protect him, his mother had suffered severe injuries every single time, yet she still had to force herself to wash clothes just to have food to fill their stomachs.

If this little beast didn't die, his heart would never find peace!!!

Within the spiritual realm, sensing Huo Yuhao's intense emotional fluctuations, neither Zhuge Lan nor the Skydream Iceworm made a sound.

Elegast, on the other hand, had words he wished to utter, but Zhuge Lan stopped him.

What an eye for an eye never ending.

A real man should exact swift vengeance for both kindness and grievances!

His mother had been oppressed unto death—were they seriously expected to repay malice with virtue?