Douluo Dalu 2: Peerless Gu master

"What's wrong? As your roommate, it's reasonable to help you, right?"

Wang Dong: (╯°□°)╯

'I don't want this roommate anymore.' 

This was the first time she had encountered a guy with such a blatant lack of personal boundaries.

Wang Dong silently quickened her pace and said angrily, "I know, why are you nagging?"

Huo Yuhao clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Academy starts in a few days. If you're lazy and get expelled from Shrek, where am I supposed to find someone to use martial soul fusion skills with?"

"Huo Yuhao!" Wang Dong's patience snapped, and she snorted coldly. "You should worry about yourself first."

'In your mind, martial soul fusion skills are that important?' 

'As a person, all you think about is yourself.' 

Huo Yuhao turned back and raised an eyebrow. "What do I have to worry about?"

Wang Dong smirked proudly and delivered a harsh truth. "I heard from Senior Brother Beibei that the freshman exam will be held in three months. You can wait for the 3v3 soul master duel then!"

"Oh?" Huo Yuhao shot back, "Then you probably haven't heard what Beibei said about something else, have you?"

"What's that?" Wang Dong asked, confident. Through Beibei's connections, she had made thorough preparations before school started. Was there anything she didn't know?

Huo Yuhao still explained, "It's about your class teacher, Zhou Yi. She's not an easy person to get along with."

Hearing this, Wang Dong smiled. "Senior Brother Beibei told me a long time ago that although Teacher Zhou is strict, she's an excellent instructor. In fact, none of the students who've been promoted under her have anything bad to say about her.

"Moreover, according to statistics, nearly a quarter of all students taught by Teacher Zhou have entered the inner courtyard. That's one of the best rates in the entire academy.

"Teacher Zhou's strictness mainly reflects her high demands and rigorous teaching methods. But for someone as talented and hardworking as me, being under her guidance will only bring benefits."

Huo Yuhao chuckled. "You don't get it, do you? Zhou Yi arbitrarily expels students who can't meet her standards. Once the total number of students is reduced, doesn't that artificially inflate the promotion rate? That's called survivor bias. Understand?"

"Ah?" Wang Dong was stunned. "Do Shrek's teachers have that much authority? Is that true or just a rumor? Did you hear this from somewhere unreliable?"

Huo Yuhao smiled. "Of course, I heard it from a senior in the inner court who I'm familiar with. As for why she has so much power, it probably has something to do with her husband, who's a big shot in the soul guidance system."

At this point, Wang Dong's attention shifted to something else entirely. "The senior you're familiar with… wouldn't happen to be Senior Ma Xiaotao from yesterday, would it?"

"Yes, but that's not the point right now. Have you considered changing classes?"

Huo Yuhao smoothly shifted the blame onto her as the source of the information without a second thought.

"Change classes?"

"That's right," Huo Yuhao nodded. "The two of us have martial soul fusion skills, which gives us a legitimate reason to transfer you to the same class as me. I will help you make it happen."

Wang Dong frowned and analyzed carefully. "If Zhou Yi is really as you say, why do the students under her have such glowing reviews?"

"I think if someone could truly abuse their power and dominate Shrek Academy, it wouldn't deserve to be called the number one academy on the continent. Besides, your second-hand information might not be reliable."

The most important thing was that she still wanted to have a proper 3v3 duel with Huo Yuhao. If she agreed to his invitation now, wouldn't that mean she was afraid of him?

It didn't matter that she had never fought him one-on-one. She truly believed she had a chance in a team battle. Whether it was her competitive spirit or some inexplicable feelings, she wasn't ready to give in so easily.

"Fine, I won't try to convince you anymore. It's really hard to talk sense into you. You'll understand once you've experienced Zhou Yi's class."

Huo Yuhao sighed, looking at the stubborn Wang Dong.

"Can't you at least hope for the best for me?"

"Alright, let me give you some useful advice to keep you from getting expelled. Just don't contradict Zhou Yi, follow her rules, and wait for the class reassignment in three months…"

Seeing Huo Yuhao's serious and detailed explanation, Wang Dong, who had been so confident earlier, felt a twinge of regret.

She listened carefully and hesitated. "I… I understand."

"If you are regretting it now, I can still help you change classes."

"No way! I have no regrets!"

Huo Yuhao: ...

'Your mouth is the toughest part of you. But no matter how tough your mouth is…' 

"In short, don't follow others' examples and slack off. Follow my lead and make the most of your time to practice hard."

This was Huo Yuhao's well-meaning advice.

Wang Dong claimed she wanted to defeat him in the freshman exam, but he doubted she'd even make it that far.

In the original story, Class 1 had no standout soul masters, and the strongest was Wang Dong, who was only level 21 at the time. If it hadn't been for Huo Yuhao's efforts to turn the tide, it would've been nearly impossible to advance past the 32nd to the 16th round and face Ning Tian's team from Class 9.

Since the academy hadn't officially started yet, most freshmen hadn't experienced the brutal elimination system of Shrek Academy. They were either wandering around the campus or relaxing in Shrek City, their eyes filled with naive ambition, thinking that simply getting into Shrek would guarantee their rise to fame.

Little did they know that even senior students practiced diligently every day, fearing elimination. The soul masters who could set aside their impatience and maintain a rigorous practice routine were still a minority.

After returning to the dormitory and freshening up, the two sat cross-legged on their beds and began their cultivation.

By noon, Huo Yuhao took Wang Dong to the Shrek Academy cafeteria.

Although the cafeteria had its flaws, it provided high-quality ingredients that were beneficial for soul masters.

After the meal, they returned to the dormitory to continue practicing.

Dormitory, cafeteria, dormitory, practice—this became their routine. Wang Dong felt an unusual sense of fulfillment.

She had never found joy in practicing before. If it weren't for Huo Yuhao's constant urging, she might have given up long ago.

Time flew by, and five days passed like this.

The moon hung on the branches.

Tomorrow was the official start of Shrek Academy.

Although soul masters could usually substitute sleep with meditation, Wang Dong's current mental strength and physical fitness made it difficult for her to maintain such high-intensity practice. Occasionally, she needed a full night's rest to recover from the accumulated fatigue.

So, at Wang Dong's pleading, Huo Yuhao let her take the night off to sleep properly.

Huo Yuhao had originally planned to rest for the night as well, but plans often change. Thanks to the subtle effects of the fifth-level Hope Gu, he needed to wait until level 30 to absorb the corresponding soul ring and help the Spirit Eye Martial Soul complete its final evolution.

But tonight, the bottleneck broke naturally.

The Spirit Eye Martial Soul had quietly evolved!

"Hmm, should I change the name of the Spirit Eye to celebrate its evolution?"

For a moment, Huo Yuhao hesitated.

…

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