40: Chapter 40 Entrance Examination!

"Huo Yuhao... a whole vacation later, and you're still quite the troublemaker."

A cold yet familiar voice, tinged with a hint of reproach, sounded in his ear. Huo Yuhao whipped his head around.

What met his eyes was that stunningly beautiful face that had haunted his dreams throughout the entire vacation.

Her long, powder-blue wavy hair cascaded behind her, and her water-blue eyes reflected his slightly stunned face.

Dressed in the clean uniform of an Inner Court student, she looked all the more graceful and peerless.

Who else could it be but Wang Donger?

"Donger!"

The shock on Huo Yuhao's face was instantly replaced by immense surprise. "Why are you here? I was just about to come find you as soon as I returned to the academy!"

The corners of Wang Donger's mouth lifted slightly into an attractive arc, but her gaze swept unobtrusively over the bevy of beauties beside Huo Yuhao.

In particular, she lingered for a fraction of a second on Wang Qiuer, who bore a seven or eight-point resemblance to her in hair color and appearance.

"If I didn't come, would you have forgotten the way back to the academy?" Her tone sounded flat, but it carried a hint of jealousy that only Huo Yuhao could understand.

"Yo, isn't this our little princess of the Inner Court?"

A fiery, slightly teasing voice interjected.

Ma Xiaotao crossed her arms, looking at Wang Donger with great interest before glancing at Huo Yuhao. "What's this? Did you sniff him out? Your nose is sharper than a Spirit Beast's."

She was suffering from the Evil Fire, and it was only thanks to Huo Yuhao's Ultimate Ice that she had managed to survive safely.

At this moment, her gratitude and sense of closeness to him were overflowing, so she spoke without restraint, carrying a familiarity as if they were "one of her own."

Wang Donger frowned slightly, clearly unaccustomed to Ma Xiaotao's forthright style, but she still nodded politely: "Senior Sister Ma."

Her gaze quickly glued itself back onto Huo Yuhao, as if trying to use her eyes to purify all the scents of other women clinging to him.

"Ahem,"

Huo Yuhao felt the temperature of the air around him changing in two completely different ways.

On one side was the heat of Ma Xiaotao, and on the other was the chill of Wang Donger. He quickly stepped out to smooth things over. "Donger, let me introduce you."

He gestured to the people beside him. "This is Senior Sister Ma, whom you should know. This is Tang Ya, my Teacher Tang Ya. This is Senior Sister Jiang Nannan, and this one..."

Huo Yuhao paused, looking at the two people who gave him the most headaches. "This is Wang Qiuer, and this is Gu Yuena."

His introductions were concise and clear, but the atmosphere at the scene became even more subtle.

Tang Ya smiled gently at Wang Donger.

Jiang Nannan just curiously took a few more looks at Wang Donger before standing quietly to the side.

The real focus was between Wang Donger, Wang Qiuer, and Gu Yuena.

Wang Qiuer remained as cold as frost; her Golden Dragon pupils just glanced indifferently at Wang Donger before looking away, as if the other party were merely an insignificant speck of dust.

As for Gu Yuena, with her silver hair and purple eyes, her temperament was ethereal. Just standing there, she seemed to form a World of her own.

She looked at Wang Donger with a faint smile on her lips—a smile so profound that it was unfathomable, as if she could see through everything.

Wang Donger's gaze swept back and forth between Wang Qiuer and Gu Yuena, alarm bells ringing in her heart.

One was so similar to her, yet her aura was full of aggression.

The other was beautiful in a way that didn't seem mortal, mysterious enough to make one's heart palpitate.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the myriad thoughts in her mind, and locked her gaze back onto Huo Yuhao, her tone unquestionable: "Introductions finished? Then it's time to return to the academy. If we don't go now, we'll miss the registration time."

"Yes, yes, yes, back to the academy!"

Ma Xiaotao waved her hand, appearing more anxious than anyone. "Let's go, let's go, into the city! To celebrate little Yuhao's safe return, and to thank him for helping me suppress the Evil Fire, lunch is on me today. The best restaurant in Shrek City, order whatever you want!"

She grabbed Huo Yuhao's shoulder, her posture intimate, as if declaring some sort of sovereignty.

Wang Donger's eyes went cold instantly.

Huo Yuhao felt his shoulder burning like fire on one side, while being frozen stiff by an icy gaze on the other.

He gave a helpless, bitter smile and gently pulled away from Ma Xiaotao's arm. "Sister Xiaotao, thank you, but let's return to the academy to report first. There's no rush to eat."

He turned to Wang Donger, his tone much gentler. "Donger, let's go together."

A single sentence instantly smoothed out the agitation in Wang Donger's heart.

She softly murmured an "Mm" and took the initiative to walk to Huo Yuhao's other side, standing directly opposite Ma Xiaotao to form a strange balance.

The group walked toward the nearby Shrek City in this peculiar formation.

Huo Yuhao was caught in the middle, with the passionate Ma Xiaotao on his left and the possessive Wang Donger on his right.

Following behind were the silent but imposing Wang Qiuer, the inscrutable Gu Yuena, the gentle Tang Ya, and the quiet Jiang Nannan.

He felt less like he was returning to school and more like he was escorting some important cargo, and he himself was that cargo.

"Look, that's Shrek City!" Ma Xiaotao pointed to the majestic, boundless city in the distance, shouting excitedly to Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan.

The city walls towered into the clouds, built entirely of hard rock, covered in the traces of time, yet appearing all the more heavy and majestic.

On the walls, there was a tall watchtower every certain distance, where armored soldiers could be vaguely seen patrolling.

As they got closer, the endless stream of people at the city gate became clearly visible.

When this group of theirs appeared, it immediately attracted countless gazes.

The reason was simple: this combination was simply too eye-catching.

Leading them was Ma Xiaotao, with a hot figure and stunning beauty, her red hair like a burning flame; she was the focus wherever she went.

The young man beside her, with black hair and black eyes, had a handsome and delicate appearance, a clean temperament, and a gentle, helpless smile on his lips.

Yet, this seemingly harmless young man was surrounded by a group of breathtakingly beautiful women.

Wang Donger with her long powder-blue hair, noble and elegant, like a fairy who didn't eat the food of mortals.

Wang Qiuer with her long golden hair, cold and stunning, with an inviolable majesty in her golden dragon pupils.

Gu Yuena with her long silver hair, mysterious and ethereal, as if she didn't belong to this World.

And the gentle and graceful Tang Ya, the cold and beautiful Jiang Nannan...

For a moment, the pedestrians at the city gate were stunned.

"Heavens, isn't that the 'Flame Maniac' Senior Sister Ma Xiaotao from the Inner Court?"

"Who is that next to her? What a handsome young man! How could he make Senior Sister Ma so intimate?"

"Look! On the other side! That's... that's our Outer Court's number one goddess, Junior Sister Wang Donger! Why is she with that young man too?"

"Not just that! Look at the ones behind, my god, every single one is a stunner! That blonde one has such a strong aura! And the silver-haired one, she's breathtakingly beautiful!"

"What's this young man's background? Could he be a prince from some Empire? This is too... too enviable and hateful!"

The discussions rose and fell, countless gazes focusing on Huo Yuhao like searchlights—some envious, some jealous, some curious, some probing.

Huo Yuhao felt his face burning; he just wanted to dive into the academy right now.

Wang Donger seemed to enjoy this feeling of being the center of attention, especially when others were discussing her relationship with Huo Yuhao; the smile on her lips grew even wider.

She even deliberately leaned closer to Huo Yuhao, her posture intimate.

Wang Qiuer scoffed at this, just coldly following behind.

Ma Xiaotao laughed out loud, patting Huo Yuhao on the back. "See that, little Yuhao? That's charisma! In the future, in the academy, report my name, Ma Xiaotao, and I guarantee no one will dare to bully you!"

Under this spotlight, the group passed through the huge city gate and stepped into the territory of Shrek City.

The city was even more prosperous and bustling; the wide streets were enough to accommodate a dozen carriages side by side, with shops lining both sides and the sounds of hawking endless.

But they had no intention of strolling, walking straight through more than half the city to reach Shrek Academy, which was famously known as the number one academy on the continent for its exaggeratedly vast area.

The academy gate was as simple and unadorned as ever, with the five characters "Shrek Academy" written in a dragon-flying, phoenix-dancing calligraphy, full of historical accumulation.

Several senior students stood at the entrance, responsible for guiding new students.

Seeing Ma Xiaotao and Wang Donger, those students immediately bowed respectfully.

"Hello, Senior Sister Ma! Hello, Senior Sister Wang!"

"Mm."

As soon as he stepped into the academy, that familiar air filled with the breath of life rushed towards him, making Huo Yuhao's spirit lift.

He was back.

"Alright, let's go to the dormitory area."

Wang Donger suggested naturally, "Your dormitory should still be reserved. After putting things away, we'll go to the Academic Affairs Office to report and, by the way, learn about the second-year advancement assessment."

"Advancement assessment?" Huo Yuhao was stunned.

"Did you forget?"

Wang Donger rolled her eyes at him. "We are already second-year students now. At the end of every school year, there is an advancement assessment. Only by passing can you advance to the next grade. The second-year assessment is much harder than the freshman assessment."

Ma Xiaotao, who was on the side, interjected: "That's right, the second-year advancement assessment is to defeat Spirit Beasts in the Hunting King's Colosseum, and the advancement score is determined based on a comprehensive evaluation."

Huo Yuhao's eyes lit up.

"The final grade will be comprehensively determined based on the age of the Spirit Beast you choose, the teamwork during the hunting process, and individual performance."

"A maximum of one thousand years... isn't this just bullying the weak?" Huo Yuhao muttered.

He looked at the girls in front of him, each with a different style, yet all equally excellent to the extreme.

"Alright, stop standing here."

Wang Donger broke the deadlock. "Let's go back to the dormitory first. Huo Yuhao, your dormitory is number 108, it hasn't changed. Nannan and I, and Sister Tang Ya, live in the girls' dormitory..."

Her gaze turned to Wang Qiuer and Gu Yuena.

These two were not official students of Shrek Academy, so accommodation was an issue.

"Don't worry about us."

Gu Yuena said with a smile, "We have our own place to go."

After saying that, she and Wang Qiuer turned and walked towards another direction of the academy, their figures quickly disappearing into the depths of the forest, as if they knew everything about this place.

"What strange people."

Ma Xiaotao muttered, then said to Huo Yuhao, "Little Yuhao, I'm going back to the Inner Court too. If you have any questions about the assessment, come find me anytime! Don't forget, you still owe me many 'popsicles'!"

After saying that, she winked at Huo Yuhao and left in a flurry.

Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan also said goodbye to Huo Yuhao and headed to their respective dormitory areas.

The bustling crowd dispersed, and in the blink of an eye, only Huo Yuhao and Wang Donger were left on the tree-lined path.

Without anyone else around, the atmosphere instantly changed.

The air was filled with a faint fragrance, the unique scent of Wang Donger.

"Let's go, I'll take you back to the dormitory." Wang Donger's voice also became much gentler, without the tit-for-tat from earlier.

"Okay." Huo Yuhao nodded.

The two walked side by side on the familiar campus path, the sunlight spilling mottled light spots through the gaps in the leaves; everything seemed so quiet and beautiful.

After a moment of silence, Wang Donger suddenly stopped, turned around, and looked at Huo Yuhao earnestly with her large water-blue eyes.

"Yuhao."

"Hmm?"

"What's going on with that Wang Qiuer?" She finally asked, her tone carrying a hint of imperceptible tension.

"And that Gu Yuena, did you... meet them all during this vacation?"

Huo Yuhao looked at the probing and worry in her eyes, and his heart warmed; he knew she cared about him.

He sighed and was just about to recount his experiences during the vacation.

Wang Donger suddenly reached out her index finger and gently touched his lips.

"Never mind, don't say it yet."

Her cheeks flushed slightly, and her eyes dodged a little. "Let's talk when we get to the dormitory; there are too many eyes and ears here."

After saying that, she took Huo Yuhao's hand and walked quickly towards the boys' dormitory area.

Huo Yuhao was pulled along by her, feeling the softness and warmth from her palm, watching her powder-blue long hair fluttering in the wind, and all the troubles in his heart seemed to dissipate at this moment.

Advancement assessment, thousand-year Spirit Beasts, and those girls who gave him headaches...

Everything could wait until he got back to the dormitory.

Right now, he just wanted to enjoy this moment of peace that belonged only to the two of them.