Dai Yueheng's current appearance could be described as quite pathetic.
He lay prone on the ground, coughing up large mouthfuls of blood. His Shrek uniform, which had been majestic earlier, was now covered in mud and dust. Half of his face was swollen high, and shocking streaks of blood hung from the corner of his mouth. He no longer possessed any of the arrogant air he had when he first appeared.
"Cough... cough cough..."
Dai Yueheng struggled to prop himself up against the ground, wanting to crawl back up, only to find that there wasn't a single spot on his body that didn't hurt.
The punch he had taken to the face, in particular, felt as if he had been struck head-on by a humanoid Vicious Beast; his head was still buzzing even now.
He gritted his teeth and lifted his head, his deep blue eyes filled with disbelief and the fire of humiliated rage.
He... a dignified Level 64 Spirit Emperor!
The eldest son of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion!
One of the Shrek Seven Devils!
He had actually been sent flying by a punch from some brat who had come out of nowhere, beaten until he had no power to fight back?!
How was this possible?!
Meanwhile, the members of the Counterfeit Shrek Academy standing not far behind him were completely stunned.
Each of them had their eyes wide and mouths slightly agape, their expressions as if they had seen a ghost.
The leading youth, in particular, had a blank mind. His gaze drifted back and forth between Huo Yuhao and the fallen Dai Yueheng, a stormy sea of shock churning in his heart.
At first, he had thought that the Evil Soul Master in this village had been dealt with by Ling Luochen.
After all, Ling Luochen was a Shrek Inner Academy Disciple with the strength of a Five-Ring Soul King.
But now...
This youth before them, who looked to be no more than thirteen or fourteen years old, had actually dealt with Dai Yueheng directly?
In fact, Dai Yueheng hadn't even put up any resistance before Huo Yuhao used some unknown illusion technique; he hadn't even touched the corner of Huo Yuhao's clothes before he had already lost.
If this Huo Yuhao possessed such terrifying strength, then...
The leading youth's gaze involuntarily swept toward Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Wei Xiaofeng standing at the back.
His throat couldn't help but bob, and fine beads of cold sweat seeped from his forehead.
If these few also had strength similar to Huo Yuhao's...
Then the seven of them wouldn't even be enough to fill the gaps between the opponents' teeth!
At that thought, the pride the youth originally felt for being 'Orthodox Shrek' instantly shattered into pieces.
He finally understood why Ling Luochen was unwilling to go back with them.
What traitor? What 'letting the academy down'?
She had simply latched onto a much thicker thigh!
By now, Huo Yuhao had already walked up to Dai Yueheng.
He looked down from above at this pathetic eldest son of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion with a cold gaze.
Dai Yueheng looked up, meeting Huo Yuhao's eyes, and the rage in his heart burst through the roof of his skull.
"You... who on earth are you?!"
Dai Yueheng gritted his teeth, his voice trembling slightly from anger and humiliation.
"Today is merely collecting a bit of interest."
Interest?
Dai Yueheng was stunned.
He completely failed to understand the meaning behind Huo Yuhao's words.
Collecting interest? What interest? When had he ever offended this youth?
He searched every corner of his memory but could find no trace of an impression regarding the face before him.
However, before Dai Yueheng could figure it out, a piercing golden light suddenly erupted from the depths of Huo Yuhao's eyes!
Soul Shock!
Buzz—!!!
An invisible wave of Mental Shock shot out from between Huo Yuhao's brows, slamming violently into Dai Yueheng's Sea of Consciousness!
Dai Yueheng felt a thunderous explosion in his mind, as if an invisible giant hammer had smashed his consciousness to pieces!
His eyes instantly rolled back, and his entire body went limp as if drained of all strength, collapsing onto the ground in a total faint.
In the final moment before losing consciousness, only one massive question remained in Dai Yueheng's mind—
Why?
Why did this youth harbor such deep resentment toward him?
When... when exactly had he offended him?
Huo Yuhao straightened up and glanced coldly at the unconscious Dai Yueheng on the ground, his face devoid of any extra expression.
He bent down, grabbed Dai Yueheng's collar with one hand, and then threw him fiercely!
Whoosh—!
Dai Yueheng's burly frame was tossed by Huo Yuhao directly toward the group of Counterfeit Shrek Academy members!
Seeing this, the leading youth's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly rushed forward in a scramble and caught the flying Dai Yueheng.
The massive impact forced him back several steps before he could barely steady himself. Meanwhile, the injuries on Dai Yueheng's body worsened slightly—clearly, Huo Yuhao had done something when he threw him back.
Holding the unconscious Dai Yueheng, he looked up at Huo Yuhao, his lips trembling, unable to say a single word.
"Take him and get lost."
Huo Yuhao spoke coldly. This was only the beginning; they would meet again as long as they remained on this Douluo Continent.
The leading youth felt as if he had been granted a grand reprieve. He didn't dare stay for even half a second longer and hurriedly called out to his companions, who were also scared out of their wits.
"Go, go, go! Hurry, let's go!"
Several people scrambled to hoist the unconscious Dai Yueheng and fled frantically back the way they came, stumbling and crawling.
They looked as pathetic as could be.
Watching the group disappear into the depths of the dense forest, Xie Xie couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Hahahahaha! Did you see the expressions on their faces?"
He laughed until he was out of breath, patting Huo Yuhao on the shoulder.
"Yuhao, you're too ruthless! Tsk tsk, satisfying! Truly satisfying!"
Wei Xiaofeng also nodded with a face full of smiles.
"That Dai Yueheng guy was acting so arrogant at first, and then it turned out he was just this?"
Tang Wulin didn't speak; he just walked to Huo Yuhao's side and gently patted his shoulder.
He noticed that although Huo Yuhao looked calm on the surface, his fists were tightly clenched.
Tang Wulin didn't ask further, simply showing his support through his actions.
Meanwhile, Ling Luochen stood to the side, her expression somewhat complicated.
She looked at Huo Yuhao's back, then at Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Wei Xiaofeng. Her lips moved slightly as if she wanted to say something, but she seemed hesitant.
Finally, she took a deep breath, as if having made a decision, and stepped forward to stand before Tang Wulin and the others.
"Wulin, Yuhao, Xie Xie, Xiaofeng."
She looked up, her cool eyes carrying a hint of nervousness and apprehension.
"I... there is something I must confess to you."
Tang Wulin was slightly startled and turned to look at her.
"Sister Luochen, what's wrong?"
Ling Luochen bit her lip, her voice carrying a trace of imperceptible trembling.
"I... I'm actually not from your academy."
"I come from... that Shrek Academy just now."
"And... when I first entered your academy, it wasn't for the sake of learning at all."
Her voice grew lower, yet each word was perfectly clear.
"I... entered as an undercover spy."
"Xuan Zi sent me and Senior Sister Zhang Lexuan to your academy to steal the technology for increasing spirit ring age limits."
At this point, Ling Luochen's eyes reddened slightly, her heart filled with immense shame.
"But... Senior Sister Zhang Lexuan and I were seen through not long after entering your academy."
"Elder Cai caught us and learned of our identities as spies."
She took a deep breath and continued.
"However... they didn't kill us, nor did they torture us."
"On the contrary, they gave us the same treatment as the other students..."
"I... I truly don't deserve this."
Ling Luochen's voice was now tinged with a few sobs.
"This academy treated us so well, yet we came with malicious intent at the start..."
She lowered her head, not daring to meet the eyes of Tang Wulin and the others.
"I deceived you..."
After saying this, Ling Luochen fell silent.
She stood there, her hands trembling slightly.
Xie Xie's voice was the first to ring out, carrying a hint of casual amusement.
"I thought it was going to be something major!"
Ling Luochen snapped her head up, staring blankly at Xie Xie.
Tang Wulin also smiled and stepped forward, looking at Ling Luochen earnestly.
"Sister Luochen."
He spoke, his voice warm and firm.
"Everything you mentioned happened before you entered the academy, right?"
Ling Luochen nodded subconsciously.
"Then isn't that that?"
Tang Wulin spread his hands.
"Since entering the academy, have you done anything to let us or the academy down?"
Ling Luochen hurriedly shook her head.
"Then it's fine, isn't it?"
Tang Wulin smiled.
"You passed the trials and became a student of Shrek Academy, so you are a part of our Shrek Academy, our teammate, and the Sister Luochen we recognize."
"As for what your identity was before, where you came from, or what your purpose was—"
He paused, his tone becoming incredibly serious.
"None of that matters."
"What matters is that now, you are one of us."
Xie Xie also walked over and said with a grin.
"Exactly, exactly!"
Wei Xiaofeng also nodded and said with a smile.
"That's right, Sister Luochen has turned over a new leaf!"
Huo Yuhao also stepped forward now, a gentleness returning to his eyes.
"That's right, Sister Luochen. Since the teachers let you join our Shrek Academy, they must have recognized you."
Listening to their words, the tears in Ling Luochen's eyes could no longer be held back and streamed down her face.
"You guys..."
She opened her mouth to say something, but found her throat felt as if it were blocked by something; she couldn't utter a single word.
Tang Wulin looked at her state and said with a smile.
"From now on, we are still teammates who fight together."
Ling Luochen nodded vigorously, raising a hand to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes. A relieved smile finally tugged at the corners of her lips.
"Mhm!"
She said softly.
"Thank you..."
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A/N:
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.