Bonus Chapter. Enjoy!
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"Wait a moment!"
Ye Xinglan, who had already walked over ten meters away, suddenly stopped in her tracks.
The voice was not loud, but it clearly reached her ears, like an invisible thread pulling her back. She recognized this as Huo Yuhao's voice—the person who had defeated her three years ago, the one who had shattered her pride, and the goal she had been chasing for three years.
Ye Xinglan turned around, her gaze falling upon Huo Yuhao. In her eyes, there was nervousness, anticipation, and a hint of something complex that was hard to describe.
Huo Yuhao asked with a calm expression: "Why are you so obsessed with having a match with me?"
Ye Xinglan's hands, which had relaxed, clenched tight again; she perhaps had not expected Huo Yuhao to ask this. She lowered her head, biting her lower lip with her silver teeth, and for a moment, she actually did not know how to answer.
However, Huo Yuhao did not urge her, just watching her quietly like that.
After a moment, Ye Xinglan seemed to have organized her thoughts. She took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and said in a slightly trembling voice: "I don't know why either, but this is my true thought."
After finishing, Ye Xinglan suddenly raised her head to look at Huo Yuhao; those eyes no longer held the evasion and nervousness from before, replaced instead by a blazing Battle Intent.
"I know I won't be your opponent, but perhaps this is just my obsession." Her voice was not loud, but every word was clear, as if squeezed from the bottom of her heart.
The word 'obsession' summed up her emotional journey over these three years.
Huo Yuhao smiled upon hearing this, then lifted his foot to walk forward.
"Boss Yuhao, are you really going to fight her?" Xie Xie shouted from behind, his voice full of surprise.
Huo Yuhao did not answer, however, just continuing to walk forward. He could truly feel Ye Xinglan's change; the girl who was so arrogant and conceited three years ago had now learned to lower her head, learned to wait, and learned to speak in a tone of request rather than command.
Moreover, under the shroud of his mental force, he could even better perceive her current nervousness and inner conflict. Her heartbeat was much faster than usual, her breathing was somewhat disordered, and her tightly clenched hands had knuckles turned white.
Therefore, Huo Yuhao smiled, his voice calm as water: "Perhaps your true thought in your heart is not to have a match with me, but just to see how strong I am after three years."
Ye Xinglan's gaze flickered upon hearing this, a trace of confusion flashing in her eyes, as she did not know if that was truly what she thought in her heart.
At this moment, Huo Yuhao took another step forward. A black spirit ring had already appeared beneath his feet. That black was as dense as ink, emitting a deep, profound light.
Afterward, he continued to walk forward, and with every step he took, a new spirit ring rose from beneath his feet.
Ye Xinglan stared at Huo Yuhao's feet, counting continuously in her heart: "One, two, three, four, five..."
Her heartbeat grew faster and faster, her breathing more and more rapid. Until she saw the sixth spirit ring slowly rise from beneath Huo Yuhao's feet.
"Six?!" Ye Xinglan exclaimed, her eyes filled with a light of disbelief.
[A/N: I don't know when Yuhao broke through. This seems to be a running theme with author. Not revealing Breakthroughs/ Spirit Abilities till Yuhao actually uses them]
She looked at the six pitch-black spirit rings beneath Huo Yuhao's feet, and for a moment, her breathing even stalled!
Six rings!
Spirit Emperor!
Ye Xinglan was a year older than Huo Yuhao, and she was currently a four-ring Spirit Ancestor.
Shrek Academy was gathered with Geniuses, and those who could reach the Spirit Ancestor level at her age could be counted on one's fingers.
She had always been the pride in the eyes of her teachers, and an outstanding Student among her peers.
But Huo Yuhao was already a Spirit Emperor now; this was something Ye Xinglan had not expected before.
She thought Huo Yuhao was at most a Spirit King; after all, the higher the Spirit Power, the slower the speed of cultivation, which was common sense in the Spirit Master's world.
After the brief shock, Ye Xinglan looked at Huo Yuhao with a complex expression. She actually felt no sense of frustration in her heart now, as if she felt this fact should have been so. And after knowing that the gap between the two of them was even larger, she actually no longer had the intention to have a match with Huo Yuhao.
That obsession which had accumulated for three years, that goal she thought of day and night, had quietly dissipated at this moment. And this seemed to further confirm Huo Yuhao's previous words; perhaps what she wanted was really not a match, but just to see how strong he was after three years.
Now that the gap between them was confirmed, it could be considered giving an account to her own hard cultivation over these three years.
Watching the change in Ye Xinglan's expression, Huo Yuhao retracted the spirit rings beneath his feet.
He smiled: "It seems there is no need to go to the Soul Fighting Arena with you."
A final trace of relief flashed in Ye Xinglan's eyes; it was a kind of lightness after putting down a heavy burden.
She looked at Huo Yuhao and said two words earnestly: "Thank you!"
These two words were to thank him for being willing to listen to her, to thank him for being willing to display his strength, and also to thank him for using this way to help her put down her three-year obsession.
After finishing, she turned around again and walked into the distance. This time, her footsteps were significantly lighter, as if she had unloaded some burden from her body. Her golden ponytail swayed gently behind her, tracing happy arcs in the sunlight.
Watching Ye Xinglan's departing back, Xu Xiaoyan tilted her head, a trace of contemplation flashing in her eyes.
As that golden figure walked further and further away, she glanced at the others and said softly: "Why do I feel like she is a bit different from before?"
Tang Wulin also had this realization; he gazed at the figure moving away, recalling the girl who had been so arrogant and conceited three years ago.
Ye Xinglan's transformation today was also beyond his expectations.
He also smiled: "People always change!"
"Alright!" Na'er shouted at this moment, her voice crisp and loud, drawing everyone's attention back.
She raised her right hand, her silver ponytail swaying gently in the sunlight: "It's fine now, everyone listen to my command!"
Everyone's gaze was focused on Na'er, who was raising her right hand, waiting for her next words.
Na'er glanced at everyone, a smug smile curling at the corners of her mouth, then continued: "It's almost noon, everyone follow me closely, straight to the canteen!"
Once she said that, everyone was indeed a bit hungry.
Shrek Academy was too big; after rushing around all morning, registering, finding accommodation, and watching this "Ye Xinglan's Revenge" show, their stomachs had long since started to protest.
Especially Tang Wulin; although his appetite had greatly decreased following the extraction of his Bloodline, the habits he had formed previously had not changed.
Once he heard about food, his eyes lit up, looking like he couldn't wait to gobble down a meal.
Na'er walked at the very front with a light pace, saying as she walked: "Shrek Academy's Outer Court has four canteens; the one I'm taking you to is definitely the most delicious."
She paused, looked back at everyone, a trace of craftiness flashing in her eyes: "And, I am very familiar with the canteen chef, so I'll get them to serve you extra dishes."
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A/N:
5 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
2 Reviews = 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.