Bonus Chapter. Enjoy!
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Just a moment ago, Shen Yi's mind was filled with thoughts on how to handle the tricky matter of Huo Yuhao not participating in the final exam.
But now, those chaotic thoughts had shifted in a different direction at some unknown point. She was no longer thinking about how to deal with Huo Yuhao, but rather whether arranging the exam this way was actually reasonable.
The more she thought about it, the more Shen Yi felt a faint chill running down her back.
She had been teaching at Shrek Academy for many years and had experienced this final exam format countless times. She had gritted her teeth and endured it as a Student, and then naturally implemented it as a teacher.
She had never felt anything was amiss. But now, she was somewhat uncertain.
Shen Yi stood there on the podium, her lips pursed into a thin line, the light in her eyes flickering.
It had been a very long time since she had felt "at a loss" like this.
Just then, a steady knock sounded at the door, breaking the almost stagnant silence in the classroom.
Shen Yi frowned slightly and glanced toward the door, and in the next moment, her whole body jolted.
Standing outside the door was a figure in emerald green, her long dress as fresh and elegant as new spring leaves; a gentle smile played on her lips as she looked at Shen Yi inside the classroom through the glass window.
Shen Yi recognized the visitor almost instantly. The daze and solemnity on her face were replaced by astonishment in a flash, and she instinctively jogged to the door, her movements to open it even carrying a hint of fluster.
"Your Excellency Holy Spirit? Why are you here?"
Ya Li said softly, "I've come to find a few people."
"Call out Yuhao and the other little ones from Class Zero. The academy has other arrangements for them; they don't need to participate in this final exam."
Shen Yi was slightly stunned. She wasn't sure if Ya Li had heard the commotion in the classroom from outside and if her appearance now was a coincidence or an intentional effort to bail her out.
But judging from Ya Li's expression, it really did seem like a matter of Destiny.
However, even with this excuse to exempt Huo Yuhao from the exam, the words he had used to wake her up had already taken root in her heart.
She was truly shaken regarding the content of this final exam.
Shen Yi took a deep breath, temporarily suppressing her surging thoughts, nodded to Ya Li, and turned back into the classroom.
She stood before the podium, her gaze accurately finding those few figures among the hundred or so faces, and then clearly called out each name.
"Huo Yuhao, Gu Yue, Na'er, Tang Wulin, Xu Xiaoyan, Xie Xie."
"The six of you, leave with Her Excellency Holy Spirit. You do not need to participate in this semester's final exam."
Huo Yuhao had already said everything that needed to be said. He immediately left his seat and walked toward the classroom door.
Gu Yue and the others followed closely behind, and in the blink of an eye, the six figures disappeared from everyone's sight.
The classroom door closed again with a soft thud.
Shen Yi stood on the podium and remained silent for a long time. Her gaze slowly swept across every young face below before she spoke: "The content of the final exam is temporarily voided. Tomorrow, I will announce a new exam method."
As soon as these words were spoken, the classroom was deathly silent for a moment before erupting into a frenzy.
But Shen Yi didn't offer any further explanation; she just stood quietly before the podium, allowing the noisy voices to surge around her ears.
As a class teacher, she might not be able to change the traditions that the entire Shrek Academy had maintained for countless years.
But within the scope of the first grade under her jurisdiction, she still had a certain degree of autonomy over the formulation of exam content.
Shen Yi had made up her mind to start changing from the first grade, starting from one class. Even if it was just a small change, it was better than doing nothing.
Huo Yuhao and the other five were unaware of what happened in the classroom afterward. They were currently following the Holy Spirit Douluo, Ya Li, down the long corridor of Shrek Academy.
After passing through several corridors, Ya Li finally stopped in front of a door. Ya Li reached out and pushed the door open, gesturing for everyone to follow.
The moment the door swung open, everyone's gaze was simultaneously drawn to the figure inside.
The light in the reception room was soft, and a window on one side was half-open, with the breeze leisurely stirring the edges of the curtains.
Beside the tea table in the center of the room, a person was sitting quietly.
He looked to be only in his thirties, with a tall and well-proportioned build and a handsome face. His features naturally carried a gentle smile, and just sitting there, he exuded an elegant temperament like a spring breeze.
After Ya Li led everyone into the room, she introduced, "This is the Vice Hall Master of the Tang Sect Douluo Hall, the Amorous Douluo, Zang Xin."
Although they were only first-year Students at Shrek Academy, they still had some understanding of the powerhouses on the continent.
The six of them almost simultaneously straightened their expressions and bowed in unison, their voices perfectly synchronized: "Greetings, Your Excellency Amorous!"
Zang Xin looked at the six boys and girls before him and waved his hand casually, his voice as gentle and elegant as his temperament: "No need for such formalities. Everyone, please sit."
The six of them sat down as instructed, and Zang Xin's gaze fell upon Huo Yuhao, observing him discreetly.
He couldn't help but sigh inwardly: "So similar!"
This was the first time he had seen Huo Yuhao in person. Huo Yuhao's appearance was almost a carbon copy of that Tang Sect ancestor from Ten Thousand Years ago in the Tang Sect Hall of Heroes, only his temperament was somewhat different.
Zang Xin didn't dwell too long on that shock, nor did he engage in unnecessary pleasantries. He raised his hand decisively and gave his slender fingers a light flick.
A streak of light flew from his hand, tracing a smooth arc in the air and floating unerringly toward Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao reached out to catch it almost out of instinct. As his palm opened, the object landed steadily in his hand, carrying a slightly cool touch.
He looked down to examine it; it was a token only the size of a palm, with ice blue and fiery red colors interwoven upon it. On either side of the token, an ancient seal character was carved: "Ice" on the left and "Fire" on the right. And at the center where ice and fire met, a unique Tang Sect mark was clearly visible.
Zang Xin's voice rang out at the right moment: "This is the Tang Sect Ice Fire Command. Keep it safe."
Huo Yuhao looked up, meeting Zang Xin's eyes which held a faint smile.
"Tomorrow morning at eight o'clock, gather at the academy entrance. I will personally take you to the Tang Sect Forbidden Land."
Huo Yuhao carefully put away the Tang Sect Ice Fire Command. From the moment he stepped into this reception room and saw Zang Xin, he had roughly guessed what would happen next.
His Spirit Power had long since reached the critical point of rank seventy, needing only one last step to achieve a Breakthrough.
After going to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to obtain an Immortal Herb this time, he could prepare for his Breakthrough.
Seeing Huo Yuhao calmly accept the token, the smile on Ya Li's face remained as gentle as water: "Alright, that's all for today. Everyone, go back and rest. Don't forget the gathering time tomorrow morning."
The six of them rose one after another to bow and left in single file. The door closed gently, leaving only two people in the reception room for a moment.
Facing Zang Xin, a peer of the same generation, Ya Li no longer maintained her holiness and majesty. In its place was a somewhat playful smile, and a hint of the liveliness found only in one's youth showed in the corners of her eyes and brows.
She looked at Zang Xin and asked, "How is he?"
Zang Xin naturally knew what she was asking. He nodded solemnly: "In terms of appearance, they are practically identical."
Hearing this, the smile on Ya Li's lips deepened a bit more. "It's not just his appearance; his Spirit also inherited the Spirit Eyes of the Spirit Ice Douluo from Ten Thousand Years ago."
The fact that Huo Yuhao was a "Bloodline descendant" of that Spirit Ice Douluo from Ten Thousand Years ago was something only Yun Ming and Ya Li knew in the entire Shrek Academy.
Even with the deep friendship maintained between Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect for Ten Thousand Years, if it weren't for the fact that the blood of that ancestor flowed through Huo Yuhao, Zang Xin would not have easily given up the slots for the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Zang Xin remained silent for a moment. The gentle and elegant smile on his face had vanished at some point, replaced by a rare seriousness.
He looked up, gazing deeply at Ya Li, his voice also a bit lower than before: "Speaking of talent, perhaps he is even stronger than the Spirit Ice Douluo. A thirteen-year-old Spirit Emperor is unheard of."
However, after saying this, Zang Xin sighed softly.
His voice was tinged with an unspeakable sense of emotion and regret: "However, being born in this era is also a tragedy."
"With his talent, if he were in the era Ten Thousand Years ago, he might not have been unable to step into the Divine Rank."
"But now that the God Realm has drifted away, he is destined to be unable to become a god."
Ya Li fell silent. Zang Xin's words made her think of her husband; Yun Ming was recognized as the person closest to the Divine Rank on the continent.
A trace of imperceptible gloom flashed in her eyes, but she then smiled again: "Perhaps he can create a miracle like the ancestor?"
Zang Xin was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and the image of Huo Yuhao's steady demeanor from just now involuntarily surfaced in his mind.
Zang Xin didn't answer; he just turned his gaze to the azure sky outside the window, a smile with an ambiguous curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.
After a long silence, he slowly uttered one word, noncommittally: "Hopefully."
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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.