"By the way! Didn't you say yesterday you'd let me try your cooking?" Wang Dong suddenly remembered.
Su Yunlin slapped his forehead. "Tch, I forgot. Tomorrow then. I'll go buy some ingredients and cook you a proper meal in the dorm."
"Hehe, my standards are very high, you know."
Su Yunlin smiled faintly and ruffled Wang Dong's hair. "My cooking will definitely surprise you."
Wang Dong felt the warmth of his hand and actually enjoyed it a little. A faint blush appeared on his face, but then he suddenly realized something and immediately shouted—
"Waaah! Don't touch my head! I'll stop growing taller!"
Su Yunlin stood up and looked down at him from his height advantage. "You're not tall to begin with. Even if you jump, you'd barely reach my knees."
Wang Dong only came up to Su Yunlin's chest, creating a rather striking height difference.
"Ahhh! Su Yunlin, you big jerk! I'll bite you to death!"
"Hey! Are you a dog or something? You're actually biting? Ahh! That hurts!"
...
The next evening,
Dorm 108.
Wang Dong sat there watching Su Yunlin prepare the ingredients. His movements were practiced and precise—just from the way he handled the food, it was obvious he cooked often.
Wang Dong secretly rejoiced in his heart: A guy who can cook is just too handsome! Handsome, strong, good-tempered, and can cook… ahhh, how can someone be this perfect?!
Sizzle—
Su Yunlin began stir-frying. A rich, mouthwatering aroma quickly filled the entire dorm. Wang Dong inhaled deeply, practically drooling as he licked his lips, waiting impatiently.
"Dinner's ready!"
Su Yunlin made a simple four dishes and one soup, but the portions were generous—more than enough for the two of them. The dishes looked and smelled irresistible.
"I can't wait anymore!" Wang Dong rushed to the table.
Su Yunlin scooped a big bowl of rice for him, and Wang Dong immediately dug in.
"Mmm so delicious!"
Su Yunlin smiled. "Slow down, don't choke."
Wang Dong's cheeks puffed out with food, yet he still managed to speak, "Yunlin, it's… it's sooo good!"
"If you like it, eat more."
After the meal, Wang Dong rubbed his slightly rounded stomach, looking utterly satisfied.
"So good~ My taste is ruined now. If I can't eat your cooking in the future, I'll suffer."
Su Yunlin was cleaning up. "What, you want me to cook for you for life?"
"Can I?"
Then Wang Dong suddenly realized what he'd said and quickly corrected himself, "I mean… cough, can I eat it a few more times?"
Su Yunlin gave a mysterious smile. "Of course. Once I'm done cleaning, want to go for a walk?"
Wang Dong stretched lazily. "Sure! Walk after meals, Spirit Power reaches ninety-nine!"
"Where did you learn that nonsense?"
"Just came to me. Hehe." Wang Dong stuck out his tongue playfully.
After cleaning up, the two left together. Wang Dong walked leisurely with his hands behind his head.
Downstairs, Mu En slowly opened his eyes and watched them leave, muttering, "Does that boy already know she's pretending to be a boy? Tsk… the world of the young, this old man doesn't understand. Heh, time for a nap."
...
Three months later,
The freshmen faced their first major assessment—the Freshman Tournament. Only half would remain; the rest would be eliminated. This was Shrek Academy's survival-of-the-fittest rule.
As the homeroom teacher of Class One, Zhou Yi began grouping the remaining students.
Su Yunlin and Wang Dong were naturally placed together. They were the strongest in the class—Zhou Yi's trump cards.
She had even made a bet with a rival teacher. Whoever lost would have to pay the price.
Zhou Yi was confident. With Su Yunlin around, how could she possibly lose? To be safe, she paired Su Yunlin and Wang Dong together, and added Huo Yuhao as support.
Huo Yuhao's Martial Soul, the Spirit Eyes, granted him his first Spirit Ability—Spiritual Detection Sharing. It was an almost perfect support skill, enough to give Su Yunlin and Wang Dong an overwhelming advantage.
Among all students, Zhou Yi favored Huo Yuhao the most. He was hardworking. Though he had been the weakest at the start, after three months, he had improved tremendously—his Spirit Power had reached Level 16.
Most likely, Bei Bei and Tang Ya had been helping him behind the scenes to ensure he wouldn't be eliminated. Zhou Yi also valued his perseverance; it would be a pity to see such a determined student expelled.
So she placed Huo Yuhao with Su Yunlin and Wang Dong. With those two, achieving top rankings was guaranteed—and they could carry Huo Yuhao through the assessment.
Normally, Su Yunlin and Wang Dong wouldn't be placed on the same team, since only one assault-type Spirit Master was allowed per group. But both of their Martial Souls had flight capabilities, which could classify them as agility-attack types. Zhou Yi had cleverly exploited this loophole.
Any teacher with half a brain would do the same. Separating them would be foolish—their combined strength practically guaranteed first place.
Dorm 108.
"Yunlin, why did that old lady Zhou stick Huo Yuhao with us? Shouldn't we have a proper support-type Spirit Master?" Wang Dong lay on his bed, recalling the arrangement.
Su Yunlin was busy assembling a soul tool. "Probably wants us to carry him. With our strength, sweeping the tournament isn't hard. The only real trouble is Dai Huabin from Class Five."
"Dai Huabin? The Dai family? From the Star Luo White Tiger Duke's estate?"
Su Yunlin nodded. "He and his partner Zhu Lu can perform a Martial Soul Fusion—Netherworld White Tiger. You know its reputation. Dealing with it will be… troublesome."
"Dai Huabin is a Spirit Elder, and Zhu Lu is a Great Spirit Master. Their fusion likely reaches near Spirit King-level strength."
Wang Dong scratched his head. "Netherworld White Tiger… yeah, that's tough. Wait! Yunlin, shouldn't we also have a Martial Soul Fusion? Remember when we first met?"
Su Yunlin snapped a component into place and turned around. "So you noticed too?"
"I'm not blind. Our Spirit Power clearly showed signs of merging. Want to try?"
Su Yunlin looked confused. "How? Like last time, palms together?"
Wang Dong hesitated. "That might work… but to be safe, maybe we should hug?"
They sat facing each other on the bed. Their eyes met, and both their heartbeats subtly quickened. Wang Dong's ears turned red.
Su Yunlin said in a low voice, "Let's begin."
"Mm."
He reached out first and pulled Wang Dong into his arms. Wang Dong's body tensed instinctively, but upon contact, it quickly softened.
Wang Dong slowly wrapped his arms around Su Yunlin as well. Being shorter, his face pressed against Su Yunlin's chest, where he could clearly hear his heartbeat.
For some reason, just being close to him brought Wang Dong a sense of calm.
On Su Yunlin's side, holding Wang Dong felt… soft. There was also a faint fragrance that made his heart race.
"Yunlin, your heart is beating really fast," Wang Dong murmured.
Su Yunlin felt a little embarrassed, his ears warming. "I-Is it?"
Wang Dong didn't reply. His face was already completely red, almost steaming.
"Yunlin… let's release our Spirit Power and feel our Martial Souls."
"Alright."
They released their Spirit Power simultaneously, sensing each other.
Su Yunlin felt a warm, radiant aura of light, while Wang Dong felt a cold, deep darkness.
Yet strangely, Wang Dong felt no discomfort. Instead, the darkness brought a refreshing coolness. Normally, such energy would repel him, but Su Yunlin's felt… comforting.
At that moment, three different lights emerged from each of them.
On Su Yunlin, his right hand glowed black-purple, his left hand black-gold, and his forehead radiated a deep, abyssal black.
On Wang Dong, his right hand shone bright yellow, his left hand dark gold, and his forehead emitted a blue-gold light.
If a third person had been present, they would have seen—
On Su Yunlin's forehead, a pitch-black scale.
On Wang Dong's forehead, a golden trident.