Chapter 71: Teacher Le Xuan

After Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena finished their breakfast and entered Class Five, the originally noisy classroom immediately fell into silence.

Ignoring the curious stares, Huo Yuhao glanced around briefly before leading Gu Yuena toward a black-haired girl who was staring blankly at her desk.

"Zhu Lu."

Hearing someone call her name, the girl instinctively looked up. She was taken aback upon seeing Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena's faces, and asked curiously, "Is there something you need?"

She had seen this silver-haired girl in the dormitory yesterday afternoon, and that breathtaking appearance had left a deep impression on her. Last night, she had wondered why this girl hadn't returned to the dorm to sleep. Looking at them now, it seemed she was with this handsome guy?

But how did he know her?

Five years had passed, and Huo Yuhao was no longer the thin young boy he once was. His appearance had also changed significantly, so Zhu Lu, who had only met him briefly in their childhood, naturally didn't recognize him.

Huo Yuhao took out the storage ring she had given him back then and smiled, saying, "According to our agreement, I'm here to return this."

Seeing the familiar ring, Zhu Lu's expression shifted from confusion to shock, and her unique heterochromatic yellow and blue eyes widened in surprise.

"It's you!?"

"Yes, it's me."

Huo Yuhao nodded with a smile. "Thank you for helping me back then."

"You… You don't have to thank me."

Unlike her calm demeanor before, Zhu Lu looked down, her tone slightly hesitant. After a moment, she couldn't help but glance up at Huo Yuhao and ask, "How did you change so much? I didn't recognize you."

"I absorbed a spirit ring, and it changed me," Huo Yuhao said with a smile. He took a seat behind Zhu Lu, with Gu Yuena beside him.

"How have you been all these years?"

"After you left that day, Dai Huabin wasn't found until dusk. When my mother learned what happened, she never took me back to the Duke's Mansion and instead kept me home to train until I was old enough to enroll at Shrek."

After briefly explaining her situation, Zhu Lu hesitated, then spoke softly, "Um… I still don't know your name."

"Huo Yuhao," he replied with a gentle smile. "There's no need to be nervous. We're classmates now, so you can just call me Yuhao. Also, here, this is for you."

Zhu Lu instinctively accepted the ring. Seeing its enlarged storage space and various spirit tools added by Huo Yuhao, she, as a noble of the Star Luo Empire, recognized their high value, even as a non-expert.

"This is too much… I didn't…"

"It's different now."

Huo Yuhao shook his head firmly. "Take it. These spirit tools suit you well. And if you ever need help, you can find me."

"…Alright."

Many of the male students who had been observing them were now grinding their teeth in frustration. With few beautiful girls in Class Five, Zhu Lu was undoubtedly the most attractive after Gu Yuena, with her fiery figure making her a target for many.

As they were scheming how to tear Huo Yuhao apart for "hogging all the beauties," Dai Huabin, looking even paler than he had two days ago, slowly entered the classroom.

Though his injuries from Tang San had healed with the academy's treatment, the aftereffects of the medicine still lingered, greatly reducing his cultivation speed for the next few months.

But that wasn't even the worst of it.

The mental blow from losing to Tang San, even after taking medication, weighed far heavier than the physical wounds. Every time he recalled his defeat, an uncontrollable murderous intent surged in his heart.

They all deserve to die!

He scanned the classroom subconsciously, but as his eyes fell on a certain nightmarish figure, his body trembled, and the terrifying killing intent was instantly replaced by fear. He even briefly thought about switching classes, but knowing he would never be able to face Huo Yuhao if he did, he forced his trembling legs to carry him to the seat farthest from him.

Watching him go, Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow in slight surprise, thinking, Perhaps I went too easy on him.

As the bell rang, the noise in the classroom gradually died down. On their first day, unsure of what their homeroom teacher was like, the students didn't dare act out too much.

Soon, a youthful figure entered the classroom, causing everyone to freeze in shock.

Her exquisite face drew nearly all the students' eyes. Her tall, well-proportioned figure was accentuated by her fitted attire, and her beautiful gaze swept over the class before resting briefly on Huo Yuhao, her lips curling into a gentle smile.

Standing on the podium, Zhang Lexuan took the teacher's badge from her chest and showed it to the students with a light smile.

"My name is Zhang Lexuan, from the inner court. I'm pleased to meet such excellent students here."

"Some of you may have noticed from the homeroom teacher information that I'm not your original teacher. I applied to take over Class Five temporarily, so if all goes well, I'll be with you for the next few years in the outer court."

Listening to her warm words, many students felt their hearts melting, with some even pumping their fists in excitement.

"But please don't think I'll go easy on you," she continued with a slight change in tone.

As she spoke, soul rings began to rise one by one from her feet, shocking everyone.

One, two… eight rings! This young teacher was a Spirit Douluo!

Seeing her final blood-red ring, a feeling of indescribable pressure filled the room.

A hundred-thousand-year soul ring!

"If you violate school rules or fail your advancement exams, I'll have to regretfully say goodbye to you," she said.

Despite the harshness of her words, the students felt anything but fear; instead, they were filled with excitement. The applause from one student sparked a chain reaction, and soon the whole class was applauding Zhang Lexuan.

Unlike the middle-aged homeroom teachers of the other classes, who were usually Soul Emperors, they had Zhang Lexuan, a Spirit Douluo with a hundred-thousand-year ring as their teacher. What more could they ask for?

And on top of that, she was beautiful and approachable.

Even if they had to work themselves to the bone, they were determined to stay in this class.

(End of Chapter)