87. Freshmen Assessment

Wang Feng's back felt slightly tense, as if an invisible pressure weighed on him every time Ma Xiaotao's sharp gaze landed on him.

Fortunately, after a few long seconds, Ma Xiaotao finally averted her eyes.

"You may leave now. I want to continue my training," she said curtly.

"Alright, Senior." Wang Feng quickly turned and walked away, as if fleeing from something terrifying.

Ma Xiaotao let out a small laugh. "He's kind of cute..."

Meanwhile, Wang Feng, now outside the room, gradually slowed his pace as he neared the exit of the building.

He let out a quiet sigh, placing a hand on his chest where his heart was still beating rapidly.

'How embarrassing, Wang Feng! Why are you always weak in front of beautiful women?'

The sky was already dark as he walked along the row of Inner Court students' residences. When he arrived at his room, he opened the door and stepped inside.

"Where have you been? You're only coming back now?" Wang Dong asked immediately.

Wang Feng paused for a moment before replying, "Nowhere special. The Dean asked me to heal someone, so it took a while."

Wang Dong walked closer, frowning. Why… is there a woman's scent on Wang Feng's clothes?

"Don't lie! Why do I smell a woman's scent on you?" he said, anger written across his face.

Wang Feng took a small step back. "Really, I'm not lying."

But Wang Dong crossed his arms over his chest. "Hmph! You think I can't tell when there's a strong perfume lingering on your clothes!?"

Wang Feng scratched his cheek. "Well, yeah, that's because the patient I treated was a woman. Besides, why do you care if I smell like a woman?"

Wang Dong furrowed his brows. "Of course I care! You're my roommate! If you come back smelling like that, who do you think people are going to suspect tomorrow morning? Me!"

Wang Feng was speechless. He didn't expect Wang Dong to react this strongly.

"And besides," Wang Dong continued in a softer voice, "...I just don't like it when you get close to other girls so easily."

Wang Feng was confused. What does he mean? He raised an eyebrow. "Are you jealous?"

Wang Dong immediately blushed. "I'm not jealous! I just… care."

"Care, huh?"

Wang Feng smiled, catching the increasingly flustered reaction. "If it's not jealousy, then what is it? Don't tell me… you like me?"

"Too bad, I only like girls," he added teasingly with a sly grin.

"Y–You idiot!" Wang Dong immediately turned away, ears burning red. "I just don't want you to get into trouble! Don't get the wrong idea!"

Wang Feng nodded with mock seriousness, though his eyes sparkled with amusement. "Oh~ I see. So, you're worried I might get hurt?"

"NO—! I just—!" Wang Dong stomped his foot, then spun around and dove into bed, covering his head with his blanket. "That's it! Go away! I'm going to sleep!"

Wang Feng chuckled, walking closer. "Alright, alright. I'm sorry." He patted the lump under the blanket. "But thanks for caring."

From under the covers, Wang Dong's muffled voice replied, "…Idiot."

Because of all the commotion, Huo Yuhao also woke up. "Huuuaaa~ What's with all the noise…?"

"What happened?" he asked groggily. "Are you two… arguing again?"

Wang Feng just laughed and shrugged. "Not really an argument. More like… a small misunderstanding."

"Woman's scent," Wang Dong muttered from under the blanket.

Huo Yuhao tilted his head. "Huh?"

Wang Feng shook his head and smiled. "It's nothing. Let's just go back to sleep."

Huo Yuhao still looked confused, but he yawned again, rubbing his eyes. "Haaah… alright. But if you two wake me up again, I'm throwing a pillow at both of you."

With that, he lay back down, pulling the blanket up to his chin. Within seconds, his breathing grew steady—he was fast asleep again.

Wang Feng looked at his two friends, now both asleep—one still completely wrapped in a blanket, the other already starting to snore softly. A warmth filled his heart.

He sat for a moment on his bed. After taking a deep breath, Wang Feng finally lay down and pulled the blanket over himself. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

....

The next morning, under a bright, clear sky—

The three of them were lying on a bed that they had joined together. Their hands were interlocked, forming a close connection. They were cultivating together to maximize the effectiveness of their training, thanks to their Martial Soul Fusion.

As the noise outside the dormitory began to grow louder, the three opened their eyes simultaneously. Afterward, they tidied themselves up before heading to the academic building.

The moment they entered the classroom, a warm atmosphere immediately embraced them.

After Zhou Yi's group assignment the previous day, the students were now gathered with their respective team members.

Xiao Xiao, who was in the same team as Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, called out to the two from a distance.

Since Wang Feng would not be participating in the freshmen assessment this time, he decided to sit at the back of the class, observing the classroom atmosphere and watching his friends interact.

He knew that his role in the class was a bit different. His status as a special student exempted him from having to attend all formal lessons like the others. But that didn't mean he wasn't interested in his friends' progress—especially Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao.

Thump, thump, thump.

Three knocks echoed, and the classroom immediately fell into complete silence—so quiet that even the drop of a pin could be heard.

Zhou Yi stood at the classroom door. She had just placed down her right hand, the knocking sound coming from her raps on the door.

She walked slowly toward the podium, still wearing her usual cold expression.

"I've registered the participating teams. The competition will officially begin this afternoon. In the ten round-robin matches, you won't be facing each other, only students from other classes. I only have one instruction for you: anyone who gets in the way of you passing the assessment—beat them to death. Alright, dismissed. Gather at the assessment field this afternoon."

With that, the stern teacher turned calmly and walked away.

After Zhou Yi left, the students returned to discussing plans with their teammates. Wang Feng stood up, intending to leave, but was stopped by Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao gently tugged on Wang Feng's sleeve and spoke in a soft voice, "Wait a second, Wang Feng. Even if you're not joining the assessment, could you still come to the field later? I'd feel a lot calmer if you were there."

Wang Feng looked at Huo Yuhao's face, which looked adorably serious, and smiled. "Of course. I'll be there. Besides, I'm curious to see how you all fight."

He said it while placing his hand on Huo Yuhao's head, which felt incredibly soft.

Huo Yuhao lowered his head slightly, cheeks blushing from Wang Feng's touch. He didn't respond—just gave a small nod.

Not far from them, Wang Dong, who had just finished talking with Xiao Xiao, glanced over at his two friends. Seeing Wang Feng's hand on Huo Yuhao's head, his expression darkened slightly.

"Hey! What perverted thing are you doing to Yuhao now? Look at him—his face is all red."

Wang Feng quickly withdrew his hand and chuckled, "What do you mean, perverted? I was just patting his head because he looked nervous. It's a normal thing between friends, isn't it?"

Wang Dong snorted, glaring sharply as if trying to stab Wang Feng with his eyes. "If it's so normal, then why is his face beet red? You embarrassed him!"

Huo Yuhao hurriedly shook his head, his cheeks still flushed. "I-it's not like that... I was just… yeah, a little nervous about the match later."

Wang Dong narrowed his eyes at Wang Feng, then turned to Huo Yuhao with a gentler tone. "If you're nervous, tell me. Don't depend on someone shady like him."

Wang Feng raised both hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright. My bad." But the small smile on his lips showed he had no regrets at all.

Watching them, Xiao Xiao sighed. "You two… are like a quarreling married couple."

"WHAT?!" Wang Dong and Wang Feng shouted almost in unison.

Huo Yuhao giggled at their reactions. "Xiao Xiao's right. You two are always like this."

Before the little commotion could escalate any further, the bell signaling the end of the period rang. The students began preparing to leave the room.

Wang Feng glanced at the clock, then reminded them, "The assessment is this afternoon, right? Don't forget to get some rest and eat properly. You'll need the energy."

"I know," Wang Dong replied quickly, still wearing a pouty face.

And with that, they went their separate ways.