Good to Have Someone Out Front

"Achoo..." Hua Yichen sneezed, his brow furrowing instinctively. Who was talking about him behind his back? "Pagoda Master Hua? Pagoda Master Hua?" "Ah, my apologies, I spaced out for a moment. Please go on, Principal Yu." Hua Yichen looked at the elderly man seated across from him. He was of average build and ordinary appearance, with graying hair, a pair of glasses, and a distinctly scholarly demeanor. This was Yu Zhen, the principal of East Sea Academy—and an old acquaintance of his. "Have you given any thought to whether Huo Yuhao can enroll at East Sea Academy? He's already reached school age. If he doesn't plan on leaving East Sea City for the time being, our academy is an excellent choice." Yu Zhen looked at Hua Yichen with eager, pleading eyes. Ever since an academy teacher happened across Huo Yuhao while escorting students to the Ascension Platform and reported it back, Yu Zhen had been waiting for this day. A Body Martial Soul possessor of the caliber normally seen only in top-tier institutions, and a local of East Sea City to boot! If they could recruit him, he might help East Sea Academy turn things around and make a name for itself at the Skysea Alliance Tournament in a year's time. He had long envied the academies in major first-tier cities that could recruit students from across the entire Federation... "..." Being stared at so intensely by an elderly man—even though Hua Yichen was technically older—made him feel rather awkward. He cleared his throat lightly. "Ahem. I will respect Yuhao's own choice. If he is willing to attend East Sea Academy, I won't stand in his way." "This..." Yu Zhen was momentarily at a loss for words. Huo Yuhao was a core prodigy of the Spirit Pagoda. He lacked neither resources, teachers, nor wealth. What could East Sea Academy possibly offer to entice him? Or rather, what could they give someone like that? Yu Zhen sighed, well aware that he was reaching for the moon, yet he could not help pressing on: "Our academy has a teacher who came from the inner court of Shrek Academy. Due to some internal disagreements, he happens to be transferring from the senior division to the intermediate division. Under his tutelage, Huo Yuhao's development certainly wouldn't be hindered..." A knock at the door cut Yu Zhen off. "Teacher Hua, I'm back." A faint smile touched the corners of Hua Yichen's lips. "Come in." Huo Yuhao opened the door and stepped inside. Seeing Hua Yichen seated opposite Yu Zhen, his eyes flickered. He smiled and nodded politely to the guest, then looked toward Hua Yichen, as if asking whether he was interrupting their conversation. "It's fine. I had the staff tell you to drop by when you returned; after all, this matter concerns you." Hua Yichen gave Huo Yuhao a nod, then turned to Yu Zhen with a chuckle. "The person in question is here, Principal Yu. Don't say I never gave you a chance." "Thank you, Pagoda Master Hua!" Yu Zhen stood up solemnly and turned toward Huo Yuhao. "Student Huo Yuhao, may I ask if you have any interest in enrolling at East Sea Academy?" "Our academy will provide you with the best resources and environment, and we'll have our finest faculty guide your cultivation..." Yu Zhen listed numerous advantages the academy could offer, though deep down he knew that compared to the Spirit Pagoda, East Sea Academy held no advantages at all. Huo Yuhao pondered for a moment and shook his head, causing Yu Zhen's heart to sink halfway into his chest. But then Huo Yuhao spoke: "I will enroll in East Sea Academy, but I don't need any special treatment. Treating me like an ordinary student will suffice." "This..." Delight caught Yu Zhen completely off guard, leaving him flushed with excitement. "B-but you're different from the other students..." "Different in what way? A special admissions student?" Huo Yuhao chuckled softly and shook his head. "Principal, giving me special privileges would only stir up resentment among the other students and their parents. I wouldn't want to be cornered on my very first day and interrogated about whether I pulled strings to get in." Yu Zhen was speechless. Hua Yichen was equally speechless. *With your current soul power and cultivation, who among your peers would dare corner you?* In the end, Yu Zhen left in high spirits, brimming with joy and excitement. Once he was gone, Hua Yichen turned to Huo Yuhao and asked, "Have you truly thought this through? East Sea Academy isn't particularly remarkable among the Federation's intermediate academies." Huo Yuhao shook his head. "If you didn't want me to go, you wouldn't have called me in here." "Fair point." Hua Yichen smiled and shared his reasoning. "I've already told you about the situation at headquarters. Now is not the right time to go there. As for attending an intermediate academy in another first-tier city and drawing on the local Spirit Pagoda's resources, you'd have to walk on eggshells and cater to others' whims, which is hardly ideal." "At East Sea Academy, this Spirit Pagoda branch will be your backing and your shield. You won't have to bow to anyone! Here, I've got you covered!" Huo Yuhao's expression shifted slightly. He said nothing, merely giving a gentle nod. *Godking Tang, look at this. This is how a normal elder supports the younger generation—not through endless twists, turns, torments, and suffering!* *** After spending some time in the Spirit Pagoda's library, Huo Yuhao returned home, entered his cultivation room, and began to review his situation. *The Mecha Master Association has caught President Li's eye, so we'll see how that unfolds... Still, enrolling in East Sea Academy?* Huo Yuhao's eyes flickered. East Sea Academy ranked in the lower-middle tier among soul master institutions and had always sought to raise its prestige. Finding a prodigy born right here in East Sea City and trying to recruit him was hardly surprising. For Huo Yuhao, as long as he had a quiet place to cultivate, it made little difference where he went. However, according to the Spirit Pagoda's intelligence, he had already confirmed that Tang Wulin had been admitted to East Sea Academy just as in the original timeline. If Huo Yuhao appeared before Tang Wulin, there was a risk of exposing himself to Tang San's divine sense. What was Huo Yuhao in Tang San's eyes? The Son of the Plane from ten thousand years ago, whom Tang San had wanted to wine, dine, decapitate, and keep as an obedient hound. Yet ten thousand years ago, Huo Yuhao had repeatedly slipped outside the boundaries of Tang San's grand designs. Back then, it could still be explained away by the abuse he had suffered in childhood, which had supposedly shaped an aloof, reclusive temperament. What about now? Huo Yuhao, who was supposed to be dead, had reappeared just after the God Realm vanished. If Tang San saw him, how could he not overthink it? *Tang San: Brat, do you know something? Do you harbor grievances against the God Realm? Are you planning to rebel against me? You truly have a way that courts death!* It wouldn't be surprising in the least if Tang San jumped to such conclusions. Thus, appearing before Tang Wulin was inherently dangerous. But since Huo Yuhao had agreed to Hua Yichen's suggestion, he naturally had a measure of confidence. In the original story, the state of Tang San's divine sense could roughly be divided into three phases. In the first phase, because the God Realm had drifted away, Tang San's divine sense lacked energy replenishment from his true body. The power it could wield was extremely limited. Most of the time it remained dormant, unconscious of the outside world, and relied on Tang Wulin to provide information. In the second phase, Tang Wulin obtained the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud, allowing Tang San's divine sense to establish contact with his true body in the God Realm. With its energy restored, it even transported Tang Wulin's adoptive parents across infinite distance into the God Realm. In the third phase, there were the three opportunities Tang San had left behind—the so-called Three Strikes of the Godking—the most powerful of which had utterly undone the Abyssal Monarch, a first-class god. The second phase was the most perilous, while the first was the least dangerous. In fact, during this first phase... with sufficient preparation, wiping out that wisp of divine sense wasn't entirely out of the question. Yet after careful consideration, Huo Yuhao dismissed the idea. If he truly pushed Tang San too far, Tang Hao might intervene, which would cause far more trouble than it was worth. Huo Yuhao carried too many lives with him; he bore the hopes of an entire people. Mutually assured destruction was no game. Before he possessed the power to handle Tang Hao, it was best not to touch that wisp of divine sense. *In that case, the only viable middle ground is to seize the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud, denying Tang San's divine sense any opportunity to contact the God Realm...* Reaching this thought, Huo Yuhao suddenly let out a soft chuckle and shook his head. *Am I being overly cautious? Choosing the lesser of two evils—right now, someone else is taking the heat out front for me.* The Abyssal Monarch! Without even lifting a finger, he had kept the Godking's divine sense from acting rashly and forced the Planar Ruler into self-preservation, too cautious to show his face. As expected of a first-class god! Indeed, it felt great having someone out front taking the heat. With that in mind, Huo Yuhao thought of another figure who, in a sense, was also standing out front, and his expression turned rather intriguing. He had already heard from Hua Yichen that Gu Yuena was currently thriving in the Spirit Pagoda, rather than running off to Aolai City. Had the Silver Dragon King finally regained her sanity? She actually hadn't sealed her memories to go experience human life? Hmm... come to think of it, she really had no need to, did she? The reason the Silver Dragon King had originally sealed her memories and power to enter human society was to make herself blend in like a human. Huo Yuhao didn't even want to bother complaining about how absurd that reasoning was. Consider the present era: soul beasts had been integrating into human society for nearly ten thousand years. Di Tian's portrait was printed in newspapers and textbooks! To claim soul beasts had no clue how humans lived—what kind of joke was that? Without her ever stepping into human society on her own, the other soul beasts could have easily helped her blend in! So why had she joined the Spirit Pagoda this time around? Huo Yuhao furrowed his brows. Was it the same goal as in the original timeline? Or did she have an entirely different plan?