Douluo Dalu 2: Reincarnated as the Auspicious Beast

"What's wrong?" Noticing that Wang Rui suddenly stopped in his tracks, Huo Yuqing asked in confusion.

"N-nothing." Wang Rui quickly turned his head away, his movements carrying an undeniable hint of panic.

Huo Yuqing looked at his reddened ears and suddenly seemed to realize something, letting out a short "Ah!" as her own face started to flush.

Wang Rui, sneaking a glance at her out of the corner of his eye, was speechless. He thought to himself, Why are you blushing? You're the one who started this! Where did your boldness go?

If he were truly just a twelve-year-old kid, he would have already charged forward just now. Instead, he was holding himself back internally, mentally smacking himself and shouting, Officer, this is the person!

Even elementary school kids wouldn't start dating this early.

But emotions weren't something Wang Rui could control at will.

Isn't there a saying that poverty, coughing, and love cannot be hidden? …Wait, that quote might not have the best origin.

The ancient three-eyed beast inside of him wanted nothing more than to slam his head against the ground in frustration, but on the surface, he kept up a good act—aside from his ears, which were now as red as his hair.

"Ahem, let's hurry up and go back. We still have to pack our things." He cleared his throat, acting as if nothing had happened, and pulled Huo Yuqing toward the dormitory building.

Before returning to his own dorm, Wang Rui deliberately took a detour to Room 108, wanting to check if his older sister had properly packed her belongings.

When he peeked in, he found that An Wen and Wang Dong had already finished packing. At that moment, they were arguing loudly over who owned the last stray sock that had been left outside their storage soul tool.

—The ultimate battle between Light and Darkness!

Wang Rui: …Never mind, I'll see myself out. You guys carry on.

As the holiday approached and farewells loomed, the students' eagerness to go home overpowered their reluctance to part with friends. The dormitory's soul lamps remained lit almost the entire night.

Not a single student, not even the most diligent ones, trained that night.

Come on, it's the holidays! Of course, we're going to have fun with our friends!

After living in a boarding school for eleven months without seeing their families, everyone was homesick. Just knowing that they could finally go home tomorrow made them lose all focus.

Even though their homeroom teacher repeatedly reminded them about the upcoming promotion exams after the break, the students still chose to enjoy one last joyful night with their friends.

No matter how talented or hardworking these first-year students were, they were still just children.

In Wang Rui's past life, they'd be the equivalent of middle school freshmen or sophomores.

And let's be real—even college students can't resist the excitement before a holiday.

Though the original novel never described anything like this, Shrek Academy always seemed like a Spartan training ground where everyone single-mindedly pursued strength. But intelligent beings inherently crave entertainment. Even if the children of Douluo Continent matured a little earlier than normal, they were still children. They could always find ways to have fun.

After all, their daily training was way too intense.

…Of course, we won't discuss certain types of overly mature entertainment. But suffice it to say, by the time of the Ten-Thousand-Year Era, Shrek's boarding school discipline was quite strict, almost comparable to the enclosed management of elite high schools. Most of the students came from wealthy or noble families, meaning they received good family education and understood the importance of self-restraint. It was unlikely that they'd behave like the students from the original Shrek Academy ten thousand years ago.

Some played chess; some held paper airplane competitions—sabotaging each other's flights with soul skills; some role-played as famous Title Douluo—hilarious, especially the guy imitating the Elephant Douluo, Xiang Huanyue; and others simply gathered to chat the night away.

Wang Rui even saw several students from wealthy backgrounds pulling out newly released soul tool toys.

At their age, soul masters were practically superpowered kids, making their games far more interesting than those of ordinary children.

No one slept. Even those who wanted to were kept awake by the excited voices echoing throughout the dormitory building.

The dormitory supervisors, used to this scene, merely glanced at the rowdy students in the hallways and pretended not to see them. Every year was the same, and older students naturally learned to control themselves over time.

Wang Rui wasn't entirely sure how he spent the night, but as one of the most well-known figures in Class One, he was bombarded with invitations to join various games. It was hard to refuse—though a mature Three-Eyed Golden Lion would never admit to being caught up in the fun and acting like a child.

For soul masters, pulling an all-nighter was nothing. The next morning, students began leaving Shrek Academy one after another.

Wang Dong and An Wen had somehow made up again, walking arm-in-arm and whispering to each other as they left.

Not long after they exited Shrek Academy, An Wen suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure weighing down on her. For an ordinary one-ring soul master, this level of pressure would have been terrifying.

Walking behind them, Wang Rui frowned.

An Wen sharply looked up and saw two imposing middle-aged men standing not far away.

One had an ordinary face, his long green hair draped down his back. The other had fierce features, his short hair standing upright like steel needles—it was this man who was glaring at An Wen.

Isn't that the old water snake and old gorilla who abandoned Star Dou to serve the Sea God ten thousand years ago? These two had quite the reputation in the Great Star Dou Forest.

An Wen, still draping an arm over Wang Dong's shoulder, turned slightly to exchange a look with Wang Rui.

Wang Rui subtly shook his head.

Not the time for a confrontation yet.

An Wen understood immediately and looked away, acting as if she hadn't noticed the distant Titan's oppressive aura. After all, she and Wang Rui had spent fifteen thousand years together; their tacit understanding was unparalleled.

Still, An Wen wasn't one to let things slide so easily. As a black panther spirit beast, she held grudges. If I can't fight them now, I can at least irritate them a little.

Her eyes flickered mischievously, and she suddenly smirked.

"Hey, Wang Dong, you better work hard over the break. If we get a teacher like Old Witch Zhou next semester, and they target you, you're doomed~"

Let's see who gets annoyed today!

The oppressive aura from Titan vanished instantly.

Wang Dong, who had been excitedly discussing holiday plans, was momentarily speechless from the abrupt topic change. He huffed, "What nonsense are you talking about? You're more likely to get expelled first!"

"Well, who knows? But you're progressing so slowly. Can you reach three rings by next semester? I doubt it. I'm about to hit two rings—I'll surpass you soon!"

"In your dreams!"

The two started bickering.

It wasn't until Titan finally lost patience and called out to Wang Dong that they fell silent.

Wang Dong rolled his eyes at An Wen, then turned to Wang Rui and Huo Yuqing to say goodbye before heading toward his guardians.

"Uncle, Second Uncle!" He hugged Niu Tian and Titan. "Why did you come in person?"

"We missed you." Titan chuckled, though his heart ached remembering Wang Dong's letter asking whether he had ever suffered memory loss. As soon as Shrek Academy started the break, they had rushed over to pick him up.

"How was school?" Niu Tian ruffled Wang Dong's hair. "Who was that just now?"

"Oh, my roommate. A petty guy," Wang Dong grumbled, still annoyed by An Wen's teasing.

"…Is he from the Tang Sect?" Titan frowned.

"No?" Wang Dong looked puzzled. "Why would you think that?"

"Oh, just curious. You mentioned wanting to join the Tang Sect before," Niu Tian said smoothly.

"About that… I was a little disappointed." Wang Dong hesitated. "I heard the Tang Sect's master is kind of shady… A pity, really. Ancestor Tang San's sect has fallen so far."

Niu Tian and Titan exchanged a glance.

Well, well… Looks like Tang San's plans didn't work out. Good.

"Oh, right. Just now, I heard you and your roommate talking about something like being targeted and having a hard time. What was that about?" Niu Tian asked with a smile. "Tell your Big Uncle about it?"