Douluo Dalu 2: Peerless Gu master

Before the two of them headed out to eat, Wang Dong finally revealed her intention. "Being able to perform a martial soul fusion skill shows that we have excellent compatibility. Now, let me reveal my true self to you."

Huo Yuhao thought to himself, 'I'm not really sure I want to see this.'

As Wang Dong activated her secret technique, a figure with pink and blue hues forced itself into Huo Yuhao's vision.

The girl was tall, with long pink and blue hair cascading down to her waist, her lips a striking red, and her face as fair as snow. She looked like a fairy who had descended into the mortal world, her beauty starkly contrasting with the slightly shabby dormitory surroundings.

"How do I look?" Wang Dong's cheeks flushed slightly, adding a touch of girlish shyness to her already enchanting face.

"Not bad. There's a kind of contrasting beauty to it. But how does your transformation secret technique work? It's truly impressive. Can you teach me?" Huo Yuhao was genuinely intrigued by this ability to alter one's appearance at will, though he knew it couldn't compare to the practicality of his own imitation skills.

Wang Dong: ...This unromantic fool. 

"This is a secret technique of my family. I can't just teach it to anyone," she replied.

Huo Yuhao didn't press further. "Alright, then change back quickly. After dinner, we need to return to the dormitory to continue cultivating."

Wang Dong grumbled as she changed back into her male attire. "Why are you so obsessed with cultivation? What's the rush? Are you afraid of losing to me later? As long as I get serious..."

Seeing Wang Dong's apparent lack of interest in cultivation, Huo Yuhao decided to push a little harder to motivate her.

"At your age, with your current soul power level, how can you afford to slack off? Don't you know there are several special recruits at the Soul grandmaster level among this year's Shrek freshmen?"

"What?! There are Soul grandmasters already?" Wang Dong's expression shifted to one of urgency.

She had thought her soul power level was enough to dominate among the freshmen, but now she felt a sense of crisis. 'I can't believe I'm facing such strong competition even before the academy officially starts!'

"Then you've been training secretly without me this afternoon, haven't you?" Wang Dong accused.

"Brother Wang, I was just being considerate. You were sleeping so soundly, I didn't want to disturb you," Huo Yuhao replied innocently.

"I don't care. You owe me for making me miss half a day of training."

"Alright, alright, enough with the nonsense."

Their relationship had subtly grown closer through these light-hearted exchanges. Perhaps this was what it meant to be normal roommates?

Finally, the two prepared to head to Shrek City. According to Wang Dong, she found Shrek's cafeteria utterly repulsive—not only were there no proper tables or chairs, but the food wasn't allowed to be taken out either.

Huo Yuhao agreed with her assessment. Just like the dilapidated freshman dormitory, Shrek Academy always seemed to have some peculiar rules in place.

At Wang Dong's suggestion, they decided to visit a special restaurant near the north gate of Shrek City.

"I'll treat you this time," Wang Dong said, patting her slightly flat chest.

"Thank you, Miss Wang Dong," Huo Yuhao replied with a smirk. 'I don't know whether to credit the Haotian Sect's secret technique for its effectiveness or Wang Dong's natural talent for disguise.'

"Hey, don't go revealing my identity in front of outsiders," Wang Dong warned seriously.

"Got it, Brother Wang."

As they left the dormitory, the sky was beginning to darken, and Shrek Academy was bustling with activity. Freshmen were heading out in pairs, and the square was filled with energy.

The two of them, with their striking appearances, naturally drew a lot of attention as they passed through. Many female students cast admiring glances their way, and some even boldly approached them, hoping to strike up a conversation.

"Yuhao, more girls came to see me than you this time. I win," Wang Dong teased.

Huo Yuhao chuckled but said nothing. 'I really don't know what you're so proud of. Didn't you notice they were all scared off by my aloof demeanor? They're just superficial admirers, not worth engaging with.' 

Seeing Wang Dong preening like a peacock, Huo Yuhao felt the need to remind her, "Be careful. There's no future between you and them."

Wang Dong waved her hand dismissively. "I know, I know. Why are you more long-winded than my father? You've said it so many times already..."

'Alright, Brother Wang, I've done my part. You're the one disguising as a man and playing around, deceiving innocent girls. But you'd better keep your true identity hidden.' 

Just like Xiao Xiao in the original story, Wang Dong's attitude of neither taking the initiative nor outright rejecting advances gave some girls the illusion that they had a chance.

When Xiao Xiao eventually learned the truth, it was a miracle their friendship didn't end entirely. She truly was a gentle and strong girl.

It's a shame, though. Perhaps due to the author's questionable taste, Xiao Xiao was eventually paired with He Caitou in the end. It's hard to say whether that was a good decision or not.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Huo Yuhao, with Wang Dong's permission, decided to indulge himself.

Since the rich girl was treating, he saw no reason to hold back. Wang Dong, for her part, didn't mind. After all, the Haotian Sect was a wealthy family, and a meal like this was nothing to her.

'It feels good to eat for free', Huo Yuhao thought. Though he knew he needed to be wary of Tang San's schemes, he wasn't one to turn down a good opportunity.

'Freeloading off the daughter of the God King? Comfortable indeed.' 

[Achievement Triggered!] 

[Achieved Tang San's "Already Have a Way to Die" Achievement. Reward: Peeping Gu.]

[Peeping Gu: A fifth-tier Gu worm capable of spying on the power of fate and gaining glimpses into destiny.]

[Evaluation: Treat others as they treat you.] 

Huo Yuhao: 'Tang San?! When did you get here? Just because I'm enjoying a free meal, you're already targeting me?' 

'This "Already Have a Way to Die" achievement—did I somehow provoke the Sea God? It doesn't seem like I've done anything outrageous.' 

Huo Yuhao carefully reviewed his actions up to this point. 'What could have possibly angered Tang San so much?' 

'Let's see: Tianmeng Iceworm started the game, I declined the Tang Sect's invitation, convinced the Ice Emperor to surrender, enrolled in Shrek, met Wang Dong after a fight, and finally experimented with martial soul fusion skills. Not bad, right? Even so, Tang San is still upset?' 

'Could it be that my butterfly effect caught the attention of the God of Destruction, who then noticed Tang San's secret maneuvers? Or did the martial soul fusion skills we performed earlier raise his suspicions?' 

'It's not my fault if the compatibility isn't 100%. Besides, I revealed Wang Dong's true gender much earlier than in the original story. What more do you want, God King Tang?' 

'If only I could see Tang San now, I'd love to know what he thinks of me. At most, we're at the "acquaintance" stage. Honestly, I'm a little flattered. According to Tang San's standards, he has very few friends.' 

'Of course, it's best if we don't meet too soon. I don't want to die before accomplishing my mission.' 

Huo Yuhao shook his head, deciding to stop overthinking it. 'The God King must be seriously ill to act like this!' 

'Well, since things have come to this, let's eat first. Afterward, we can head to the Treasure Pavilion and see if I can pick up the ten-thousand-year whale glue. Perfect!

'I'll just borrow some of Wang Dong's 6,000 gold soul coins for now. I could afford it myself, but there's no need. My small treasury, built on "robbing the rich to help the poor," is running low, and I'll need to conserve resources for the long haul. I wonder when Shrek's funding will come through.' 

'I, the twin martial soul, the ultimate ice, will pay for it someday! 

'As for this fifth-tier Peeping Gu, I'll find a time to send Wang Dong away and test it out later...'

…

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