The reason Huo Yuhao and Zhu Yun ran so quickly was that they were going to find someone.
In the Ninth Class of freshmen, Ning Tian had just finished packing her things and walked out of the classroom door, preparing to head to the school cafeteria with Wu Feng, when she saw a boy and a girl running over quickly.
The boy came up to her, calmed his breathing, and asked:
"Excuse me, are you Ning Tian?"
Before Ning Tian could speak, Wu Feng blocked her path and rudely snapped:
"What does it have to do with you? Stay away from my Young Mistress!"
Ning Tian frowned and pulled Wu Feng back.
"Wu Feng, don't be so rude to your classmates. Also, I told you not to call me Young Mistress in the academy."
After speaking, she looked at Huo Yuhao and Zhu Yun and asked calmly:
"Please forgive Wu Feng's rudeness, students. May I ask why you're looking for me?"
Huo Yuhao didn't say anything. Instead, he held out a badge towards Ning Tian.
Seeing the badge, Ning Tian's pupils contracted slightly.
"Th-this is?"
Huo Yuhao smiled gently:
"It seems you recognize this badge. Would you do us the honor of joining us for a meal?"
"...Okay."
Ning Tian was silent for two seconds before nodding in agreement.
Wu Feng was stunned.
"Young Mistress... Class Monitor, didn't you say we were going to eat together, just the two of us, today?"
Ning Tian closed her eyes and said calmly:
"Plans have changed. This student's matter is more important."
As she spoke, she lowered her gaze to the badge in Huo Yuhao's hand again, her eyes deepening.
As the Young Mistress of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Tian naturally recognized this badge.
This was the proof of a Rank 3 Soul Engineer.
Because the core members of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect all possess the auxiliary-type Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda spirit, they often choose to use soul tools to enhance their self-preservation abilities and compensate for their lack of combat power.
As the young Young Mistress of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Tian had been exposed to soul tools since childhood.
Therefore, she had a clear understanding of what it meant for Huo Yuhao to be able to become a Rank 3 Soul Engineer at such an age.
Aside from Shrek Academy, where soul tool technology is most advanced, the original three kingdoms of Douluo possess only a handful of Rank 7 Soul Engineers at most. These Rank 7 Soul Engineers are almost exclusively affiliated with the royal families and are completely inaccessible to ordinary people.
Aside from the royal families, most individuals can only access up to Rank 6 Soul Engineers. The Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect currently maintains cooperative relationships with several Rank 6 Soul Engineers and is considered one of the sects in the original three kingdoms of Douluo with the best connections to soul engineers.
To address this need, the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect has also been training its own soul engineers. However, due to issues such as facilities and funding, their results are completely incomparable to those of Shrek Academy's Soul Tool Department. They only possess two Rank 6 Soul Engineers at most, and most individuals would typically need to be over thirty years old to be trained to the level of a Rank 3 Soul Engineer.
Huo Yuhao is in the same year as her, which means he is around eleven years old. Yet, he can become a Rank 3 Soul Engineer. Regardless of any potential exaggeration, this indicates that in the field of soul tools, he is undeniably the top genius in the original three kingdoms of Douluo.
For Ning Tian, an eleven-year-old Rank 3 Soul Engineer is much rarer and much more important than an eleven-year-old Soul Venerable.
As long as he doesn't actively become her enemy, she must strive to build a good relationship with him.
Since they needed to discuss important matters, the outer courtyard cafeteria at Shrek Academy, which lacked seating, was no longer suitable. Furthermore, with classes in the afternoon, going specifically to a restaurant in Shrek City would be too time-consuming. In the end, Huo Yuhao decided to take the initiative and show off his cooking skills.
Finding a quiet, deserted corner within the academy, Huo Yuhao took out various pieces of kitchenware from his storage soul tool. He then took the fish that Zhu Yun had brought, lit a fire, and began to grill.
Watching their practiced movements, Ning Tian's mouth couldn't help but twitch.
How are these two so practiced? And why would someone carry fish around with them?
Noticing Ning Tian's gaze, Huo Yuhao smiled and explained:
"Little Yun loves the grilled fish I make. Every few days, she insists that I make it for her, so we've both developed the habit of carrying kitchenware and ingredients with us."
Anyway, their storage soul tools have ample space, more than enough. Packing some cooking utensils and seasonings that don't take up much volume is completely harmless.
In fact, because general storage soul tools aren't very effective at storing ingredients, Zhu Yun even specifically had someone buy her a storage soul tool designed for camping trips to keep her fish in. When ingredients are stored inside, their shelf life is extended several times over.
The two of them basically do this every four or five days, with Huo Yuhao personally grilling the fish for her. Counting the days, today was just about the right time.
As Huo Yuhao spoke, he skillfully sprinkled seasonings onto the grilled fish on the rack, his movements incredibly practiced.
Before long, the unique aroma of grilled fish wafted out, causing both Ning Tian and Wu Feng, who smelled it, to have their eyes light up.
They hadn't originally expected Huo Yuhao's cooking to be particularly good, but they hadn't anticipated it smelling this amazing.
It looked like they were in for a real treat this lunchtime.
Soon, Huo Yuhao finished grilling the first fish. He handed it to Zhu Yun, who then handed it to Ning Tian.
It was true that she was craving the grilled fish Huo Yuhao made, but she knew who the main guest was today. In this situation, she should offer it to Ning Tian first.
Ning Tian didn't refuse. After taking the grilled fish, she took a small bite and instantly her eyes flew open.
"Delicious!"
Although she had already had some expectations, the deliciousness of Huo Yuhao's grilled fish still surpassed what she had imagined.
As the eldest young lady of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Tian had eaten many mountain and sea delicacies. But those so-called gourmet foods were truly insignificant compared to Huo Yuhao's grilled fish.
She would bet that she probably wouldn't eat grilled fish this delicious again in her lifetime.
Huo Yuhao smiled calmly.
"As long as you're satisfied. Take your time and eat; Little Yun brought more than enough fish."
Having said that, he resumed his task of grilling fish.
The reason his grilled fish is so delicious is partly due to practiced skill, but more importantly, it's his mastery of the heat and seasonings.
This kind of work requires complete concentration. Talking occasionally is fine, but continuous talking would affect the quality of the grilled fish.
Soon, grilled fish came off the grill one by one, finding their way into the stomachs of the four people present.
The three girls all ate a considerable amount. With their appetites whetted, they simply couldn't stop.
Watching the three of them eat with gusto, Huo Yuhao suddenly thought of Wang Dong for some reason.
Come to think of it, he seemed to have promised that guy before that he would grill fish for him.
Huo Yuhao lowered his head and smiled.
Never mind, next time.
After all, he had important matters to discuss with Ning Tian this time, and some things weren't convenient for Wang Dong to hear.