A Wife for Free

At the name Huo Yuhao, the students of Class Two immediately felt a wave of helplessness.

There was no other reason—Huo Yuhao was simply too dazzling. His battle against Xu Sanshi had made him famous among this year's freshmen, and even throughout the entire Outer Court.

Wang Yan couldn't help taking another couple of looks at Huo Yuhao. The academy had done very little research into Body Martial Souls, and Wang Yan himself had always been extremely passionate about the subject. As the academy's leading theoretical scholar, he had studied all kinds of Martial Souls, but he had made no progress at all with Body Martial Souls.

Now, with an example of a Body Martial Soul right before him, Wang Yan immediately focused all his attention.

The Huo Yuhao Trio took their positions on the left side of the Assessment Area. The three on the right were all men. Chu Qiuchi looked rather fat, while Han Bing had a cold air about him and wore a stern expression. Yang Zhan was the opposite, his fighting spirit blazing as he looked at Huo Yuhao with growing seriousness.

Of the three, Huo Yuhao stood at the front, with Xiao Xiao and Song Hanqing on either side of him.

Seeing that both sides were ready, Wang Yan nodded. "The assessment begins!"

A large black cauldron appeared above Xiao Xiao's head. It was ancient and heavy-looking—her Martial Soul, the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron. Two Yellow Soul Rings lit up beneath her feet.

Xiao Xiao's Second Spirit, the Nine Phoenix Coming Flute, also had a Yellow Hundred Year Soul Ring. She had already told Huo Yuhao and Song Hanqing about it.

A silver-white egg appeared in Song Hanqing's right hand. That was right, his egg was silver-white, not the usual yellow. Two Hundred Year Soul Rings appeared along with it.

Huo Yuhao opened his eyes, gray spreading rapidly across his irises. As three irregular Soul Rings lit up, Wang Yan couldn't help but feel deeply astonished. Huo Yuhao had absorbed a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring as the third Soul Ring of his Body Martial Soul. Wang Yan had no idea how he'd managed it.

"Don't panic just because we're facing Huo Yuhao. We're all students of Shrek Academy, and none of us is weaker than the others," Chu Qiuchi said, forcing the words out. A pitch-black hammer appeared in his right hand: his Martial Soul, the Thousand Jun Hammer. Two Hundred Year Soul Rings wound around its handle.

Han Bing didn't say a word. Suddenly, a bitter wind swept through the area, and the temperature in the Assessment Area plummeted. An Ice Staff appeared in his right hand, and two Hundred Year Soul Rings rose beneath his feet. His Martial Soul was the Ice Staff.

Yang Zhan gave a cold snort and summoned an Iron Spear. Its tip glinted crimson, like some bloodthirsty primordial beast. The moment it appeared, Wang Yan blurted out, "The Soul Breaking Spear!"

Ten thousand years ago, the Breaking Clan, led by Yang Wudi's lineage, had been one of the major branches of the Tang Sect. Their Martial Soul was the Soul Breaking Spear.

After ten thousand years of inheritance, the Breaking Clan had long since vanished into the river of history. Now, seeing the Soul Breaking Spear appear again gave one the feeling of returning to the days of ten thousand years ago.

Two Soul Rings wound around the shaft of the Soul Breaking Spear. Three Soul Grandmasters, two of them Assault System Battle Soul Masters—a combination like this certainly made for a formidable opponent.

Xiao Xiao swallowed instinctively. The Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron resonated with the Soul Breaking Spear: the clash of spear and shield, and the contest between the defense of one Soul Grandmaster and the attack of another.

Yang Zhan charged first, the Soul Breaking Spear thrusting straight at Huo Yuhao. Han Bing remained expressionless as the First Soul Ring on his Ice Staff lit up. A layer of solid ice froze around the ankles of Huo Yuhao, Song Hanqing, and Xiao Xiao, leaving them unable to move.

Chu Qiuchi was overjoyed. His First Soul Ring flashed, and the hammer in his hands rapidly grew in size before crashing down toward Huo Yuhao.

Of the three, Huo Yuhao was the one everyone feared most. If they could take him out right at the start, the remaining two would be nothing to worry about.

Xiao Xiao and Song Hanqing were stunned. As the attacks came at them, Xiao Xiao was just about to pour all her strength into driving the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron to block Yang Zhan's Soul Breaking Spear.

But then something happened that left Wang Yan and all the students from the other four groups watching beside the Assessment Area utterly dumbfounded.

The ice binding Huo Yuhao's feet quietly vanished. A beam of gray light shot from his eyes, and all ten people within a ten-meter radius, with Yang Zhan at the center, froze in place.

Disbelief and terror spread across the faces of Yang Zhan, Chu Qiuchi, and Han Bing. They had heard that Huo Yuhao's Body Martial Soul was his eyes, and that he could control time. Their plan had been to have Han Bing restrain Huo Yuhao so he wouldn't have a chance to act.

But only when they made their move did the three realize just how terrifying Huo Yuhao truly was.

"Xiao Xiao! Leave Han Bing to you!"

"Song Hanqing, let me taste what your eggs are like!"

Xiao Xiao couldn't move, but she still had her hands free. She controlled the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron, making it appear over Han Bing's head. As it descended, it split into three, and the three cauldrons pressed Han Bing into the ground, leaving him unable to struggle.

Song Hanqing only gave him a pained look. "Why does that sound so awful when you put it like that, Class Monitor?"

"First Soul Skill, Spirit Spirit Boiled Egg."

A silver-white egg flew straight toward Huo Yuhao. He caught it and popped it into his mouth.

As its name suggested, Song Hanqing's First Soul Skill enhanced Mental Power. After eating the egg, Huo Yuhao immediately felt his Mental Power increase by ten percent.

A huge Time Grinding Mill appeared above Yang Zhan and Chu Qiuchi.

"First Soul Skill, Years Erasure!"

A creaking sound came from above. Just as the Time Grinding Mill was about to fall, Wang Yan rushed over and quickly pulled Chu Qiuchi and Yang Zhan away.

Xiao Xiao withdrew the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron. According to the assessment rules, once a teacher intervened in a match, it meant the other side had already lost.

Looking at the gray in Huo Yuhao's eyes, Wang Yan couldn't help drawing in a sharp breath. "What an incredible Body Martial Soul. Huo Yuhao's team from Class One wins the match."

The first round of assessment matches ended. Yang Zhan and the other two clenched their fists, looking thoroughly unconvinced. If Huo Yuhao hadn't had such absolute control over time, and the three-on-three fight had played out normally, the outcome would have been uncertain.

Wang Yan finished recording the match results, and the next group took their turn.

After finishing their match for the day, the Huo Yuhao Trio left.

"Absolute control over time with a Body Martial Soul. Huo Yuhao is truly terrifying. I nearly made a mistake just now." Wang Yan shook his head to himself, then announced the start of the next assessment match.

The 316 groups would be assessed over three days. There was only one round of battles that afternoon; the next day, there would be two rounds in the morning and two in the afternoon; and on the third day, there would be five rounds. This grueling schedule would place a tremendous strain on their Soul Power, as well as pit the students against one another in a brutal competition.

After saying goodbye to Xiao Xiao and Song Hanqing, Huo Yuhao returned to his dormitory. Over the past three months, he had finally finished absorbing part of the Extreme Ice Heaven and Earth Yuan Power within him—the portion he had drawn on himself the last time he cultivated with Ma Xiaotao. His Soul Power had now reached Level Thirty-Five.

Once Soul Masters with an Ultimate Attribute passed Level Thirty, every increase in level became exceptionally difficult. Huo Yuhao truly missed cultivating with Ma Xiaotao. It was like the Small Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye in his dantian: a treasure trove that he could do nothing with. Nothing could be more tormenting.