New Student Assessment Champion

"Elder Xuan, is there really no room for negotiation?" Qian Duoduo said to Xuan Lao in a tone bordering on pleading.

Xuan Lao shook his head, his tone resolute. "Huo Yuhao must walk the path of a Soul Master. His Martial Soul, Time Eye, can control the flow of time, enough to turn the tide of battle in future wars. You know the Sun Moon Empire has been restless lately. Huo Yuhao's existence is a trump card for the Academy when the continent faces crisis. Soul Tool development is important, but the learning cycle is far too long. Rather than letting him focus entirely on Soul Tools, it's better to have him specialize in the Soul Master path."

Xuan Lao's status in the Academy was second only to Mu Lao, and his word was law. Qian Duoduo dared not provoke him, and could only look at Huo Yuhao with eyes full of regret.

Just then, Du Weilun leaned close to Xuan Lao's ear and whispered something. Whatever he said made Xuan Lao drop his usual carefree demeanor, his eyes turning sharp as he gazed at Huo Yuhao as if he were a rare treasure.

The referee teacher at Arena One was a Seven-Ring Soul Saint. The four teams in the semifinals, twelve students in total, were the Academy's future hope, so naturally the Academy wouldn't be stingy, even going so far as to prevent accidents during the minor New Student Assessment.

Huo Yuhao, Xiao Xiao, Song Hanqing.

Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, Cui Yajie.

The six semifinalists assembled. Seeing this, the referee teacher spread his arms and said, "The assessment is about to begin. Both sides, please retreat to the edges of the arena. I will announce the start of the match before you may officially attack."

The Huo Yuhao Trio turned and walked toward the edge of the arena. As they walked, Huo Yuhao said, "Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill. I'll handle them. Leave that girl with pink hair, Cui Yajie, to Xiao Xiao to contain. Song Hanqing, remember to support."

"Class Monitor! How can you do that!" Xiao Xiao pouted. The power of a Martial Soul Fusion Skill was definitely greater than the sum of its parts. Even though Huo Yuhao had a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring, he couldn't just clash head-on.

"Listen to me. I'm the captain." Huo Yuhao's gaze darkened. Xiao Xiao wanted to say more, but the words died in her throat.

On the other side, Dai Huabin leaned close to Zhu Lu's ear and whispered, "Huo Yuhao's Time Freeze is indeed terrifying. We absolutely cannot give him a chance to use it. Once we release our Martial Souls, we'll directly use our Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Hell White Tiger. I'll crush Huo Yuhao with absolute power and make him know who the real strong one is."

Zhu Lu nodded. Then Dai Huabin turned his gaze to Cui Yajie. "Zhu Lu and I will focus on dealing with Huo Yuhao. Leave Xiao Xiao and Song Hanqing to you."

Cui Yajie nodded. "Don't worry. As long as you hold Huo Yuhao back and stop him from using Time Freeze, I'll have enough time to eliminate those two."

Soon, both sides reached the edge of the arena. The moment the Huo Yuhao Team and Dai Huabin Team turned around, their eyes completely changed.

Huo Yuhao's face was solemn, his eyes sharp and bright. A faint layer of cold air could be seen seeping from his pores, and a cold light flickered in his gaze.

Ever since Dai Huabin had been swept out by Huo Yuhao, that great disgrace had gradually turned into a nightmare. Sometimes he woke up from it, and to this day, that humiliation was forever etched into his flesh and blood.

"Huo Yuhao! Today's battle is the one that changes my fate! You! Huo Yuhao! Will eventually be trampled under my feet! Me! Dai Huabin!"

Huo Yuhao listened to Dai Huabin's oath-like declaration and replied calmly, "The harshest words earn the hardest slap."

The referee teacher glanced left and right, then dropped his hands sharply. "Assessment begins!"

A low tiger roar sounded from Dai Huabin's mouth. Two Yellow, One Purple soul rings appeared beneath his feet. His muscles bulged, and his golden hair was dyed black and white.

Zhu Lu's figure was slender, her eyes deeper. Ten sharp claws extended from her long fingers, and her ears grew pointed.

The moment the referee teacher announced the start, their hands had been clasped together. Contrary to Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu's expectations, Huo Yuhao did not use Time Freeze as usual, nor did he even reveal his soul rings.

Instead, Xiao Xiao stood ready for battle, the Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron aimed at Cui Yajie's position, always on guard against the sudden attack of the Nine-Tailed Fox Martial Soul user.

Song Hanqing, as usual, handed Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao an egg each, then stepped back to the edge of the arena.

Just then, Dai Huabin's tiger roar grew louder. His muscles bulged even more exaggeratedly, and black-and-white energy burst from his body.

Zhu Lu's entire body was covered in a layer of black light. She actively threw herself into Dai Huabin's embrace, appearing almost transparent.

The moment the Martial Soul Fusion Skill Hell White Tiger took form, Xuan Lao turned his gaze to Huo Yuhao.

A red light flickered beneath Huo Yuhao's feet. Under the effect of Simulated Soul Skill, two blood-red Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings gradually appeared. A massive, emerald-green scorpion emerged behind Huo Yuhao. Cold air radiated from his entire body, and the terrifying chill covered the entire arena surface with a thick layer of ice.

Mu Jin gripped the railing tightly, staring at Huo Yuhao's performance on the arena in shock. "That Huo Yuhao has Twin Martial Souls... and those are... Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings! Two of them!"

Zhou Yi covered her face. The terrifying cold air had covered her clothes with frost. She was stunned as she looked at the two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings beneath Huo Yuhao's feet. "Yuhao told me his second Martial Soul has the Extreme Ice Attribute. What's with those two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings?"

At that moment, many teachers shared Zhou Yi's confusion, except for Xuan Zi and Du Weilun. Earlier, Huo Yuhao had told Du Weilun about the use of his Time Eye's Second Soul Ring.

What if Huo Yuhao simulated the aura of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, and Xuan Zi, spitting out his old wine, intervened in the match halfway?

Huo Yuhao's preemptive move was correct. The watching teachers on the field were all dumbfounded. Even Wang Dong's team and Yang Zhan's team, who were undergoing their own assessment next door, suddenly felt the temperature drop sharply.

"Roar—roar—"

A giant tiger, eight meters long and over two meters tall, appeared on the field. It was none other than Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu's Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Hell White Tiger.

The Hell White Tiger's massive body looked somewhat transparent. Its enormous tiger head held a proud posture, giving off a hint of a world-dominating aura.

But the moment the Hell White Tiger saw the two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings beneath Huo Yuhao's feet and felt the terrifying aura of a Fierce Beast, whether it was an illusion or not—

Huo Yuhao only saw the Hell White Tiger's strong limbs trembling, its massive body crouching low to the ground. At this point, the Hell White Tiger had none of its world-dominating posture left. It had become nothing more than an obedient "little kitten" waiting to be petted.

Huo Yuhao's Time Eye's Second Soul Skill simulated the aura of a soul beast exceeding a Hundred-Thousand-Year level. The moment the Fierce Beast's aura was released, all the strong experts in the Academy were alarmed.

But Xuan Lao waved his hand. "That's not a Fierce Beast. It's an interesting Soul Skill Huo Yuhao used, just simulating the aura of one."

The many Elders who had rushed over heard Xuan Lao's words. They were all Titled Douluo-level experts, and one or two even reached the Super Douluo level. Yet they could clearly sense that Huo Yuhao was a soul beast that had taken humanoid form.

No one refuted Xuan Lao's words. Instead, they stood in midair and watched.

The Hell White Tiger's massive body trembled violently, like a sieve. Its eyes were filled with terror. Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu—one a Soul Elder, the other a Greater Soul Master—had unleashed a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Hell White Tiger, that could be called invincible among freshmen.

But what faced them was an Ice Jade Scorpion with a lifespan exceeding a Hundred-Thousand-Year. Following that, the giant scorpion moved. Its two massive fore claws swung, and its six crystal-clear legs charged toward the Hell White Tiger at astonishing speed.

The Hell White Tiger leaped five meters high. It fled toward the edge of the arena without looking back. The moment it landed off the arena, Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu could no longer maintain the Martial Soul Fusion Skill state.

Dai Huabin's face was full of terror. As his backside hit the ground, his hands instinctively replaced his legs, crawling backward. All traces of his earlier arrogance were gone.

Zhu Lu's beautiful eyes widened, and then she fainted.

The giant scorpion's form slowly dissipated, revealing Huo Yuhao's true appearance.

"You!!!" Dai Huabin realized he had lost his composure. Coupled with the excessive fright from the Fierce Beast aura Huo Yuhao had released earlier, he was now mentally unstable, shouting wildly, "Huo Yuhao isn't human! He's a soul beast! A soul beast!!!"

At this moment, the entire venue fell silent.

The situation had already exceeded the Referee Teacher's scope of authority. He looked helplessly at Huo Yuhao. Hosting your matches always brings unexpected surprises and shocks—could you please consider how the referee feels!

Xuan Lao flashed over, his large hand pressing down on Huo Yuhao's shoulder. A startling surge of Soul Power instantly swept through every bone in Huo Yuhao's body.

The Four Giants of the Sea of Spirit immediately fell silent.

Xuan Zi opened his eyes, Breathed a Sigh of Relief, and looked at Huo Yuhao with approval.

"Huo Yuhao is human, not a Fierce Beast in Humanoid Form."

As soon as these words were spoken, the Elder who had rushed over finally relaxed.

Dai Huabin's face was full of unwillingness. If Huo Yuhao was human, then the Fierce Beast aura from Just Now and those two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings—wasn't that all his doing?

Xuan Zi said, "Huo Yuhao's Time Eye Second Soul Skill, Simulation, can change the color of soul rings and simulate a Fierce Beast aura like the one just now. That's what caused the panic earlier."

"I declare that the Huo Yuhao Team advances to the finals."

Xiao Xiao and Song Hanqing hadn't even reacted. By the time they processed the appearance of the Fierce Beast and the brief moment when the beast Huo Yuhao had transformed into vanished, they heard Xuan Lao announce that the Huo Yuhao Team had advanced to the Grand Finals. They were still completely baffled, having no idea what had just happened.

Huo Yuhao walked to the edge of the arena with a smile on his face, looking down at Dai Huabin from above. "Didn't you just say you were going to trample me under your feet? Why are you looking up at me now?"

"Huo Yuhao!" Dai Huabin roared, his eyes bloodshot.

"The dignified Second Young Master of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, rolling off the edge of the arena in a panic—really brings honor to the Duke's Mansion." Huo Yuhao chuckled and turned to leave the stage.

"Huo Yuhao!!!" Dai Huabin, overcome with rage, spat a mouthful of blood.