Had Enough of Shrek

I have had enough of Shrek Academy

"Huo Yuhao's team, champions!"

Amidst the thunderous applause, Wang Dong was the first to pounce over: "Yes!"

Her excitement was written all over her face. After all, she had switched to agility-attack training for three months specifically for this championship.

As for Qiu'er, she revealed a rare smile. Although this was just a trivial matter for her, who wouldn't be happy to win?

It was at this very moment that she felt she was starting to become interested in the human world.

However, Huo Yuhao's joy did not last as long as that of the other two; it was fleeting, almost instantaneous. Because his Spiritual Detection Sharing was still active, he clearly heard the conversation between the teachers in the stands.

"No wonder that one-ring guy joined this team; it turns out he can assist that Golden Dragon in performing a Martial Soul Fusion Skill."

"He isn't a student from our Freshman Class One, so naturally, his strength is a bit lacking."

"We might need to reconsider the position of core disciple. Teacher Wang, you know how hard it is to find spirit-type spirit beasts."

"Director Du, he is the champion! How can there be a champion who isn't made a core disciple?"

"Teacher Wang Yan, has there ever been a one-ring champion in the history of Shrek?"

Listening to the teachers discuss him, Huo Yuhao felt a sense of trance. Shrek Academy seemed to become illusory in his eyes, and the hard floor of the assessment arena felt as unstable as cotton beneath his feet.

He had clearly defeated Dai Huabin head-on, he had clearly won the championship...

He looked around with difficulty; the only thing that felt real was the golden figure walking toward him. A voice that brought him peace sounded nearby: "Yuhao, you look pale. What's wrong?"

"I heard something I shouldn't have." Huo Yuhao's voice was weak. This was the first time Qiu'er had seen him look so powerless. Even that skinny little boy she first met had more spirit and vitality than Huo Yuhao did at this moment.

He said: "Qiu'er, can you support me? I'm a little tired."

This was the first time since leaving the Duke's Mansion that Huo Yuhao had asked his companions for help. In the past, he had always been accustomed to solving problems on his own.

But people have their limits, and the teachers' discussion about him was the final straw.

Although Qiu'er didn't say much, Huo Yuhao soon felt his right arm being firmly supported by a pair of warm hands.

"Thank you," he said.

"I heard that good human friends don't need to say thank you, they only need to say 'please'." Qiu'er's voice was right by his ear, and that usually cold tone carried a temperature that made Huo Yuhao feel relaxed.

Wang Dong also noticed that the atmosphere was wrong and hurried over: "What's wrong with Brother Huo? Did you exhaust yourself from the Martial Soul Fusion Skill earlier? Can you still move? You have to go up and receive the award as the captain in a moment."

"Me go?" Huo Yuhao laughed at himself, "I don't think so."

"How could it not be you?" Wang Dong's eyes held a clarity not yet tainted by Shrek, "When Miss Qiu submitted the roster, she filled in your name under the captain column."

However, before Wang Dong's words had even faded, the teacher in charge of the award ceremony's order walked over and said very politely:

"Student Qiu'er, please."

Wang Dong was instantly stunned, while Huo Yuhao's eyes held a coldness born of lost trust.

"I'm not going," Qiu'er said coldly.

"This..." The teacher was suddenly embarrassed. Over at the podium, the loudspeaker was already calling for them. And the backstage staff had specifically instructed her to have Qiu'er go up to receive the award!

In this small lounge, the atmosphere dropped to freezing because of Qiu'er's words. Her expression was resolute, Huo Yuhao's face was hidden in the shadows and could not be seen clearly, leaving only Wang Dong and the teacher staring at each other.

"Um, let Huo Yuhao go. He is our captain and the most critical command core; he should be the one to receive it," Wang Dong quickly pointed at Huo Yuhao, trying to break the awkward atmosphere.

"That works, that works."

This teacher clearly did not hold a high position and was likely just logistics staff; she hadn't even figured out the situation from the past few days, and now she just wanted someone to relieve her embarrassment.

But Huo Yuhao only said: "I'm tired, I don't want to go."

"Brother Huo..." Wang Dong's expression became troubled, "But if you guys are like this, I can't go either."

On the podium, the call for the champions had been shouted many times, and the gazes of countless students were gathered in this small corner. Low murmurs began to rise all around, as if they were echoes of those calls.

In the stands, several deans and teachers frowned. What were these three children suddenly throwing a tantrum for?

Shrek Academy, having been arrogant for too long, had used its simple and brutal methods to produce generations of young geniuses, and this capital had made them forget that a child's self-esteem could also be very stubborn.

Finally, Huo Yuhao stood up: "Forget it. I'll go, but..."

He raised his head to look at the teacher, and the hostility in his gaze made even this five-ring Spirit King teacher feel a palpitation. However, she soon realized that Huo Yuhao's gaze didn't seem to be directed at her, but rather past her at someone in the stands.

"I am not doing this for any honor Shrek gives me. I am only going for the sake of my friends."

After speaking, he walked toward the podium.

On the podium, the third-place captain looked at him with confusion, while Cui Yajie, who was accepting the award on behalf of the second-place captain Dai Huabin, had only fear in her eyes.

As a fellow spirit-type, she knew best the suffocating feeling of having one's spiritual cultivation crushed. After witnessing the terrifying Golden Dragon Green Spirit Sword of Huo Yuhao and Qiu'er from the sidelines, she was even thankful that she had been knocked out of the arena by Wang Dong early on.

Huo Yuhao didn't look at anyone; he simply stood in the position that should have been his, but which now felt completely meaningless.

The vast Shrek Academy actually made him feel like he had no place to stand.

After the dull award ceremony, Du Weilun began to read the list of core disciples. At first, Huo Yuhao listened for a while, holding onto a final shred of hope, but after Du Weilun finished reading Wang Dong and Qiu'er's names and skipped directly to Dai Huabin, he stopped listening.

He felt ridiculous for having held any hope for this list.

The Martial Soul Department's rewards were collected by Wang Dong alone. She was very clear about her "position" in this team; now was the time for Brother Huo and Miss Qiu to lick their wounds in private, and all she had to do was ensure they could be at ease, undisturbed by other trivial matters.

However, reality proved that when trouble wants to come, you can neither block it nor hide from it.

When Zhou Yi found them and reluctantly brought out her piece of Secret Technique Soul Bone, Chi Qiu revealed a look of shock and fury.

Although she tried her best to appear calm, Huo Yuhao still sensed her intense emotional fluctuations. Furthermore, just by hearing the process of how this Secret Technique Soul Bone was obtained, Huo Yuhao knew that Chi Qiu could never accept it.

"How many... were killed?" She tried her best to control her voice so it wouldn't tremble.

Shrek's Secret Technique Soul Bone must have been obtained from the Star Dou Great Forest. This was a cruel type of soul bone produced by the mass slaughter of the same species of soul beasts in a short period.

"I have no way of knowing that; the academy has specialists responsible for soul beast matters," Zhou Yi said.

Huo Yuhao quietly contacted Chi Qiu using Spiritual Detection Sharing.

"Let's take this soul bone back," he wrote in the shared mental image, "take it back to the Star Dou Great Forest."

Chi Qiu gritted her teeth and remained silent for a moment, but eventually, she snatched the Secret Technique Soul Bone from Zhou Yi's hand and pulled Huo Yuhao away. Huo Yuhao noticed that the hand she used to hold her storage Soul Tool was trembling slightly.

She felt that Huo Yuhao was right; this blood-stained soul bone could not remain in the hands of these humans any longer.

"Yuhao, what do you plan to do next?" she asked.

"I plan to ask for leave first and return to the Star Dou Great Forest with you once," Huo Yuhao said, looking at the gate of Shrek Academy ahead. "Then we will head straight to the Extreme North. I've been stuck at level twenty for a long time now."

"I read the school rules; if you don't show up for a long time, you'll be expelled," Chi Qiu reminded him, though not very seriously.

"That wouldn't be the end of the world." He sounded as if he really didn't care about that anymore. "There are so many academies in the world; I don't necessarily have to stay here. If they expel me, I'll naturally head somewhere else."

"Should we tell Wang Dong?"

"Let's not." He hesitated for a moment. "...At least she hasn't been treated too unfairly here. With her skills and background, she should be able to survive at Shrek Academy."

"When shall we leave?"

"Tomorrow," Huo Yuhao said firmly.

"Alright." Chi Qiu did not interfere with Huo Yuhao's choice; she simply nodded. "I'll go file for leave right now."