The Match Begins

As the sun rose, the bustling crowd began to stir; it was time for the Individual Battle to commence. The Individual Battle matches were decided by drawing lots to determine one's opponent. Huo Yuhao, filled with excitement, had woken up before dawn and waited quite a while before the moment arrived to practice the Purple Demon Eye. As his practice deepened, Huo Yuhao felt his Spirit Eye becoming increasingly agile, though he wasn't sure if it was just his imagination.

In high spirits, he ran out of the dormitory to begin his morning exercises; he couldn't afford to slack off even on the day of his exam. After preparing everything and double-checking that nothing was missing, he went to meet up with the others. Tang Ya had insisted on watching Huo Yuhao's match to cheer him on.

Normally, outsiders were not allowed to enter, but they were students of Shrek Academy. If Huo Yuhao were to get injured, having someone there to look after him would be helpful. Furthermore, because Huo Yuhao's score in the special ability assessment was so low, they also had the intention of keeping an eye on things to prevent any under-the-table foul play.

The score for the special ability assessment was already set in stone and could not be changed; he could only do his best in this exam, though it seemed it wouldn't be of much use.

Winning one match was not a problem; Huo Yuhao had already proven this in his fight against Xu Sanshi. The biggest issue was that it was unsustainable. At this stage, no one could counter mental attacks, and there wouldn't be many ways to counter them in the future either. However, these were single-target attacks—invincible in a one-on-one—but this exam consisted of three matches. The intensity of his mental power was not enough to support knocking out three people in a row. To put it bluntly, his body still couldn't keep up with the intensity of his mind, a problem that would foreseeably persist throughout Huo Yuhao's growth.

The most important thing now was the planning of his power. How much power should he use to take down one person while ensuring he retained enough strength for the subsequent matches? Berserk was a trump card, though Huo Yuhao wasn't sure how useful it would be; besides, the Green Aura had fallen dormant, and he didn't know when it would break out of its cocoon. If it really came down to it, he would have to ask Tian Meng for help. Huo Yuhao had also considered Electrolux; after absorbing most of Tian Meng's energy, he had said he could intervene once. Huo Yuhao didn't know the full extent of Electrolux's strength, only that he was incredibly powerful. It was best to save him for a crisis; having him intervene in an exam would be like using a nuclear bomb to swat a mosquito.

After much deliberation, he realized he could only rely on the Tang Sect Secret Techniques he had recently learned, though those were secondary. The most important factor today was luck. With good luck, he might get a direct pass; with bad luck, he might immediately face two Power Attack System masters who had managed to avoid injury, in which case he could just give up—unless Tian Meng intervened.

But if that happened, the problem would be huge. It wouldn't just be a matter of whether he could get into Shrek Academy, but how a defenseless Support System spirit master managed to "burst" with power to defeat two Power Attack System masters. The teachers at the academy would certainly be very interested in Huo Yuhao, and he would be admitted immediately. If you asked whether this was a good path, most people probably wouldn't want to take it.

Hearing that Huo Yuhao was taking his exam today, Xu Sanshi came over as well. The meal expenses from the past few days had cost him a fortune; he was so broke he was practically ready to pawn his pants. As the financier, he felt entitled to come and check on the results of Huo Yuhao's training.

People always want what they cannot have. Huo Yuhao's support abilities were so impressive that even a cunning old fox like Bei Bei had set his sights on him. He had started cultivating him right from the entrance exam, which left him itching to try it out himself. However, Bei Bei had always been careful not to let Huo Yuhao use Mental Sharing on him, leaving him in a state of longing and encouraging him to invest heavily. Then, the more he invested, the deeper he sank, unable to pull himself out.

Xu Sanshi was mostly just putting on a show, finding more amusement in it than anything else. The triennial tournament was open for self-formed teams from their grade down to the first years. Xu Sanshi and Bei Bei were definitely going to compete, so their participation was essentially guaranteed. The selection of teammates, however, was a different story.

The Shrek Team had always dominated first place, with only a few rare slip-ups. You could say that just by going, you were guaranteed at least a runner-up spot, and if you were a substitute, you were practically locked in as a starter for the next time. What were they to do when everyone wanted in? They could only fight it out, but everyone had their own circles. Most of the heirs to those great families were at Shrek Academy, and these families were all interconnected. If you took one, you would be asked to take another, and then what would happen to your own people? Even ignoring your friends, the vast majority of teammates brought in because of others were simply not compatible.

Take the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect student from this year's freshmen, for example; he had his own Power Attack System partner. If you recruited him, what would happen to that partner? And if you did recruit him, where would that leave Bei Bei? These were all problems.

At this time, a Support System master appeared who had no partners of his own but possessed outstanding abilities. Support roles were usually a disaster area for nepotism, and with Shrek Academy's high-pressure elimination policy, it was hard for a support master to survive without help. By the time it came to selecting team members, the teams were already set and difficult to break up.

Therefore, the best method was to find suitable candidates among the freshmen and cultivate them yourself. This required good timing and superb luck. Bei Bei had been very lucky to find Huo Yuhao and bring him into the fold.

As an original stakeholder, Bei Bei and Huo Yuhao were one and the same. Xu Sanshi, as a latecomer, needed to pay his dues, and while Xu Sanshi had nothing else, he had plenty of money. Huo Yuhao lacked everything except money, so their strengths complemented each other perfectly.

Bei Bei wasn't without his own hidden agenda. He, Xu Sanshi, and Huo Yuhao represented Power Attack, Defense, and Support, respectively. They still lacked Control and Agility Attack. Could Tang Ya take on the role of the controller? That was something they could discuss.

Bei Bei couldn't go against the will of the majority of the team to recruit Tang Ya; he needed people to support him, preferably someone Tang Ya had done a favor for. This would reduce the resistance significantly, especially when an excellent support master was tied to Tang Ya. This would provide much more room to maneuver. The status of being able to participate in the Spirit Master Tournament was entirely different. Tang Ya's dream was to revive the Tang Sect and sweep away the trash that had strayed from the path. Such a dream could not be realized by Tang Ya alone; it required the support of sufficiently strong power. Bei Bei's plan was to establish connections with the Shrek Seven Devils to gain the support of the families behind the others, or at the very least, keep them neutral. Many people did not want to see a sect rise again.

Setting aside the feasibility of this method, Bei Bei was indeed a genius with strong talent and execution. Of course, no compromiser in history had ever succeeded. You only took one step back without the strength or plan to take two steps forward. Most of the time, once you took a step back, you no longer possessed the power you had before you retreated. Material conditions determine consciousness; your position determines your thoughts and your power.

Of course, the foundation for all of this was that Huo Yuhao's exam went smoothly. Now, it was Huo Yuhao's turn to draw lots.

And so, Huo Yuhao followed the teacher's instructions and entered the competition arena, carrying the expectations of several people on his shoulders.