Huo Yuhao, still dazed, was declared the winner of the department-wide match, securing all ten points. This time, he had won quickly with Mental Attack, but for his own safety and the sake of the future, he knew he shouldn't use it again.
This ability carried a risk of taking both sides down with it. It was a pure contest of spiritual power: he could draw his opponent into the field where he excelled, then use his extensive experience and strength to defeat them. Once their powers clashed, the victor was decided. There was no need for extra moves or stalling.
For the remaining matches, he would have to rely on the Tang Sect Secret Techniques he had been practicing so hard lately. Combined with Spiritual Detection, they could even give Bei Bei a bit of trouble.
After a teacher with the proper expertise examined him and confirmed there was no serious danger, he was sent on his way to wait for notice of his next test.
The wait was neither especially long nor especially short; it depended on how long the other matches took. Some people dragged out their fights. In such an important competition, they became even more cautious. When two people like that faced off, it was torture. Neither dared go all out and leave an opening, so they would keep dragging things out until time ran out. There was no written rule about it, but it was an unspoken one: the proctors couldn't stand matches that went on too long, so they'd tell the two examinees to hurry up and stop dawdling.
There was no need to worry about examinees like that. Not all of them were excessively cautious, but people like that would never amount to much. At best, they'd lead an ordinary life. Shrek Academy had no need for students like them. Even though the standards had been lowered and applicants were no longer required to be monsters like the original Shrek Seven Devils, the academy still wouldn't take mediocre students like these. It didn't matter if they might change after some future experience. There were plenty of geniuses and even monsters waiting to get in without needing to go through all that. So people like this generally wouldn't be accepted. You had to dare to fight, be able to fight, and, above all, be able to win.
When Huo Yuhao was led to the rest area, he felt a little lost. After all, he was young and had little experience adapting to unfamiliar places. Calling it a room was a stretch; it was more like an open-air plaza. There were plenty of chairs and even beds, and piles of ingredients were heaped across the grounds. The cooks waiting nearby were all Soul Masters, and there was a good chance they were Shrek students helping out. It was best to treat them with respect. You never knew what kind of connection you might have with an older student in the future, and making a bad impression now could cost you an opportunity later.
There was no Xu Sanshi paying for a feast today, and Huo Yuhao found it hard to adjust. That food had filled his stomach, and the energy had flowed from his belly to every part of his body, making his cultivation noticeably faster. For someone who had cultivated like a snail since childhood, the thought of losing that speed was hard to bear. He was so used to being poor that he couldn't accept slowing down.
But what could he do? He couldn't expect someone to help him forever. Besides, food that could speed up cultivation wasn't easy to come by. No matter how expensive it was, there were plenty of people on the continent who could afford to eat it every day, but there weren't enough people capable of preparing it. Only a place like Shrek Academy, full of hidden talents, could recruit someone that remarkable.
Thinking this over, Huo Yuhao arrived at the dining area. It was an open-air cooking stall, with ingredients piled up beside it. Whenever they ran low, they could just take more from the pile.
Just as he was about to sit down, he spotted the cook. The man looked a little familiar. His mind, still reeling from the blow to his spiritual power, began to work again. His Spirit Eye focused, and his eyes were no longer vacant like before. Looking closely, he realized it was Bei Bei and the others. Bei Bei had said he would come watch Huo Yuyao's Individual Battle, but Huo Yuyao hadn't expected to find him working as a cook here. Could people like them even cook properly? He was tempted to ask whether they'd ever cooked before. It wasn't as if they were making a meal out of trail rations or grilling meat in the Star Dou Great Forest. Most of them were pampered young masters and mistresses. Had they ever cooked?
Bei Bei and Tang Ya watched Huo Yuhao wander over in a daze without recognizing them, and they were delighted. Tang Ya was still covering her mouth, trying not to laugh. When Huo Yuhao finally realized who they were, he grew even more embarrassed. He could hardly stand it. He was embarrassed by his own actions, and somehow even doing nothing was embarrassing.
There was no need to ask how the match had gone. Huo Yuhao had come out in one piece, which meant he had won. Asking would only be redundant. Their task now was to help him recover as quickly as possible. Anyone could tell that his earlier, muddled state wasn't good.
"Little junior brother, come eat first and get your strength back." Bei Bei began cooking as he spoke. To be honest, there wasn't much to it. He just tossed all the ingredients into a pot, added water, and started boiling them.
"These ingredients have already been prepared. They're only one grade below what the restaurant uses, but that's not the point. The point is, it's free today!" While Bei Bei cooked, Tang Ya enthusiastically explained the situation to Huo Yuhao. Students who didn't know what was going on would miss out. Quite a few didn't want to eat this way, or weren't used to it, so they brought their own food instead and missed the perk. Of course, some didn't come because they looked down on the food. Their status and strength meant they could eat better elsewhere. But that had nothing to do with Huo Yuhao. All he wanted to do right now was fill his stomach.
As Huo Yuhao ate, he chatted with Tang Ya about the details of his match. In truth, there wasn't much to discuss. A world of spiritual power was something even warriors who liked their fights up close couldn't understand. Huo Yuhao had no way to describe it clearly to them. Still, they had a good time. He left out some details and told the story as if it were a joke, making Tang Ya and Bei Bei burst into laughter.
"Is Senior Brother Xu not here? He seemed pretty eager, too." Not seeing the familiar older student, Huo Yuhao asked.
"Oh, that guy's here, just not at this stall. The academy set up quite a few of these stations. He's probably doing the thing he's been doing for ages." Tang Ya's expression turned a little strange as she spoke. Bei Bei only gave a mysterious smile, without answering directly. "You'll more or less understand once you enroll. We really shouldn't tell you. You should go see for yourself. Once you do, you'll get it."
Since Bei Bei put it that way, Huo Yuhao couldn't very well keep asking. The ingredients were ready by then. They had been prepared beforehand; the students helping out only had to finish cooking them. The setup also gave examinees a chance to interact with official students and hopefully sparked their interest. At the same time, it could help prevent any unrest and ease the shortage of staff.
By then, many examinees had finished their first matches, and some had come over to eat. Bei Bei and Tang Ya got busy and couldn't chat with Huo Yuhao anymore. Even if it was just a temporary job, they still had to do it properly.
After eating his fill, Huo Yuhao waited for a long time. The whole stretch passed like a dream. Crowds of people milled around him, but even as he watched them, his body barely responded. He didn't snap out of it until someone found him and told him it was time for his second match.
This time, a girl stood on the arena. Huo Yuhao felt that he recognized her, too.
"Hello, I'm Xiao Xiao. My Martial Soul is the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron. I'm ready."
The moment she mentioned a cauldron, Huo Yuhao immediately remembered the Control System Soul Master who had cut off his escape route during the team match.
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