After meeting the minimum requirement to enter Shrek Academy, Huo Yuhao's tense mood finally eased. His score had reached the cutoff, so there was no need to push himself any harder. He would just do his best in the final match. If his opponent was too strong, he would let it go and earn whatever points he could. Right now, the most important thing was to find Bei Bei and the others to share the good news, then hurry and replenish his energy. Xiao Xiao's attack had churned his insides, and after the match he had thrown up all the precious food he'd eaten earlier. He simply couldn't hold it down.
Huo Yuhao hadn't managed to keep that meal down in the end. Of course, that was a small matter; he could always eat again. His stomach still felt queasy, and he was throwing up almost as much as he ate, but he could hold on for a while. His excitement and happiness outweighed the discomfort in his body.
Huo Yuhao cheerfully made his way to the rest area and hurried over to the "cafeteria" where Bei Bei and Tang Ya were on duty. He loudly announced his victory. Their hopes and efforts hadn't been in vain.
"Senior Sister Tang Ya, First Senior Brother, I won! My score's enough!"
Tang Ya and Bei Bei were overjoyed by the news, and the three of them celebrated Huo Yuhao's success together.
Not far away, two people stood side by side, watching Huo Yuhao. Both had an extraordinary bearing. Though old, they were full of energy and no less spirited than young people. The two should have drawn plenty of attention, yet no one else had noticed them—not even Huo Yuhao, whose spiritual power far exceeded that of his peers. It was clear that the two were anything but ordinary.
The younger-looking one spoke first. "Xuan Zi, what do you think of this student with a Body Martial Soul?" It was none other than the dean, Yan Shaozhe. A One-Ring Soul Master like Huo Yuhao had actually caught the attention of Shrek's dean!
"Mm. A Body Martial Soul is indeed rare and powerful. By the Body Sect's standards, his potential is certainly great. Since he's managed to enroll, let him study here and see how things go. If he can't adapt to Shrek's pace, then we'll follow the rules. Shrek won't suffer from having one more student, nor will it suffer from having one fewer." The old man called Xuan Zi seemed certain that Huo Yuhao would only stay at Shrek for a while before leaving.
"What about his education? Our academy has no experience teaching students with Body Martial Souls. The Body Sect recruits almost all of them. Even if we do our utmost to help him learn, his development and the realization of his potential will still fall short of what they can offer. We could harm this student. And what if the Body Sect finds him and he goes with them?"
"That wouldn't be good for either the academy or the student. We'd both lose out; there's no need for that. We might as well do them a favor and introduce him to the Body Sect. It'd be better for everyone."
"There's no need to pass our generation's grudges on to these newcomers. They're still just children."
Xuan Zi slowly replied, "You make a fair point, but you're overlooking the most important thing: where that child wants to go. He should decide for himself. There's no need for us to look so far ahead. If a student wants to learn, we teach him. If he doesn't, he can leave."
"As I said, Shrek has a broad foundation. It can accommodate one student with a Body Martial Soul."
Yan Shaozhe paused at those words. "I understand. We'll teach him as best we can. If he doesn't have the ability, there's nothing we can do. We'll follow the rules."
Xuan Zi was satisfied that Yan Shaozhe had stopped dwelling on Huo Yuhao's Martial Soul. Looking at Huo Yuhao, he suddenly thought of something interesting. "Is that Bei Bei?"
Yan Shaozhe hadn't expected him to jump from Huo Yuhao straight to Bei Bei, but he confirmed it without hesitation.
"This should be someone Bei Bei has taken a liking to. We have even less reason to interfere. By the way, he'll be able to compete in three years, right?" The competition naturally meant the Continental Soul Master Tournament. That was the only competition Shrek Academy took seriously.
"It's good that he's planning ahead, but does he really think this student is right for his team?" Xuan Zi was intrigued. He knew Bei Bei, even if they didn't meet often and weren't especially close. As the newest leader of his family's generation, Bei Bei was sure to be capable. If he'd chosen this child, whose talent was so poor, there had to be something special about him.
"There's one match left, right? I'll wait here and see how good this junior's judgment is." Xuan Zi took out some food, sat down on the ground, and began eating, looking as if he planned to stay a while.
Yan Shaozhe heard him and prepared to leave. They'd already settled on a solution, and as dean, he still had plenty to take care of. He couldn't lounge around like Xuan Zi.
"Wait. What's the name of that student with the Body Martial Soul?" Yan Shaozhe was suddenly called back. Fortunately, the two of them were powerful enough to conceal their presence. If they were easily recognized, it would be a real nuisance. People seeking connections and trying to curry favor would swarm them like flies—annoying, with no easy way to get rid of them.
"Huo Yuhao, Xuan Zi."
As Huo Yuhao celebrated, he suddenly shivered, feeling as if someone had called his name. His tired body sprang into action. He looked around, but no one seemed to have called out to him.
Huo Yuhao found it a little strange. Was he so tired that he'd become oversensitive? He soon put the fruitless thought out of his mind. His body was gradually settling down, and hunger was setting in, so he prepared to eat.
Huo Yuhao didn't realize that his reaction had astonished the two experts. Their concealed presence wasn't something just anyone could pierce. The only reason their coworkers, who were also powerful enough, hadn't been affected was that they worked together. Yet this One-Ring child had sensed them. Even if they'd used the most attention-grabbing trigger—a person's own name or title—people were highly sensitive to those, which often led to misunderstandings.
"Hahaha, this child is really interesting. Bei Bei's judgment is indeed excellent. He must have reacted because of his extraordinary spiritual power."
"You should go. You must still have a pile of official business to handle. If you don't get to it, it'll all pile up."
Yan Shaozhe was surprised too. His curiosity had been piqued, and he'd wanted to stay and watch the match and Huo Yuhao's performance. But Xuan Zi's words made it impossible for him to linger, so he went to deal with his duties. The thought of the mountain of paperwork gave him a headache. There were too many hassles with new students enrolling, not to mention all the backgrounds that needed looking into.
Huo Yuyao's background was troublesome too, but neither Yan Shaozhe nor Xuan Zi brought it up. As they'd said, Shrek was big enough to accommodate a student with a Body Martial Soul.
With no pressure on him, Huo Yuhao ate his fill and began resting. It was rare for him not to cultivate, but he was giving himself a break. He said to himself, Mom, can you see me? I got into Shrek Academy. I'll make sure to live well, and to live happily.
That brief nap left Huo Yuhao feeling refreshed. It had been months since he'd last slept well.
After resting, Huo Yuhao entered the examination hall for his final match, full of energy.
But then he saw a very familiar figure—one that had slipped through the net. Huo Yuhao's expression immediately turned calm, and gray returned to his Spirit Eye.
The owner of the Evil Eye White Tiger Martial Soul, Dai Huabin!
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