Huo Yuhao, You Good-for-Nothing!

However, Huo Yuhao, who had been sitting with his head down and drinking, stood up and said in a low voice, "You don't need to argue. This time, the responsibility lies with me, the team captain. If I'd worked harder at cultivation and hadn't held the team back, we would definitely have beaten them."

"But there are no 'ifs.' A loss is a loss. Even Dai Huabin only managed to hold on for a dozen or so rounds before he was defeated."

As soon as he said that, Wang Dong grew angry.

It was clearly Old Woman Zhou who had gone too far, expecting a horse to run without giving it grass.

The students in Freshman Class Nine had raised their levels by five or six in three months without suffering any hidden complications. Meanwhile, they'd worked themselves to the bone, only to gain little Soul Power and then be mercilessly defeated.

Thinking of how three months of hard training had failed to bring them the result they'd wanted, Wang Dong was furious.

No matter how you looked at it, Old Woman Zhou was to blame.

And now, the old woman had simply turned on her heel and left to teach the upper-year students, leaving behind a huge mess.

She didn't need the championship, but Yuhao did.

Xiao Xiao said nothing, but she didn't disagree with Wang Dong, either.

After three months of hard training, this was the result they'd gotten. Anyone would have been utterly disappointed.

At that moment, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was also comforting Huo Yuhao in his Spiritual Sea.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm shouted, "What's the big deal about winning the New Student Assessment? Once the semester ends, I'll take you to get your confidence back. Then we'll definitely give them a scare."

Huo Yuhao knew Brother Sky Dream was trying to comfort him, and warmth stirred in his heart.

Brother Sky Dream really was the best.

Just then, Yu Daoyun happened to pass by. He walked over, his sharp gaze sweeping over the group, and Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong both shuddered in fright.

Xiao Xiao immediately called out, "Hello, senior."

"Hello, senior," Wang Dong said.

Yu Daoyun nodded, then asked, "Are you sitting here complaining because you lost the New Student Assessment?"

Xiao Xiao fell silent.

Wang Dong hesitated for a while, but finally told him the truth. "Yes. We came here because we lost the New Student Assessment. Yuhao had a little to drink, so we came with him."

"The freshman class you led was just too strong. We weren't a match for them at all. If you'd trained us back then, we wouldn't have let you down, either. Besides, Xiao Xiao and I have a top-tier Martial Soul and Twin Martial Souls, respectively."

There was truth in what she said, and Yu Daoyun agreed.

Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao were indeed among the most talented students. Xiao Xiao even had Twin Martial Souls. As long as they received proper training, things would basically go without a hitch.

But there were no "ifs."

Yu Daoyun simply didn't want to lead a Child of Destiny to the championship, because he was a Child of Destiny himself.

It was perfectly normal for Children of Destiny to dislike each other.

Thinking of this, Yu Daoyun said casually, "There are no 'ifs.' Everything can change; nothing is set in stone. Your talents aren't bad. You just happened to end up with Zhou Yi. This is how she teaches."

"Exactly! That old woman's awful." As if she'd found a kindred spirit, Wang Dong immediately started cursing her out.

Yu Daoyun only smiled faintly, then turned his gaze to the drunken Huo Yuhao. His brow furrowed.

To be honest, he really didn't like Huo Yuhao.

At first, the guy had some sense of justice and kindness. But after meeting Wang Dong, he'd turned into a complete ingrate. Later, he'd even become the God King's lapdog, forgotten his original purpose, and dropped to his knees to call Dai Hao "Dad."

A surge of nameless anger rose in Yu Daoyun. He grabbed Huo Yuhao by the collar and said, "You're scared after suffering just one little setback? Have you forgotten why you came to the academy? You're wallowing in despair? You good-for-nothing—you're the most useless person I've ever seen!"

Huo Yuhao was left utterly ashamed.

Of course he hadn't forgotten his original purpose: to cultivate hard, avenge his mother, destroy the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, and make that man kneel before his mother and admit his mistakes.

But he hadn't expected the blow to come so soon.

He replied, "Senior, I...I'm really tired."

Smack—!

Yu Daoyun raised his hand and slapped Huo Yuhao across the face. The crack rang out loud and clear.

Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong were both stunned.

Yuhao had...just been hit?

Yu Daoyun said, "As a man, you must always remember why you began cultivating. If one little setback can defeat you, then you don't deserve to be called a man. You'll be a coward for the rest of your life."

"What I'm telling you is that a man must have the courage to overcome anything and everything, to overcome every difficulty and never forget his original purpose."

"What was your original purpose? Have you forgotten? You good-for-nothing, the most useless of them all."

My original purpose is to avenge my mother. I'm going to get revenge... Huo Yuhao's gaze grew more and more resolute as he clenched his fists.

Smack, smack, smack—!

Yu Daoyun slapped Huo Yuhao several more times, then flung him away and said, "Get lost, you good-for-nothing. Don't make me look down on you. You're the most useless person I've ever seen."

Huo Yuhao touched his burning cheek and stood there in a daze for a long time.

Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong hurried over to him, afraid he might do something rash.

Huo Yuhao shook his head and said, "I'm fine. I've come to my senses a little. I have to cultivate harder. I have to cultivate..."

Yu Daoyun looked at them, clasped his hands behind his back, and said nothing more. He turned and left the lakeside, flying toward the Inner Court.

He'd had his fun. He couldn't keep bullying someone so brazenly.

What if he beat Huo Yuhao to death?

The opponent Yu Daoyun wanted was never a Child of Destiny trained into a loyal dog, but Huo Yuhao, the God of Emotions.

He would prove who the true Child of Destiny was.

After returning to the Inner Court, Yu Daoyun threw himself back into cultivation, paying no attention to anything outside.

Mu En and the elders had naturally taken note of his achievements in the Outer Court.

After discussing it, the elders decided to change Zhou Yi's teaching methods and use Yu Daoyun's approach to teach the freshmen, improving their advancement rate.

Time slipped by. A month later.

Shrek went on break, and all the freshmen began their holidays. The academy was almost empty.

Huo Yuhao and Tian Meng set out on their journey to find the Ice Empress.

In the quiet room, Yu Daoyun emerged from meditation, a smile appearing on his face.

His Soul Power had risen by another level. He was now at level fifty-six.

This rate of cultivation wasn't particularly fast, but it wasn't slow, either. He'd basically overcome the drawback of an Ultimate Martial Soul being extremely slow to cultivate.

By his reckoning, Huo Yuhao had already gone to the Extreme North.

He needed to find something to do, too.

Why not find himself another backer and tell the Snow Empress where the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow was?

Given the Soul Beasts' sense of honor when it came to contracts, wouldn't he be treated as an honored guest? And if Mu En died someday, he'd have another trump card.

Before long, Yu Daoyun made up his mind.

He would head to the Extreme North to find a second backer and pave the way for the future.

With that in mind, Yu Daoyun went to Yan Shaozhe. Using a Supervision Group assignment as his excuse, he left the academy and headed for the Extreme North.