The Assessment Begins

A week passed in the blink of an eye.

Over the course of that week, Huo Yuhao became the busiest person at Shrek Academy.

Every morning, he attended classes in the Martial Soul Department. In the afternoons, he took turns training with the senior students from the inner court. At night, he immersed himself in the Soul Guidance Department's laboratory, making Soul Tools.

His Soul Power shot up like a rocket, soaring from level 33 straight to level 36.

On top of that, he made a great many Level 3 Soul Tools, arming himself from head to toe.

On the day of the assessment, the Great Soul Arena at Shrek Academy was packed with people. All the new students had gathered there to watch this unprecedented assessment—

one person challenging every team of three.

On the high platform, Mu En, Yan Shaozhe, and the other Sea God Pavilion Elders sat in the seats of honor.

"Quiet!"

Teacher Wang Yan stepped onto the Assessment Platform and called out loudly:

"The new student assessment begins now! First match: Huo Yuhao versus Cao Jinxuan's team!"

As soon as the words fell, the crowd erupted.

Everyone's gaze focused on the Assessment Platform.

Huo Yuhao leaped up and landed steadily on one side of the platform.

His expression was calm, his gaze composed.

Cao Jinxuan walked onto the Assessment Platform with two other students. Looking at Huo Yuhao across from him, he smiled wryly and said:

"Yuhao, I didn't expect us to be the first ones matched against you. To be honest, I don't want to fight you at all."

"Jinxuan, give it everything you've got."

Huo Yuhao nodded and answered seriously.

"Show me all your strength, or you won't stand a chance."

"Don't worry, we won't go easy on you!"

Cao Jinxuan took a deep breath and gave the other two a look.

They had already discussed their strategy. They would go all out from the start.

"Begin!"

The instant Teacher Wang Yan's words fell, Cao Jinxuan and the other two summoned their Martial Souls, their Soul Rings lighting up at once.

The three charged at Huo Yuhao in a triangular formation, their Soul Skills ready to unleash.

The students below held their breath, staring intently at the Assessment Platform.

They all wanted to see just how strong Huo Yuhao was, now a Soul Elder and Level 3 Soul Engineer.

However, just as Cao Jinxuan and the others had taken two steps, Huo Yuhao slowly raised his head.

A faint light flashed in his eyes.

Buzz!

A vast, surging wave of spiritual power burst forth like a tsunami, sweeping across the entire Assessment Platform in an instant.

"Ah!"

Three screams rang out at the same time.

Cao Jinxuan and the other two felt as if their heads had been smashed by a heavy hammer. Their vision went black, they lost consciousness in an instant, and they toppled stiffly onto the platform.

They hadn't even managed to release a single Soul Skill.

The entire arena fell deathly silent.

You could hear a pin drop.

Everyone stared wide-eyed, mouths agape, at Huo Yuhao on the Assessment Platform, their faces filled with disbelief.

One second.

Just one second.

Three Soul Grandmasters had been instantly defeated just like that?!

Several seconds passed before the crowd erupted in thunderous cries of astonishment.

"My god! An instant defeat! He actually took them out in an instant!"

"That's terrifying! Is this the strength of a level 36 Soul Elder?!"

"He knocked three people down with one move! His spiritual power is way too monstrous!"

"No wonder the academy let him compete alone. He's a monster!"

On the high platform, Yan Shaozhe abruptly sat up straight, his eyes full of shock.

"What powerful spiritual strength! It's already on par with a Soul King, isn't it?! How could a level 36 Soul Elder have spiritual power at the Soul Emperor level?! How is that possible?!"

Mu En was surprised as well, then said with a smile:

"This child always manages to surprise us."

At the edge of the Assessment Platform, Wang Dong'er was completely stunned too.

She'd thought she had already given Huo Yuhao more than enough credit, but she hadn't expected him to have become this strong.

She couldn't have taken out three people with a single Soul Shock, either.

She clenched her fists. A complicated look flickered in her powder-blue eyes—shock, unwillingness to lose, and a trace of pride that even she herself hadn't noticed.

"Cao Jinxuan's team has lost the ability to fight. Huo Yuhao wins the first match!"

Teacher Wang Yan snapped out of it and hurriedly announced the result.

While the crowd was still reeling from the instant defeat, Mu En slowly rose to his feet. With a flash, he appeared on the Assessment Platform.

He raised a hand and pressed it down. The noisy arena fell silent at once.

"All right."

Mu En's voice was gentle, yet carried an unquestionable authority that echoed throughout the arena.

"Given that Huo Yuhao's strength far surpasses yours, continuing with teams of three taking turns is meaningless.

"Next, five teams will face Huo Yuhao at the same time."

"What?! Five teams?!"

The crowd erupted once more!

"Fifteen against one? Isn't that a bit much?"

"Even if Huo Yuhao is that strong, there's no way he can beat fifteen people!"

"Is Elder Mu deliberately making things difficult for him?"

Mu En smiled but offered no explanation. He simply looked down at Huo Yuhao.

"Yuhao, do you have any objections? If you keep winning, the Sea God Pavilion will give you an extra reward."

"No problem."

Huo Yuhao gave a slight nod. There wasn't a trace of fear on his face; instead, a spark of excitement flashed in his eyes.

Fifteen people was just right. It would let him properly test the results of a week's training.

"Good!"

Mu En nodded and announced loudly:

"Next, the second match: Huo Yuhao versus teams two through six!"

Fifteen new students walked onto the Assessment Platform one after another. Leading them were Wang Dong'er, Xiao Xiao, and Bei Bei.

Wang Dong'er stood at the very front, her powder-blue eyes blazing with defiance as she stared fixedly at Huo Yuhao.

"Huo Yuhao! Don't think you're so great just because you beat Cao Jinxuan! This time, all fifteen of us are going up against you. I'll definitely beat you!"

"Come at me."

Huo Yuhao smiled faintly.

"Begin!"

The instant Teacher Wang Yan's words fell, all fifteen summoned their Martial Souls, Soul Rings of every color lighting up at once.

The wings of the Light Goddess Butterfly unfurled behind Wang Dong'er, and she charged at Huo Yuhao first, with Xiao Xiao right behind her.

The others spread out too, surrounding Huo Yuhao from every direction.

Just then, Huo Yuhao took a silver cannon barrel, half as tall as a person, from his Soul Tool and hoisted it onto his shoulder.

"What's that?!"

"A Soul Cannon?! A Level 3 Soul Cannon?!"

"He actually brought a Soul Cannon onto the Assessment Platform?!"

The students below cried out in astonishment once more.

On the high platform, Yan Shaozhe whipped around to look at Qian Duoduo, his face full of surprise.

"Qian Duoduo! Huo Yuhao can already make Level 3 Soul Tools proficiently?

"Hasn't he only just reached level 30?"

Qian Duoduo stuck out his belly, his face beaming with pride.

"Hmph! Yuhao's a once-in-a-century genius for our Soul Guidance Department!

"Forget a Level 3 Soul Cannon. Give him another six months, and I think he'll be able to make a Level 4 Soul Cannon himself!"

Before his words had even faded, a deafening roar burst across the Assessment Platform.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Huo Yuhao pulled the trigger, sending a dense barrage of Soul Power shells hurtling out like raindrops.

Golden flames burst across the Assessment Platform again and again, and the tremendous shock waves blasted the ground into a field of craters.

The fifteen new students were instantly engulfed by the barrage. They couldn't get anywhere near Huo Yuhao.