"Wait!" Dai Huabin suddenly came to his senses, his face turning pale. "Wasn't I on Shrek's Assessment Platform? I was fighting Huo Yuhao! This isn't real!"
The begonia flowers, the courtyard, and the figures of his mother and brother before him shattered like a mirror.
Boundless darkness swept over him again. The voices calling to him grew clearer, mingling with Zhu Lu's pained groans.
"Dai Huabin! You're finally awake!"
An anxious voice sounded beside him.
Dai Huabin weakly opened his eyes. The glaring sunlight made him squint.
He dizzily shook his head. His whole body felt as if his bones had been taken apart and put back together; even the slightest movement sent stabbing pain through him.
He turned to the healing-type teacher beside him and rasped,
"Teacher... did we win? Was that bastard Huo Yuhao torn to pieces by the Hell White Tiger?"
The healing teacher paused, glanced at him, and replied evenly, with a hint of mockery in his voice,
"No. Huo Yuhao won."
"What?!"
Dai Huabin's eyes flew open. He froze as if struck by lightning.
Ignoring the agony in his body, he struggled to sit up.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! We used the Martial Soul Fusion Skill, the Hell White Tiger!
"He's a useless nobody who'd run out of Soul Power. How could he possibly withstand it?! You must be lying to me!"
"Why would I lie to you?"
The healing teacher pressed him back down with an exasperated look, pointing first at the bandages wrapped around him, then at Zhu Lu, who lay unconscious nearby, her face deathly pale.
"Have you even looked at yourself? Four broken ribs and internal injuries.
"You're lying here. How were you supposed to beat Huo Yuhao?"
Following the teacher's gesture, Dai Huabin saw Zhu Lu lying on the bed, her eyes closed tight, her brow furrowed, and blood still at the corner of her mouth.
He looked down at the bandages covering his own body. A chill shot from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.
Could it be... I really lost?
Lost to that bastard I'd always looked down on?
He clenched his fists so tightly that his fingernails dug into his palms. Blood trickled between his fingers, and his eyes brimmed with resentment, venom, and deep disbelief.
By now, the Assessment Platform had already returned to calm.
Du Weilun stood in the middle of the sunken crater. His dean's uniform was in tatters, one sleeve torn open, and several shallow scratches marked his exposed arm.
Looking at his disheveled state, he couldn't help but twitch his mouth, inwardly cursing his luck.
Just as the Hell White Tiger's giant claw was about to collide with Huo Yuhao's fist, he had keenly sensed that the energy fluctuations far exceeded the Soul Elder level.
If that energy had exploded, it would have flipped the entire Assessment Platform and caught the students below in the blast.
So he hadn't hesitated to rush forward, intending to stand between them and break up the attack.
Who could have guessed that Huo Yuhao's punch would be so terrifyingly powerful?
Even as an Eight-Ring Soul Douluo, he hadn't managed to block it completely!
The shockwave had sent his blood and energy roiling and left him in this sorry state.
"I've really made a fool of myself..."
Du Weilun muttered under his breath.
"Who could've guessed a thirty-sixth-level Soul Elder could unleash a blow as powerful as a Soul King's full-force attack? That kid's a monster!"
That punch had packed a wallop!
The thought made his chest feel tight. His throat turned sweet, and with a "pfft," he spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Director Du! Are you all right?!"
Seeing this, Huo Yuhao, who had just gotten his strength back, hurried over unsteadily, his face full of guilt.
"I'm fine, I'm fine."
Du Weilun waved him off, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and gave Huo Yuhao a speechless look.
What could he say?
That he'd underestimated a Soul Elder and been injured by the shockwave?
If word got out, would he have any face left as the dean?
He coughed lightly and cleared his throat, then turned to the stupefied students below. Using his Soul Power, he sent his voice across the entire Great Soul Arena.
"I hereby announce that Huo Yuhao is the winner of this assessment!"
The instant he finished speaking, deafening cheers erupted across the arena.
"Huo Yuhao! Huo Yuhao!"
"That was amazing! He blew up the Hell White Tiger with one punch!"
"Shrek's number-one genius! He deserves it!"
Cries rose and fell like crashing waves as everyone went wild for the boy who had created a miracle.
Mu En flashed onto the Assessment Platform.
He looked at Huo Yuhao, who was weak but still stood tall, and his eyes brimmed with undisguised admiration and relief. Smiling, he patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder.
"Yuhao, congratulations. You defeated all the elite students from the outer court by yourself. You're unquestionably the top student in this assessment.
"From today on, you'll be a core disciple of Shrek Inner Court. You'll receive priority access to all resources, and the promised ten-thousand-year-old spiritual Soul Bone will be delivered to you tomorrow."
The arena erupted into another wave of cheers.
A core disciple of the inner court—an honor every Shrek student dreamed of. Countless people fought tooth and nail for the chance, yet Huo Yuhao had secured it with ease.
But to everyone's surprise, Huo Yuhao gently shook his head.
"Thank you for your kindness, Elder Mu."
He bowed slightly, his tone firm yet respectful.
"But I don't want to go to the inner court."
"What?!"
The smile on Mu En's face froze. His cloudy eyes filled with astonishment.
The cheers below cut off abruptly. Everyone stared wide-eyed, unable to believe their ears.
"Did I hear that right? Huo Yuhao actually turned down the inner court?"
"Is he crazy? A core disciple of the inner court! It's an opportunity people would kill for!"
"What is he thinking? He's turning down the inner court. Does he want to stay in the outer court?"
Huo Yuhao looked up at Mu En and spoke each word clearly.
"Elder Mu, I want to go to the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy."
"The Sun Moon Empire?!"
Mu En was taken aback. Yan Shaozhe and Qian Duoduo behind him also paled.
The Sun Moon Empire and Shrek Academy had long been at odds. It was also the country with the most advanced Soul Tool technology.
Shrek's Soul Guidance Department had developed rapidly, but it still lagged far behind the Sun Moon Empire.
"Yuhao, do you understand what you're saying?"
Mu En's tone grew grave.
"The Sun Moon Empire is our sworn enemy. Going there would be extremely dangerous.
"Besides, the cultivation resources of our inner court are far beyond what the Sun Moon Imperial Academy can offer."
"I know."
Huo Yuhao nodded, his gaze unwavering.
"But Elder Mu, you saw it yourself. I won today's assessment largely thanks to Soul Tools.
"The world of the future won't be decided by Martial Soul battles alone. Soul Tools are bound to rule the battlefield.
"The Sun Moon Empire is far ahead of us in Soul Tool Technology. I want to go there and learn the most advanced Soul Tool knowledge."
Before you continue