After eating and drinking their fill, it was the perfect time for a good sleep.
Ji Siyuan lay on the bed, recovering his energy while also digesting the Ten-Thousand-Year Earth Dragon Meat Xuan Zi had provided.
Huo Yuhao, meanwhile, sat cross-legged in meditation, diligently cultivating.
Even after the competition ended, he hadn't chosen to relax. He was truly hardworking.
The moment Huo Yuhao came out of meditation, he looked toward Ji Siyuan.
Nine Lotus Seeds floated around him, their faint flames burning with incredible heat.
"The difference between our Martial Souls is so huge. Siyuan doesn't even need to meditate—those Lotus Seeds can help him cultivate."
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm agreed with Huo Yuhao. "I've never seen a Martial Soul like this. It combines cultivation speed with combat strength. It simply doesn't seem like a normal Martial Soul."
"Then, Brother Sky Dream, can I really catch up to Siyuan?"
"You ask me that eight times a day." Sky Dream Ice Silkworm knew what Huo Yutong was thinking. "I won't lie to you. Once you reach level 20, we'll have to find an incredibly powerful Soul Beast. By then, even if your Martial Souls can't compare to Ji Siyuan's, the Soul Ring Configuration for your two Martial Souls will definitely be something he can't match. I refuse to believe he has anything stronger than a million-year Soul Beast."
At that moment, Ji Siyuan was asking Tang San about his other Martial Soul.
Even without using the Sword of Three Realms Judgment, he could feel its influence.
Its sharp sword intent carried the power to cleave through everything.
"Uncle, can this sword really get Soul Rings?"
Tang San said, "Well, to be honest, I don't know either. The Sword of Three Realms Judgment isn't a divine weapon. It's a combination technique your parents and I used, and its effect is rather similar to a Martial Soul Fusion Skill. It reached a level beyond that of a God King. Now that it's become a Martial Soul for you, I'm afraid the Soul Rings on Douluo Continent aren't worthy of it."
Ji Siyuan had never summoned the Sword of Three Realms Judgment.
He had a feeling that even summoning it casually was beyond what he could control right now.
"I'd better practice with the Geocentric Red Lotus first."
He stretched and came to, only to find Huo Yuhao staring intently at him. As soon as he saw Ji Siyuan open his eyes, Huo Yuhao immediately looked away.
"Siyuan, I just reached level 19."
"Good job."
"You're not level 24 already, are you?" Hearing Ji Siyuan's calm reply, Huo Yuhao thought the gap between them had widened again.
It was common knowledge that the higher one's level, the harder it was to advance. How could their gap grow so much in the blink of an eye?
"I'm still a little short. I should level up in a few days." Ji Siyuan answered based on how he felt.
He patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder. "Come on, let's eat first. The awards ceremony's coming up, and then they'll assign the classes."
He was merely stating the facts, but Huo Yuhao suddenly said, "I won't be separated from you. Control and assault never split up!"
"I know control and assault never split up. Besides, we have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill. How could we possibly be separated?"
Huo Yuhao turned his head away, and it took him a while to look back at Ji Siyuan.
The two ran into Wang Dong'er, and since the three of them were already a team, they headed together to yesterday's Soul Fight Arena to await their rewards.
Both Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong'er were rather excited. After all, they were the champions.
Ji Siyuan already knew what the reward was, though he was still curious whether his unexpected appearance might have changed the final prize.
Yan Shaozhe and Qian Duoduo, the two deans, were both seated on the stage. Their presence alone put many students under pressure.
Grade Director Du Weilun was announcing the results of the competition.
First, he explained the changes to the competition, then announced the teams that had made it into the finals.
It was all familiar stuff, repeated once more.
"First, the final results of this competition. In third place, Huang Chutian's team."
Huang Chutian and the twins went up on stage. Below, some students voiced their disdain. There was no mystery about it: they'd been chosen as third place purely at the last minute.
But if one looked closely at how the matches had gone, third place was still a reasonably fair result.
"In second place, Xiao Xiao's team."
Xiao Xiao took the stage with two One-Ring Soul Masters. This time, plenty of people were dissatisfied.
There was no way their strength deserved that ranking.
"The champion team: Ji Siyuan's team."
Ji Siyuan, Wang Dong'er, and Huo Yuhao went up on stage. No one said they didn't deserve it. Ji Siyuan's heaven-defying combat strength had left the new students dumbstruck.
He'd fought a three-ring opponent as a two-ring Soul Master and still kept the other side on the back foot. He'd even managed the absurd feat of breaking through a Martial Soul Fusion Skill by himself.
Wang Dong'er was no slouch either. She could take on several opponents at once.
As for Huo Yuhao, most people still saw him as the team's tagalong.
Du Weilun said, "The results were earned on the battlefield. What's tested in battle has never been just combat ability. Your teamwork, your ability to read the battlefield, and even your communication and coordination are all crucial. In recognition of the three teams' outstanding performances, the academy will give each student on those teams the same reward. When obtaining their next Soul Ring, each of them may ask the academy to help them obtain one at the limit of what they can withstand.
"Xiao Xiao is a twin-Martial-Soul user, so the promise regarding her Second Martial Soul still stands."
The crowd immediately erupted in envy. For everyone else, it meant just one Soul Ring. But for Xiao Xiao, it meant two. She could wait until she was stronger to absorb a better Soul Ring, then obtain the Second Soul Ring for her Second Martial Soul.
They were envious, but there was nothing to be done. They weren't twin-Martial-Soul users themselves.
Du Weilun wasn't finished announcing the rewards. "In view of the champion team's astonishing performance, we've decided to give them a stored-value card. It can be used anywhere in Shrek City, including the Treasure Appraisal Fair! The card is worth one million Gold Soul Coins."
The moment the reward was announced, the crowd erupted.
A million Gold Soul Coins was no small sum. It was enough to give countless families a happy, comfortable life.
You could even buy a Millennium Soul Bone with that much.
Countless people looked at them with envy.
The main thing was, this prize wasn't easy to snatch. Whoever took it would have to use it, and that meant spending it in Shrek City. What's more, only those three could use it.
The reward was simply too valuable.
Dai Huabin ground his teeth in frustration. The Duke White Tiger could afford to hand over that many Gold Soul Coins, but he wouldn't give Dai Huabin such a huge amount as a one-time reward. He couldn't help craving the prize.
Only Ning Tian seemed relatively unmoved.
Compared to Ji Siyuan, people were even more envious of Huo Yuhao.
After all, Ji Siyuan had truly earned his place through his own strength. Given his abilities, he would have placed no matter what.
Ji Siyuan was puzzled, too. Why wasn't the prize a Soul Bone this time? And why wasn't there a hidden reward?
Tang San said, "Your academy knows how to make enemies. Now the three of you have become targets for everyone's resentment."
"Uncle, why are you taking pleasure in our misfortune?"
"To become stronger, you can't avoid things like this. This is just a little pitfall, meant to encourage you to cultivate. Naturally, I'm glad to see it."
Ji Siyuan could only shrug helplessly and accept the reasoning.
Wang Dong'er and Huo Yuhao were still stunned. A million Gold Soul Coins was an enormous amount of money for kids in their teens.
Du Weilun said, "During this competition, we saw many students demonstrate outstanding abilities. These outstanding students will become core disciples. Next, I'll announce the list of core disciples."
"Ji Siyuan, Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong'er..."
There was no need for the others to keep listening. Huo Yuhao grabbed Ji Siyuan's hand. "Siyuan, I'm a core disciple too! I am! I'm the only one who's just a One-Ring Soul Master."
In this life, Huo Yuhao had many more advantages than he had in the original story. Not only did he have his Soul Spirit, he was also Qian Duoduo's disciple.
It was only natural that he'd earned a spot.
After the list of core disciples was announced, they moved on to the list of students who would receive core disciple privileges.
Then Du Weilun explained the privileges that came with being a core disciple.
Ji Siyuan didn't need to listen. The status had almost no impact on him.
Huo Yuhao, however, was delighted. He wouldn't have to rely on Ji Siyuan's status to get a decent meal anymore.
Yan Shaozhe stood up to give the closing speech. It was mostly boilerplate.
Only a few lines were useful. "Classes will be assigned soon. I hope all of you study hard and graduate as you should!"