One Man Battles a Host of Heroes

Half an hour later, Shrek Academy, Soul Fighting Platform.

Huo Yuhao stood quietly on the Soul Fighting Platform, his posture as straight as a pine. The afternoon sun poured down from the dome, casting a long, slender shadow at his feet.

Seated below were all the students from Class One and Class Nine.

It was the first day of the new semester, a day that should have been reserved for the homeroom teachers to announce important matters, but because of this business with Huo Yuhao, the lessons naturally could not continue.

Zhou Yi had simply ordered the students of both classes to come to the Soul Fighting Arena to witness this wager firsthand—she wanted everyone to see the consequences of challenging her authority.

"Is this Huo Yuhao? He's the one who made a bet with Zhou Yi? A level 13 Soul Master challenging someone over level 20? He must be insane!"

"If he can win with a full major rank gap, I'll do the class cleaning for a month!"

"I bet he won't last three moves. No, one move."

Whispers echoed incessantly from the stands.

No one believed Huo Yuhao could win. The gap in soul power was plain to see, and Zhou Yi wasn't stupid; how could she possibly send someone of the same level to the stage?

At the very least, it would be a Soul Grand Master over level 20 who had already absorbed their second soul ring.

For a level 13 to fight someone over level 20—a difference of a major rank plus a soul ring—it would be a miracle if he won.

Some even started a secret betting pool in the crowd, offering ten-to-one odds against Huo Yuhao winning.

As soon as the words were spoken, Gold Soul Coins flew toward the bookie like snowflakes; almost everyone placed their bets on Huo Yuhao's inevitable defeat.

Only one pair of slender hands pushed through the crowd, slamming a full thousand Gold Soul Coins onto the table.

"I bet on Huo Yuhao to win."

The crowd turned to see a delicate-looking young girl standing there, her eyes calm.

Someone from Class One recognized her—a new student named Xiao Xiao.

"Crazy, absolutely crazy." The bookie shook his head and recorded the bet. "A thousand Gold Soul Coins down the drain, not even a splash to show for it."

Xiao Xiao did not argue. She simply pulled back her hand, her gaze crossing the crowd to land on the thin figure standing on the Soul Fighting Platform.

She didn't know what trump cards Huo Yuhao held, but she remembered the boy's eyes in the classroom—eyes as deep as an abyss. Those were not the eyes of a madman; they were the eyes of a hunter.

"Young Mistress, isn't this Huo Yuhao a bit of a fool?"

In the front row of the stands, a girl in a white school uniform whispered to the blonde woman beside her.

Though wearing the white uniform, the girl could not hide her proud figure. She had striking red hair and rare red eyes, giving her an aggressive and sharp air.

But if one looked closely, they would see her features were exquisite and her skin as white as jade, though her gaze was cold—cold enough to be tempered in ice.

The girl was named Wu Feng, a disciple of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect.

The one Wu Feng addressed as "Young Mistress" was also a young girl.

She wore the same white uniform, with white-gold hair cascading down to her waist like a waterfall. Her azure eyes were as clear as a lake, and her temperament was gentle, yet there was an innate dignity and composure in her brow that belonged to the daughter of a sect master.

The girl was the Young Sect Master of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect, Ning Tian.

Hearing Wu Feng's words, she shook her head slightly and said softly, "Sister Feng, I've told you, just call me Ning Tian at the academy. Also, don't underestimate others. I have a feeling this Huo Yuhao is quite extraordinary."

As the Young Sect Master of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect, Ning Tian had been heavily cultivated by the sect since childhood, especially in the art of judging people and things.

The future of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect would eventually fall into her hands, and she needed to start building her own team now. Shrek Academy was a gathering place for geniuses; if she could recruit one or two with exceptional talent into the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect, she could ensure the sect's prosperity for a century.

This was one of the reasons Ning Tian and Wu Feng had come to Shrek to study.

At this moment, Ning Tian's gaze rested on Huo Yuhao, her brow slightly furrowed—not out of worry, but out of contemplation.

In her perception, this boy named Huo Yuhao was shrouded in an indescribable sense of mystery.

He clearly only had level 13 soul power, and he was clearly just an ordinary student who had just climbed up from the freshman assessment, yet he stood on the Soul Fighting Platform with an aura as calm as water, without a single ripple.

He should be well aware that he was about to face a Soul Grand Master over level 20.

He should be well aware that if he were careless in this battle, he could be severely injured or even suffer lifelong cultivation impediments.

Yet, there was no panic on his face, no hope for luck, and no forced composure.

There was only... certainty.

It was a temperament Ning Tian had only seen in a few people—most of whom had become top-tier powerhouses or regional overlords.

But how old was Huo Yuhao? Eleven? Twelve?

How could he be like this?

Ning Tian suddenly developed a keen interest in the boy.

She found herself subconsciously wondering: What had he experienced? What kind of trump cards was he hiding? Was he... worth the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect's efforts to recruit him?

"Young... Ning Tian, I think you're overthinking this."

Wu Feng curled her lip, her eyes filled with undisguised disdain and dissatisfaction as she looked at Huo Yuhao. "How could a level 10-something Soul Master beat a Soul Grand Master over level 20? Unless the opponent throws the match, but would that old hag Zhou Yi throw it? Keep dreaming."

As she spoke, her gaze drifted involuntarily toward Ning Tian, a subtle look flashing in the depths of her eyes.

Wu Feng had always harbored feelings for Ning Tian that went beyond those of a fellow disciple, and seeing Ning Tian think so highly of a strange boy, the jealousy in her heart became impossible to suppress.

"Just wait and see." Ning Tian did not turn back, speaking only in a faint tone, "He will give us our answer soon enough."

Just then, on the other side of the Soul Fighting Platform, Zhou Yi looked at the youth standing ready beside her and spoke in a low voice, "Liu Ping, I leave him to you."

"Very well, Teacher Zhou. I will defeat him with ease."

"Very well, Teacher Zhou. I will defeat him with ease."

The youth named Liu Ping nodded, his eyes filled with the certainty of victory.

He was a student who had just entered Shrek Academy the previous year and was now in his second year, possessing a Soul Power Level of twenty-three with a single-handed long blade as his Martial Soul.

When he was a first-year student, his homeroom teacher had been none other than Zhou Yi, and his strength at the time had been enough to rank him within the top one hundred of his grade.

During the previous year's freshman assessment, he and his teammates had achieved a respectable thirty-second place—a ranking that was considered well above average among hundreds of freshmen.

That was why he felt such confidence when facing Huo Yuhao, a freshman with only level thirteen power.

What did level thirteen even mean?

It was a realm that had only just crossed the threshold of a Soul Master, still far from the level twenty Soul Grand Master stage.

And he, Liu Ping, was a bona fide level twenty-three Soul Grand Master; he had one more Soul Ring, ten more levels of Soul Power, and an extra year of combat experience.

From the very beginning, there was no suspense in this battle.

Hearing Liu Ping's words, Zhou Yi nodded with satisfaction.

She looked at the thin figure on the Soul Fighting Platform, a flash of cold, cruel pleasure crossing her eyes—since he dared to defy her in public, she would let everyone see the consequences of challenging the authority of Zhou Yi.

"Go," she said indifferently, "there is no need to hold back."

Liu Ping understood, a cruel smile curling the corners of his lips.