Three Weaknesses, Yan Shaozhe's Considerations

Mu Jin led Huo Yuhao away, turning to leave.

The sound of their footsteps gradually faded down the corridor, eventually disappearing around the corner.

Inside the Academic Affairs Office, Du Weilun stared at the door that had just closed, remaining silent for a long time.

He picked up the transfer file he had just processed, his gaze lingering on the three characters "Huo Yuhao," a complex light flashing in his eyes.

Level fourteen.

Defeating a level twenty-nine.

Seventy-one consecutive battles, without a single defeat.

Just how many secrets was this boy hiding?

Du Weilun shook his head, set the file down, and buried himself once again in the endless pile of official business.

But in his heart, he had already firmly etched the boy's name.

On the other side.

Inside the office of the Dean of the Martial Soul Department.

Yan Shaozhe pushed the door open and entered, followed by a student.

The student stood respectfully at the doorway, waiting for instructions.

"You may go."

Yan Shaozhe waved his hand, his tone indifferent.

The student bowed, gently closed the door, and retreated.

Inside the office, only Yan Shaozhe remained.

He walked over to the large mahogany desk and sat down slowly.

Sunlight spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the room and making it feel warm.

Outside the window lay the plaza of Shrek Academy, where the faint sounds of drills could be heard in the distance.

But Yan Shaozhe had no time to appreciate this right now.

His gaze fell upon the file already prepared on his desk.

It was a list.

On the cover were several large characters—[New Core Disciple Candidate List].

Following tradition, after the new students enrolled, the Dean of the Martial Soul Department would compile and evaluate all their data, then select a few of the most outstanding students from the hundreds of newcomers to be designated as core disciples for intensive training.

These core disciples would enjoy the academy's highest-quality resources—the best teachers, top-tier cultivation techniques, priority soul ring configurations, and even the opportunity to enter the Inner Court to access secrets known only to the elite.

This was a shortcut to becoming a powerhouse.

It was also a heavy honor.

In previous years, this list would have been drafted on the very first day of school.

But this year, due to the conflict between Huo Yuhao and Zhou Yi, Yan Shaozhe had not yet had the chance to handle it.

At this moment, he sat back in his office chair, opened the summary of new student profiles, and began flipping through them page by page.

Wang Dong, Martial Soul Radiant Goddess Butterfly, Innate Full Soul Power, Soul Power Level twenty-one...

Ning Tian, Martial Soul Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda, Innate Full Soul Power, Soul Power Level thirty-one...

Wu Feng, Martial Soul Red Dragon, Innate Soul Power level nine, Soul Power Level twenty-three...

Xiao Xiao, Martial Soul Nine Phoenixes Flute, Innate Soul Power level nine, Soul Power Level twenty-two...

Yan Shaozhe evaluated them silently in his mind as he read.

These children all possessed excellent talent; in time, they would surely achieve great things.

He picked up his pen and circled several names.

Until—

He turned to a certain page, and his finger paused slightly.

[New Student Class One: Huo Yuhao]

[Martial Soul: Spirit Eye (Spirit Attribute Body Martial Soul)]

[Soul Power Level: Thirteen]

[Soul Ring: Four hundred years]

[Innate Soul Power: One to two levels (estimated)]

[Cultivation Value: Extremely low]

Yan Shaozhe stared at this information, momentarily stunned.

This list had been compiled before enrollment, and much of the information was outdated. For instance, Huo Yuhao's soul power level was no longer thirteen, but fourteen. And his strength was not as simple as that of an ordinary new student.

In Yan Shaozhe's mind, the scenes he had witnessed earlier at the Soul Fighting Arena began to surface—

A variety of strange Self-Created Soul Skills appeared on Huo Yuhao, and he wielded them with masterful perfection.

And then there was that pair of eyes, calm as water and devoid of fear, when he stood in confrontation against himself.

This youth was truly no simple matter.

Yan Shaozhe fell silent for a moment, his pen hovering over the list, hesitant to descend.

He was wavering.

Should he include Huo Yuhao on the list of Core Disciples?

Given the strength Huo Yuhao displayed today—defeating a level twenty-nine with level fourteen, fighting seventy-one consecutive battles without a single loss—such combat prowess was rare even in the history of Shrek Academy.

In terms of talent, he was absolutely qualified to enter the ranks of Core Disciples.

However...

Yan Shaozhe's gaze fell upon the remarks column of the list, looking at that line of text—

[Innate Soul Power: Level One to Two (Estimated)]

Innate Soul Power.

This was one of the most important foundations for a Soul Master.

Innate Soul Power determined the upper limit of a person's cultivation talent.

Those with Innate Full Soul Power cultivated several times faster than ordinary people and found it much easier to break through bottlenecks.

But for someone with only level one or two Innate Soul Power, no matter how hard they worked, they would be limited by their talent, resulting in slow cultivation speed and countless bottlenecks.

Without a major stroke of fortune, such as an Immortal Herb or the sacrifice of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, they would be trapped for a lifetime.

This was an ironclad rule.

For ten thousand years, no one had ever been able to break it.

What did Huo Yuhao rely on to defeat a level twenty-nine with level fourteen?

It was those bizarre Self-Created Soul Skills.

It was that strange movement technique, the stacked palm strikes, and the rebounding techniques.

But could one rely on these forever?

Yan Shaozhe's brows furrowed slightly as he began to weigh the pros and cons in his heart.

First, the limitation of Innate Soul Power.

Huo Yuhao's Innate Soul Power was at most level two.

This meant that his future cultivation speed would be extremely slow.

By the time he cultivated his soul power to level twenty-something, the geniuses of his age would have long since raised their soul power to level forty or fifty.

At that point, even if you had countless Self-Created Soul Skills, what would it matter?

The gap in soul power would be right there.

A gap of one major realm was enough to crush any technique.

What's more—

Who could guarantee that Huo Yuhao would definitely be able to continuously comprehend more Self-Created Soul Skills?

Self-Created Soul Skills required a massive amount of time and energy to comprehend and polish.

If you spent a large amount of time on Self-Created Soul Skills, your cultivation would only be further delayed.

This was a vicious cycle.

Second, the flaws of his Martial Soul.

As a Spirit Attribute Body Martial Soul, the Spirit Eye was indeed rare and indeed powerful.

But it also had a fatal drawback—

The secondary awakening.

The strength of a Body Martial Soul lay in its ability to undergo a secondary, or even tertiary, awakening, with each awakening bringing a qualitative leap.

However, Shrek Academy had not yet mastered the method for the secondary awakening of Body Martial Souls.

Over the past ten thousand years, the academy had trained many students with Body Martial Souls, but those who could truly complete a secondary awakening were few and far between.

The academy simply could not help Huo Yuhao achieve a secondary awakening of his Martial Soul.

This meant that Huo Yuhao's Martial Soul would likely remain in its initial state forever.

Furthermore, since Spirit Attribute Soul Beasts were extremely rare, Shrek Academy would have to dedicate a vast amount of faculty resources specifically to find suitable soul rings for Huo Yuhao.

The resources invested would far outweigh the gains.

Third, the issue of character.

This was the point that concerned Yan Shaozhe the most.

Huo Yuhao's personality was far too sharp and exposed.

It is good for young people to be spirited. Having grit and drive is a good thing.

But there must be rules.

Just moments ago at the Soul Fighting Arena, Yan Shaozhe had personally stepped in to mediate, giving Huo Yuhao plenty of face.

He had told Huo Yuhao to "forgive others when you can," suggesting he loosen his conditions and not force Zhou Yi to kneel.

That was a way out.

Any student with a shred of awareness would have taken that step down and given the Dean some face.

But what about Huo Yuhao?

He refused to take it.

He insisted on leaving him with no way to back down.

Not only that, but in front of everyone, he had rebuffed Yan Shaozhe and continued to pressure Zhou Yi for an apology.

Such a person is unmanageable.

Even if he were cultivated into a talent, he would not become an asset to Shrek Academy.

On the contrary, he might become a ticking time bomb.

Yan Shaozhe had taught at Shrek for decades and had seen too many geniuses.

Some geniuses understand how to read the situation and know how to show gratitude, eventually becoming pillars of the academy.

Others are arrogant, look down upon their elders, and eventually either fade into obscurity or leave the academy to seek opportunities elsewhere.

Huo Yuhao was clearly the latter.

Yan Shaozhe put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes, falling into deep thought.

Sunlight spilled in, casting mottled light and shadows across his face.

A long while passed.

He opened his eyes, picked up his pen, and—

lightly drew a horizontal line across Huo Yuhao's name.

That was the mark for "do not consider."

Although Huo Yuhao was gifted, able to defeat a level twenty-nine Soul Master while only at level fourteen, and although his performance today had stunned the entire crowd—

three fatal flaws made it impossible for Yan Shaozhe to include him on the list of Core Disciples.

His Innate Soul Power was too low, meaning his future cultivation speed would be slow.

His Martial Soul was difficult to awaken a second time, and Spirit Attribute soul rings were hard to obtain.

His personality was too sharp and unmanageable, making it difficult for him to become an asset to the academy.

These were all problems that could not be ignored.