Freshman Assembly

And if even the caster suffered backlash and was injured, there was no need to mention Dai Huabin, the one being attacked.

The instant Soul Shock came into contact with Dai Huabin, the Soul Power shell condensed around its outer layer first collided with Dai Huabin's own protective Soul Power.

Although there was a vast gap in Soul Power between Huo Yuhao and Dai Huabin, Dai Huabin's Soul Power was merely protecting him instinctively at the moment. He had not used a soul skill to reinforce it.

Yet the power of Huo Yuhao's mental attack was comparable to an offensive soul skill from a two- or three-thousand-year Soul Ring. While the skill was not especially effective against Soul Power defenses, it was still not something the instinctive protective Soul Power of an Assault Type Soul Elder could withstand.

As Soul Shock struck solidly into Dai Huabin's brain, Dai Huabin, who had yet to open up even a Spiritual Sea of his own, rolled his eyes and fainted without the slightest ability to resist.

At the same time, blood trickled from all seven of Dai Huabin's orifices due to the damage to his brain. If he had not been an Assault Type Soul Elder with an exceptional martial soul, that single Soul Shock might even have turned him into an idiot.

On the platform, Yan Shaozhe and Qian Duoduo, who had been watching Huo Yuhao closely, both noticed this scene.

Because of that powerful Soul Shock, Huo Yuhao's eyes suddenly shone with platinum light, drawing the attention of many people. What followed was the sight of Dai Huabin, who had been charging forward with his head down, collapsing and failing to rise.

"Very good, very good. This probably isn't a soul skill belonging to little Huo Yuhao. His first soul skill was reported earlier—it should be an Insight-type ability." Yan Shaozhe praised him from the viewing platform.

As a Super Douluo, Yan Shaozhe only needed a quick scan from the stands to roughly understand what Huo Yuhao had just done. At their level, they could naturally sense fluctuations in Spiritual Power.

He also discovered that although Dai Huabin looked utterly miserable, a mental attack of that level could not possibly damage the foundation of an Assault Type Soul Elder. Therefore, he had no intention of intervening to stop the match.

"This should be a Self-Created Soul Skill he developed based on his own martial soul and his advantage in Spiritual Power."

"He gathers his Spiritual Power, uses Soul Power as a vessel, condenses it, and strikes directly at the enemy's mind and brain. It seems quite mature, not something he thought up on the spot. In battles among low-level soul masters, it will likely be unstoppable."

After saying that, Yan Shaozhe looked teasingly at Qian Duoduo beside him. The meaning was obvious: Old Qian, forget those little schemes of yours. I almost got fooled before, but don't think you can lure Huo Yuhao into your Soul Engineering Department now.

Having opposed Yan Shaozhe for decades, Qian Duoduo naturally understood what Yan Shaozhe wanted to say but had left unsaid. The corner of his eye twitched, and with a cold snort, he flicked his sleeve and left.

Back on the battlefield, Zhu Lu was at a loss when she saw Dai Huabin suddenly collapse unconscious. As the Hell Spirit Cat, an accessory to the Evil Eye White Tiger and material for their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, she hurriedly tried to help Dai Huabin up.

However, the proctor had already arrived and stopped Zhu Lu. After swiftly carrying Dai Huabin off the field and examining him, the proctor found that there was no serious problem and did not further interfere with the match.

Although Huo Yuhao had expended quite a bit of Spiritual Power to unleash Soul Shock, temporarily tying down a Soul Grandmaster-level Hell Spirit Cat was no challenge for him.

An unending stream of hidden weapons flew from Huo Yuhao's hands as if they had eyes.

Although Zhu Lu's Hell Spirit Cat martial soul made her nimble and agile, she simply could not escape the pursuit of the hidden weapons.

Hidden weapons fell upon Zhu Lu one after another like raindrops. Even with the Hell Spirit Cat, one of the current top-tier Agility Assault Type martial souls, Zhu Lu could not get anywhere near Huo Yuhao.

All she could do afterward was watch helplessly as Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao swiftly dealt with Cui Yajie before coming to help Huo Yuhao finish her off as well.

It looked complicated, but it had taken only a few short minutes. The final match of the Freshman Assessment, which everyone at Shrek Academy had placed great expectations upon, ended in such an unwatchable fashion.

It left every teacher watching with the feeling that they had punched cotton.

While it certainly proved the strength of Wang Dong's team, what they wanted to see was a far more intense clash of titans!

Most of them knew what it meant for the Evil Eye White Tiger and the Hell Spirit Cat to appear together. Their martial souls must have been compatible enough to achieve Martial Soul Fusion, which was why they always appeared side by side.

Otherwise, Dai Huabin's older brother, Dai Yueheng, also possessed the Evil Eye White Tiger, but no Hell Spirit Cat could match with him. Hadn't he spent all these years at the academy alone?

Though he had also been assigned a fiancée from the Zhu Family, their martial souls could not fuse. Thus, they each focused on cultivating their own martial soul type. Forcing them together would only slow both of their cultivation.

Yet this pair, Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu, had been defeated before they could even display the Evil Eye White Tiger that the Dai Family and Zhu Family took such pride in. What kind of joke was that?

Du Weilun, the dean of instruction for the Outer Court Martial Soul Department, coughed twice before leaping onto the field. "Very good. I now announce that the ultimate champions of the Freshman Assessment elimination rounds are Wang Dong, Huo Yuhao, and Xiao Xiao's team!"

"This Freshman Assessment has concluded successfully. Tomorrow morning, a Freshman Assembly will be held to award the top three teams and assign the first-year classes. All right, return now. You must all be tired after these past few days of fighting, so get some proper rest."

Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao both raised their hands and cheered.

"We won!"

"We're the champions!"

A smile appeared on Huo Yuhao's lips as well. He cheered alongside Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao, and the three embraced. Yet even so—

He was doing it more to behave in a manner appropriate for someone of his age.

Although the results had truly depended on the contestants' own abilities, Zhou Yi, as their homeroom teacher, still came over to Huo Yuhao and the other two. She gave them a rare, satisfied smile.

Dai Huabin, still groggy, had already been treated by a Healing Type Soul Master and awakened. Though his mind was still unclear, he looked at Huo Yuhao and the others cheering in celebration, as well as the homeroom teacher who had come to comfort him.

Nothing remained in Dai Huabin's eyes but cold hatred. He believed the championship should have been his! Why had someone else taken it from him? He had only been careless this time. Next time—next time, he absolutely would not lose!

Huo Yuhao did not care about the thoughts of a defeated dog. Given Dai Huabin's personality, there were only a few things he could do—either stir up trouble or act recklessly without considering the consequences.

No matter what Dai Huabin intended to do, Huo Yuhao would not be afraid. The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was still an incredibly powerful trump card in the early stages, not to mention Electrolux, his hidden backup source of power.

"All right, let's head back first," Huo Yuhao said to the more composed Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong.

"Mm! I need to tell Little Ya and the others this good news!" Wang Dong said excitedly.

"Oh, right, Huo Yuhao, let's have dinner together tonight! We can celebrate properly with Little Ya and the others!"

Huo Yuhao nodded. "Sure. No problem on my end."

Huo Yuhao's value had now been displayed before Shrek Academy's upper ranks. Next, he needed to deepen his connection with Shrek Academy in order to achieve his desired result.

After a night of celebration, Xiao Xiao also joined the Tang Sect under Tang Ya's persuasion. Yet in Huo Yuhao's eyes, it was insignificant. Though Tang Ya was currently the Tang Sect's sect master—

Her strength and talent were both far too lacking to support the structure of a true sect. Once Huo Yuhao's own strength had fully developed, he could naturally use the Tang Sect to hatch an egg with a borrowed hen.

Wasn't that what Shrek Academy had done ten thousand years ago? If they could do it, why couldn't Huo Yuhao?

The next morning was bright and sunny. All freshmen who had passed the assessment gathered at Shrek Plaza.

With the arrival of Du Weilun, the dean of instruction for the Outer Court Martial Soul Department, and more than a dozen teachers, the Freshman Assembly officially began.

Du Weilun wore a smile as he began announcing, one by one, the rewards earned by the top three students of the Freshman Assembly.

"Third place in the Freshman Assessment: Huang Chutian's team. Team members Huang Chutian, Lan Susu, and Lan Luoluo, step forward."

"Second place in the Freshman Assessment: Dai Huabin's team. Team members Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, and Cui Yajie, step forward."

"First place in the Freshman Assessment: Wang Dong's team. Team members Wang Dong, Huo Yuhao, and Xiao Xiao, step forward."

However, the expressions on the members of the three teams were all different.

Huang Chutian, Lan Susu, and Lan Luoluo were excited and thrilled.

Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, and Cui Yajie looked somewhat grim.

Wang Dong, Huo Yuhao, and Xiao Xiao wore faint smiles. In Dai Huabin's eyes, their smiles were unbearably glaring, as if they were deliberately or inadvertently slapping him across the face.

As the first-place team stepped forward, enthusiastic cheers and applause erupted across the plaza at Du Weilun's signal, congratulating the three winning teams. As for how much of that was sincere, no one could say.

"All right, I will now announce the rewards for the top three teams of the Freshman Assessment. Every member of the top three teams may submit a request to the academy when they need a Soul Ring. The academy will assist them in obtaining one Soul Ring that they can bear and that is best suited to them."

The first-year students were all astonished upon hearing this, but Huo Yuhao found the reward rather trivial.

After all, how could one expect the horse to run without feeding it? Not to mention that the academy's so-called assistance in hunting Soul Rings generally referred only to Soul Rings below ten thousand years.

More importantly, among soul master families and factions with even a little background, how many would not do everything possible to obtain the most suitable Soul Rings for their young masters and young ladies?

And among the teams capable of placing in the top three of the Freshman Assessment, aside from the rare deadweight, how many freshmen with formidable cultivation had no background or fortunate opportunity and had cultivated to this point purely as commoners?

Only after the murmurs of amazement subsided did Du Weilun continue. "In light of the championship team's outstanding performance and perfect record throughout the competition, the academy has prepared an additional special reward."

"This special reward will remain confidential for now. After class assignments are finished, you will come with me to receive it."

After Du Weilun gave another round of flowery praise, today's Freshman Assembly finally moved toward its main event.

"All right, everyone return to your places. The Freshman Assembly will continue."

After Huo Yuhao and the others returned to the ranks, Du Weilun began announcing the list of Core Disciples for this year's Outer Court Martial Soul Department.

"Based on the freshmen's performance during the assessment, the academy has approved the following Core Disciples: Wang Dong, Huo Yuhao, Xiao Xiao, Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, Zhou Sichen, Cao Jinxuan, Lan Susu, Lan Luoluo, Ning Tian, and Wu Feng."

"Since some freshmen demonstrated exceptional performances in the Freshman Assessment despite lacking somewhat in talent and ability, the academy has decided to grant them the treatment of Core Disciples temporarily."

"By the end of this academic year, if they make breakthroughs in next year's advancement examination, they will be considered for promotion to official Core Disciples. The list is as follows: Cui Yajie, Huang Chutian, Long Xiangyue, and Nanmen Yun'er."

Huo Yuhao nodded slightly. This way, he could at least make use of Shrek Academy's resources to resolve his urgent needs. Since he had not played the fool as he had in the original story, wasn't this exactly what it was for?

At the very least, Shrek Academy had not pretended to be blind to the end. It had properly granted Huo Yuhao the treatment of a Core Disciple.

Honestly, Shrek Academy's conduct in the original story had been just as absurd. The resources required for a so-called Core Disciple were less than a drop in the bucket for an academy as vast as Shrek Academy.

As the champion of the Freshman Assessment in the original story, even if Huo Yuhao had performed terribly, making him a Core Disciple of the Martial Soul Department would only have cost them a few more resources.

Yet Shrek Academy had given the original Huo Yuhao the treatment of a Core Disciple while refusing to grant him the actual status of a Core Disciple.

It could only be said that they had forcibly arranged it so Huo Yuhao could later possess the status of a dual Core Disciple in both the Martial Soul Department and Soul Engineering Department.

But none of that mattered now. Huo Yuhao certainly did not intend to spend his time at Shrek Academy dividing his attention to study Soul Tool technology that the Sun Moon Empire had already discarded.

Moreover, the resources brought by the status of a Core Disciple in the Martial Soul Department alone would definitely be enough to get him through the most difficult early stage.

After the disciple statuses were announced came the second-year class assignments: Class One consisted of the Assault Type and Control Type; Class Two consisted of the Defense Type and Agility Assault Type; Class Three was for the Support Type; and Class Four was for the Food Type, Healing Type, and all other special types.