We Are the Champions

The spotlights above the dome of Shrek Academy's Great Soul Arena converged on the central ring.

The smoke of the Freshman Assessment finals had cleared. The referee raised Huo Yuhao's arm, and deafening cheers swept through the arena like a tsunami, nearly lifting the heavy stone dome off its foundations.

"I hereby announce the champions of this year's Freshman Assessment finals—the Spirit Eye Team!"

The golden trophy was placed in their hands. The cool touch of the metal made Huo Yuhao's fingertips tremble slightly. As he looked at the jubilant crowd below and at Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao, whose eyes curved with their smiles, his heart pounded wildly.

From a good-for-nothing bastard son, scorned by everyone in the Duke Mansion, to the champion of Shrek Academy's Freshman Assessment, he had walked this road for ten whole years.

In the finals, they had faced the team widely considered the second strongest among the freshmen: an all-around formation of three Level 32 Soul Elders, balanced in attack and defense.

But under Huo Yuhao's all-pervasive Spiritual Detection, all of their tactics were useless. Wang Dong's Light Goddess Butterfly swept everything before her, and Xiao Xiao's Twin Martial Souls served equally well in offense and defense. The three worked together with consummate skill, claiming an overwhelming victory in less than ten minutes. Undefeated, they ascended to the championship.

At the awards ceremony, Yan Shaozhe, the dean of the Martial Soul Department, personally pinned the championship badges on the three of them. His gaze rested on Huo Yuhao with undisguised admiration and regret that such talent had not been found sooner.

From Electrolux possessing him and scattering the Hell White Tiger with a single move in the quarterfinals, to controlling the field with his spiritual power and defeating three opponents single-handedly in the semifinals, and then directing his team with precision in the finals, this ten-year-old boy had completely won over all of Shrek Academy with one indisputable victory after another.

His talent for the Ultimate Mental Attribute, his composure in the face of danger, and the unfathomable cards he kept up his sleeve left Yan Shaozhe absolutely certain that this child would one day become a powerhouse standing at the peak of the continent.

"Congratulations," Yan Shaozhe said warmly, patting the three of them on the shoulders.

"You're the most outstanding freshman team I've seen in all my years of teaching. Especially you, Huo Yuhao. Your spiritual power is unlike anything I've ever seen."

Huo Yuhao hurriedly bowed and replied respectfully, "Thank you for your praise, Dean. We were just lucky, and my teammates and I worked well together."

His humility only deepened the admiration in Yan Shaozhe's eyes.

Besides the championship badges and trophy, the academy had offered exceedingly generous rewards: each of them would receive a ten-thousand-year Soul Bone suited to them, one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins in cultivation funds, and priority access to the academy's core resources for the next year. They would even be allowed to enter the Shrek Scripture Pavilion and Soul Tool Vault to choose cultivation techniques and Soul Tools.

These rewards were enough to drive ordinary Soul Masters wild with envy. Even core students of the Inner Court would be jealous.

The rewards were so generous thanks in no small part to Yan Shaozhe's own calculations. If he could use this opportunity to win Huo Yuhao over, it would be a worthwhile investment.

Huo Yuhao knew that he owed his success to Gu Yuan's guidance and care every step of the way.

Without Gu Yuan and Brother Sky Dream, he would still be the good-for-nothing who had been barely surviving in the Duke Mansion. He never could have stood on the champion's podium.

After the awards ceremony ended, the crowd gradually dispersed. Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao carried their rewards, excitedly discussing which cultivation resources to buy. Huo Yuhao was just about to follow them when Yan Shaozhe called out to him.

"Huo Yuhao, wait a moment. I have something to discuss with you."

Huo Yuhao stopped and turned around, then bowed respectfully to Yan Shaozhe. "Dean Yan, did you want to see me?"

Yan Shaozhe smiled and nodded, leading him to a quiet lounge beside the arena. Once he had shut the door, he got straight to the point. "Yuhao, I'll be direct. I want you to become my personal disciple."

Even though Huo Yuhao had been prepared for this, he still froze for a moment.

Who was Yan Shaozhe? The dean of Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department, a Level 95 Super Douluo, and a renowned powerhouse across the continent.

Becoming his personal disciple was an opportunity Soul Masters would fight tooth and nail to obtain.

Huo Yuhao quickly regained his composure. He remembered what Gu Yuan had told him: he could learn from Shrek, but he mustn't tie himself to it completely.

Seeing Huo Yuhao standing there in a daze, Yan Shaozhe assumed he was overwhelmed with excitement and immediately pressed his advantage, offering even more tempting terms. "Yuhao, if you agree to become my disciple, I'll immediately petition the Sea God Pavilion to grant you the status of an Inner Court core student. You'll receive all cultivation resources at the level of a Sea God Pavilion candidate. And in the future, I'll provide you with at least one Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring."

Yan Shaozhe's offer was undeniably tempting. It was practically the best he could offer from his current position.

"I know you're studying under Fan Yu in the Soul Guidance Department. Even if you become my disciple, you can continue studying there. I won't stop you. I'll teach you everything I've learned in my life, help you cultivate your Martial Soul, and bring your potential in the Ultimate Mental Attribute fully to the fore."

Yan Shaozhe had laid everything he could offer before Huo Yuhao. Any other freshman would probably have dropped to their knees and accepted at once, overwhelmed with gratitude.

But Huo Yuhao simply stood there in silence. He showed none of the delight and gratitude Yan Shaozhe had expected.

No matter how much Yan Shaozhe offered, it was still Shrek's resources, and the price would be his loyalty in the future.

What Huo Yuhao truly wanted was to avenge his mother, escape the shadow of the Dai Family, and carve out a path of his own—not become a pawn on Shrek's chessboard.

Besides, he had Gu Yuan and Douluo Hall behind him. He couldn't, and wouldn't, tie himself to Shrek's chariot so easily.

After a moment of silence, Huo Yuhao raised his head and bowed deeply to Yan Shaozhe. His tone was respectful but distinctly distant as he replied vaguely, "Dean Yan, I'm very grateful that you think so highly of me. Being chosen by you is a great honor. It's just that I'm still young and my cultivation is shallow. My character hasn't yet been fully tempered. If I joined your tutelage now, I'm afraid I'd disappoint you and tarnish your reputation."

"I'd like to focus on my studies at the academy and strengthen my cultivation first. Once I'm more mature and my cultivation has stabilized, I'll consider becoming someone's disciple. I hope you'll understand, Dean."

His reply was faultless. He neither outright refused and hurt Yan Shaozhe's pride, nor accepted. Instead, he put the matter off, making his position clear without being too direct.

Yan Shaozhe froze, clearly not expecting Huo Yuhao to turn him down after he had offered such generous terms.

He had lived through most of his life and seen every kind of genius. All of them had fought tooth and nail to become his disciples, yet this ten-year-old boy could resist such a powerful temptation and remain so levelheaded.

After the initial surprise, Yan Shaozhe wasn't angry. If anything, he admired Huo Yuhao even more.

Neither arrogant nor impatient, unmoved by fame or fortune—this character was rarer than talent.

Yan Shaozhe burst into hearty laughter and patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder. "I was too eager. The place as my disciple will always be yours. Whenever you've made up your mind, you can come to me."

"Thank you for understanding, Dean." Huo Yuhao bowed again in gratitude, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.

As he left the lounge, Huo Yuhao spotted Gu Yuan and the others waiting at the arena entrance. Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao were there, too.

"Yuhao, how did it go? What did Dean Yan want?" Wang Dong immediately came over, her voice carrying a hint of nervousness she could barely hide. Her peach-blossom eyes fixed intently on Huo Yuhao, as if afraid something had happened to him.

"Nothing much. Dean Yan wanted me to become his personal disciple, but I politely declined." Huo Yuhao smiled and said it lightly.

Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao's eyes widened at once, and they drew in a sharp breath.

"Oh my god! Dean Yan wanted you as his personal disciple? And you turned him down?" Xiao Xiao covered her mouth, unable to believe it.

"Yuhao, you're incredible! That was Dean Yan!"

Wang Dong was stunned for a long moment. Then, as she looked at Huo Yuhao, the concern in her eyes grew deeper.

She had seen too many people scramble to curry favor with the powerful and get their hands on resources. Huo Yuhao had faced such an enormous temptation and still held fast to his principles. His resolve made him seem all the more dazzling to her, so much so that she couldn't look away.

Only Gu Yuan showed no surprise. He merely smiled.

He had expected Yan Shaozhe to try to win Huo Yuhao over and had already discussed with him how to handle it. Huo Yuhao's response had gone exactly as Gu Yuan had anticipated.

Jin Ruiqiu came bouncing over and gave Huo Yuhao's arm a playful shake, grinning. "Yuhao, you were amazing! You won the championship! Come on, let's celebrate with something delicious! I know a really good dessert shop in Shrek City!"

The group exchanged smiles and chatted as they walked toward Shrek City. The setting sun stretched their shadows long behind them, and the laughter of the young friends carried far on the evening breeze.