We Are the Champions

The spotlights above the dome of the Shrek Academy Great Soul Arena converged upon the central stage.

As the smoke of the Freshman Assessment finals cleared, the referee raised Huo Yuhao's arm high. A deafening roar of cheers swept through the venue like a tsunami, nearly lifting the heavy stone dome from its foundations.

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

The golden championship trophy was placed into the hands of the trio. As the cold metal touched his skin, Huo Yuhao's fingertips trembled slightly. Looking at the seething crowd below and the beaming faces of Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao beside him, his heart hammered wildly.

From a despised, illegitimate son in the Duke Mansion to the champion of the Shrek Academy Freshman Assessment, he had walked this path for ten long years.

In these finals, they had faced the second-strongest team recognized among the freshmen, a balanced offensive and defensive lineup consisting of three Level 32 Soul Elder combatants.

Yet, under Huo Yuhao's all-encompassing spiritual detection, all of the opponents' tactics were rendered useless. Wang Dong's Radiant Goddess Butterfly swept through like a gale, and Xiao Xiao's Twin Martial Souls provided both offense and defense. The trio's coordination was flawless; they secured the match with absolute dominance in under ten minutes, claiming the championship with an undefeated record.

On the podium, Yan Shaozhe, Dean of the Martial Soul Department, personally pinned the championship badges onto the three. His gaze toward Huo Yuhao was filled with undisguised appreciation and a desire to nurture talent.

From the quarterfinals, where Electrolux possessed him to shatter the Hell White Tiger in one blow, to the semifinals where he controlled the field with spiritual power to sweep three opponents, and finally to his precise tactical command in the finals—this ten-year-old boy had thoroughly conquered Shrek Academy with one indisputable victory after another.

His ultimate spiritual attribute talent, his composure under pressure, and his unfathomable hidden cards made Yan Shaozhe absolutely certain that this child would inevitably become a powerhouse standing at the pinnacle of the continent.

"Congratulations." Yan Shaozhe smiled and patted the shoulders of the three, his voice gentle.

"You are the most outstanding freshman team I have seen in all my years of teaching. Especially you, Huo Yuhao; your spiritual power is the greatest I have ever encountered in my life."

Huo Yuhao quickly bowed, saying respectfully, "Thank you for the praise, Dean. We were just lucky, and our teamwork was well-coordinated."

His humility and lack of arrogance only deepened the appreciation in Yan Shaozhe's eyes.

Beyond the championship badges and trophy, the rewards provided by the academy were incredibly generous: a ten-thousand-year-level soul bone suited to each individual, 100,000 Gold Soul Coin for cultivation funds, priority access to the academy's core resources for the next year, and even the qualification to enter the Shrek Scripture Pavilion and the Soul Tool Vault to select techniques and soul tools.

This reward was enough to drive ordinary soul masters mad; even core students of the Inner Court would be green with envy.

Such generous rewards were not without Yan Shaozhe's own hidden agenda; if he could take this opportunity to win Huo Yuhao over, it would be a very profitable deal.

Huo Yuhao knew in his heart that he could not have achieved today's results without the guidance and care of Gu Yuan along the way.

If not for Gu Yuan and Brother Sky Dream, he would still be that waste gasping for breath in the Duke Mansion, never standing on this championship podium.

As the awards ceremony concluded and the crowd gradually dispersed, Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao excitedly discussed purchasing cultivation resources while clutching their rewards. Just as Huo Yuhao was about to follow them, he was called back by Yan Shaozhe.

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

Huo Yuhao's footsteps faltered. He turned around and bowed respectfully to Yan Shaozhe: "Dean Yan, were you looking for me?"

Yan Shaozhe nodded with a smile and led him into a quiet lounge beside the arena. He closed the door and, without beating around the bush, got straight to the point: "Yuhao, I'll be blunt. I want to take you on as my personal disciple."

The moment these words were spoken, even though Huo Yuhao had been mentally prepared, he was still stunned.

Who was Yan Shaozhe? The Dean of the Shrek Academy Martial Soul Department, a Level 95 Super Douluo, and a top-tier powerhouse renowned across the entire continent.

Becoming his personal disciple was an opportunity countless soul masters would break their heads trying to obtain.

Huo Yuhao quickly calmed down. He remembered what Gu Yuan had told him: one could learn from Shrek, but one must never bind oneself entirely to it.

Seeing Huo Yuhao's daze, Yan Shaozhe assumed he was simply overwhelmed with excitement and immediately struck while the iron was hot, throwing out even more tempting conditions: "Yuhao, as long as you take me as your master, I will immediately apply to the Sea God Pavilion to grant you the status of an Inner Court core student, with all cultivation resources provided at the standard of Sea God Pavilion reserve members. In the future, I will provide you with at least one hundred-thousand-year soul ring."

The temptation Yan Shaozhe offered was immense, reaching nearly the limit of what his current status could provide.

"I know you are studying under Fan Yu in the Soul Guidance Department. Even if you become my disciple, you can still study there; I will never stop you. I will pour everything I have learned into teaching you martial soul cultivation and help you fully unleash the potential of your ultimate spiritual attribute."

Yan Shaozhe had laid everything he could offer before Huo Yuhao. Any other freshman would likely have knelt on the spot to accept the apprenticeship, weeping with gratitude.

Yet, Huo Yuhao remained silent, lacking the look of joy and gratitude Yan Shaozhe had imagined.

No matter how much Yan Shaozhe gave, it was ultimately Shrek's resource, and it required his future loyalty in exchange.

What he truly wanted was to avenge his mother, to escape the shadow of the Dai Family, and to carve out a path of his own, rather than becoming a pawn on Shrek's chessboard.

Moreover, he had Gu Yuan and the Douluo Hall behind him. He could not, and would not, easily bind himself to Shrek's chariot.

After a moment of silence, Huo Yuhao raised his head and bowed deeply to Yan Shaozhe. His tone was respectful but carried a clear sense of distance as he gave a vague response: "Dean Yan, thank you very much for your high regard. It is the honor of my life to be noticed by you. However, I am still young and my cultivation is shallow, and my temperament has yet to be fully tempered. I fear that becoming your disciple now would fail to live up to your expectations and tarnish your reputation."

"I wish to study hard in the academy first and polish my cultivation. I will consider the matter of apprenticeship after my mind has matured and my cultivation is stable in the future. I hope the Dean will forgive me."

These words were airtight; he neither directly refused and hurt Yan Shaozhe's face, nor did he agree, effectively dragging the matter out while vaguely stating his stance.

Yan Shaozhe was stunned, clearly not expecting Huo Yuhao to refuse after he had offered such generous conditions.

He had lived for more than half a lifetime and had seen all kinds of geniuses; which one of them hadn't broken their heads trying to become his disciple? Yet this ten-year-old boy could resist such a massive temptation, his mental fortitude reaching such a level.

After the surprise, Yan Shaozhe was not angry; instead, he admired Huo Yuhao even more.

Neither arrogant nor impetuous, unmoved by fame and fortune—this temperament was even rarer than his talent.

Yan Shaozhe laughed heartily and patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder, "I was too impatient. The position of my disciple will always be reserved for you. Whenever you have made up your mind, you can come to me at any time."

"Thank you for your understanding, Dean." Huo Yuhao bowed again to express his thanks, secretly letting out a sigh of relief.

Walking out of the lounge, Huo Yuhao immediately saw Gu Yuan waiting at the arena entrance, with Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao nearby.

"Yuhao, how did it go? What did Dean Yan want with you?" Wang Dong immediately walked up, his tone carrying a trace of imperceptible tension. His peach-blossom eyes stared intently at Huo Yuhao, fearing that something might have happened.

"It's nothing. Dean Yan wanted to take me as his personal disciple, but I politely declined," Huo Yuhao said with a smile, speaking lightly.

At these words, Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao's eyes widened instantly, and they gasped.

"My god! Dean Yan wanted to take you as his personal disciple? And you actually refused!" Xiao Xiao covered her mouth, her face full of disbelief.

"Yuhao, you are too incredible! That's Dean Yan we're talking about!"

Wang Dong was also stunned for a long time, and the look in her eyes as she gazed at Huo Yuhao grew even more attentive.

She had seen too many people break their necks trying to climb the social ladder and scramble for resources; that Huo Yuhao could hold fast to his principles in the face of such a massive temptation made her feel that this youth was so dazzling that she couldn't look away.

Only Gu Yuan's face held no expression of surprise; he simply smiled.

He had long since anticipated that Yan Shaozhe would try to win Huo Yuhao over, and he had already advised Huo Yuhao on how to handle the situation; that Huo Yuhao could manage it so well was entirely within his expectations.

Jin Ruiqiu hopped over, shook Huo Yuhao's arm, and said with a grin, "Yuhao, you're amazing! You won the championship! Come on! Let's go eat something delicious to celebrate! I know of a super tasty dessert shop in Shrek City!"

The group exchanged smiles, chatting and laughing as they walked toward Shrek City. The setting sun stretched their shadows long, and the joyous laughter of the youths drifted far into the evening breeze.