Putting on an Act

To everyone's shock, Huo Yuhao did not linger in the 2,000 or 3,000-year-old zones; with a flick of his finger, he selected the option at the very top—the 5,000-year-old Ice-Armored Horned Demon Dragon!

The spectator stands erupted instantly.

"Is he insane?! He actually chose the 5,000-year-old Ice-Armored Horned Demon Dragon?!"

"He's throwing his life away! That's a top-tier ice-type soul beast with thick hide and immense control over ice. Even a Soul Ancestor-level master would have to be wary of it. It's not something a second-year student should be touching!"

"Quick! Get the guard team ready! Otherwise, something terrible is going to happen!"

The teachers at the judge's bench also changed expressions. Yan Shaozhe stood up abruptly, his brows locked in a frown, ready to order the assessment terminated.

But just then, the soul beast gate slowly creaked open, and the Ice-Armored Horned Demon Dragon lumbered out.

Everyone's heart jumped into their throats.

Over fifteen meters long, the Ice-Armored Horned Demon Dragon locked its bell-sized vertical pupils onto Huo Yuhao. It let out a deafening roar, the cold air around it surging violently as the pressure of a 5,000-year-old fierce beast swept toward Huo Yuhao like a mountain torrent.

This ice-type beast had spent decades in the Shrek Trial Grounds and was incredibly ferocious. Countless students who had come to challenge it had returned in defeat, many even left severely wounded or near death.

In its eyes, the twelve-year-old boy before it was nothing more than a snack delivered to its doorstep.

Yet, to its surprise, the boy faced its monstrous pressure without a hint of panic, standing quietly in place with an expressionless face.

Just as the Ice-Armored Horned Demon Dragon prepared to launch its attack and swallow the human who had provoked it, Huo Yuhao slowly raised his hands.

Hum—

An aura of ultimate cold erupted from his body, purer, more terrifying, and more domineering than the Ice-Armored Horned Demon Dragon's own power!

A peerless figure slowly unfolded behind him. Pure white robes manifested with ice-blue divine patterns, and pure white ribbons drifted behind him without wind. The pressure of a divine-level martial soul was released without reservation, instantly shrouding the entire Trial Grounds.

Upon feeling that aura, the students in the stands couldn't help but release their own martial souls. Soul rings appeared spontaneously, filling the stands with yellow and purple light.

The judges on the panel were also shaken to their cores. What kind of martial soul was this? It had never appeared on the continent before. This aura had already surpassed the category of a super martial soul.

The Ice God is the emperor of all ice-type soul beasts, standing at the very pinnacle of the ice-type hierarchy.

For a low-level ice-type soul beast like the Ice-Armored Horned Demon Dragon, it was like a plankton gazing up at the vast sky—an absolute suppression from the depths of its bloodline, leaving no room for resistance.

The Ice-Armored Horned Demon Dragon, which had been brimming with ferocity, saw its roar cut short the moment the Ice God phantom appeared. Its massive body stiffened, and the viciousness in its eyes was instantly replaced by extreme terror.

Its gargantuan frame trembled uncontrollably. Its four legs went weak, and with a "thud," it collapsed onto the ice, pressing its massive head firmly against the ground, not daring to even lift it.

It let out whimpering sounds of surrender, its scales bristling, bearing no resemblance to the ferocious beast it had been moments ago.

Merely by releasing his martial soul and the pressure of his bloodline, this 5,000-year-old Ice-Armored Horned Demon Dragon was scared unconscious. Its massive body slumped onto the ice, completely devoid of consciousness.

Huo Yuhao looked at the collapsed Ice-Armored Horned Demon Dragon, his face devoid of surprise.

He hadn't even used a single soul skill or struck a blow; he had ended the assessment solely through the innate pressure of his Ice God Martial Soul.

He slowly retracted his martial soul and turned to walk toward the gate of the trial space.

When Huo Yuhao stepped out, the entire Trial Grounds fell into a deathly silence.

You could hear a pin drop.

Everyone stared with wide eyes and agape mouths, looking at Huo Yuhao, who was unscathed—not even a speck of snow on his clothes—and then at the shivering, unconscious Ice-Armored Horned Demon Dragon being dragged out of the trial space by the staff. Their minds were blank.

It hadn't even been a minute.

A 5,000-year-old Ice-Armored Horned Demon Dragon had been scared unconscious by this twelve-year-old boy? Without even fighting, he had forced this fierce beast to submit?

Just as everyone was struggling to recover from the shock, Huo Yuhao stood in the center of the arena and, before the eyes of the entire academy's faculty and students, slowly raised his hands.

Hum—

The Ice God Martial Soul phantom emerged behind him once more, and his Spirit Eye quietly activated.

The clear phantom of the Spirit Eye shimmered with pale blue light as his mental power rapidly expanded. Four soul rings—platinum, purple, purple, and black—slowly rose from beneath his feet. The black soul ring shimmered brilliantly under the sunlight, instantly dazzling everyone.

Twin Martial Souls!

Ultimate Spirit attribute! Ultimate Ice attribute!

Twin martial souls with two ultimate attributes! And a ten-thousand-year fourth soul ring!

BOOM!!!

The entire spectator stand was hit by a thunderbolt and erupted completely!

Gasps, sharp intakes of breath, and disbelieving murmurs swept through the Trial Grounds like a tsunami.

"Twin Martial Souls! It's actually Twin Martial Souls!"

"A ten-thousand-year soul ring! His fourth soul ring is already ten-thousand-year!"

"A monster! This is absolutely a monster! A twelve-year-old Soul Ancestor with twin ultimate martial souls! We haven't seen this in the ten thousand years since the academy was founded!"

Every teacher on the judge's bench stood up abruptly, their faces etched with shock.

Zhou Yi trembled all over as she looked at Huo Yuhao in the center of the arena, muttering to herself, "Twin ultimate martial souls... I actually taught such a genius..."

Fan Yu was shaking with excitement. He had long known of Huo Yuhao's talent in soul guidance, but he never imagined that the soul-guiding prodigy he had hand-picked also possessed such terrifying martial soul talent!

As for Yan Shaozhe in the main seat, he was frozen in place, his eyes wide, staring fixedly at Huo Yuhao's twin martial souls and soul rings, his face filled with disbelief.

Twin ultimate martial souls, a twelve-year-old Soul Ancestor, and a ten-thousand-year fourth soul ring.

Such talent is rare not only in the ten thousand years since Shrek Academy was founded, but throughout the entire history of the Douluo Continent.

This is a peerless genius, a once-in-ten-thousand-years prodigy! He is a seedling destined to step into the realm of Super Douluo or even Limit Douluo in the future.

He had tried to recruit Huo Yuhao twice before, only to be politely declined, but this time, he would bind this genius to Shrek's war chariot no matter what!

The teachers on the judging panel were stunned for a full half-minute before finally coming to their senses.

Looking at the still-unconscious Ice-Armored Horned Demon Dragon, then at the Twin Martial Souls on Huo Yuhao, the chief judge took a deep breath and announced the final score in a trembling voice: "Huo Yuhao, assessment score—a perfect 150!"

An unprecedented perfect score, far exceeding Dai Huabin's 145, secured the first place in the assessment without a shred of suspense!

The outcome was decided.

Dai Huabin stood at the edge of the arena, watching Huo Yuhao, who was the center of attention, and seeing the Twin Martial Souls and the ten-thousand-year soul ring on him. His face turned ashen, and his body trembled uncontrollably.

He had lost. He had lost completely and utterly, stripped of all dignity.

His pride and joy, the 3,500-year Nether Tiger hunt and his high score of 145, were nothing but a joke in the face of Huo Yuhao's unprecedented perfect score with a five-thousand-year Ice-Armored Horned Demon Dragon.

His status as a level 35 Soul Elder was even more pathetic compared to Huo Yuhao, a Soul Ancestor with Twin Ultimate Martial Souls.

The surrounding gazes felt like needles pricking his skin, leaving him with nowhere to hide his shame.

He remembered the bet he had made, the words "if I lose, I will kowtow and apologize, admitting I am trash," and felt his face burning with pain, wishing he could crawl into a hole in the ground.

Meanwhile, in the center of the arena, Huo Yuhao retracted his martial souls, having no intention of paying any mind to the devastated Dai Huabin.

Because Yan Shaozhe had already rushed down from the judges' stand and walked straight up to him.

"Huo Yuhao, good! Very good!" Yan Shaozhe's face was flushed with excitement. He gripped Huo Yuhao's arms tightly, his Title Douluo aura fluctuating, and his voice trembling slightly.

"This is truly wonderful! Twin Ultimate Martial Souls! You are the most gifted genius I have ever seen in my life!"

Without waiting for Huo Yuhao to speak, Yan Shaozhe struck while the iron was hot, throwing out unprecedentedly generous conditions: "I will take you to the Sea God Pavilion right now to meet the Pavilion Master! In the future, Shrek will exhaust all resources to cultivate you into the continent's top powerhouse, and you will enter the Sea God Pavilion to become the future helmsman of Shrek!"

The more Yan Shaozhe spoke, the more excited he became. He grabbed Huo Yuhao's arm and began to pull him toward the Sea God Pavilion, giving Huo Yuhao no chance to refuse.

In his view, no youth could possibly reject such an offer. Although it was a bit of a boast, Yan Shaozhe believed a genius like Huo Yuhao would certainly be worthy, and no one could resist the honor of being the Sea God Pavilion Master.

Huo Yuhao's brows furrowed as he was dragged along. He tried to break free, but Yan Shaozhe was, after all, a level 95 Title Douluo; his strength was like an ant trying to shake a tree, and he couldn't break away at all.

Just then, a calm and indifferent voice suddenly rang out from not far away, extinguishing Yan Shaozhe's excitement like ice water poured over a flame.

"Dean Yan, forcing someone like this is hardly in line with the rules of Shrek Academy, is it?"

Yan Shaozhe's footsteps came to an abrupt halt, and he turned his head.

Gu Yuan was seen walking over slowly with Gu Yuena and Jin Ruiqiu. Gu Yuan wore his usual gentle and peaceful expression, but there was not a hint of warmth in his deep eyes, and his gaze landed on Yan Shaozhe's hand gripping Huo Yuhao's arm with a faint chill.

"Gu Yuan?" Yan Shaozhe's expression darkened instantly. He released Huo Yuhao's arm, quietly unleashed his Title Douluo pressure, and said coldly.

"This is a matter between Huo Yuhao and me, an internal affair of our Shrek Academy. It has nothing to do with you, and even less to do with the Douluo Hall."

"Oh? Shrek's internal affairs?" Gu Yuan smiled faintly, walked slowly to Huo Yuhao's side, shielded him behind his back, and looked directly at Yan Shaozhe.

"Huo Yuhao has his own thoughts and his own choices. Whether he wants to go to the Sea God Pavilion should be decided by him, not by you, Dean Yan, forcibly dragging him away. Or are you saying that Dean Yan can act this way simply because of your status?"

Gu Yuan's voice was not loud, but every word was clear, echoing across the entire arena. The surrounding teachers and students began to whisper, their gazes toward Yan Shaozhe filled with strangeness.

Yan Shaozhe's face turned livid, rendered speechless by Gu Yuan's few words. He wanted to retort, but the words died in his throat.

Yet, he remained unwilling to give up. He stared fixedly at Gu Yuan and said coldly: "Gu Yuan, I know you come from the Douluo Hall, but this is Shrek Academy, not a place where you can run wild! Huo Yuhao is a student of Shrek, and his future should naturally be cultivated by Shrek! You have repeatedly interfered in Shrek's affairs—do you really think I dare not strike at you?"

As he finished speaking, the pressure of Yan Shaozhe's level 95 Title Douluo erupted without reservation, sweeping toward Gu Yuan like a collapsing mountain.

The phantom of his Phoenix Martial Soul flickered behind him, and a scorching heat enveloped the field. The surrounding teachers and students retreated one after another, their faces pale, finding it difficult even to breathe.

Everyone assumed Gu Yuan would be crushed by this pressure. After all, he was only a twelve-year-old boy; no matter how high his talent, he could not be a match for a Title Douluo.

But to everyone's surprise, facing Yan Shaozhe's Title Douluo pressure, Gu Yuan remained standing in place, his figure motionless, without even a ripple of emotion on his face.

"If Dean Yan wishes to strike, I shall naturally accompany you." Gu Yuan spoke calmly. The moment his voice fell, an even more vast and boundless pressure was quietly released from his body.

That pressure was gentle yet domineering, like the deep abyss of the ocean—it was the ancient Dragon God. Even a mere leak of it overwhelmed Yan Shaozhe's Phoenix pressure. The power of a level 95 Title Douluo was like a stream meeting the ocean in the face of this pressure; it wasn't even worth mentioning.

Yan Shaozhe's expression changed drastically. He felt a terrifying, extreme power pressing in from all directions. His soul power instantly stagnated, and even his martial soul let out a fearful whimper. He staggered back several steps before barely stabilizing his figure, nearly spitting out a mouthful of blood.

He felt it—that was an aura far beyond his own, that of a level 99 Limit Douluo! It was even more terrifying and unfathomable than Teacher Mu En!

He could not believe that the twelve-year-old boy before him was actually a Limit Douluo!

The look in Yan Shaozhe's eyes as he stared at Gu Yuan was filled with shock and disbelief; the arrogance from before was completely gone.

The boy before him was an existence he could not contend with. Coupled with the Douluo Hall behind the boy, which stood on equal footing with Shrek, he could not afford to offend him.

In the end, Yan Shaozhe could only grit his teeth, snort coldly, cast a resentful glance at Huo Yuhao and an even more venomous one at Gu Yuan, before turning away in embarrassment and leaving in a hurry.

Watching Yan Shaozhe's retreating back, Huo Yuhao breathed a sigh of relief. He bowed deeply to Gu Yuan, his voice filled with gratitude: "Thank you, Brother Yuan, for helping me once again."

He truly hadn't known how to refuse the forced recruitment of a Title Douluo just now. If Gu Yuan hadn't stepped in, he feared he would have been dragged to the Sea God Pavilion, unable to back down.

Gu Yuan smiled and ruffled his hair, his tone gentle yet solemn: "Remember, your path is always yours to choose. Neither Shrek nor the Douluo Hall can dictate your decisions."

Huo Yuhao nodded heavily, engraving Gu Yuan's words firmly in his heart.