Shameless to the Core

The commotion over the advancement assessment had died down only three days ago, yet the small courtyard in Shrek Academy's core dormitory area had already been packed up for departure.

The early autumn sunlight streamed through the window lattice and fell across the Storage Soul Tool on the stone table. Huo Yuhao sat on a stone stool, his fingers gently rubbing the storage pouch at his waist. In his eyes lay both anticipation for the future and a faint, hard-to-notice wistfulness.

He had spent nearly a year at Shrek. He had grown from an ignorant boy into a Soul Ancestor with Twin Ultimate Martial Souls. Here, he had met companions like Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao, who had fought alongside him, and Fan Yu, a teacher who had patiently guided him. It would have been a lie to say he had no feelings for this place.

But Yan Shaozhe's repeated attempts to force him into joining, the ever-present prying eyes around the academy, and the relentless provocations from Dai Huabin and the others had long since worn away the last of his attachment to this academy.

Especially after the advancement assessment, Yan Shaozhe had practically camped outside his laboratory and dormitory every day, using every means at his disposal to force him to choose Shrek. He had even tried to pressure him with a core resource—the chance to join the Sea God Pavilion—leaving Huo Yuhao gasping for breath.

"What? Can't bear to leave?"

Gu Yuan walked out of the room at an unhurried pace. Seeing Huo Yuhao's wistful expression, he smiled as he spoke.

Over the past few days, he had seen Shrek's undercurrents clearly. Yan Shaozhe's relentless pressure and the Sea God Pavilion's covert scrutiny had long since gone beyond the bounds of ordinary efforts to recruit a promising talent. They had become an almost obsessive attempt to keep him in their grasp.

He had brought Huo Yuhao to Shrek in the first place to keep up appearances and make the person above think that things hadn't entirely slipped beyond his control. Shrek's so-called "cherishing of talent" was truly something else—it had reached the point of being utterly jaw-dropping.

Enough was enough. Did Shrek think Huo Yuhao had no one backing him? They hadn't even bothered to think before brazenly trying to recruit him. Yan Shaozhe's way of thinking was simply unbelievable.

Besides, the Soul Spirit System had only just emerged, the divine foundation of the Ice God Martial Soul needed refining, and Huo Yuhao's mental cultivation needed more systematic guidance. Whatever Shrek could offer, Douluo Hall could offer too. Gu Yuan had no qualms about adding more weight to his side of the scales.

Huo Yuhao looked up at Gu Yuan and scratched his head awkwardly. "A little... But it's nothing I can't bear to leave behind. Rather than stay here and be pressured every day to join them, I'd rather follow you to Douluo Hall and see what it's like, Brother Yuan."

Besides, he had already talked things over with Fan Yu. Though Fan Yu regretted his decision, he respected Huo Yuhao's choice. He had even given him a pile of Soul Tool core materials and blueprints, telling him not to neglect his Soul Tool Technology training after going to Douluo Hall.

As for Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao, they had come to say goodbye yesterday. His two companions had been reluctant to part, and Xiao Xiao had even smiled and wished him a bright future. Wang Dong, though? She had been kind of strange.

Gu Yuan could see Huo Yuhao's troubled feelings. Though he was precocious, he was still just a child, after all.

"Your path will always be yours to choose. I'm taking you to Douluo Hall this time so you can see a wider world, learn about a cultivation system better suited to you, and fully bring out the potential of your Twin Martial Souls."

"Mm! I understand, Brother Yuan!" Huo Yuhao nodded firmly. The wistfulness in his eyes faded, replaced by eager anticipation.

He had long heard all sorts of things about Douluo Hall. It had the finest Soul Guidance Research Institute on the entire continent, the most complete system for nurturing commoner Soul Masters, and countless Soul Masters with dark Martial Souls—despised by the world—had found their own paths there.

He wanted to see Douluo Hall too, to learn more, to grow stronger—strong enough to truly protect the people he wanted to protect, strong enough to stand proudly before the Dai Family and win justice for his mother.

Nearby, Jin Ruiqiu had finished packing her little bundle ages ago. Bouncing up and down, she clung to Gu Yuena's arm and chirped, "I'll get to eat that milk pastry we had at Douluo Hall last time again, and those buns from the street stall!"

Gu Yuena gave a slight nod and affectionately tapped Jin Ruiqiu on the forehead.

"You, honestly!"

She gently smoothed her wind-tousled silver hair and said calmly, "If everything's packed, let's go. The longer we wait, the more likely something will happen. I doubt the people from Shrek will let us leave so easily."

Gu Yuan nodded slightly, a faint chill flashing through his eyes.

Yan Shaozhe and those elders would never stand by and watch Huo Yuhao, this peerless uncut jade, leave Shrek and enter Douluo Hall's embrace. This departure was destined to be anything but peaceful.

"Let's go." Gu Yuan waved a hand and led the way out of the courtyard.

Huo Yuhao, Gu Yuena, and Jin Ruiqiu immediately followed. The four of them soon disappeared beyond the Ginkgo Forest.

Almost as soon as the four left the dormitory area, an emergency meeting was reaching a fever pitch inside Shrek Academy's Sea God Pavilion.

At the head of the table, Mu En still lay in his reclining chair, his aged eyes half-closed, his expression unreadable.

The elders of the Sea God Pavilion filled both sides of the round table. Yan Shaozhe stood in the middle, his face flushed and his voice full of anxiety and frustration.

"Fellow elders! I'll say it again: we absolutely cannot let Huo Yuhao leave Shrek! Absolutely not!" Yan Shaozhe's voice echoed through the meeting room, trembling with barely restrained agitation.

"Twin Ultimate Martial Souls, a twelve-year-old Soul Ancestor! His fourth Soul Ring is already ten thousand years old! A talent like this comes along once in ten thousand years—no, in the ten thousand years since the academy was founded, only Lord Tang San has been his equal!"

"A genius like this, if he stays at Shrek, will surely become a pillar of the academy in the future, perhaps even leading Shrek to revive its glory from ten thousand years ago! But if he goes with Gu Yuan to Douluo Hall, he will inevitably become the sharpest blade Douluo Hall can wield against us."

Ever since the advancement assessment ended, Yan Shaozhe had been keeping close watch on Huo Yuhao's movements. He had just received word that Huo Yuhao had packed his things and was going to leave Shrek for Douluo Hall with Gu Yuan. He had panicked instantly, summoned every Sea God Pavilion Elder, and called this emergency meeting.

As soon as Yan Shaozhe finished speaking, Qian Duoduo frowned and replied in a deep voice, "Dean Yan, you can't put it that way. Huo Yuhao is certainly a student of Shrek, but he has the right to choose his own future. We've repeatedly tried to force him to join us, and he's already grown dissatisfied. If we now try to keep him here by force, won't we ruin Shrek's ten-thousand-year reputation?"

"Reputation? Can you eat reputation?" Yan Shaozhe immediately retorted, his tone stubborn.

"Dean Qian, you watched Huo Yuhao grow up too. You know how terrifying his talent for Soul Tool Technology is. With his Ultimate Mental Attribute, he was born for Soul Tools. Can you really bear to let a genius like him go to Douluo Hall?"

Yan Shaozhe was trying to use Huo Yuhao's talent for Soul Tool Technology to persuade Qian Duoduo, adding another argument in favor of keeping Huo Yuhao.

"But Douluo Hall isn't someone we can afford to provoke lightly." Cai Mei'er, seated nearby, spoke up as well, her expression grave.

"If we forcibly keep him here, we'll be openly falling out with Douluo Hall. We might even trigger a war between our two factions. Can we afford the consequences?"

"Even if we can't afford them, we still have to bear them!" Yan Shaozhe said, his eyes bloodshot.

"Are we really going to watch a once-in-ten-thousand-years prodigy slip through our fingers and fall into the arms of our greatest rival?"

By now, Yan Shaozhe had been swept away by his emotions and had lost even the most basic ability to think clearly.

"For two hundred years, Douluo Hall has steadily gnawed away at Shrek's foundations, gathering the commoner Soul Masters from across the continent. Now they're even poaching the most talented student in our own academy! If we remain idle, will Shrek still have a place on the continent in the future? Will we still be the continent's number-one academy?"

The meeting room instantly erupted into debate. One faction, led by Yan Shaozhe, insisted on keeping Huo Yuhao, even if it meant resorting to force. The other, led by Qian Duoduo, worried that trying to keep him by force would spark an all-out conflict with Douluo Hall, causing more harm than good. Both sides argued their positions, and neither could convince the other.

In the end, everyone turned to Mu En at the head of the table, waiting for the Sea God Pavilion Master to make the final decision.

Mu En slowly opened his eyes. His cloudy gaze swept over everyone present, and his aged voice rang out, carrying an unquestionable authority.

"Huo Yuhao is indeed a once-in-ten-thousand-years talent. If he can stay at Shrek, it will certainly be a great blessing for the academy."

"But we cannot force a child to do something he does not want to do."

Yan Shaozhe's face went deathly pale. He hurriedly called out, "Teacher!"

"Don't rush. I haven't finished speaking." Mu En waved a hand and continued.

"Not forcing him doesn't mean we do nothing. Send people to stop them at Shrek City's South Gate immediately. Be courteous first, then resort to force. Make our sincerity clear. Whatever terms it takes, keep Huo Yuhao here."

"If he insists on leaving, then... keep him here first and talk it over later. As for Douluo Hall, this is Shrek's territory, and I'm still here. They wouldn't dare run wild on our turf, would they?"

Those words amounted to tacit approval for forcibly keeping Huo Yuhao there.

Yan Shaozhe's eyes lit up at once. He bowed and said, "Yes! I'll see to it now. I absolutely won't let Huo Yuhao leave Shrek City!"

With that, he turned and shot out of the Sea God Pavilion in a streak of light, immediately gathering people and heading toward Shrek City's South Gate.

The elders in the meeting room looked at Mu En's closed eyes and exchanged glances. Each could see a trace of concern in the others' eyes.

They understood that this decision was no different from playing with fire. But they also knew that a genius like Huo Yuhao was simply too important to Shrek—important enough that they were willing to gamble on the risk of openly falling out with Douluo Hall.

Shrek City South Gate.

As the gateway to Shrek Academy, this city gate was guarded year-round by the academy's patrols. The Soul Guidance Arrays on either side were constantly in operation; even a Titled Douluo could not simply force their way through.

The moment Gu Yuan and the others reached the gate, they were stopped.

The heavy city gate, which should have been standing open, was now firmly shut. Eight guards clad in black armor stood in front of them, Soul Tools in hand. The squad leader at their head had a tense expression. He bowed to the four, but his tone was unmistakably firm.

"Sorry, the city gate is temporarily closed. No one is allowed to leave the city."

Huo Yuhao immediately frowned, confused. "Why? The gate is open all day, every day. Why would it suddenly be closed?"

The squad leader kept his head lowered, not daring to meet Gu Yuan's eyes. He could only steel himself and say, "This is an order from the academy's leadership. We're just following orders. Please understand and return to the academy to wait for further notice."

Jin Ruiqiu immediately bristled. She planted her hands on her hips and snapped, "Does Shrek have any sense of reason? What gives you the right to close the city gate and stop us from leaving? We're not prisoners of your academy!"

Gu Yuan raised a hand to stop the fuming Jin Ruiqiu. His calm gaze passed over the squad leader as he asked mildly, "Did Yan Shaozhe tell you to stop us here?"

The squad leader trembled all over and lowered his head even further, not daring to say a word. But his reaction said everything.

A faint, cold smile tugged at Gu Yuan's lips. Just as he had expected, Shrek had resorted to its most despicable tactics after all.

Just then, hurried footsteps approached. Yan Shaozhe arrived quickly with a group of people.

Behind him came Qian Duoduo, Xian Lin'er, and four Sea God Pavilion Elders, every one of them a Titled Douluo.

Seven Titled Douluo had come out together, all to stop the four of them. It was quite a show of force.

"Huo Yuhao, wait!" Yan Shaozhe hurried over to the four, plastering a kindly smile across his face as he addressed Huo Yuhao.

"Yuhao, where are you going? Why didn't you tell the academy?"

He was obviously asking a question he already knew the answer to.

Huo Yuhao looked at him, his gaze turning cold. "Dean Yan, where I go doesn't seem to be any of your business. I'm a student at Shrek, but there's no reason I should be deprived of my freedom."

"Yuhao, you've misunderstood." Yan Shaozhe hurried to explain.

"I know I was too impatient before and upset you. I apologize."

"As long as you're willing to stay at Shrek, I promise I won't force you to do anything again. The academy will continue providing you with the highest level of resources. The Sea God Pavilion's library and the Soul Tool Vault will be open to you without restriction. You can study whatever you want, whenever you want."

This offer was more generous than the last. Unlimited resources and a private Soul Tool laboratory—apparently, they thought this was the best treatment Shrek could provide.

But Huo Yuhao simply shook his head calmly. "Thank you for your kindness, Dean Yan. But I've already made up my mind. I'm going to Douluo Hall with Brother Yuan. I won't change my decision."

Yan Shaozhe was offering him such generous terms today only because of his talent. If Huo Yuhao's talent ever reached its limits or clashed with Shrek's interests, all those promises would turn to bubbles.

In the end, the world bustled with people chasing profit, but Huo Yuhao wasn't willing to put himself at the mercy of Shrek's interests.

The smile on Yan Shaozhe's face froze. A shadow flickered through his eyes.

He had already humbled himself and offered such generous terms, yet Huo Yuhao was still unmoved and insisted on leaving.

"Huo Yuhao, don't push your luck!" Yan Shaozhe's tone turned several degrees colder.

"You're a registered student of Shrek Academy. Without the academy's approval, you cannot leave on your own! Today, you're coming back to the academy with me!"

"Oh? When did Shrek's rules say students weren't allowed to leave?" Gu Yuan stepped forward, shielding Huo Yuhao behind him. He stared coldly at Yan Shaozhe.

"Dean Yan, you tried to force Yuhao to join you before, and we let it slide. Now you've actually closed the city gate and brought seven Titled Douluo to block our way. What is this? Has Shrek really thrown away every last scrap of its ten-thousand-year-old dignity?"

"This is Shrek's internal affair. It has nothing to do with you!" Yan Shaozhe glared at Gu Yuan and replied coldly.

"This is Shrek City, not Douluo Hall's territory! You want to take a Shrek student away—have you asked us teachers? Have you asked the Sea God Pavilion?"

"His path is his own to choose. If he wants to leave, no one can stop him." Gu Yuan spoke calmly as an invisible pressure quietly spread from his body.

"I'd like to see who dares stop him today."