Flames scorched the Mysterious Jade Hand, hissing, but Mu Chen's expression didn't change.
His fingers tightened, firmly gripping his opponent's fist in his palm. Then he casually planted the Trident in his right hand on the ground.
"You fought well," he said. "Better than the other teams."
The Blazing Lion captain froze.
Mu Chen let go and took a step back, nodding to him. "Keep it up."
The referee declared Mu Chen's team the winner. The Blazing Lion captain stood on the platform, watching Mu Chen walk away. Suddenly, he shouted, "Mu Chen! Good luck in the finals!"
Mu Chen didn't look back. He only raised a hand and waved.
Wang Dong followed behind him, muttering under her breath, "Why are you so gentle with everyone?"
"Gentle?" Mu Chen turned his head to look at her. "I didn't go easy on them just now."
"That's not what I meant." Wang Dong pursed her lips, as if choosing her words carefully. "I mean, you could've beaten them so badly they'd avoid you whenever they saw you. But you always hold back just enough that, even when they lose, they don't feel like they're worthless. Dai Huabin was an exception because he deserved it, but you never humiliate the others just to crush them."
Mu Chen fell silent for a moment, then said, "They're classmates, not enemies."
Wang Dong gazed at him, an indescribable light flickering in her pink-and-blue eyes.
The finals were held the next morning.
Before the match began, the opposing captain looked at Mu Chen with an expression that could be summed up in four words: ready to die.
"Student Mu Chen," he said, "we know we can't beat you. But it wasn't easy for us to make it to the finals. Please let us fight a full match."
Mu Chen nodded. "All right."
And then he really did let them fight a full match.
There was no instant defeat, no crushing victory. Instead, he slowed the pace and let Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao take part fully in every stage.
Wang Dong's Light Butterfly alternated with Mu Chen's frontal assault, while Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection Sharing covered the battlefield from start to finish. Their teamwork flowed like water, showcasing almost every detail of a group battle to perfection.
This was no longer a competition. It was more like a demonstration lesson, showing how a perfect trio should work together in combat.
Watching from below, Zhou Yi gave a rare nod.
Of course she could tell Mu Chen was holding back, but what she admired even more was how he did it.
He didn't let the other team suffer a humiliating defeat, nor did he turn the match into a tedious formality. Instead, he turned the finals into a team exercise, giving his opponents dignity while showing off his team's strength.
The match lasted a full incense stick's burning. When Wang Dong's Light Butterfly sent the last opponent off the platform, thunderous applause erupted throughout the venue.
The applause wasn't just for the winners, but for the losers too. They had indeed been outmatched, but holding on for a whole incense stick against someone of Mu Chen's caliber was enough to prove their resilience.
The referee raised Mu Chen's right arm high. "The Freshman Assessment champions: Freshman Class One's Mu Chen, Wang Dong, and Huo Yuhao!"
The applause roared like thunder.
Mu Chen stood on the platform, his expression still calm.
Beside him, Wang Dong beamed.
Huo Yuhao stood on Mu Chen's other side, a faint smile on his face. His Spirit Eyes reflected the gazes and applause filling the venue, yet held not a trace of pride or restlessness.
Xiao Xiao stood among the crowd below the platform, her green twin ponytails swaying gently in the breeze.
She looked up at the blue-haired boy on the platform. A complicated emotion shone in her big eyes: admiration, longing, and a hint of regret she couldn't quite explain, even to herself.
She lowered her gaze to her hands, then clenched them into fists, as if she had made up her mind.
Three days after the Freshman Assessment ended, all the freshmen gathered in the academy auditorium.
This was the day every freshman both dreaded and eagerly awaited: the announcement of the Core Disciple list.
Being a Core Disciple of Shrek Academy meant better cultivation resources, guidance from higher-level teachers, and priority access to the Inner Academy.
Every freshman had dreamed of it when they enrolled, but those who actually earned a spot as a Core Disciple were always few and far between.
The auditorium was packed. The students of Freshman Class One sat at the very front. Since the championship team had come from their class, the entire class basked in their reflected glory.
Wang Dong sat to Mu Chen's left, and Huo Yuhao to his right. The three sat side by side, drawing everyone's attention.
Zhou Yi stood at the back of the class, arms crossed over her chest, her expression unreadable.
But she had chosen her spot carefully, where she could see the backs of Mu Chen and the others.
Yan Shaozhe, dean of the Martial Soul Department, stepped onto the stage.
This top-tier Super Douluo of the age wore a white robe and looked full of vigor. As his gaze swept across the room, everyone felt as if he could see right through them.
Yan Shaozhe's speech was brief, almost perfunctory.
He first praised the overall quality of this year's freshmen, then commended several teams that had performed exceptionally well in the Freshman Assessment, and finally took out a list.
"The following students have qualified as Core Disciples."
He began reading the names.
The first name was Mu Chen's. No one was surprised. If the Freshman Assessment champion wasn't made a Core Disciple, the list would have no credibility at all.
The second was Wang Dong's. That was just as expected. The Light Goddess Butterfly's talent ranked among the best of all the freshmen, and her performance on the championship team had been plain for all to see.
The third, fourth, fifth... Yan Shaozhe read the names one after another.
Those whose names were called were overjoyed, while those who weren't clenched their fists nervously.
Xiao Xiao's name was seventh. She froze for a moment, then her green twin ponytails whipped as she shot up from her seat, nearly crying out.
The classmate beside her tugged at her sleeve, and only then did she sit back down, blushing. But she couldn't hide the light in her big eyes.
The list was finished.
Huo Yuhao's name hadn't been called.
The atmosphere in the auditorium turned strange. Some people whispered among themselves, while others secretly looked back toward Huo Yuhao.
A member of the Freshman Assessment champion team hadn't even qualified as a Core Disciple. The result was beyond everyone's expectations.
Huo Yuhao sat in his seat, his expression unchanged. His hands rested on his knees, his fingertips tightening slightly, but his face remained calm.
Three months had passed. He was already used to being ignored and underestimated.
But just because he could get used to it didn't mean everyone else could.
Mu Chen frowned.
Wang Dong reacted more directly. She sprang to her feet and shouted toward the stage, "Dean Yan!"
The entire auditorium erupted in commotion. Interrupting Yan Shaozhe while he was speaking was something that had happened only a handful of times in Shrek's history. From the back, Zhou Yi barked, "Wang Dong, sit down!"
Wang Dong clenched her fists, a blaze burning in her pink-and-blue eyes. She parted her lips to say more, but a hand pressed down on her shoulder.