Test

The old man took a deep look at Huo Yuhao and waved his hand, signaling for the three of them to pass, then beckoned to Dai Mubai, who had been deliberately slowing his pace.

Seeing there was no way to avoid it, Dai Mubai had no choice but to lower his head and walk over to them.

"You guys wait a moment. Once I finish this last test, I'll have this senior lead you all inside together."

The three had no objections and took the initiative to greet Dai Mubai, who waved back awkwardly, looking extremely nervous.

Seeing Huo Yuhao nod at him in acknowledgment, he finally let out a sigh of relief.

The four turned their attention to the final candidate, Zhu Zhuqing. Dai Mubai looked at the sultry girl before him with a dead-serious expression, not daring to make a single untoward move.

Huo Yuhao was still right there! He didn't want to get beaten up again.

A moment later, two yellow soul rings rose beneath Zhu Zhuqing's feet, and the old man nodded to signal her pass.

"Let the senior lead you all in together."

Under Dai Mubai's guidance, the group walked inside. On the way, they encountered a middle-aged man pushing a cart and hawking sausages, and many students who had passed the preliminary test were crowding around him.

"Yuhao, I want to eat a sausage."

Seeing something delicious, Xiao Wu said with her eyes shining.

Huo Yuhao nodded and was just about to walk over to buy some to try when he saw Dai Mubai, who was leading the way, wearing a constipated expression.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

Dai Mubai hesitated for a moment before revealing the secret of those sausages, causing everyone except Huo Yuhao to look on with disgust.

"That's just too gross..."

Xiao Wu complained, and Zhu Zhuqing beside her nodded in agreement.

Watching their reactions, Huo Yuhao shook his head and chuckled, unable to help but recall his past life.

He remembered the sight of himself with four cigars made by his senior brother hanging from his mouth, puffing away in clouds of smoke. Looking at the man pushing the cart, he felt a bit nostalgic; who would have thought the Food God of his past life sold sausages when he was young?

Then, under the stunned gazes of the group, he walked toward the cart. "Senior, please give me five grilled sausages."

"You got it! You've got a good eye, junior. I could tell at a glance you'd definitely pass the test... I'll give you a discount, two silver coins."

Huo Yuhao nodded with a smile. "Then I'll take your kind words, senior."

In his past life, he had often exchanged culinary skills with this Food God. The man had no airs, possessed great talent, and worked hard at his cultivation, leaving a very good impression on Huo Yuhao.

After paying, he picked up the small bag containing four sausages, took one in his hand, put it to his mouth, and walked back toward the four of them.

"My treat, try them! The taste is really not bad."

The others looked reluctant, but Dai Mubai stared at Huo Yuhao in surprise. Huo Yuhao was the first person he'd met who remained indifferent even after hearing the story.

He began to admire the genius youth before him, who was quite a bit younger than himself, and smiled as he took one to eat.

Huo Yuhao looked at the remaining three. "What about you guys?"

Seeing Huo Yuhao eating with such relish, Xiao Wu pouted. After a fierce internal struggle, she took one, and the moment she took a bite, her eyes lit up.

"It's actually really good! You guys should try it, it's delicious."

Tang San nodded and took one. Now, only one remained in the bag, left for Zhu Zhuqing.

"Uh... I'd rather not..."

Zhu Zhuqing waved her hand, but before she could finish, she was interrupted.

Huo Yuhao smiled and held the bag out toward Zhu Zhuqing.

"Think of it as the first step of growth, how about that? You have to try things eventually."

Zhu Zhuqing raised her eyes to meet those clear, sky-blue pupils. She froze for a moment, pursed her lips slightly, nodded, and reached out to take the grilled sausage.

"Thank you."

"Heehee, isn't it delicious?" Xiao Wu looked at Zhu Zhuqing with anticipation.

"Mm..."

Zhu Zhuqing was unaccustomed to Xiao Wu's enthusiasm; she turned her head slightly, her face flushing a faint red.

While eating the sausages, Dai Mubai learned that their Soul Power Level were all above twenty-five.

Consequently, he greeted the teacher in charge of the second round and prepared to lead the four of them straight to the fourth round of testing.

"Wait, teacher, then I can skip directly too."

A crisp voice rang out; it was the girl in the white dress who had just been brought in by Dai Mubai. Her features were exquisite and her temperament refined—she was clearly a noble girl.

The girl underwent a simple test of her soul power, which was around level twenty-six. The testing teacher nodded in satisfaction and waved her through.

The group added one more, reaching six people. On the way, Dai Mubai explained the content of the fourth round of assessment: actual combat.

By the time he finished explaining, the group had arrived at the venue for the fourth round.

In the open space of about two hundred square meters, only one middle-aged man sat on a chair, dozing off.

"Teacher Zhao, someone is here for the fourth round of assessment."

Huo Yuhao's gaze flickered. Zhao? Zhao Wuji? He was a famous figure in his past life too. It was said that although he had a fiery temper, he was a teacher who truly cared for his students.

The middle-aged man opened his eyes and swept a glance over the group.

"Hmm? There are actually five people coming for the fourth round of the examination this year?"

"They even skipped the previous rounds to get here," Dai Mubai added.

Zhao Wuji's eyes lit up.

"Not bad, not bad. Let me think about what I should test you on..."

"Got it. The five of you will join forces. If you can withstand my attacks for the duration of one incense stick, you pass. I'll give you one incense stick's worth of time now to discuss your strategy."

Seeing Dai Mubai standing to the side looking like he wanted to say something but holding back, he couldn't help but glare at him. "What? Do you have some dissatisfaction?"

"Cough, cough. I just wanted to say, Teacher Zhao, shouldn't you extend the time a bit? There are a few individuals among this year's students who are very formidable..."

Dai Mubai leaned in close to Zhao Wuji's ear and whispered.

Zhao Wuji scoffed, completely unimpressed. "Hmph! Ridiculous. I want to see just how formidable they are."

After saying this, he took out a stick of incense, rubbed it between his fingers to light it, and began to rest with his eyes closed.

Seeing this, Dai Mubai scratched his head helplessly before walking over to the group to explain the characteristics of Zhao Wuji's Martial Soul, the Vajra Bear.

In summary, it had high attack and high defense; although its speed was slightly lacking, it was still far beyond what they, as Soul Grand Masters, could compare to.

Hearing that they had to deal with a level 76 Soul Saint, everyone felt a headache coming on.

"They actually want us to fight a Soul Saint? Is it even possible to pass this?"

The girl in the white dress spoke; in her view, this was an impossible task.

Dai Mubai glanced at the calm Huo Yuhao, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke softly.

"Although it's hard to say, you will definitely be able to pass."

"Why?" The girl in the white dress was puzzled.

Dai Mubai tilted his chin toward Huo Yuhao. "Because of him. With him here, you cannot lose."

"???"

Without further explanation, Dai Mubai began to remind everyone.

"Alright, you should introduce yourselves to each other so it will be easier to coordinate later."

Thus, the group began to introduce themselves one by one, starting with Tang San.

"Ning Rongrong, Tool Martial Soul Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda, level 26 Auxiliary System Tool Soul Master."

"Zhu Zhuqing, Beast Martial Soul Hell Spirit Cat, level 27 Agility Attack System Battle Soul Master."

Finally, it was Huo Yuhao's turn. Seeing the two people besides Tang San and Xiao Wu looking at him with curiosity because of Dai Mubai's remark, he spoke with a touch of helplessness.

"Huo Yuhao, Martial Soul Dark Spirit Eye, level 39 Control System Battle Soul Master."

Zhu Zhuqing's pupils constricted. She had known Huo Yuhao was a three-ringed soul master, but she hadn't expected him to be level 39. A level 39 at twelve years old simply refreshed her worldview.

Ning Rongrong also covered her wide-open mouth; the sense of superiority she had felt just moments ago after revealing her Martial Soul had vanished into thin air.

"Since we have a general understanding, I will assign the roles. My skills lean toward support, so I will be in the backline just like Ning Rongrong."

"Tang San, you are responsible for controlling Teacher Zhao. Xiao Wu, you are the main attacker. Zhu Zhuqing, you are responsible for distraction. No problems with that, right?"

Having been the core of his team in his past life, Huo Yuhao immediately assigned the duties. He only intended to provide support and handle the contingencies.

Tang San and Xiao Wu knew that Huo Yuhao was giving them a chance to gain experience, so they didn't say much.

Only Dai Mubai had a constipated look on his face, his complexion turning green as he grumbled inwardly: You call that support? You used your physical stats to beat me into this state and you call that support??

Of course, he didn't dare say it out loud; the bruises on his face that were almost healed seemed to throb with pain again.

"Time is up. Are you ready?" Zhao Wuji's booming voice rang out.

Dai Mubai hurriedly ran to the edge to watch the battle, calling out to Zhao Wuji, "We are ready."

Zhao Wuji nodded, took out another stick of incense, lit it, and stuck it into the ground.