In the classroom of Freshman Class 3, Huo Yuhao was listening intently to the lesson.
For the past three months, Huo Yuhao had spent his days studying all kinds of subjects at Shrek Academy, including Martial Souls, Spirit Beasts, and cultivation. In his free time, he also went to the library to read and learn about Soul Tools.
At night, he cultivated in his room at the hotel he was renting.
By now, Huo Yuhao's Soul Power had reached the peak of level 19. He was only a hair's breadth away from breaking through.
Nothing else had happened during this time, and Huo Yuhao had enjoyed a rare stretch of peace.
The only exception was when Wang Yan had come to see him. With an apologetic look, Wang Yan had told Huo Yuhao that he hadn't managed to secure better training opportunities for him at the academy.
Huo Yuhao had merely waved a hand, his expression calm.
He hadn't wanted to tie himself too closely to Shrek in the first place. He had joined Shrek only for the Life Source within the Golden Sacred Tree in Shrek Inner Court.
Whether or not he received the benefits of a Core Disciple at Shrek Academy didn't matter to him at all.
At the lectern, Wang Yan abruptly stopped what he was doing.
"That's all for today's lesson. There's something I need to announce," Wang Yan said amiably.
"Three months have passed since the start of the school year, and you're about to face Shrek Academy's first assessment. Only those who pass will officially become first-year students and truly join Shrek Academy. First, let me explain the key points of the assessment."
As he spoke, Wang Yan turned and wrote two bold characters on the blackboard behind him.
Battle!
"That's right. The freshman assessment will primarily focus on combat, and everyone has to take part. Don't think that Soul Masters from the auxiliary or food systems can sit it out."
"Do you remember the question we discussed in class that day? Soul Masters from ten thousand years ago never would have imagined that, today, food-system Soul Masters could use powerful Soul Tools to defeat a Power Attack System Battle Soul Master. So in this era, food-system and auxiliary-system Soul Masters aren't entirely without fighting ability."
"More importantly, on a battlefield, your enemies won't spare you just because you're a food-system or auxiliary-system Soul Master. On the contrary, the first thing they'll do when a battle begins is kill all the food-system and auxiliary-system Soul Masters. So it's very important for you to learn the most basic combat methods."
"Of course, the academy's assessment is quite fair. It won't make auxiliary-system Soul Masters fight one-on-one against Power Attack System Soul Masters. Instead, you'll compete in teams. This year, the team battles will be three-on-three, so finding good teammates is important, too."
As he spoke, Wang Yan glanced at Huo Yuhao.
In terms of individual strength, Huo Yuhao was undoubtedly the strongest first-year student in the entire freshman class. Anyone who teamed up with him might not necessarily take a top place in the assessment, but they were sure to remain at the academy.
After all, Huo Yuhao had defeated Soul Elders head-on more than once. He was only a One-Ring Soul Master, but his actual combat strength was impossible to gauge.
A One-Ring Soul Master had defeated Soul Elders unscathed and even beaten Spirit Emperors by defying the odds. The whole academy could check his record.
Wang Yan wasn't the only one who'd thought of this. Everyone in Freshman Class 3 had, too. In an instant, dozens—no, hundreds—of ravenous gazes fixed on Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao couldn't help feeling a little speechless.
But class wasn't over yet, and no one dared rush up to him.
"Oh, and one more thing. A team can't consist entirely of auxiliary-system or food-system Soul Masters."
"The freshman assessment will be held across the entire year group. There are about a thousand students this year, so more than three hundred teams will compete. But only the top one hundred and fifty teams will be allowed to stay at the academy."
"The matches will be decided by drawing lots. In other words, every team will compete in at least ten matches. The teams will be ranked according to their wins, and the top sixty-four will advance to the knockout rounds. The academy will also give generous rewards to the top four teams in the knockouts. The champion's reward, in particular, will be extremely precious!"
At that, the students' eyes lit up. They looked at Huo Yuhao with even greater fervor.
"This time, I won't assign your teams. Find your own teammates," Wang Yan said calmly.
Wang Yan had decided to let the class form their own teams because Huo Yuhao was in it. He didn't want to force the students into groups. In previous years, the other classes' homeroom teachers had assigned teams themselves to improve their students' chances of advancing.
But with a monster like Huo Yuhao in Class 3, Wang Yan knew that forcing him into any team would make the others unhappy. So he simply let everyone form their own groups.
The moment Wang Yan finished speaking, everyone in the class charged toward Huo Yuhao at once.
Just then, Ouyang Junyi and Chen Junfeng, who were sitting in front of Huo Yuhao, turned around and spoke at lightning speed. "Yuhao, want to team up with us? One of us is from the Power Attack System, and the other is from the Agility Attack System. We won't hold you back."
"Sure," Huo Yuhao said with a slight smile, agreeing right away.
Huo Yuhao didn't mind who he teamed up with. But since the two in front of him had asked first, and he knew them better than anyone else in the class, they were a natural choice.
If he had to bring someone along, he might as well bring people he knew.
"That's great!" Ouyang Junyi and Chen Junfeng sprang to their feet, thrilled that Huo Yuhao had agreed.
The others rushing toward Huo Yuhao had no choice but to slink back to their seats. They shot the two of them a deeply resentful look.
"Now that we've formed a team, should we talk tactics?" Ouyang Junyi said, his eyes darting around.
Chen Junfeng nodded, and the two of them looked at Huo Yuhao expectantly.
Huo Yuhao had already begun to take the lead in their trio, and the other two were completely willing to follow him.
"Sure. Let's head out of the city and talk over a meal," Huo Yuhao said.
Although he'd studied alongside them for three months, he still didn't know much about their Martial Souls.
So the three set off together for a restaurant outside Shrek City. Ouyang Junyi treated them, and they feasted to their hearts' content.
After they'd familiarized themselves with one another's Martial Souls and basic abilities and settled on a strategy, they went their separate ways.
As soon as Huo Yuhao returned to his hotel room, he sat cross-legged on the bed.
Inside the room, streams of energy invisible to the naked eye poured into Huo Yuhao's body as he cultivated.
Hmm? Am I finally about to break through?
Huo Yuhao was delighted. He could feel that the Soul Power in his body had reached a threshold. Once he broke through it, he would enter the next realm.
Huo Yuhao held his breath and focused. The boundless energy of heaven and earth around him surged into his body. If another Soul Master had been there, they might even have sensed the energy gathering around him in a swirling vortex.
The next second, with a soft pop, Huo Yuhao felt as though he had broken through an unknown barrier inside himself. The Soul Power coursing through his body changed from a trickling stream into a rushing brook.
It was a qualitative change!
Huo Yuhao felt as though he had entered an entirely new world.
Soul Power, level 20!
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