Newcomer Assessment, Level 20 Soul Power

In the classroom of Grade 1, Class 3, Huo Yuhao was listening to the lecture with rapt attention.

Over the past three months, Huo Yuhao had spent his days at Shrek Academy studying various subjects, including martial spirits, spirit beasts, and cultivation. In his spare time, he would visit the library to read and learn about knowledge related to Soul Tools.

At night, he would cultivate in his rented hotel room.

By now, Huo Yuhao's Soul Power had reached the peak of level 19, just a hair's breadth away from a breakthrough.

Nothing of note had occurred during this period, and Huo Yuhao had enjoyed a rare stretch of peaceful time.

The only exception was when Wang Yan had sought him out, wearing a look of guilt as he told Huo Yuhao that he had failed to secure better academy resources for him.

Huo Yuhao had simply waved his hand with a calm expression.

He had never intended to be deeply bound to Shrek; joining the academy was merely for the sake of the life essence within the Golden Sacred Tree in the Inner Court.

Whether or not he received the treatment of a core disciple of Shrek Academy was of no consequence to him.

On the podium, Wang Yan suddenly stopped what he was doing.

"That concludes today's lesson. I have an announcement to make," Wang Yan said kindly.

"Three months have passed since the start of the term, and you are about to face the first assessment of Shrek Academy. Only by passing this assessment can you officially become a first-year student and truly be a member of Shrek Academy. Now, I will explain the key points of the assessment."

As he spoke, Wang Yan turned and wrote two bold characters on the blackboard behind him.

Combat!

"That's right, the freshman assessment is primarily based on combat, and everyone must participate. Don't think for a second that support-type or food-type spirit masters can opt out."

"Do you remember the topic I discussed in class that day? Spirit masters from ten thousand years ago would never have imagined that a food-type spirit master of today could defeat a power-attack spirit master with the help of powerful Soul Tools. This goes to show that food-type and support-type spirit masters are not without combat capability in this era."

"More importantly, on the battlefield, your enemies will not spare you just because you are a food-type or support-type spirit master. On the contrary, the first thing done at the start of a war is to wipe out the food-type and support-type spirit masters. Therefore, it is vital for you to learn the most basic methods of combat."

"Of course, the academy's assessment is quite fair. We won't force support-type spirit masters into 1v1 combat against power-attack spirit masters. Instead, we will use a team-based format. This year, the team size is 3v3, so finding good teammates is crucial."

At this point, Wang Yan's gaze flicked toward Huo Yuhao.

In terms of individual strength, Huo Yuhao was undoubtedly the most powerful in the entire freshman year. Whoever managed to recruit him as a teammate would be guaranteed a spot in the academy, if not a very high ranking in the assessment.

After all, Huo Yuhao had defeated a Soul Elder head-on more than once. Although he only had one spirit ring, his actual combat effectiveness was immeasurable.

Defeating a Soul Elder without injury while at the one-ring level, and even challenging a Spirit Emperor—his record was verifiable throughout the academy.

It wasn't just Wang Yan; everyone in Class 3 realized this as well. Suddenly, dozens, if not hundreds, of gazes like those of hungry wolves locked onto Huo Yuhao.

This left Huo Yuhao feeling somewhat speechless.

However, since class was not yet over, no one dared to rush forward directly.

"Oh, and one more thing: a team is not allowed to consist entirely of support-type or food-type spirit masters."

"The freshman assessment will be held across the entire grade. Since there are about 1,000 students this year, there will be over three hundred teams competing, but only the top 150 teams will be allowed to remain in the academy."

"The matches will be determined by drawing lots, meaning every team must compete in at least ten matches. Rankings will be based on the total number of wins. The top 64 teams will enter the knockout stage. The academy will provide generous rewards for the top four teams in the knockout stage, and the championship prize, in particular, will be extremely precious!"

Upon hearing this, all the students' eyes lit up, and their gazes toward Huo Yuhao became even more fanatical.

"I won't be helping you form groups this time; you will find your own teammates!" Wang Yan said flatly.

The reason Wang Yan let the class form their own teams was actually because of Huo Yuhao's presence. He didn't want to force the class into groups. According to past customs, homeroom teachers from other classes would personally intervene to increase their promotion rates.

But because there was a monster like Huo Yuhao in Class 3, if Wang Yan had forcibly assigned him to any group, it would have caused dissatisfaction among others. Thus, he simply let everyone group themselves.

As soon as Wang Yan finished speaking, everyone in the class rushed toward Huo Yuhao's direction at the same time.

Just then, Ouyang Junyi and Chen Junfeng, who were sitting in front of Huo Yuhao, turned around and said with great speed, "Yuhao, do you want to team up with us? I'm a power-attack type and he's an agility-attack type; we won't hold you back."

"Sure," Huo Yuhao replied with a faint smile, agreeing immediately.

It didn't matter to Huo Yuhao who he teamed up with, but since these two had approached him first and he was most familiar with them in this class, choosing them was perfectly appropriate.

Since he had to lead someone, he might as well lead people he knew.

"That's great!" Ouyang Junyi and Chen Junfeng were so excited that they stood up upon hearing Huo Yuhao's agreement.

The others who had been rushing toward Huo Yuhao had no choice but to sit back down, casting resentful looks at the pair.

"Since we've formed a team, should we discuss our tactics?" Ouyang Junyi rolled his eyes and suggested.

Chen Junfeng nodded as well, both of them looking at Huo Yuhao with anticipation.

Huo Yuhao had implicitly become the leader of the three, and the other two followed his lead completely.

"Alright, let's head out of the city and talk while we eat," Huo Yuhao said.

Although he had studied with them for three months, he didn't actually know much about their martial spirits.

Thus, the three of them set off together to a restaurant outside Shrek City, where Ouyang Junyi treated them to a hearty meal.

After they gained an understanding of each other's martial spirits and basic abilities and finalized their tactics, they went their separate ways.

Once Huo Yuhao returned to his hotel room, he immediately sat cross-legged on the bed.

Inside the room, strands of invisible energy currents continuously surged into Huo Yuhao's body as he cultivated.

"Hmm? Is it finally time for a breakthrough?"

Huo Yuhao felt a surge of joy. He could sense that the Soul Power within him had reached a critical threshold; as long as he broke through this point, he would reach the next realm.

Huo Yuhao held his breath and focused his mind, the vast elemental energy of the surrounding world continuously drawn into his body. If any other soul master were present, they would even be able to feel a spiral-shaped vortex of heaven and earth energy forming around his body.

The next second, with a soft "pop," Huo Yuhao felt as if an unknown barrier within him had been shattered. The Soul Power circulating through his body transformed from a trickling stream into a rushing brook.

This was a qualitative change!

Huo Yuhao had the distinct feeling that he had stepped into a brand-new world.

Soul Power, Level 20!

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