Wang Dong's Dao Heart Shattered

"Huh? Oh, you're conceding? Very well, the second assessment match goes to Huo Yuhao's team." Wang Yan, standing to the side, only snapped out of his daze after a long moment.

After announcing the result, a helpless, bitter smile couldn't help but tug at the corners of Wang Yan's mouth.

He had originally wanted to see how Huo Yuhao would perform in a team battle, but this guy wasn't playing by the rules at all.

A ten-thousand-year second Spirit Ring!

That was just too heaven-defying.

Even someone as knowledgeable and experienced as Wang Yan had never encountered such a situation. What was even stranger was that he hadn't seen Huo Yuhao leave the academy once in the past few months.

How did he obtain this ten-thousand-year Spirit Ring? And how was he even capable of fusing with one?

Wang Yan was deeply perplexed. Suddenly, a mysterious sect crossed his mind.

Could it be that Huo Yuhao lied? Was he actually a member of the Body Sect?

Thinking of this, his gaze toward Huo Yuhao became complex.

Huo Yuhao naturally had no idea that Wang Yan was busy concocting such elaborate theories in his head. He was stunned to see the opposing team concede so directly. Just like that?

Shouldn't they be doing the classic "refuse to believe it" charge, only to lose afterward?

I haven't even had a chance to test my new spirit skill yet.

Is the intimidation factor of a ten-thousand-year Spirit Ring really that high?

This isn't how it's supposed to go.

Seeing Huo Yuhao's dazed expression, Huang Chutian sneered inwardly.

Heh, do you think we're idiots? You've got a ten-thousand-year second Spirit Ring, and you expect us to still fight?

Anyone with half a brain would concede. There are ten matches in the round-robin stage; you obviously pick the softest targets.

As long as you guarantee your spot in the knockout rounds, that's all that matters.

Besides, if your second Spirit Ring had been a thousand-year one, we might have stood a chance.

But now that you've brought out a ten-thousand-year ring, buddy, how are we supposed to play?

Huang Chutian led his team away without looking back.

Huo Yuhao stood where he was, high-fiving Ouyang Junyi and Chen Junfeng in celebration.

Although Ouyang Junyi and Chen Junfeng were also extremely shocked by Huo Yuhao's ten-thousand-year second ring, they were even more delighted.

Since they had already latched onto a powerhouse, the thicker the thigh, the better.

The three of them stepped off the stage with ease; they hadn't even broken a sweat during the assessment, so it was definitely a breeze.

When Huo Yuhao reached the bottom of the stage, he noticed that everyone in the assessment area had grim, unsightly expressions on their faces.

At that moment, they were all praying that they wouldn't be drawn against Huo Yuhao's group in the next round.

"A ten-thousand-year Spirit Ring... how could it be a ten-thousand-year Spirit Ring?" Wang Dong muttered, her voice trembling slightly.

She recalled how she had been strutting about, showing off her own second Spirit Ring just a moment ago.

Compared to Huo Yuhao, her behavior seemed like that of a clown.

Wang Dong's face burned fiercely at that moment.

Crack. A crisp sound suddenly rang out. Standing nearby, Zhou Sichen asked curiously, "What was that sound?"

Xiao Xiao tilted her head to listen, then said urgently, "Wang Dong, it sounds like something on you just shattered."

Wang Dong stood there blankly, her mouth slightly agape, her pupils unfocused.

The round-robin stage of the assessment lasted two days. Over the next two days, what frustrated Huo Yuhao was that he never got the chance to test his new spirit skill.

The reason was that whenever a team was drawn against Huo Yuhao's group, their expressions would twist in agony.

"Eh? I'm fighting Huo Yuhao? For real?"

These teams would all display such expressions before immediately signaling their concession to the referee.

On the rare occasion that a few wanted to put up a struggle, Huo Yuhao didn't even need to act. He simply used Spirit Detection to assist Ouyang Junyi and Chen Junfeng, and they won the matches with ease.

By the end of the second day, Huo Yuhao's team had naturally secured a 10-match winning streak.

Wang Yan found them at this time and said, "The three of you are excellent. You've achieved ten consecutive wins over the past two days, and all of them were crushing victories—well, the opponents surrendering counts as a crushing victory, too."

"However, the upcoming matches likely won't be as easy as the ones before. Many teams in the later stages have three-ring Soul Elders, so don't let your guard down. Try your best to take first place."

"Teacher Wang, don't worry, we will definitely do our best," Ouyang Junyi and Chen Junfeng nodded.

Yeah, we'll definitely do our best. Whether we win or not depends on our big brother, enough said.

The three of us are truly strong!

Huo Yuhao, standing to the side, gave a slight nod without saying anything.

"Good." Wang Yan waved his hand and said, "If there's nothing else, head back and get some rest. Tomorrow is the knockout round, so perform well."

Everyone nodded and then went their separate ways.

After parting ways with the group, evening had already fallen. Huo Yuhao grabbed a quick bite at the Shrek canteen and then followed the path from Shrek Plaza back to the lakeside trail in the south.

Just as Huo Yuhao began walking along this path, he ran into two people coming from the opposite direction.

Seeing them, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but freeze in surprise.

Because both of these people were acquaintances of his.

The ones approaching were none other than Ma Xiaotao, dressed in her signature red, and Xu Sanshi, whom he had fought once before.

Compared to the boorish, overbearing air Xu Sanshi had when they first met, he now looked ashen-faced. He appeared completely drained of energy, looking utterly listless.

His clothes were wrinkled and disheveled, and he carried an air of total decadence.

In contrast, Ma Xiaotao looked more radiant than ever. Her pretty face was flushed with an unnatural crimson, and the pale pink of her eyes had deepened significantly.

"Why is it him!" Upon seeing Huo Yuhao, Xu Sanshi's face twisted with surprise and indignation.

Clearly, he hadn't expected Huo Yuhao to appear here.

Beside him, Ma Xiaotao came to a sudden halt, frozen in place.

The moment she saw Huo Yuhao, a faint, sudden tremor stirred in her heart.

Huo Yuhao's figure bore a certain resemblance to the silhouette of the youth in her memories.

Yet, it didn't quite align perfectly.

"Is he a friend of yours?" Ma Xiaotao asked, her tone heavy.

Xu Sanshi, catching the strangeness in Ma Xiaotao's voice, turned his head and saw the look of shock and uncertainty on her face.

His eyes darted around, and he said, "Sister Xiaotao, if I tell you who this person is, will you let me go?"

"Speak!" Ma Xiaotao demanded, appearing impatient.

"This person is named Huo Yuhao, a first-year student of the Outer Court. He has a one-ring cultivation, and his Martial Soul seems to be his eyes."

Xu Sanshi immediately spilled all the information he had on Huo Yuhao.

Upon hearing this, Ma Xiaotao frowned.

"One-ring cultivation? An eye-type Martial Soul?"

These details didn't seem to match the information of the person who appeared in the nightmares she had every single day.

Could it be him? Ma Xiaotao's face was filled with suspicion.