Distributing Soul Bones

"Inside are two five-cubic-meter storage Soul Tools and a Secret Art Soul Bone. As for how to distribute them, that is entirely up to your team." Mu Jin spoke to the three of them.

Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao's eyes lit up at Mu Jin's words. Even Huo Yuhao was a little surprised.

Mu Jin really did not seem much like a Shrek teacher anymore. Although she still had not made the rewards completely equal, the other two had actually received rewards as well.

That alone put Zhou dozens of streets behind her.

As expected of someone who could seriously produce a soul bone in the original story. After all, the soul bone Zhou had rewarded had been sourced from Mu Jin in the first place.

"Thank you, Teacher Mu Jin. We will not let this soul bone cause discord within our team. After careful discussion, it will definitely be given to the person most suited for it." Huo Yuhao stepped forward and picked up the leather pouch.

Mu Jin nodded, then began introducing the Secret Art Soul Bone. After explaining the soul bone to the three of them, she sent them away.

The three of them tacitly avoided mentioning this special reward on their way out of the teaching building. Instead, they silently entered a private room at a restaurant outside the academy together.

Huo Yuhao ordered a perfectly normal amount of food for three people, but Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao were clearly not as composed as he was. They merely watched as Huo Yuhao arranged the dishes.

After casually serving himself a bowl of soup, Huo Yuhao glanced at the two sitting stiffly upright. He untied the leather pouch and poured its three contents onto the center of the table.

"If you cannot eat, then let's divide the items first." Huo Yuhao waved his hand as he spoke.

It would have been fine if he had not done that, but the moment the soul bone and two storage Soul Tools were placed before them, Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao simultaneously grabbed the two storage Soul Tools.

Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow. Wang Dong picked up one of the storage Soul Tools and fiddled with it in her hands. "This Secret Art Soul Bone's effect is only so-so. I can do without it."

Xiao Xiao pushed the soul bone toward Huo Yuhao and said, "In the previous ten matches, I contributed very little. I barely even used my soul skills. Thinking about it carefully, I am not suited to take the largest share."

Huo Yuhao lightly tapped the table with his fingers, then looked at the two of them. "We are a team. The ownership of a soul bone should be settled clearly. If you have any other thoughts, say them now so we can discuss them together. That is better than burying them in your hearts until they become a ticking bomb over some other matter."

After Huo Yuhao finished speaking, Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao looked at him. Their eyes were clear and pure. "We do not have any other thoughts. Teacher Mu Jin gave you this leather pouch because she intended for you to have the soul bone. And what we just said was sincere."

Huo Yuhao drew a deep breath, then picked up the soul bone. "Then I will not refuse. To be honest, I do have another use for this soul bone. Thank you."

"If you truly wanted it, we would not have had any hope of taking it anyway." Xiao Xiao joked.

Huo Yuhao smiled, and Wang Dong did not refute the joke. They had privately experienced the effects of Huo Yuhao's soul skill once. At least among two-ring Soul Masters, Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong did not think they could even force Huo Yuhao to use his second soul skill.

According to Huo Yuhao, his second soul skill positively enhanced himself, and it was far more terrifying than his first soul skill.

"But I must make one thing clear: Xiao Xiao, it is not that you have been useless. Your low soul skill usage is part of our group's plan. It is our tactic. Carrying out the tactic is itself your greatest contribution to the group." Huo Yuhao placed the Secret Art Soul Bone back into the leather pouch and spoke earnestly to Xiao Xiao.

Xiao Xiao nodded and gave Huo Yuhao a sincere smile. "I know, but I really do not want to compete with you two for the soul bone."

Huo Yuhao curled his lips and said to them, "The Freshman Assessment is entering the round of sixty-four knockout stage. Once we win the championship, there will definitely be more soul bones and better resources. This is only an appetizer before the meal."

Although Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao had no concept yet of how wealthy Shrek Academy was, and thus did not quite believe the academy would reward Outer Court students with soul bones, they still trusted Huo Yuhao's words and nodded.

The next day, because Huo Yuhao had not researched the Martial Soul Fusion Skill with Wang Dong, there was no tardiness incident like in the original story.

Of course, even if they had been late, Mu Jin probably would not have blamed them. She might even have protected them.

The Outer Court teachers of Shrek Academy were still understaffed, so Du Weilun personally held the roster and called attendance one name at a time.

Very soon, Du Weilun, the director of instruction for the Outer Court Martial Soul Department, finished taking attendance. Next came the drawing of lots.

It was only the Freshman Assessment, so there were not many complicated ceremonies. Huo Yuhao drew the lot on behalf of their team.

All sixty-four teams participating in the knockout stage were divided into thirty-two matches and paired off against one another. Luck played a considerable role.

The students had been given a day to rest yesterday, and the Assessment Area had also been adjusted. Only the positions of the partitions needed changing, dividing it into sixteen areas once more.

This time, each area was several times larger, giving the students participating in the knockout stage far more room to perform.

During the knockout stage, there would be one match each morning and afternoon. Eliminated teams would return to class directly, while victorious teams would remain to continue competing.

Once the drawing was complete, the sixty-four-to-thirty-two matches began immediately. All thirty-two matches were held simultaneously, shortening the assessment period as much as possible while giving victorious students sufficient rest before their afternoon matches.

This time, Huo Yuhao's team was assigned to Area Fifteen. Their proctor had also changed; this time, it was a woman in her thirties who looked very kind.

Huo Yuhao's luck in the first round was quite good. The three students on the other side belonged to one of the weakest teams among the sixty-four.

In the first match, Huo Yuhao's group swept through them like a gale scattering fallen leaves, easily crushing them in less than two minutes.

The two sides had barely taken their positions, and the referee had barely announced the start of the match, when Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong charged once and their opponents lost.

After registering the result, the three returned to their dormitory under Mu Jin's urging to rest and prepare for the afternoon's thirty-two-to-sixteen match.

The moment Wang Dong returned to the dormitory, she kicked off her shoes without surprise and burrowed into her blankets. Huo Yuhao walked to his own bed and sat down with some helplessness, teasing her...