Dai Huabin Seeks His Own Death

"That's perfectly normal. His teaching, when you got down to it, was just a game of passing the buck. As long as he could reliably produce a few promising students with good results every year, nothing would blow up in his face. The reason things ended up like this this year was mainly because, after you were transferred out, there was no one in the class capable of holding things together."

Huo Yuhao spoke to Wang Dong, who retorted, "Even if I hadn't been transferred, I couldn't have carried the class on my own. Anyway, I don't believe I could beat you. In the finals, you could literally grab the Hell White Tiger and toss it around."

Huo Yuhao rolled his eyes, then said to Wang Dong, "Who said carrying the class meant you had to take first place? As long as you can make it into the top three, he'll have something to say. As long as you don't run into me too early in the knockout rounds, there won't be much of a problem."

Wang Dong shrugged and stopped dwelling on the matter. Instead, she said to Huo Yuhao, "Forget that. We should think about how to handle the Upgrade Assessment and the Class Upgrade Assessment first. Those are two major exams."

Huo Yuhao patted Wang Dong's shoulder and said, "Simple. Don't think about anything. Shrek Academy's assessments definitely won't be about academics. When all was said and done, it was about strength. If your strength is solid enough, just crush your way through."

Today was the final day before school began. Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong ran into Xiao Xiao, Ning Tian, Wu Feng, and the others in the cafeteria. After a semester of study, Ning Tian and Wu Feng had let go of what happened during the Freshman Assessment.

Wu Feng was only a little jealous whenever Ning Tian treated Huo Yuhao so politely, occasionally shooting him a light glare. Other than that, there were no more issues.

"That Wu Feng is really something else. Why does she keep staring at you?" Wang Dong asked Huo Yuhao while picking beans from her plate with her chopsticks.

Huo Yuhao curled his lips into a smile, leaned against the wall, and glanced sideways at Ning Tian and Wu Feng, who were standing close together. "Can't you tell? Their relationship isn't ordinary. I can already smell the fragrance of citrus-scented lilies."

Wang Dong tilted her head in confusion. "What nonsense is that? What kind of lily smells like citrus?"

Xiao Xiao covered her mouth and laughed. "I never expected you to be such an innocent little boy, Wang Dong."

Wang Dong: "???"

On the first day after school began, Wang Yan spent the morning class explaining the various precautions for the afternoon's Upgrade Assessment. Afterward, he dismissed the students to prepare what they needed for the exam and adjust their condition.

After all, some students who lived far away had traveled day and night, returning to the academy at the last possible moment. It was inevitable that they would be exhausted from the journey.

That afternoon, Huo Yuhao and the other two headed together to one of the Outer Court's core resource sites at Shrek Academy: the Beast Fighting Zone.

This place housed the largest Spirit Beast Breeding Area within the former territories of the three nations of Douluo Continent. Only Shrek Academy, backed by the combined resources of the three nations, had the means to undertake such a money-burning project.

According to the original story, ten-thousand-year spirit beasts were also raised here for students to use in combat training, though they had never actually appeared.

At this moment, the second-year students were entering the Beast Fighting Arena one after another, preparing to undergo their Upgrade Assessment.

When Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao entered this grand Beast Fighting Arena, they were almost overwhelmed by the sight. This was probably the most magnificent building they had ever seen.

All second-year students had to collect an Upgrade Assessment Form. It listed their order of appearance, and their results would also be recorded on it.

Just as Huo Yuhao was lining up to receive his form, Dai Huabin walked straight toward him.

Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes. Dai Huabin stopped in front of him and said arrogantly, "I don't know what bizarre trick you used to increase your strength and suppress our Martial Soul Fusion Skill, but I absolutely refuse to believe that was an ability a normal soul master should possess. So, do you dare bet on the results of this assessment with me?"

Huo Yuhao immediately replied irritably, "Who the hell do you think you are? Do I need you to acknowledge whether my abilities are truly mine? You really think too highly of yourself."

Dai Huabin's expression stiffened instantly. Someone accustomed to throwing his weight around in the Duke's Mansion had clearly failed to realize that his status was not particularly useful here. Gritting his teeth, he continued to provoke Huo Yuhao. "I think you're just afraid. Are you afraid that even the three of you combined won't score higher than me alone?"

Huo Yuhao laughed. There's a road to heaven, yet you refuse to take it. Hell has no gate, yet you've come knocking yourself. Since you're so eager to die, I don't need to be polite anymore.

"Fine, I'll bet with you. How do you want to play this?" Huo Yuhao raised his chin at Dai Huabin as if he had fallen for the provocation.

Dai Huabin spoke coldly and arrogantly. "Zhu Lu's score and mine combined against the scores of the three of you. Whichever side scores lower must fulfill one request from the other side."

Huo Yuhao waved a hand and said to Dai Huabin, "I'm starting to doubt your gender. Are you even a man? You're dragging someone else into a bet over your own grudge? I, Huo Yuhao, don't have as much nerve as you."

At those words, Dai Huabin looked toward Zhu Lu before saying to Huo Yuhao, "Zhu Lu agreed to this willingly."

After hesitating for a moment, Zhu Lu stepped forward and said to Huo Yuhao, "That's right. Do you dare to bet or not?"

Huo Yuhao tilted his head. At that moment, Xiao Xiao stepped forward first. "Then let's bet! Who's afraid of whom?!"

After Xiao Xiao stepped up, Wang Dong immediately moved to Huo Yuhao's other side and said as well, "I'm in too."

Huo Yuhao glanced at the two beside him, then looked at Dai Huabin. "Don't say we're bullying you because you have one fewer person. When we add up the scores, you can choose my score and one other person's score to compete against the two of you."

"Also, since this is a group bet, if we win, each of you two must fulfill one request from us. The same goes for us if we lose," Wang Dong said to Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu.

Dai Huabin nodded and told the three of them, "Fine. As long as the three of you decide what requests you want to make. Though there's no need for you to discuss it, because you definitely won't win."

Huo Yuhao took a step forward, fully revealing the aura of a three-ringed Soul Elder. One yellow and two purple Soul Rings slowly pulsed beneath his feet. "Who wins and who loses is still uncertain. I advise you not to overestimate yourself or underestimate others."

Dai Huabin's expression changed slightly. He clearly had not expected Huo Yuhao to catch up to his cultivation in just one academic year. He gave a cold snort and turned to return to his own line...