Dai Huabin was like a drowning man, his hands grasping wildly until he managed to seize Du Weilun's clothes.
"Referee, referee, save me! Please, save me! Dean, save me!" Dai Huabin looked toward Yan Shaozhe, seated in the stands, and screamed at the top of his lungs.
"Calm down, Dai Huabin. There's nothing wrong with your body." Du Weilun probed Dai Huabin's body with his Soul Power, but found nothing amiss.
"Impossible! I'm going to die! None of you can save me! Hahahaha!" Dai Huabin replied like a madman.
No one felt it more deeply than he did. It was the feeling of being rejected by the world. He could clearly see the moment of his death, just as a drowning man could feel the last breath in his chest being used up.
"Huo Yuhao, you'll be expelled from Shrek Academy. You—"
Before Dai Huabin could finish, Huo Yuhao interrupted him again. "Everyone here can testify for me. I haven't done a thing. Dean, why don't you come down and check?"
Yan Shaozhe hesitated briefly at that, but still entered the arena and examined Dai Huabin. "There's indeed nothing wrong with Dai Huabin's body."
"Huo—Yu—hao, you..." Dai Huabin's trembling voice rang out.
Just then, Huo Yuhao leaned close to Dai Huabin's ear and whispered:
"Even if Dean Yan can't find anything wrong, he wouldn't say so even if he did. At most, I'll get a punishment."
"Don't you understand? I'm just like you were back then. All it takes is some flimsy excuse, and even if I kill someone, all I have to do is apologize."
After speaking, Huo Yuhao turned to Du Weilun. "Referee, aren't you going to announce the result?"
Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao had already finished their fight nearby. Under the pressure of Wang Dong's level 30 Soul Power, Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie had also been defeated.
"The winners are Huo Yuhao's team." Du Weilun managed to compose his expression and make the announcement.
"Then, Dean, I'll head back to the dormitory. I feel like my Soul Power is about to break through, so I need to go into seclusion." Huo Yuhao casually made up an excuse and walked toward the edge of the arena.
Seeing that the champion had been decided, the new students below began whispering among themselves again.
"Huo Yuhao's really amazing. Look at how badly he scared Dai Huabin."
"Yeah. Didn't you see how even Director Du couldn't stop that last blow?"
"Princess, he really is very strong. Should we try to win him over? Though the Duke of White Tiger might be a bit of a problem," Wu Feng whispered to Ning Tian.
"Wu Feng, I feel like this isn't over yet." Ning Tian looked at Dai Huabin on the stage, sensing that something was wrong.
Just as Ning Tian finished speaking, Dai Huabin, who had been too terrified to speak for quite some time, let out a piercing wail. His whole body slowly dissolved into points of light and disappeared.
The arena and the stands fell completely silent. At that moment, Huo Yuhao had just reached the arena's exit.
Everyone watched that figure leave slowly, their eyes filled with awe.
Complete Fate Deprivation. Using ten times the opponent's Power of Destiny to erase them completely. Letting you die so easily really was too good for you. Huo Yuhao silently thought to himself.
As he reached the entrance to the new students' dormitory, Mu En's gentle voice called out to him. "Child, don't let hatred blind you. You still have a long road ahead. Be sure you don't lose your way."
"So you're laying your cards on the table with me, old man. I thought you were going to give me some grand lecture."
"I've lived a long life. What haven't I seen? Love and hate, joy and sorrow—I've experienced them all. What happened to you isn't unusual."
"Then will our academy protect me?" Huo Yuhao asked tentatively.
"Child, you called it our academy. What do you think? The future 262nd Sea God Pavilion Master of Shrek Academy."
"You're joking. My performance so far doesn't make me qualified."
Mu En had promised to protect him, which put Huo Yuhao considerably at ease. It seemed this matter was behind him.
"One day, you'll get there. Child, I've been watching you since the day you made those remarks about Soul Tools. You have talent, wisdom, and a sense of loyalty. That's good."
"But be sure you don't choose the wrong path. Loving someone's loved ones is a good thing, but hatred is another matter." A hint of reminiscence crept into Old Mu's voice.
"I'll remember that. Don't worry, old man. I act only so I can answer to my own conscience."
With that, Huo Yuhao walked slowly toward the dormitory. In a daze, it seemed that a younger version of him was walking forward too.
In his memories, nine-year-old Huo Yuhao watched his mother struggle desperately against her illness and injuries, while nobody cared. He could only watch helplessly as she passed away.
Such painful memories left Huo Yuhao's mind reeling. Was it Zhuang Zhou dreaming he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming it was Zhuang Zhou? He could no longer tell.
But no matter what, he would avenge "his" grudge.
Just then, Huo Yuhao's spiritual power began to surge.
His spiritual power, which had originally been in the early stage of the Spirit Domain Realm, leaped all the way to its peak.
Huo Yuhao returned to the dormitory and opened a book on Soul Tool theory. He was confident he could raise his Soul Power to level 40 this year. It was time to start planning for Battle Armor.
Huo Yuhao then entered his Spirit Sea and began absorbing the halo that had formed on his twelfth birthday.
As he absorbed the halo, Huo Yuhao's Soul Power Level rose again. It continued to increase after he broke through level 37, but unfortunately stopped at the peak of level 37.
At the same time, a wealth of knowledge about Battle Armor flooded into his mind. The designs, crafting, and forging techniques all appeared before him.
Next, Huo Yuhao began designing the first set of Battle Armor in this world, drawing on the knowledge in his mind and combining it with the characteristics of his own Soul Power.
Generally, a Soul Master had to reach level 50 before their physical constitution could bear the burden of a full set of First-Class Battle Armor. Its wearer's combat power would be equivalent to that of a Soul Saint.
But Huo Yuhao's physical constitution and spiritual power both far surpassed those of Soul Masters at the same level. He could handle Battle Armor at level 40 without much trouble.
While Huo Yuhao busied himself with crafting Battle Armor, the various factions outside reacted in different ways.
Wang Dong had dragged Xiao Xiao out to clear their heads near Sea God Lake. She looked shaken.
Thinking of her argument with Huo Yuhao at the start of the school year, then recalling how Dai Huabin had vanished into thin air just moments ago, Wang Dong's face had gone pale.
Xiao Xiao, standing nearby, was also stunned. She had no mind to think about Wang Dong taking her for a walk around Sea God Lake.
At only twelve years old, this was the first time she had seen someone her age die right before her eyes.
Tang San in the Divine Realm was also a little flustered. He decided to quietly change his plans. He might as well offer up the Duke of White Tiger's Estate as a sacrifice after all.
Huo Yuhao's ability to manipulate fate had left God King Tang somewhat worried. This absurdly powerful ability had a certain degree of control over him too.
"Brother, Huo Yuhao, the Duke of White Tiger's illegitimate son, avenged his mother by killing Dai Huabin, the duke's legitimate son, during Shrek Academy's new student assessment." A sweet female voice rang out inside the imperial palace in Star Luo City.
"Oh? That is a major matter. What does Shrek Academy have to say?" Xu Jiawei looked at Xu Jiujiu and asked with a serious expression.
"Shrek Academy replied that Huo Yuhao is the academy's future Sea God Pavilion Master, and that from now on, he and Dai Hao have no further ties."
"Also, this incident wasn't some so-called revenge. The two sides were simply sparring with all their strength and failed to hold back. Huo Yuhao was badly injured too. As compensation, Dean Yan is willing to give the Duke of White Tiger's Estate two Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones."
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