Preparing to Leave (Two More Chapters Tomorrow)

The Netherworld White Tiger was sent flying dozens of meters away. If it crashed heavily into the ground, it would surely suffer severe injuries.

Du Weilun, the referee who had previously thought Yao Shi's team was certain to lose and had been preparing to step in and save them, instead flew out to catch the still-flying Netherworld White Tiger.

Perhaps Yao Shi's strike had been too powerful. When Du Weilun grabbed hold of the white tiger's fur, he actually failed to stop it immediately and was dragged another seven or eight meters before steadying himself. He could not help grumbling inwardly.

How strange. I'm a dignified Soul Douluo, yet when catching an opponent knocked away by a two-ringed Soul Grandmaster, I couldn't even stop right away. This is utterly humiliating.

Du Weilun did not dwell on it. Carrying the Netherworld White Tiger, he flew back to the arena and set it down.

Having taken Yao Shi's heavy blow head-on, the Netherworld White Tiger had already fallen unconscious. Blood stained both sides of its mouth, and not long after Du Weilun set it down, it separated.

The surrounding students and teachers were all dumbfounded. They simply could not believe that a two-ringed auxiliary-type Soul Grandmaster could defeat, alone, a Netherworld White Tiger powerful enough to rival a four-ringed Soul Ancestor.

Amid the uproar below the stage, Du Weilun announced loudly, "Now, I declare that the champions of the freshman assessment elimination round are..."

"Yao Shi, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao's team—"

"W-we won?"

Xiao Xiao could hardly believe it. Earlier, she had thought Yao Shi had told her and Wang Dong to hide behind him so he could create a wall of vines to protect them. She had never expected their class monitor to conjure a gigantic vine club and end the match in one strike.

"Yes, we won. We're champions."

Hearing Xiao Xiao's words, Wang Dong echoed her. At the same time, she felt a lingering fear in her heart. This guy was far too good at hiding his strength. He actually had a move like that. Fortunately, he had not used it on her on the day they enrolled. Otherwise...

With the champions announced, the results of the freshman assessment swiftly spread throughout the academy.

"Hey, did you hear? A freshman this year defeated an opponent with a martial soul fusion skill comparable to a four-ringed Soul Ancestor despite only having two rings."

"I heard. Good thing we aren't in the same year as them. This year's freshmen are really monstrous."

"What? You said someone defeated a white tiger with a giant club?"

"Huh? But what I heard was that someone won with a ten-year Lone Bamboo."

As the news spread farther and farther, it grew more and more absurd, but none of it had anything to do with Yao Shi and the others.

The next day, all the students who had passed the freshman assessment gathered at Shrek Square.

First, the top three teams in the assessment were awarded their prizes, after which the list of core disciples was announced.

Du Weilun opened the folder in his hands and read, "Based on the academy's evaluation of their performance in the freshman assessment, the students approved as core disciples are Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu... Lan Luoluo, Ning Tian, and Wu Feng."

All the high-ranking students from this assessment had made the list, except for Yao Shi, who had defeated the Netherworld White Tiger in a single blow.

"H-how could this be? Why isn't Yao Shi on it?"

Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao were both stunned. They felt that even if they themselves did not become core disciples, Yao Shi should have made it. But why was his name absent from the list?

It was not just them. Even the other students who had become core disciples found it unbelievable. They had personally witnessed the power of Yao Shi's final strike.

Even Du Weilun had asked Dean Yan why Yao Shi's name was not on the list. Yan Shaozhe's answer had been, "His vine attacks are indeed powerful, but the potential of a branch martial soul is ultimately too limited. The academy has no need to waste resources nurturing a student who is only strong in the early stages but weak in the later ones." Thus, Du Weilun did not ask further.

Du Weilun continued, "In light of the fact that some freshmen displayed outstanding performance during the freshman assessment despite shortcomings in their martial souls or abilities, the academy has decided to grant them provisional core disciple treatment until the end of this academic year. If they show improvement in their yearly advancement examinations, they will be considered for promotion to official core disciples."

"The list is as follows: Yao Shi, Cui... Huang Chutian, Nanmen Yuner."

After the announcement, Du Weilun dismissed the students.

At that moment, Wang Dong asked quietly, "Yao Shi, are you okay?"

Yao Shi appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly... he was even more excited.

Yes! Now I have a reason to leave the academy!

Yao Shi gently shook his head. "I'm fine. Don't worry."

Wang Dong said anxiously, "It shouldn't be like this. You're so strong. You obviously should have been made a core disciple..."

Yao Shi merely patted her shoulder and said nothing more.

Wang Dong thought that Yao Shi had suffered a tremendous blow because he had failed to become a core disciple and did not want to talk.

Meanwhile, Yao Shi was thinking.

Heh~ Since I didn't become a core disciple, this is easy. I'll find a time to pack up and run immediately. It's not that I don't want to stay—it's that the academy looks down on me, so I'm "forced" to leave.

And so, after the core disciples were selected, the next step was reassigning classes. All the core disciples, along with students ranked highly like Yao Shi, were placed in Class One and taught under Zhang Lexuan.

Soon, the freshmen's first semester was nearing its end, and the holiday was about to begin.

The day before the holiday, all the other students had already left the academy for break, including Wang Dong. Meanwhile, Yao Shi was squatting in an open space beneath the dormitory building, eating Huo Yuhao's grilled fish.

As he grilled the fish, Huo Yuhao said indignantly, "Brother Yao, the academy must be blind. You're so strong, yet they didn't make you a core disciple. That's far too unfair."

Yao Shi waved dismissively as he ate. "Relax, Yuhao. I don't really want to be a core disciple anyway. Besides, I never planned to stay here forever."

"What! Brother Yao, are you planning to leave Shrek Academy?" Upon hearing Yao Shi's words, Huo Yuhao shot to his feet in surprise.

"See? You're getting worked up again. What's so shocking about that? Just focus on grilling the fish."

Yao Shi looked completely at ease, then added, "Fish must be grilled slowly. Rush it, and it'll burn."

Only then did Huo Yuhao crouch down again. "Then where are you planning to go after leaving the academy, Brother Yao? Do you want me to come with you?"

Yao Shi thought for a moment. "Uh, I haven't decided where to go yet. I'll travel around first. As for you, there's no need to follow me for now. But I suggest that you go to the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy in the Sun Moon Empire later on. That's where you'll be able to show your true talent."

A day earlier, Huo Yuhao had told Yao Shi that he was now a quasi second-level soul engineer. Once he obtained his second soul ring, he could directly become a second-level soul engineer.

"The Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy..."

Huo Yuhao muttered the place Yao Shi had just mentioned.

"Alright, it's getting late. I'm heading back first."

Yao Shi stood and brushed the dust off his backside as he spoke to Huo Yuhao.

"Goodbye, Brother."

Yao Shi returned to the dormitory. Wang Dong had already left the academy yesterday to go home, and now he was the only one left in Room 108.

"Hehehe, with no one in the dorm right now, this is the perfect time to secretly do something fun."