Huo Yuhao Looks Forward to Becoming a Core Disciple

"You were taking too much of a risk."

Seeing that Huo Yuhao was unharmed, Wang Dong immediately stepped in front of him protectively.

When they had first made the plan, Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong hadn't understood why Huo Yuhao insisted on having a chance to face Dai Huabin directly.

Naturally, Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong had refused at the time. Dai Huabin was a three-ring battle Soul Master, and his tiger-type Martial Soul specialized in killing.

If anything went wrong, Huo Yuhao could've been seriously injured by a single hit.

"Didn't it turn out fine?"

Ignoring their concerns, Huo Yuhao stared excitedly at Dai Huabin as he got back to his feet.

Huo Yuhao had just planted the Heaven-and-Earth Finger inside his opponent's body. With Tian Meng's spiritual power concealing it, almost no one could detect it.

Dai Huabin would never reach Rank 40 in this lifetime.

The thought filled Huo Yuhao with boundless joy. Only now did he truly feel that he was alive!

Dai Huabin, just wait! This is only the first step. Next, I'll take your life! After that, I'll slaughter the entire White Tiger Duke's Estate!

Boom!

Cui Yajie was defeated by Xiao Xiao and left the field. Then, the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron turned its attention toward Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu.

"Zhu Lu! Martial Soul Fusion Skill!"

Next, to the astonishment of the spectators, two Martial Soul Fusion Skills collided on the field.

The result was that Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong perished together with Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu, while Du Weilun blocked the aftermath of the two Martial Soul Fusion Skills.

Only he and Xiao Xiao remained on the field now.

"Wang Dong's team wins!"

With everything settled, the students of Class One erupted into cheers.

"We're the champions!"

Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao, both lying on the ground, supported each other as Huo Yuhao gave Xiao Xiao a thumbs-up.

"Hehe."

Xiao Xiao was nearly out of strength as well. She had fully unleashed her Martial Soul just now, buying time for Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong to prepare their Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

She had used almost all of her Soul Power. The only reason she could still stand was her sheer determination.

I'm so tired...

Xiao Xiao fell backward, landing directly against a cool chest.

Feeling a stream of chilly Soul Power enter her body and help her recover, Xiao Xiao knew who it was.

"You worked so hard. You're incredible."

"Hmph, of course I'm incredible!"

Xiao Xiao didn't even want to turn around. She gave a soft snort, then felt a cool little fellow appear in her arms.

"Let's go."

"Little Xue Ying, isn't Big Sister amazing?"

Leaning against Jiang Bai and holding Little Xue Ying, the two slowly walked down from the stage.

"Weren't you afraid your Martial Soul would shatter, taking the Hell White Tiger head-on?"

When Jiang Bai had seen Xiao Xiao withstand the Hell White Tiger, he knew her Martial Soul wouldn't shatter, but it still looked painful.

"Don't worry, I'm tough."

Xiao Xiao spoke confidently. Her Martial Soul might have shattered before, but after absorbing the Black-Iron Crow Beast, the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron had become extremely sturdy. The Hell White Tiger's current attack power simply couldn't break it.

"Alright, let's head back."

That night, there was another grilled fish feast.

"You scared me today. Yuhao, when you fought Dai Huabin, why did you have to clash with him head-on?"

While eating the grilled fish Huo Yuhao had made, Wang Dong asked curiously. They could clearly have fought more safely, so why had he used himself to lure Dai Huabin into exposing an opening? It was far too dangerous.

Hearing this, Jiang Bai glanced at Huo Yuhao and saw a rare trace of smugness in his eyes, though it vanished the next second.

"I just wanted to see the gap between myself and a top-tier battle Soul Master."

"That was still too dangerous."

"Exactly, Yuhao. They had three rings. If you weren't careful, you could've been seriously injured."

After hearing the details of today's battle, Tang Ya couldn't help saying.

"Didn't it turn out fine?"

Huo Yuhao acted as though nothing had happened, but he truly wouldn't have been in danger. Brother Sky Dream had been watching over him. How could a mere three-ring Soul Master seriously injure Huo Yuhao?

"By the way, Sister Tang Ya, what rewards will Yuhao and the others get? They came in first. Do you have any inside information, Senior Sister?" Jiang Bai suddenly asked.

At that, Xiao Xiao and the other two also looked at Tang Ya curiously.

Right, they had taken first place in the Freshman Tournament, and this was Shrek. The rewards surely wouldn't be bad, would they?

Tang Ya thought for a moment before answering.

"Hmm, your class has a Soul Elder. This is the first time in recent years that I've heard of a Soul Elder appearing in the Freshman Assessment."

"So your rewards should be better than what I'm about to describe."

Tang Ya then explained the rewards for previous first-place winners.

Besides some resources and titles, Jiang Bai finally heard the four words he had been waiting for.

"I can't guarantee anything else, but one reward will definitely be this: Core Disciple."

"Core Disciple?"

Xiao Xiao, Huo Yuhao, and the others looked at one another, not understanding what that meant.

"Core Disciples, especially Core Disciples of the Martial Soul Department, receive an enormous amount of resources."

"To put it simply, you can receive a top-grade nutritious meal every day."

Hearing that, Huo Yuhao was delighted. If he had nutritious meals, wouldn't he be able to save a lot of money on food?

"Will the champions definitely become Core Disciples?"

"Of course."

Tang Ya looked at Jiang Bai in confusion upon hearing the question. "What kind of question is that? You're first place, so how could you not become Core Disciples of the Martial Soul Department?"

"But little brother Jiang, you might not make it," Bei Bei said.

Jiang Bai's performance hadn't been particularly outstanding, and he didn't have any background behind him.

"I don't really care."

Jiang Bai shrugged. He didn't care about being a Core Disciple. What he needed now was to raise Huo Yuhao's expectations.

Seeing how expectant Huo Yuhao looked, Jiang Bai's lips curled up.

Stay strong, kid.

Of course, it would be fine if the academy accepted Huo Yuhao as a Core Disciple, but the chances were slim.

His talent was simply too weak. Shrek wouldn't think highly of him at all.

After eating and drinking their fill, everyone headed toward the dormitories.

"Are you not going to give Xue Ying back to me?"

Jiang Bai looked helplessly at Xiao Xiao, who was clutching Xue Ying and refusing to let go.

"Hmph, I'm first place. Tonight, I want Little Xue Ying to attend me in bed!"

Holding Xue Ying, Xiao Xiao spoke fiercely to Jiang Bai, looking like a villain who had forcibly abducted a young woman.

"As long as you're happy."

Jiang Bai waved his hand. Xue Ying didn't dislike Xiao Xiao anyway, so she could do whatever she wanted.

The sun rose. Yesterday's competition had ended, and today was the awards ceremony.

The awards ceremony was still hosted by Du Weilun.

After introducing the second- and third-place winners, he grandly introduced the first-place Wang Dong team.

"Now, please welcome with applause the first-place winners of the Freshman Assessment: Wang Dong's team!"

As Du Weilun's voice fell, a round of applause rose from below the stage.

The three stepped onto the stage. Wang Dong stood in the central position, Huo Yuhao to her left, and Xiao Xiao to her right.

Seeing the reactions of their classmates below, all three of them couldn't help feeling proud.

Huo Yuhao especially had rarely received recognition from others, so in this situation, he found it difficult to restrain his delight.

However, Dai Huabin was standing beside him.

The two exchanged a glance, and Huo Yuhao could clearly sense the fury in Dai Huabin's eyes.

He's clearly just a one-ring!

Dai Huabin thought angrily. He's clearly just a one-ring! Why did he win? First place should've been mine!

"Now, we will announce the rewards for the top three."

Du Weilun looked at the teams on the awards platform.

"First, if you need a Soul Ring, the academy will help you obtain the Soul Ring best suited to you!"

Upon hearing that it would be a Soul Ring best suited to them, the crowd below the stage immediately became agitated.

A Soul Master's most important assets were Soul Rings and Soul Bones. Of the two, Soul Bones were the hardest to obtain, so ordinary people could only rely on Soul Rings to grow stronger.

"Since Wang Dong's team achieved a perfect victory record, you will receive a special reward afterward. However, the academy will keep the contents of that reward confidential."

It was actually a Soul Bone.

Among the students, only Jiang Bai knew what the reward was. It was a hundred-year leopard-type leg bone. If nothing unexpected happened, its age was decent enough.

In the original story, Xiao Xiao had absorbed it, but she probably wouldn't need it now. For the current Xiao Xiao, a hundred-year Soul Bone was simply too low in age.