Huo Yuhao's Road to Breaking Down

Early morning, dormitory.

The rising sun shattered the darkness and brought the first light of dawn.

Gu Chen had slept for only four hours before sitting cross-legged and continuing to absorb the world's primordial energy.

After a whole night of flute-playing instruction yesterday, Gu Chen felt refreshed and more comfortable than ever before.

Princess Tang used to be the one training dogs. Now the tables had turned.

Tang San had been banned from competing by the system, so Gu Chen could openly train Princess Tang and turn Tang San into an incompetent father.

A hundred times, a hundred times!

Amazing!

Unfortunately, Huo Yuhao would have to suffer a little. Gu Chen wondered whether that kid had regained consciousness yet.

Competing with the Silver Dragon King in spiritual power and the Golden Dragon King in strength—wasn't that just asking to be laughed at?

Huo Yuhao had brought this upon himself.

Just then, Xie Huan Yue knocked on the door and called out, "Boss, we're going to collect our rewards today. We're the only ones who haven't left yet."

Only then did Gu Chen remember the important matter.

Today was the day rewards were handed out. If nothing unexpected happened, there would be core disciple status and some worthless soul bones—the old Shrek Academy tradition.

However, he had not come for those hypocritical things.

Did the Dragon God need soul bones?

No!

Those useless trinkets would be better exchanged for Whale Glue, pills, or the right to cultivate beneath the Golden Ancient Tree.

He would go see what was going on first.

Gu Chen then left the dormitory and headed to the teaching building with Xie Huan Yue.

Below the teaching building, Du Weilun held the Martial Soul Department students' files. More than a dozen teachers stood beside him, but no elders had come.

With his hands behind his back, Du Weilun said calmly, "I'll just say a few words. Just a few words, only a few. You are all exceptionally outstanding children of the academy. Congratulations on passing the Freshman Assessment and advancing to first year. We have gathered you here today to announce your freshman rewards."

"Hm? Why hasn't Gu Chen arrived?"

Just as he was about to announce the rewards, he was surprised to discover that Gu Chen's Team had not arrived. Instead, Dai Huabin was there, drooling and grinning foolishly at him.

And there were Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao as well. Why were their dark circles so severe? What had they done last night?

Du Weilun immediately questioned them. "Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, didn't you sleep well last night?"

Xiao Xiao silently lowered her head, not daring to mention that she had played the flute all night.

Wang Dong answered, "Reporting to the director, we stayed up late cultivating."

Only then did Du Weilun nod, praising Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao's spirit as something worth learning from.

Just then, Gu Chen's Team arrived. Du Weilun immediately nodded and gestured for everyone to enter and wait for their rewards.

"Boss, why does Dai Huabin look so damn stupid?"

Standing below, Xie Huan Yue furtively glanced at the drooling, foolishly smiling Dai Huabin and frowned.

Ning Tian, beside him, also looked over and furrowed her delicate brows.

He really did look quite stupid. Had something gone wrong with his brain?

Gu Chen immediately turned to look and found that Dai Huabin was completely different from before. He had lost all his heroic bearing and instead resembled the village idiot at the entrance of a rural village.

Could the Dragon God Transformation have been so powerful that it directly shattered that kid's Spirit Sea?

At that moment, Zhu Lu abruptly turned around and glared at Gu Chen through gritted teeth. Her voice entered his mind through spiritual transmission. "Gu Chen, I won't let you off. Just wait for the White Tiger Duke's Manor to settle the score with you. Huabin's Spirit Sea has been severely damaged, leaving him with an irreversible condition."

"I... I have to spend the rest of my life with a drooling idiot. I hate you!!"

Gu Chen understood instantly.

He had really become an idiot?

That was wonderful!

Dai Huabin had always possessed poor character and dirty methods. He was a complete demonspawn. Becoming an idiot might even let him live a few more years. If he had kept provoking others, he might have ended up in a coffin one day.

Gu Chen had done a good deed!

How could someone who did not understand the gap in strength dare challenge the Golden Dragon King and Silver Dragon King? Wasn't that courting death?

As for the White Tiger Duke's Manor coming to settle the score, Gu Chen did not take it seriously at all.

If they had any issues, they could take them up with Shrek Academy!

If that did not work, they could go talk to his mother. They could see whether Di Tian's Dragon God's Claw was just for show, or whether the Silver Dragon Spear would end up stuck in their foreheads.

Still, Zhu Lu truly was unfortunate.

The more Gu Chen thought about it, the more he could not help smiling. His grin stretched from ear to ear as he felt that he had done an incredibly good deed.

At that moment, Du Weilun on the stage coughed. He had finally finished a huge pile of useless nonsense and announced loudly, "Next, I will announce the rewards for the top three teams in the Freshman Assessment. Everyone, stop talking."

The scene instantly fell silent, and no one continued speaking.

Du Weilun continued, "Every member of the top three teams may obtain a soul ring at the maximum limit they can bear. The champions will also receive a special reward."

"Oh, and there is core disciple status. Next, when I call your names, each of you will receive Outer Court core disciple status. This will accompany your cultivation in the Outer Court and grant you a certain degree of additional resources and preferential treatment."

"Gu Chen, Ning Tian, Xie Huan Yue, Wu Feng, Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, Wang Dong, Lan Susu, Lan Luoluo, Xiao Xiao..."

"Oh, and Gu Chen is a dual-core student of both the Martial Soul Department and the Soul Guidance Department."

Before long, the core disciples had all been announced.

As expected, many people were incredibly excited. This meant they stood above ordinary geniuses and had become true prospects of the Outer Court, destined to receive the academy's focused cultivation.

Huo Yuhao's name still had not been called, and he remained despondent.

Yuhao had already suffered repeated blows in the arena, and now the academy dealt him another heavy strike. His face had even turned slightly pale.

Huo Yuhao froze, standing blankly in place.

Why was everyone in the world bullying him?

Dai Huabin, the Duchess, Dai Hao, Gu Chen—every one of them bullied him. Even Wang Dong, his best companion, had betrayed him.

Why!

Why?!

The hostility radiating from Huo Yuhao reached its peak, and he nearly lost control of his mind. At the crucial moment, Tian Meng pulled him back.

Otherwise, there would have been another evil soul master years later.

Just when Huo Yuhao could not understand it no matter how much he thought, Du Weilun announced the temporary core disciple positions. Huo Yuhao held dual temporary core disciple status in both the Soul Guidance Department and the Martial Soul Department.

Only then did Huo Yuhao's restless heart settle down.

"Yuhao, don't be afraid!"

Within the Spirit Sea, Skydream Iceworm sprang up and declared loudly, "These people are all short-sighted soul masters. They have no idea how powerful you are or how great your potential is. Your future is among the stars and the sea; you will never stop here."

"Once I take you to obtain your second martial soul, we'll show these ignorant soul masters the power of ultimate attributes. That will be an Ultimate Ice martial soul, a rare ultimate attribute on the continent."

Huo Yuhao's mind settled somewhat, and he asked, "Can it defeat Gu Chen?"

Skydream Iceworm fell silent.

Huo Yuhao asked, "Brother Tian Meng, say something. You're always like this. Whenever you encounter a difficult question, you stop talking."

"Ultimate Ice... could an Ultimate Ice martial soul still be inferior to Gu Chen? Why is he always one step above me? Why can't I defeat him? Why..."

Skydream Iceworm sighed and said earnestly, "Yuhao, I don't want to lie to you. Innate talent cannot be surpassed by those born later. Success is ninety percent effort and ten percent fate. For example, you were born with the Spirit Eyes martial soul. With my help, you will certainly be able to embark upon the path to godhood."

"But this continent is filled with geniuses, and heroes are as numerous as carp crossing a river. We are merely soul masters with a little talent."

"If you want revenge, then seek revenge. If you want to cultivate to the very pinnacle, then cultivate to the very pinnacle. Do not force yourself to pursue a path that does not belong to you."

"Ultimate Ice, Ultimate Fire, Ultimate Wood, Ultimate Wind, and so on are ultimately only evolutions of elements, not the elements themselves. If Gu Chen can achieve Water Element Manipulation, then he can achieve ultimate attributes as well."

"If I'm not mistaken, Gu Chen will very likely master the true seven elements in the future and reach a level unprecedented and unmatched by any who come after. Even if the ancestor of the Tang Sect from ten thousand years ago had encountered Gu Chen at this age, he could only have been trampled to death like a dog by the roadside. So why put yourself through this?"