One-Eyed Stare Kill

Beast Fighting Zone.

This area was mainly divided into two parts. One was the beast enclosure specially used to house Soul Beasts, while the other was the Beast Fighting Zone they had just arrived at.

Since it was currently the period for new student enrollment and assessments, as well as the holiday break, there were no senior students around. Everywhere echoed with the roars and cries of beasts, along with the occasional sounds of battle.

Outside the Beast Fighting Arena, more than a dozen students stood in the preparation area. Whenever the assessment teacher called out a name, a student would step forward and enter the battle area to face the trial of a Soul Beast. Yet before long, that student would begin trembling amid the piercing, ferocious roars. After only a few exchanges, they would be rescued by the teacher and declared to have failed the assessment.

"That's the fifth consecutive failure. Tsk, the quality of this batch of newcomers is a little low." Several teachers in the stands were clearly dissatisfied, their brows tightly furrowed.

How were they supposed to build Shrek Academy with students like these?

Yet they could not leave. As the most elite academy, they needed to observe things that could not be reflected on paper when students enrolled—such as their potential, personality, and combat awareness—and pass that information on to the new student homeroom teachers at the next level. That way, once those teachers received the class roster, they would not be completely in the dark, unable to tell who was who, what backgrounds they had, or who possessed greater potential.

Of course, whether the homeroom teachers bothered to look into them was none of their concern.

The second young master of the Dai Family who had enrolled two days ago was the clearest example. The moment his White Tiger Martial Soul appeared, it was obvious that this young master had close ties to someone in the inner courtyard. As a result, every new student homeroom teacher was secretly hoping that he would end up in their class.

He was a guaranteed inner courtyard prospect. Since homeroom teachers themselves had promotion assessment criteria, it was practically like getting a powerful student for free.

"How have things been on your end? Have you found any students suitable for cultivating in the Soul Tool Department?"

The three assessment teachers were frowning bitterly when a deep, resonant voice suddenly came from behind them.

The newcomer was a burly old man past fifty. His white hair stood upright like steel needles. Though his face bore no wrinkles, the weathered look in his eyes made his age obvious.

He was broad-shouldered and thick-backed, his body as imposing as though carved from marble. He stood over two meters tall, and his solid muscles had not slackened with age. He looked as if he had been raised on Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"Greetings, Dean Qian." The three hurriedly rose and paid their respects, not daring to show the slightest neglect.

One of them forced a bleak smile and replied, "Dean, you know how it is. Our Soul Tool Department has always been recruiting, but those students all think too highly of themselves. They would rather stay in the Martial Soul Department than come to an unfamiliar Soul Tool Department. Not to mention that geniuses are few and far between. Even if we find students suited to cultivating in the Soul Tool Department, they are unwilling to come. I contacted several students these past two days, and every one of them turned me down."

At those words, the brows of Qian Duoduo, Vice Dean of the Soul Tool Department, knotted into a lump. He came here every day for no other reason than to secure a few promising seedlings before the Martial Soul Department could entice all these freshmen away, making things easier for him later. He had not expected such unpleasant news.

"Do we have to pick the tallest among the short ones again?" Just thinking about how every student in his Soul Tool Department was someone the Martial Soul Department had passed over made Qian Duoduo want to curse.

"Forget it. Keep watching. If you spot any promising seedlings, notify me immediately. If Yan Shaozhe puts pressure on you, ignore him. Tell him to come find me. I'm leaving first." Qian Duoduo was a busy man himself and had no intention of staying long.

The assessment continued. When the assessment teacher announced her name, Huo Yuhao stood up, turned to give Lin You a reassuring look, then confidently walked forward.

The next moment, Qian Duoduo, who had been about to leave, suddenly froze. He spun around and stared fixedly at the girl in the distance. A strange gleam burst from his eyes, and he wore the expression of a lovestruck fool, like Xuan Zi spotting a chicken leg after starving for ten days!

What powerful Spiritual Power!

As an influential expert on the Douluo Continent, Qian Duoduo's perception might not rival that of the greatest powerhouses, but it was far from weak. With only that fleeting glimpse, he dared to conclude that the girl's Spiritual Power was abundant and formidable enough to have reached the level of a Soul Emperor!

That sharp, blade-like sensation was imperceptible to those with weaker senses, but anyone with strong perception could feel the piercing pain as though it stabbed straight into their eyes.

"She's even a Soul Master? What a treasure. You three stay right where you are. Don't move."

Qian Duoduo casually gave the order and immediately strode forward. In the blink of an eye, he arrived beside the assessment teacher, who broke out in a cold sweat the instant he turned around.

"Vice Dean—"

"Shh." Qian Duoduo waved a hand. His gaze remained fixed on the girl standing in the battle area, his face full of anticipation and delight. Who would have thought it? There was actually a little girl in this world whose physique as a Soul Master could contain Spiritual Power at the strength of a Soul Emperor?

A Spirit Attribute Martial Soul—and undoubtedly one with extraordinarily powerful talent. A genius of this caliber had perhaps never appeared even in Shrek Academy's ten-thousand-year history.

She was as eye-catching as a peerless sword that could slice through iron like mud, yet had been placed in a straw-woven scabbard. Hehe, and he had happened to find her.

Huo Yuhao faced the massive iron gate fifty meters ahead. No longer thinking about anything else, she let out a soft breath and slowly closed her eyes.

"Are you ready?" The assessment teacher's voice had unknowingly taken on a trace of nervous trembling.

Huo Yuhao said nothing and merely nodded.

"Begin!"

A series of clanking mechanical sounds rang out as the massive iron gate slowly rose, revealing the pitch-black passage behind it.

The next second, hurried pounding footsteps sounded from within. The freshmen in the waiting area, who had been whispering among themselves moments ago, immediately fell silent as an inexplicable pressure spread through the air.

A streak of white light suddenly burst from the deep tunnel. It was incredibly fast, crossing dozens of meters in the blink of an eye. An icy aura followed in its wake, its flying fur glittering like crystals in midair.

A fifty-year Soul Beast—an Ice Wolf!

It was around two meters long and over a meter tall. Its blue-green fur radiated waves of chill, while its pair of cold, yellowish-brown eyes gleamed with bloodlust. It was precisely the Ice Wolf, a speed-type Soul Beast from the outermost reaches of the Far North.

Watching Huo Yuhao's utterly motionless back, Qian Duoduo could not help frowning. "What's going on? It's practically in her face, and she still isn't moving. Did the girl get scared stupid?"

Trembling, losing focus, and shrinking back were great taboos on the battlefield. A single mistake could cost one's life and even drag one's companions into injury or death.

Just as Qian Duoduo was about to intervene and protect her, the Ice Wolf suddenly let out a miserable shriek as it pounced through the air. Like a puppy that had had its tail stepped on, it crashed to the ground.

The Ice Wolf's eyes were ferocious, and hot breath constantly puffed from between its fangs. It still looked full of strength, yet it seemed to have been possessed. Its jaws opened and closed as it bit at the air, its limbs paddling frantically as though it were swimming on dry land.

I got up, one glance killed it. What was there to say?

At this absurd sight, someone was the first to snort with laughter. Before long, the entire waiting area erupted in laughter.