Mu Jin: So Huo Yuhao Is a Bad Student, Then?

As the referee brought down his arm and declared the match over, the freshmen around the Assessment Area erupted in deafening cheers.

On the raised platform, Yan Shaozhe, dean of the Martial Soul Department, gripped the railing and stared intently at Gu Mingyuan, who had just drawn back his fist.

"Mu Jin." Yan Shaozhe turned to him. "Is Gu Mingyuan a student in your class?"

Mu Jin caught a glimpse of Zhou Yi's ashen face beside him and felt his spirits soar. He stepped forward at once. "Yes, Dean. He's the one who defeated Bei Bei at the Training Ground at the start of the term, when Bei Bei had suppressed his cultivation."

Yan Shaozhe nodded with satisfaction. "A rare talent. After the freshmen are reassigned to classes, you'll be the homeroom teacher of Class One."

Qian Duoduo, the Soul Tool Department's deputy dean, sidled over and rubbed his hands as he watched Gu Mingyuan on the stage. "With a body that strong, it'd be a terrible waste if he didn't join our Soul Tool Department to research close-combat Soul Tools."

Yan Shaozhe shot him a sidelong glance. "Didn't you come today specifically to see Huo Yuhao?"

"Who says?" Qian Duoduo retorted. "I've got two eyes. Can't I look at another genius?"

Meanwhile, on the assessment stage below...

The glow of the golden patterns on Gu Mingyuan's body gradually faded, and he swayed slightly. Cao Jinxuan rushed onto the stage first, with Zhou Sichen close behind. They took an arm each to support him.

"Brother Gu, you were incredible!" Zhou Sichen's face was flushed. "You took a Martial Soul Fusion Skill head-on! Now that's how you win a championship!"

Gu Mingyuan looked pale, and his voice was weak. "Stop patting me. Help me down so I can rest."

Taking a Martial Soul Fusion Skill powered by Hao-Dong Power head-on had nearly drained his strength and Soul Power, even with all the techniques he had used to disperse the force.

Supporting one another, the three of them walked off the stage.

On the other side, Huo Yuhao stood rooted to the spot, staring at their backs.

So close!

But more than frustration, Huo Yuhao felt an overwhelming shame he could not hide.

In that instant, when Gu Mingyuan's right fist had come straight at his face, his mind had gone blank. He had not had the courage to surrender or the strength to take the blow. He had simply frozen like a fool. If the referee had not intervened in time, he would probably be lying on a stretcher now.

Within his spiritual sea, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm could not help clicking his tongue. "Isn't that kid's martial soul ridiculous? He took your Martial Soul Fusion Skill head-on and still threw a punch that terrifying?"

From a corner, Yu Xiaogang snorted. "He was just lucky. If those two beastly Summoned Creatures in front of him hadn't blocked part of the impact, he would've gone down long ago."

Having belittled the opponent, Yu Xiaogang adopted an air of profound wisdom and reassured Huo Yuhao. "Yuhao, don't worry. One sparring match means nothing. With this master here at Shrek Academy to guide you, no one will dare look down on you!"

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm hurried to encourage him too. "Exactly! Little Yuhao, once you reach the second ring, I'll personally take you to add your second martial soul. Golden Jade Body, Silver Jade Body—whatever he's got, we'll knock him flat!"

After those two "cheats" in his head had comforted him with promises of future triumph, Huo Yuhao finally calmed down somewhat. He took a deep breath, supported Wang Dong as she supported him, and the two limped off the stage, both exhausted.

In midair, academic director Du Weilun channeled his Soul Power, sending his voice across the venue. "The winners of the Freshman Assessment Finals are Gu Mingyuan's team! Tomorrow morning, the Freshman Assembly will be held at Academy Plaza to award prizes and reassign classes."

At the edge of the raised platform...

With a dark expression, Zhou Yi took a heavy lead box from her Storage Soul Tool and tossed it to Mu Jin.

Mu Jin caught it easily. Feeling the weight of the Soul Bone inside, he smiled even more broadly.

"You got lucky and ended up with a good student," Zhou Yi said with a sour snort.

Mu Jin slipped the lead box into his Storage Ring and gave her a faint, knowing smile. "What do you mean by that, Teacher Zhou? Are Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao all bad students, then?"

"You!" Zhou Yi choked on her words, unable to come up with a reply.

Mu Jin gave her no chance to argue further. He turned and walked away alone, leaving Zhou Yi to stew where she stood.

Behind the raised platform, in a shadowed spot with an excellent view that few people approached...

Just as Yan Shaozhe was about to leave, a voice transmission as faint as a thread reached his ear. He stopped, changed direction at once, and strode into the shadows.

An old man with hair like a bird's nest and a roasted chicken leg in his hand lounged against a stone pillar without a shred of dignity. Wang Yan stood beside him in silence, holding a wine gourd.

"Xuan Zi, what brings you here in person?" Yan Shaozhe bowed slightly, his expression respectful.

Xuan Zi tore off a piece of chicken and grunted through a mouthful. "What, is there somewhere in Shrek Academy this old man isn't allowed to go?"

"Of course not." Yan Shaozhe waved his hands, unwilling to say any more on the subject.

Xuan Zi swallowed the chicken, wiped his mouth carelessly with his greasy sleeve, and looked in the direction Gu Mingyuan had gone. "That Gu Mingyuan kid is a fine prospect. Ultimate Defense. Have you checked his background thoroughly?"

Yan Shaozhe's heart jolted.

Ultimate Defense!

He had thought Gu Mingyuan's defenses were merely astonishing. He had never expected Xuan Zi to take one look and classify them as an "ultimate attribute"!

Not daring to treat the matter lightly, Yan Shaozhe immediately relayed Du Weilun's findings in full, including Gu Mingyuan's Household Registration in the Star Luo Empire and his claim that eating a medicinal herb by mistake had caused his Martial Soul Mutation.

After listening, Xuan Zi paused with the chicken leg halfway to his mouth, then nodded slowly. "A Body Martial Soul Second Awakening... It's possible."

He paused, bit through a piece of cartilage, and muttered with a hint of caution, "But even if he really has undergone a second awakening, reaching Ultimate Defense still makes him a top-tier talent. What worries me now is... what if that wasn't his second awakening?"

Yan Shaozhe froze for a moment, then his pupils contracted.

He understood what Xuan Zi meant. If Gu Mingyuan's [Golden Jade Body] had already reached an ultimate attribute while still in its initial, unawakened state, what would happen when it truly awakened in the future?

Xuan Zi waved a hand and tossed the remaining chicken bones aside. "Enough. I'll find time to look into him myself. Pass the word down: do everything you can to conceal the specifics of his martial soul and the details of the fight."

Worry flashed through Xuan Zi's eyes.

"If the outside world learns that a Body Martial Soul of this caliber might not even have completed its second awakening, that madman Du Busi really might bring the Body Sect here to fight Shrek to the death."

Yan Shaozhe's expression tightened. He understood the stakes and lowered his head. "I'll do as you say, Xuan Zi."