The Finals Draw Near, Against Zhou Sichen's Team

The Medical Room's soft light was suffused with warm, healing Soul Power, and a faintly bitter scent of medicine hung in the air.

Huo Yuhao leaned against the headboard, the golden cloud patterns of the Heavenly Eye on his forehead gradually fading.

"Don't push yourself. Teacher Mu Jin said the next matches will be tough. Your Martial Soul drains mental strength, not ordinary Soul Power. If you don't recover properly, it could leave lasting damage." Ning Tian's tone brooked no argument. Her upbringing in the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect meant she knew better than anyone how precious a mental-type Soul Master's foundation was.

Huo Yuhao chuckled. His expression was gentle, though a keen edge lurked beneath it. "Don't worry. I know my limits."

Compared with the fierce struggle to reach the final eight, the quarterfinals were almost dull.

With his injuries not yet healed, Huo Yuhao was all but forced by Gu Yue and Ning Tian to rest in the Medical Room and prepare for the remaining elimination rounds.

And the opponents they drew were merely an unremarkable three-person team—

One food-type, one Power Attack System, and one Control System Soul Master. All three were two-ring Soul Grandmasters, with no rare Martial Souls or ability to fight above their level.

Before the match, the three freshmen could barely contain their excitement when they saw Huo Yuhao was absent.

Without Huo Yuhao, they figured victory would come much more easily. They had even begun imagining the glory awaiting them in the final four.

But when the bell rang to start the match, the wild delight on their faces turned to bitterness that sank into their bones.

Because they were facing Gu Yue.

She was like one of the twin monarchs in "Dragon Clan": one wielded power, the other ruled.

And Gu Yue was the incarnation of the Silver Dragon King, who held dominion over the elements of the Douluo Continent. She possessed the Dragon God's world-shaking wisdom and supreme command of every element.

It was not an Ultimate attribute, yet it surpassed one!

Before the referee had finished speaking, a pale green Elemental Tide rippled around Gu Yue. She activated her first Soul Skill, and her elemental affinity surged by forty percent.

Before the food-type Soul Master could crush his food Soul Skill to strengthen his teammates, a cold glint flashed in Gu Yue's eyes. "Second Soul Skill, Elemental Mastery: Ice."

Water elements condensed wildly from the air. An icicle as thick as an arm formed in an instant and shot forth like a meteor, striking the food-type Soul Master squarely between the brows.

Before he could react, thick ice surged upward from beneath his feet, turning him into a glittering ice sculpture. Even the flow of his Soul Power froze completely.

Less than half a breath later, just as the Power Attack System and Control System Soul Masters moved to charge, Gu Yue became a silver-white blur. Her speed as a three-ring Soul Elder overwhelmed the two-ring Soul Grandmasters, and she appeared before them as though she had teleported.

"Second Soul Skill, Elemental Mastery: Ice Lock."

Two ice chains coiled around them, freezing both into blocks of ice just as she had done to their teammate. They slammed into the arena floor, scattering shards everywhere.

The entire fight had taken less than three seconds.

There had been no clash of Soul Skills, no tactical back-and-forth. Gu Yue had swept the opposing team aside alone through sheer, overwhelming force.

The arena fell silent for three breaths, then erupted in earthshaking cries.

It was Huo Yuhao's team's most dominant match since entering the elimination rounds—and the moment Gu Yue became a legend in her own right.

"Elemental Sorceress!"

No one knew who shouted the title first, but it swept through the arena and became inseparable from Gu Yue.

From that day on, the aloof young woman stood in the minds of Shrek's freshmen as an unsurpassable peak of elemental power.

In the arena's rest area, Mu Jin studied the match report, his eyes full of pride. "Your class of freshmen is the strongest I've taught. You far surpass the years before you. If you win the freshman assessment championship, your potential may be enough to catch the Inner Court's eye early."

Huo Yuhao nodded without a word. He was determined to win the championship—

Not for glory, but to protect a place for himself and his teammates, and to earn a voice in this rotten Shrek Academy.

The final day of the freshman assessment arrived as scheduled.

Not a seat was empty in Shrek Outer Court's arena. Unlike the day before, the spectators today were all senior faculty members. The students still had classes, yet the atmosphere inside the venue was ten times more intense than usual.

Xuan Zi did not appear. The ever-capricious chicken-leg elder evidently had no interest in the pageantry of a freshman final.

As the twelve freshmen in the final four lined up at the center of the arena, a refined, gentle-looking figure walked onto the stage. Every teacher immediately bowed.

Dressed in white as pure as snow and possessed of a manner as warm as a spring breeze, he looked like an ordinary elderly man. Yet he carried the pressure of a Titled Douluo.

He was Yan Shaozhe, the 261st Dean of Shrek Academy and head of the Martial Soul Department.

"Hello, young people. I'm Yan Shaozhe." He smiled, his voice gentle but carrying unquestionable authority. "Normally, a vice dean would suffice for the freshman assessment finals. But yours is Shrek's most talented class in nearly a century. I came personally to draw your lots and watch every match."

His gaze swept over the group before settling on Huo Yuhao, its intensity almost scorching.

It was the greed of a man who had spotted an extraordinary talent and was determined to bring him into the Martial Soul Department.

Huo Yuhao remained calm and paid it no mind.

He had long since decided to join the Soul Tool Department. He would not set foot in the Martial Soul Department.

Gu Yue and Ning Tian already knew. Both had made their positions clear: wherever Yuhao went, they would go too.

Huo Yuhao had not refused them.

Ning Tian was a top-tier support Soul Master, and the Soul Tool Department's Soul Tools were a perfect match for her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. Gu Yue had no need to deliberately raise her Soul Power; learning about Soul Tools would simply be a taste of something new.

Beside them, Du Weilun, the director of instruction, hurried forward with the lot box, eager to please the Dean. Yan Shaozhe waved him off with a smile. "No need. I'll do it myself."

"Freshman Class Nine, Huo Yuhao's team. Come forward to draw your lot."

Huo Yuhao stepped forward without a trace of stage fright, walked openly onto the platform, and reached into the box.

"Little fellow, I have high hopes for you. May you win your first match." Yan Shaozhe's tone was warm, full of an intent to win him over. (Yan Shaozhe's opposition to Huo Yuhao did not mean he would target or reject him.

Yan Shaozhe would certainly make things difficult for Huo Yuhao, but he would also try to bring him over. Ma Xiaotao could not afford to wait; in the original story, Yan Shaozhe had even bowed to win Huo Yuhao over for his Ultimate Ice.)

Huo Yuhao bowed slightly, his manners impeccable. "Thank you for your confidence, Dean. My teammates and I won't let you down."

Inwardly, he was already tearing the man apart. Spare me. Did you really think I couldn't see that little scheme you pulled at the Sea God Pavilion Meeting? You might fool someone else, but you won't fool me. Not a chance.

He handed the lot to Du Weilun, and the referee called out, "Freshman Class Nine, Huo Yuhao's team—number two!"

Number two meant their semifinal would take place in the second arena. They would not have to face their strongest opponents yet.

"Freshman Class Five, Dai Huabin's team. Draw your lot."

Dai Huabin had never drawn a lot himself in previous matches. But with Yan Shaozhe present today, he was eager to make an impression on the Dean of the Martial Soul Department and strode onto the platform himself.

As he passed Huo Yuhao, their eyes met, and a bone-chilling spark seemed to flash between them.

Dai Huabin held his head high, looking as though he believed himself second to none. In his eyes, anyone who stood between him and the championship, between him and restoring the White Tiger Clan's glory, was courting death.

Huo Yuhao, meanwhile, looked at him with nothing but hatred.

He had no personal grudge against Dai Huabin. But the mother of the body he now inhabited had died at the Dai Family's hands. The murder of one's mother was a blood feud that could never be forgiven.

He had been given this body and had inherited the ties that came with it. He would settle this debt.

With their final confrontation drawing near, Huo Yuhao felt no fear. Instead, a flicker of excitement rose within him.

Dai Huabin's face was stern. Even before Yan Shaozhe, he refused to lower his proud head. Only his white-knuckled grip betrayed the agitation within.

"Freshman Class Five, Dai Huabin's team—number one!"

Despite the one-in-three chance, the two teams would not meet in the semifinals. They were fated instead to settle their feud in the final.

Huo Yuhao glanced at Yan Shaozhe's hand resting on the lot box. Yan Shaozhe happened to look back at him and smiled faintly, the meaning in his eyes unmistakable.

Huo Yuhao understood. So there really was a fix.

They'd even stooped to this. They couldn't guarantee so much as a fair draw.

The semifinal venue, arena two.

Huo Yuhao, Gu Yue, and Ning Tian stood shoulder to shoulder. Opposite them were three formidable freshmen from Freshman Class Ten. Anyone who had fought through hundreds of freshmen to reach the final four was no pushover, even without a three-ring Soul Elder.

"Freshman Class Ten, Zhou Sichen, Power Attack System Battle Soul Master!"

A sturdy youth stepped forward. His Tome Martial Soul floated behind him, and heavy white light enveloped his body. An aura of earth- and fire-attribute power rolled toward them.

"Long Xiangyue, Agility Attack System Battle Soul Master!"

"Cao Jinxuan, Control System Battle Soul Master!"

Huo Yuhao and his teammates introduced themselves in turn. The referee released the aura of a Soul Elder and announced loudly, "Semifinal: Huo Yuhao's team versus Zhou Sichen's team. Begin!"

The battle erupted at once!

"Heavenly Eye, open!"

The purple-gold vertical eye on Huo Yuhao's forehead snapped open. He instantly activated his first Soul Skill: Heaven's Apex: All-Seer Clarity!

His Ultimate Spirit spread like a tsunami, bringing the battlefield within a ten-kilometer radius under his awareness. The movement of elements on a microscopic scale and the paths of his opponents' Soul Power—nothing escaped him. He passed it all to Gu Yue and Ning Tian.

"Seven Treasures Have Names: First, Speed!"

Golden light burst from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda in Ning Tian's palm. Her first Soul Skill strengthened the whole team, raising Huo Yuhao's and Gu Yue's speed by thirty percent. Afterimages trailed their movements across the arena.

"First Soul Skill, Elemental Tide."

Gu Yue spoke coolly. A pale green glow swept around her, and the water, fire, earth, and wood elements of the world answered her command like subjects bowing before their sovereign.

Across from her, Cao Jinxuan's eyes sharpened. He knew his time-type Martial Soul was his team's only chance to control the field. Without hesitation, he activated the Time Fleeting Bell. "First Soul Skill: Time Slowdown!"

A warped halo of time instantly enveloped Huo Yuhao and Gu Yue. It sought to slow the passage of time for them threefold and halt their movements!

"Second Soul Skill, Seven Treasures Have Names: Second, Release!"

Ning Tian activated her Soul Skill almost simultaneously. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda cast down a golden curtain of light that covered her teammates, dispelling control effects and shielding them against new ones!

The halo of Time Slowdown had barely touched them before the golden glazed-tile light crushed it. Cao Jinxuan's first Soul Skill was rendered useless!

"Impossible!" Cao Jinxuan cried. Time-type control was exceedingly rare. How could it be broken so easily?

Gritting his teeth, he ignored the backlash of manipulating time and used his trump card. "Second Soul Skill: Time Lock!"

The instant, powerful control skill forcibly locked the flow of time, seeking to hold Gu Yue in place for three seconds!

"Release!"

Ning Tian's gaze turned cold as she activated her second Soul Skill again. A golden shield against control sprang up, and Time Lock's binding force struck it and shattered inch by inch!

Ning Tian's dispelling Soul Skill had been an unexpected acquisition, but it was the bane of Control System Soul Masters. Before her, Cao Jinxuan's control over time was useless!

With their control of the field gone, Zhou Sichen immediately activated his Tome. "First Soul Skill: Earth Bear! Second Soul Skill: Flame Tiger!"

The Tome's pages flipped furiously. A yellow-brown Earth Bear crashed down, its heavy paw swinging toward Gu Yue. A Flame Tiger, its body wreathed in fire, lunged at her from the flank.

Long Xiangyue attacked at the same time, sending his boomerang through the air as he layered his first and second Soul Skills upon it!

Sharp armor-piercing power and long-range control coated the boomerang with the glow of both skills. It became a streak of cold light aimed straight between Huo Yuhao's brows!

"Second Soul Skill, Elemental Mastery: Earth Collapse."

Gu Yue raised a hand and instantly activated her second Soul Skill, Elemental Control. The ground beneath the Earth Bear collapsed with a roar. Churning soil trapped it where it stood, leaving it unable to take a single step.

"Second Soul Skill, Elemental Mastery: Ice Seal."

Ice elements gathered and sealed the Flame Tiger with unerring precision.

"Second Soul Skill, Elemental Mastery: Ice Wall."

An Ice Wall formed in an instant, its thick ice as tough as refined iron. Long Xiangyue's boomerang, empowered by two Soul Skills, struck it in a spray of sparks. It left only a shallow mark before Gu Yue commanded the ice elements with a thought and sent it flying back.

The entire sequence flowed like drifting clouds and running water, without a moment wasted.

"Innate Soul Skill: Annihilation!"

Huo Yuhao's voice rang out calmly, and the Heavenly Eye on his forehead blazed.

His Ultimate Spirit condensed into a needle and pierced Cao Jinxuan's Sea of Consciousness, instantly disrupting the orderly flow of his Soul Power!

Cao Jinxuan shuddered. His eyes went vacant, and he froze for a forced 1.5 seconds. Ultimate lightning simultaneously ate into the core of his Soul Power, sending his defenses plummeting.

"Now!"

The pagoda in Ning Tian's palm shone even brighter. "Third Soul Skill, Seven Treasures Have Names: Third, Strength!"

The whole team's strength surged to its peak!

"Third Soul Skill, Elemental Fusion: Ice-Fire Storm!"

Gu Yue activated her third Soul Skill. Ice and fire elements fused wildly, unleashing a violent storm across the arena. Bitter cold and searing heat tore at everything in turn!

Zhou Sichen and Long Xiangyue were engulfed before they could activate another Soul Skill. Their Soul Power fell into chaos, and they staggered backward.

Cao Jinxuan, still frozen in place, was blasted away by the elemental force at the storm's center. He slammed hard into the arena railing. The light of his Time Fleeting Bell scattered, and he could no longer fight.

Zhou Sichen's Earth Bear and Flame Tiger both vanished, and the glow of his Tome Martial Soul dimmed. Long Xiangyue's boomerang fell uselessly to the ground, while ice and fire scorched his body.

The referee froze for an instant, then announced loudly, "Freshman Class Ten can no longer fight! Semifinal winner: Freshman Class Nine!"

The arena erupted. This team had shown the bearing of champions!

Huo Yuhao closed his Heavenly Eye and turned to Gu Yue and Ning Tian, a faint smile softening his gentle features.

The semifinal was theirs.

And their opponent in the final was already waiting at the far end of the arena.

Dai Huabin's gaze locked onto him like a venomous snake, hatred tangled with arrogance.

The corners of Huo Yuhao's mouth lifted slightly, his thoughts cold.

Dai Huabin, I'll see you in the final.

My mother's murder, the old grudges and the new—we'll settle them one by one.