Champions! (Part One)

The Assessment Area lay under a deathly hush that afternoon.

Not a single student spectator stood at the sidelines, even for the final match of the freshman elimination tournament.

Shrek Academy's examination rules had always put the privacy of students' abilities first. Students not involved were strictly forbidden from watching.

Though the rule was, to some extent, an exercise in self-deception.

On the raised platform, Du Weilun, director of the Martial Soul Department's academic affairs, stood respectfully behind Yan Shaozhe.

Yan Shaozhe smiled as he watched the two teams face off below. His fingertips tapped idly on the railing. "Weilun, who do you think will win the championship?"

Du Weilun's heart stirred. He bowed as he answered steadily, choosing his words with care. "Dean, I believe Huo Yuhao's team has the better chance. For one thing, his ability to control the field with spiritual power is unmatched in the year, and dozens of elimination matches have honed his team's coordination into a seamless whole. For another... you've pointed out many times that this child's potential goes far beyond what we can see on the surface."

"Oh?" Yan Shaozhe raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over the arena. There was a note of challenge in his voice. "But on paper, Dai Huabin's team is much stronger. The White Tiger's power assault, the Hell Spirit Cat's agility assault, and the Nine-Tailed Fox's mental control make for a textbook top-tier team composition. Their Soul Ring Configuration is among the best in the year, too. On Huo Yuhao's side, apart from Gu Yue and Ning Tian, his Soul Power Level falls well short. Are you that certain?"

Sweat beaded on Du Weilun's forehead. He hurriedly added, "You're right, Dean. But Shrek has always judged results, not strength on paper. This child has been creating miracles since the freshman examinations began. I'm willing to believe in him this time."

"Since you think so highly of Dai Huabin, Old Yan, I'll bet on my Yuhao! Let's wager the three Thousand-Year Purple-Rhyme Dragon Emperor Ginseng roots newly allocated to your Martial Soul Department this year. Dare you?"

Before the voice finished speaking, its sonorous, metallic ring came through the side door, making even the seats on the platform tremble faintly.

The newcomer was Qian Duoduo, vice dean of the Soul Tool Department. He strode over to Yan Shaozhe and dropped into a seat, making the wood creak beneath him.

Yan Shaozhe rolled his eyes without looking back. "Old Qian, you fossil, is your nose keener than a soul tool detector? The moment you smell excitement, you come running. I can catch that stench of money and machine oil from eight hundred meters away."

"Nonsense!" Qian Duoduo slapped the armrest. "Your Martial Soul Department won't let go of a fine prospect who belongs in our Soul Tool Department. If I didn't come, you'd steal him away! Yuhao is my direct disciple. How could I miss his final?"

He added silently, And my Soul Tool Department has had its eye on Gu Yue and Ning Tian for a while, too.

He dared not say that aloud. The old fossil beside him would bristle on the spot.

A few days earlier, Huo Yuhao had sought him out in secret and told him about Ning Tian and Gu Yue.

The Martial Soul Department would fight tooth and nail for talents like those. All the more reason for the Soul Tool Department to keep a firm grip on them.

Besides, he was one of the core members of the Sea God Pavilion's top-secret Ultimate Individual Soldier Plan.

The plan aimed to counter the Sun Moon Empire's soul tool threat by cultivating an elite soldier capable of standing alone. From the start, Qian Duoduo had considered Huo Yuhao its best candidate.

And three days ago, that earth-shattering club application had made him more certain than ever.

Huo Yuhao had personally submitted it to the Sea God Pavilion on the eve of the final. It had left the assembled elders speechless:

Club: A student club is a student-run organization voluntarily formed by enrolled students around shared interests, hobbies, or talents. It manages its own affairs and operates under the school's guidance and supervision.

Registered club name: Lionheart Club

Registered capital: 100,000 Gold Soul Coins

Registration grade: A

Membership capacity: 2,000

Core mission: Eradicate Evil Soul Masters, and take pride in bathing in their blood.

Registered structure: One president, one vice president, five department heads, five deputy department heads, two hundred core members, and 1,788 ordinary members, for a total of two thousand.

Will the club accept tasks assigned by the academy: Yes

Prerequisites for applying to a Club:

Year restriction: None

Soul Power Level restriction: None

President's personal review: Yes

Vice president's personal review: No

Applicant: Huo Yuhao, first-year freshman at Shrek Academy.

In the ten thousand years since Shrek's founding, there had only ever been small groups formed around sects and families, never a formal student Club.

At the Sea God Pavilion Meeting, most of the elders opposed it. Some feared an organization this large, founded by a freshman, would disrupt academy management. Others thought a freshman Club was far too arrogant to take up the banner of eradicating Evil Soul Masters.

Then Yan Shaozhe made a promise, and Soul Tool Department Dean Xian Lin'er voiced her firm support. Finally, Mu En, whose eyes had remained closed throughout, slowly opened them. The pressure of his Soul Power swept across the room, silencing every argument in an instant.

"For ten thousand years, Shrek has endured not because its rules never change, but because it has the courage to lead the way." The old man's voice was gentle, yet carried unquestionable weight. "I think this Club is a fine idea. The continent has no shortage of gifted people who follow the rules. What it lacks are leaders willing to shoulder responsibility and risk their lives. If you're afraid he'll make mistakes, give him three years and see what he makes of the Lionheart Club. I approve."

Below, Huo Yuhao stood at the front of his team.

In his clean freshman uniform, with a mild smile on his face, he looked like a harmless boy from next door.

Only Ning Tian and Gu Yue, standing beside him, could see that the knuckles of the hand at his side had turned faintly white. Deep beneath the warmth in his eyes lay a chill that could split bone marrow.

Across from him, Dai Huabin wore fitted combat clothes. The aura of his White Tiger Martial Soul was already leaking out, and his golden eyes blazed with arrogance as he stared at Huo Yuhao, as though he wanted to devour him alive.

Huo Yuhao turned his head slightly and spoke one word at a time, too quietly for anyone else to hear. "Dai Huabin, today I'll crush the White Tiger glory you're so proud of with my own hands. For my mother, I'll collect the first debt you owe."

The next moment, he raised his eyes. Once more, he was the gentle, courteous boy, giving the referee a slight nod.

From the raised platform, the referee spoke in a deep voice, carrying his words throughout the Assessment Area with Soul Power:

"The freshman elimination tournament final: Huo Yuhao's team from Freshman Class Nine versus Dai Huabin's team from Freshman Class Five!"

"Both teams, take your positions—"

"Match, begin!"

The moment the word "begin" fell, Cui Yajie of Dai Huabin's team moved.

Her Nine-Tailed Fox Martial Soul appeared in an instant, nine fluffy tails spreading behind her. Her First Soul Ring flared, a pinkish-purple glow swirling in her eyes. Her first Soul Skill, Charm, locked precisely onto Huo Yuhao.

Even a Soul Elder-level mental-type Soul Master would suffer under her Charm, let alone a Soul Grandmaster.

But her target was Huo Yuhao.

The boy met her seductive glance without losing his smile. Brilliant golden light suddenly blazed in his eyes.

He did not dodge. He looked straight into Cui Yajie's eyes, the corner of his mouth lifting in a mocking smile. His lips moved soundlessly: Showing off your axe at the master carpenter's door.

Innate Soul Skill: Annihilation!

Spiritual power condensed to its utmost, charged with a destructive force capable of tearing through any mental barrier, slammed into Cui Yajie's Sea of Consciousness like an invisible knife.

There was no earth-shaking crash. The allure on Cui Yajie's face froze, and her pupils contracted. Without even a scream, she fell straight backward and fainted on the spot.

With her Sea of Consciousness injured, she would not wake for two or three days. She was out!

One second into the match, the controller had been taken down.

Almost the instant Cui Yajie fell, Ning Tian released her Martial Soul beside Huo Yuhao.

The crystal-clear Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda floated above her palm. Three Soul Rings—two yellow and one purple—lit up in sequence as her crisp incantation rang out without the slightest delay:

"Seven Treasures Have Names: First, Speed!"

"Seven Treasures Have Names: Third, Strength!"

Two halos of warm gold settled over Huo Yuhao, and his speed and strength surged.

"Useless!"

Dai Huabin's pupils shrank as he watched Cui Yajie fall. He clenched his teeth so hard they ground together.

His plan had been for Cui Yajie to control Huo Yuhao while he and Zhu Lu attacked from both sides, ending the fight in an instant. Instead, they had lost their controller at the outset, throwing the whole plan into disarray.

But he was the legitimate son of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, and his combat instincts held firm. His Second Soul Ring lit up at once. Dense white light gathered in his mouth before he fired a powerful blast of Soul Power at Huo Yuhao. "Second Soul Skill: White Tiger Rending Light Wave!"

"Just an old, worn-out Soul Skill." Huo Yuhao watched the attack roar toward him, his smile unchanged. The golden light of his Heavenly Eye grew brighter, and his First Soul Ring lit up. "First Soul Skill: Heaven's Apex: All-Seer Clarity!"

In an instant, everything in the Assessment Area slowed before his eyes.

The path of the White Tiger Rending Light Wave, the weak points in its flow of Soul Power, even a prediction of Dai Huabin's next move—all of it appeared clearly in his mind.

His feet shifted. Light as a falling leaf, he slipped past the Soul Skill that could tear through steel. It did not even brush the corner of his uniform.

At the same time, he turned his right hand, and a longbow of deep blue appeared: the Imperial Bow.

He drew the bow, and a platinum arrow of Soul Power formed instantly on the string.

Huo Yuhao looked at Dai Huabin's ashen face and gave a soft laugh edged with scorn. "Shoot the white-browed tiger in the mountains, and who would bother counting the yellow-whiskered cubs of Ye? Dai Huabin, your White Tiger can't even strike back. You call that a tiger?"

The words struck Dai Huabin where it hurt most.

Nothing mattered more to him than the bloodline of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion and his White Tiger Martial Soul. Huo Yuhao might as well have called him worthless to his face!

"Bastard! I'll tear you apart!"

Dai Huabin's eyes widened with fury. His Soul Rings flashed wildly, and the third blazed to life. Muscles swelled across his body, white fur pushed through his skin, and he transformed into a half-beast. "Third Soul Skill: White Tiger Vajra Transformation!"

"First Soul Skill: White Tiger Protection Barrier!"

With two layers of defense at full strength, he neither dodged nor retreated. He meant to take the arrow head-on!

He would show Huo Yuhao that talent could never make up for the gap in their Soul Power!

Twang—

The bowstring sang. The platinum arrow shot through the air with a shriek and slammed into the light shielding Dai Huabin's body.

Boom!

White light exploded, and a shock wave swept across the arena.

Dai Huabin felt a tremendous force surge up his arm and through his entire body. Spiderweb cracks instantly spread across the shield from his White Tiger Vajra Transformation, while his White Tiger Protection Barrier shattered outright.

The skin between his thumb and forefinger split open, and blood dripped through his fingers. Pain drilled through the bones of his entire arm. Blood rose in his throat, but he forced it back down. He stumbled three steps before steadying himself.

Taking the arrow head-on had left him with a significant internal injury, and the shock to his Soul Power had nearly thrown it into chaos.

As Dai Huabin was pinned down by the arrow, his old strength spent and his new strength not yet gathered, a dark figure slipped around behind Huo Yuhao like a ghost, without a sound.