Victory May Be Lost to Outside Forces, but the Strong Must Conquer Their Own Hearts

Awooo~

In midair, the power of light condensed into a Light Dragon, which breathed scorching flames at Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen immediately shouted, "Ning Tian, boost my strength!"

Ning Tian raised the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda without hesitation and called out, "Seven Treasures Have Names, the third is strength!"

A beam of light flew out, increasing Jiang Chen's strength by thirty percent. He activated Phoenix Protection, then threw a punch at Huo Yuhao nearby. "What good is all that Soul Power? Pure strength is king!"

Electrolux's pupils contracted sharply, and he retreated again and again.

But this body was unimaginably weak. How could its speed compare to Jiang Chen's?

In the blink of an eye, Jiang Chen was before him. He drove a fist forward.

Another explosive boom rang out. Huo Yuhao took a punch he could not withstand, spat a mist of blood, and slowly collapsed.

Electrolux returned to the Sea of Consciousness and sighed. "I did all I could. This body is far too weak."

With that, he fell back into slumber.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm sighed. "Yuhao, the old man and I did everything we could. That guy in front of you is a monster. We've played every trump card we have. I just hope this won't become a lifelong regret for you."

Du Weilun immediately entered the arena to check Huo Yuhao's condition. Only after confirming that he was gravely injured and near death did Du Weilun breathe a sigh of relief.

He needed to make sure Huo Yuhao could no longer fight.

After all, Huo Yuhao had created too many miracles before their eyes. First came the abilities of his Ice Martial Soul, then the power of light that blocked Jiang Chen's attack. He had not fallen until the very end.

It had all been too dreamlike, too unreal.

Who could have imagined that a one-ring Soul Scholar possessed such terrifying reserves? He had nearly turned the tables on Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen slowly landed and looked at the gravely injured, unconscious Huo Yuhao. He let out a breath of relief.

The Child of Fortune was terrifying indeed. He had forced Jiang Chen to reveal so many trump cards.

Fortunately, Jiang Chen had found a way to break through at the crucial moment.

Jiang Chen turned to Du Weilun. "Director, you can announce the winner now, can't you?"

Du Weilun raised a hand and declared, "I announce that Jiang Chen's team from Freshman Class Nine has won the Freshman Assessment Finals. They are the undisputed champions!"

The moment he finished, thunderous applause erupted.

Elders and students alike applauded Jiang Chen.

The Finals had been spectacular.

They had seen Huo Yuhao's team refuse to abandon one another or give up, each member fighting with everything they had. They had also seen Jiang Chen's terrifying strength.

Huo Yuhao's performance in particular had been incredible.

A one-ring Soul Scholar had displayed so many abilities that he had nearly turned the tables on Jiang Chen. The academy had found a treasure.

In the spectator stands, the Elders had also realized that Huo Yuhao was a diamond in the rough.

The most unremarkable one-ring Soul Scholar had actually forced Jiang Chen to show his trump cards.

Yan Shaozhe stood. "Lin'er, I can't hand Huo Yuhao over to your Soul Tool Department. I thought he was useless, but his performance exceeded all expectations."

"And you can't have Jiang Chen either. They're both treasures of our Martial Soul Department. We can't afford to lose either of them."

"If Jiang Chen is the academy's future, then Huo Yuhao is my successor—the one who can carry the banner of the Martial Soul Department."

Xian Lin'er slapped the table, her face stern. "What's that supposed to mean, Yan Shaozhe? We already agreed on this. The Soul Tool Department values Huo Yuhao's talent with Soul Tools, and you promised to give him to me. How can you go back on your word now?"

Yan Shaozhe shamelessly spread his hands. "You call me a miser every day, so today I'll be one. I'm not giving you a single one of these geniuses. As compensation, though, I'll let the Soul Tool Department choose a few more students this year."

There was no way Yan Shaozhe would hand a talent like Huo Yuhao over to the Soul Tool Department.

He had discovered Huo Yuhao's Ice Martial Soul!

If he built a good relationship with Huo Yuhao, there was still hope for Xiaotao. What if Huo Yuhao was another Soul Master with Ultimate Ice?

Xian Lin'er refused to accept it. She turned angrily to Xuan Zi. "Elder Xuan, please say something fair!"

Xuan Zi choked on his wine. "There's too much involved in this. Let Mu En decide. Even I can't make this call. It's a major matter for the academy."

Xian Lin'er fell silent. She had never expected things to turn out this way.

If Mu En made the decision, Huo Yuhao would never attend classes in the Soul Tool Department, and neither would Jiang Chen.

So many geniuses, yet none would go to the Soul Tool Department...

"Come to the Sea God Pavilion for a meeting."

Mu En's voice suddenly sounded in their Seas of Consciousness.

The Elders did not dare delay. They arranged for teachers to treat Huo Yuhao and the others, then hurried to the Sea God Pavilion.

Elsewhere, Ma Xiaotao gritted her teeth in secret, seething with anger.

Jiang Chen had still won...

Huo Yuhao was useless. Wang Dong was useless. Xiao Xiao was useless too, and so was that Dai Huabin.

Even together, so many of them could not beat Jiang Chen. Shrek's outer-court students were getting worse and worse.

Ma Xiaotao felt as though her cheeks were burning.

From the start of the Freshman Assessment, she had been certain Jiang Chen would lose. Instead, he had won, and the result felt like a series of slaps across her face.

Ma Xiaotao bit her lip. "So what if you won? Until you surpass me, I'll never acknowledge you."

With that, she turned into a streak of fire and left the outer court, intending to shut herself away and train.

The top three teams would receive rewards after the Freshman Assessment, along with core disciple places and their new class assignments, but the announcement would not come until the next day.

Jiang Chen's victory in the Finals had not come easily. He had not expected Huo Yuhao to have so many tricks.

He promptly declined Ning Tian and Wu Feng's invitation to eat together and returned to his dormitory to train.

He needed time to absorb what he had learned.

At the dormitory entrance, however, Jiang Chen encountered Mu En sunning himself again. He cupped his hands. "Elder Mu."

Mu En slowly opened his clouded eyes and smiled kindly. "You won the championship, didn't you?"

Jiang Chen nodded, then asked, "Elder Mu, is there something you'd like to teach me?"

Mu En kept him in suspense. "Tomorrow, after your classes are assigned and you've collected your reward, wait for me outside the Sea God Pavilion. You'll find out then."

Jiang Chen did not dare treat the matter lightly. He cupped his hands again.

Mu En then vanished in a flash of white light and returned to the Sea God Pavilion to continue the meeting.

Morning came, the rising sun shattering the darkness once more. Every student who had passed the Freshman Assessment gathered in Shrek Square to await their class assignments and rewards.

Jiang Chen arrived on time and stood with the others.

Elsewhere, Huo Yuhao could not accept his defeat. His spirits had sunk to their lowest point.

They had lost, and lost completely. Even after using every trump card he had, Huo Yuhao had failed to defeat Jiang Chen.

Of them all, Huo Yuhao was the most dejected.

He still had not come to terms with the loss.

Why was this world always so unfair to me?

Why?!

Jiang Chen glanced back at Huo Yuhao. "Huo Yuhao, I have a few words for you."

Before Huo Yuhao could speak, Wang Dong demanded, "Are you here to mock Yuhao? We know you're strong, but the strong won't stay on top forever. Those who come after them will have their chance. Just wait for that day."

"Besides, we didn't even use our full strength in the Finals. Yuhao and I still have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill we haven't unleashed."

Xiao Xiao tugged at Wang Dong's sleeve and whispered, "Wang Dong, we really couldn't beat him. Let's not say any more."

But Wang Dong would not listen. She insisted on confronting Jiang Chen.

She was the little princess of the Clear Sky Sect. When had she ever suffered a loss like this?

If I could use the Clear Sky Hammer, I'd definitely win.

Jiang Chen smiled faintly, ignoring Princess Tang's impotent fury. "Huo Yuhao, think carefully about this: victory and defeat may be decided by outside forces, but the strong must conquer their own hearts."

"Some powers don't belong to you. Using them won't change the outcome."

Huo Yuhao lowered his head and said nothing.

He knew Jiang Chen was mocking him for relying on outside help.

But Brother Sky Dream had told him that outside help was part of his strength too.

Just then, Du Weilun arrived before the assembled students with several teachers, a folder in his hands.