Analyzing the Situation, Teaching by Example

With so many methods at his disposal, could Huo Yuhao really not have defeated Dai Huabin back then?

For one thing, he could have asked Brother Sky Dream to use Sky Dream's Finger and crush him in a single stroke.

Or he could have revealed his Second Martial Soul and overwhelmed his opponent with the power of Ultimate Ice.

But he had done neither.

The reason was simple: he had reservations. He was worried.

Dai Huabin had done so much that plainly violated the academy's rules, yet no one from the academy had stepped in to stop him. That said plenty.

Huo Yuhao feared that revealing certain things about himself would bring trouble to his teacher.

Even if he believed his teacher was invincible, a disciple still should not cause trouble for him.

There was another, more important reason.

From his teacher's notes and books, he had learned a great deal about how his teacher dealt with the world.

Showing his trump cards before he had overwhelming strength would be foolish.

Apart from teaching Huo Yuhao a cultivation technique at the start, Huang Jinxu had barely instructed him directly. But from Huang Jinxu's notes on Soul Tools, Huo Yuhao had learned not only the theory behind them, but also the insights Huang Jinxu had jotted down during his research and cultivation.

Those writings constantly shaped Huo Yuhao's understanding of the world.

In short, Huo Yuhao had grown wiser.

On the surface, he had been injured, humiliated, and defeated. In truth, he had stepped back from the blade's edge rather than invite enormous trouble over a moment's pride.

Now that his teacher had told him outright to do as he wished, he had no more reservations.

"What kind of outcome does Teacher want? What kind of outcome does the academy want?"