"I object."
A clear, resonant voice suddenly rang out, interrupting Du Weilun.
Everyone's eyes turned in unison toward the source of the voice: Wang Dong.
He stood at the front of the group, looking straight at Du Weilun on the raised platform without a trace of fear. "I won't accept this."
Du Weilun frowned slightly. "Wang Dong, what is your objection?"
"Why isn't Huo Yuhao a full Core Disciple?" Wang Dong's voice was not loud, but it carried clearly across the entire square.
"He's a member of the championship team, a teammate who fought shoulder to shoulder with us. Why should he only receive temporary benefits?"
An uproar immediately broke out below the platform. No one had expected Wang Dong to question the decision outright in front of so many senior officials.
Du Weilun's expression darkened slightly, and a hint of impatience entered his voice. "The academy has its own considerations regarding Huo Yuhao's situation. His soul power is only rank nineteen, the lowest among the freshmen, and he has only one ten-year soul ring. His performance in this tournament... to be honest, there wasn't much that stood out. The academy believes he still needs time to prove himself."
His explanation sounded well reasoned, and quite a few people below the platform nodded.
Indeed, nearly all the glory of Wang Dong's team had rested on Wang Dong alone. Standing behind him, Huo Yuhao had looked like an expendable supporting player. Without Wang Dong, he probably would not even have received temporary Core Disciple benefits.
Huo Yuhao lowered his head, his eyes reddening. He knew Du Weilun was stating the facts. He really was too weak, and there truly had not been much that stood out about his performance.
He even began to wonder whether he really was unworthy of standing beside Wang Dong.
But Wang Dong gave a cold laugh. "That's all bullshit."
Du Weilun's expression changed. "What did you say?"
"I said everything you just said was bullshit." Wang Dong looked straight at him, his tone utterly blunt.
"Huo Yuhao is a member of the championship team. That's a fact. He stood in the arena and won every match alongside us. That's also a fact. If the academy thinks his performance wasn't impressive enough, then tell me, was Dai Huabin's performance impressive enough?"
He turned toward Dai Huabin in the crowd. "Why does someone eliminated in the first round get full Core Disciple benefits? Just because his soul power is higher? If Core Disciple status depends only on soul power, why even hold a tournament? Why not just rank everyone by soul power and be done with it? What was the point of this Freshman Assessment?"
The square fell completely silent. Everyone stared at Wang Dong, dumbstruck. No one had imagined he would dare speak so bluntly in front of so many senior officials.
Dai Huabin's face turned livid, but he could not utter a word. He really had been eliminated in the first round. That was a fact.
Du Weilun's expression was equally ugly. He opened his mouth to argue, only to discover that he could not find a suitable rebuttal on the spot.
Because Wang Dong did have a point. If Core Disciple selection depended only on soul power, there truly was no need for the Freshman Assessment.
But the problem was that Dai Huabin and the others were all three-ring Soul Elders. Three-ring Soul Elders at such a young age were unquestionably promising seedlings.
They had simply happened to run into a freak like Wang Dong and been knocked out early...
That was why Shrek Academy had still decided to grant them Core Disciple status. It did not want to bury talented students.
As for Huo Yuhao... Wang Dong had shone too brightly. During the matches, everyone had only noticed Wang Dong sweeping all before him. Huo Yuhao really had barely registered, which had led to this result.
Huo Yuhao stood rooted in place, his gaze fixed on the figure with long pink-and-blue hair ahead of him. Wang Dong stood before the raised platform, facing Shrek Academy's senior officials and arguing his case without backing down.
Suddenly, he felt that Wang Dong was like a beam of light. A beam of light shining into his bleak life.
Throughout his childhood in the Dai Family, he had suffered nothing but cold looks. No one had ever spoken a single word on his behalf.
He was an illegitimate child, a useless waste, an expendable existence. He had long since grown accustomed to being ignored, belittled, and trampled underfoot. But Wang Dong was different.
From their very first day at the academy, Wang Dong had stood before him, shielding him from every storm.
He had brought him a quilt and pills, helped him cultivate, led him to the championship, and now he was confronting the academy's senior officials for his sake in front of everyone.
What had he ever done to deserve such treatment?
Huo Yuhao's eyes stung fiercely, and he desperately held back his tears.
He silently swore that, in this lifetime, he would repay Wang Dong's kindness in full, even if it cost him his life.
He is my everything, my untouchable reverse scale!!!
On the raised platform, the expressions of Shrek Academy's senior officials grew uglier by the moment. Du Weilun was so furious that even his beard trembled as he pointed at Wang Dong.
"You... you're utterly outrageous! How dare you question Shrek Academy's rules! Even if you are a genius, you cannot behave so insolently!"
"A genius?" Wang Dong sneered. "Shrek Academy claims it only admits monsters and only teaches geniuses. But have you really given those geniuses the resources they deserve?
"You recruit geniuses, then leave them to fend for themselves. Only a few rise to the top, while far more have their talents buried. Turning a genius into a genius is nothing to be proud of! Anyone could do that!"
"An academy refuses to give first and insists its students give first instead... yet it still expects their loyalty."
Wang Dong had already been nursing resentment, so he decided to get it all off his chest in one go.
He paused, then raised his voice even further. "Shrek Academy's biggest problem is that it doesn't teach students according to their abilities! Teachers have too much power. A single word from them can decide a student's future. Huo Yuhao clearly has talent and clearly proved himself in the tournament, yet you treat him differently just because his soul power is low. If this system doesn't change, Shrek Academy will rot sooner or later!"
The entire square fell deathly silent. Everyone stared at Wang Dong, dumbfounded, as though looking at a madman.
Dai Huabin, Xie Huanyue, Ning Tian, and the others were even more stunned. They had never imagined Wang Dong would dare speak so uncompromisingly in front of so many senior officials. This guy... isn't he far too bold? Is he really not afraid of being expelled?
Even Yan Shaozhe was stunned by the tirade. When he recovered, his face alternated between livid and pale.
As dean of the Martial Soul Department, having a freshman practically point at his nose and publicly denounce the academy's system was an utter humiliation. He was about to erupt when a low voice came from a corner.
"Do you know what you're saying?"
At some point, Xuan Zi had stepped in front of Wang Dong. He had already put down his chicken leg, and his unkempt face now carried an intimidating air of authority.
He stared at Wang Dong, a sharp gleam flashing in his cloudy old eyes.
Wang Dong looked at Xuan Zi and grinned. "I do. I'm only telling the truth. If you can't stand me, I'll just withdraw from the academy."
Wang Dong was not remotely afraid of expulsion. With his talent, someone would want him wherever he went.
If this place would not keep him, plenty of others would.
With a family background and talent like his, there was no need to swallow such mistreatment.
Huo Yuhao suddenly stepped forward and stood beside Wang Dong. His voice was quiet but exceptionally firm. "Me too."
Wang Dong froze for a moment and turned to look at him. Huo Yuhao did not look back. He simply lowered his head and clenched his fists, his voice trembling slightly. "If you leave, I leave."
The tension instantly reached its breaking point. Xuan Zi stared at Wang Dong, and Wang Dong met his gaze without retreating an inch. The air between them seemed to freeze, and everyone held their breath.
Just then, a phantom figure suddenly appeared among them. It was a white-haired old man with a kindly face and an ethereal body, as though he had stepped out of the void.
This was Spiritual Manifestation, an ability possessed only by the strongest experts.
The instant he appeared, the expressions of Xuan Zi, Yan Shaozhe, Du Weilun, and the others changed, and they all bowed in respect.
"Pavilion Master!"
"Mu En!"
Mu En, Shrek Academy's Sea God Pavilion Master, was a legendary figure who stood at the pinnacle of the entire soul master world.
P.S. Personally, I'm quite fond of both Mu En and Du Busi as characters.
What do you all think of combining the Body Sect Saint Son and Sea God Pavilion Heir?
Before you continue