That evening, Huo Yuhao did not set up his stall. Instead, he returned to the hotel and settled down to cultivate.
He had only just devoured the Phoenix Evil Fire with the Flame Mantra and could not yet wield it as naturally as his own limbs.
Thus, Huo Yuhao deliberately devoted the day to consolidating his cultivation, preparing himself for the battle he would face tomorrow.
"Yuhao, now that you've devoured a Beast Flame, your original Flame Mantra soul power has undergone a transformation. I'll teach you a powerful Dou Technique that uses your own flames to protect you. Its name is Eight Extremes Fire Control!" Yao Lao said as he emerged from the Black Ring.
"This is a Mystic Tier High Grade Dou Technique that I acquired through a trade while traveling in my youth. When used, it turns your flames into a fiery tornado that guards you, powerful enough to burn away any ranged attack."
Yao Lao extended a finger and gently touched Huo Yuhao's forehead. In an instant, a vast flood of information poured into his mind.
"Eight Extremes Fire Control?" A faint smile curled Huo Yuhao's lips.
"Thank you, Teacher. Just watch-the championship of this Freshman Assessment will be mine!"
Naturally, he spent the entire night cultivating. Early the next morning, Huo Yuhao ate breakfast and headed to the teaching building. The moment he entered the classroom, he was greeted by a lively bustle.
After yesterday's team assignments, the students of Freshman Class Nine had gathered in groups of three, discussing tactics for the Freshman Assessment.
This time, Huo Yuhao did not take his usual seat toward the back of the middle rows. Instead, he sat directly beside Wu Feng in the front row.
Wu Feng shifted somewhat uneasily, but said nothing.
"How did you rest last night? You seem to be in pretty good shape today," Ning Tian, who was also sitting beside Wu Feng, asked Huo Yuhao with a smile.
"I ate my fill and slept soundly, so of course I'm in good shape." Huo Yuhao chuckled. "The assessment officially starts this afternoon. Shall we discuss our tactics?"
"There's nothing to discuss. With our strength, we can simply crush our way through." Wu Feng shook her head disdainfully.
"All right, then. We'll sit back and enjoy your performance this afternoon." Huo Yuhao laughed and patted Wu Feng's shoulder, looking thoroughly pleased.
"What are you doing!" Wu Feng hurriedly shook off Huo Yuhao's warm hand, her pretty face instantly flushing red.
"Huo Yuhao, are you planning to hide your strength this afternoon and stay out of the fighting?" Ning Tian soothed Wu Feng with a smile before turning to ask him.
"Does that even need saying? Since we're aiming for the championship, we obviously can't let everyone figure us out ahead of time." Huo Yuhao shrugged.
"You don't seriously think there aren't any strong opponents among this year's freshmen, do you? I admit our team is strong, but crushing everyone is absolutely out of the question."
"What, are you scared?" Wu Feng gave Huo Yuhao a provocative look.
"Heh." Huo Yuhao looked at Wu Feng with the unmistakable concern one might show someone mentally deficient, then smiled and shook his head.
"Xie Huanyue from Freshman Class Two has the Rubber Elephant, a top-tier defense system martial soul, and he's already a Soul Elder. A top-tier defensive martial soul like that has tremendous resistance to elemental attacks. Are you confident you can beat an opponent like him?"
Wu Feng froze at his words. "I..."
"Freshman Class Seven has a pair of sisters who are both Soul Grandmasters and can unleash a control-type Martial Soul Fusion Skill. With your current strength, can you break through a Martial Soul Fusion Skill unleashed by two Soul Grandmasters together?"
"I..."
"Most importantly, Dai Huabin from Freshman Class Five is a Soul Elder. He comes from the White Tiger Duke's Mansion and is White Tiger Duke Dai Hao's legitimate son. One of his teammates is named Zhu Lu. The Dai Family and the Zhu Family-don't tell me you don't know what that means!"
"The Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Hell White Tiger?!" Ning Tian could not help exclaiming.
How could she not know about Hell White Tiger, the Martial Soul Fusion Skill passed down through generations by the Dai Family and the Zhu Family, those two great clans of the Star Luo Empire?
Ten thousand years ago, Ning Tian's ancestor who had ascended to godhood, Ning Rongrong-the woman who had evolved the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda-had been a member of the Shrek Seven Devils.
The leader of that generation of the Shrek Seven Devils, Evil-Eyed White Tiger Dai Mubai, and another member, Hell Spirit Cat Zhu Zhuqing, had been able to unleash the terrifying Hell White Tiger Martial Soul Fusion Skill. Both of them had ultimately ascended to godhood as well.
For that very reason, the illustrious reputation of Hell White Tiger was known to everyone in the continent's Soul Master World.
"Well? Do you still think we're strong enough to crush our way straight through and take first place in the Freshman Assessment?" Huo Yuhao asked calmly.
"Huo Yuhao, where did you hear all this?" Ning Tian asked in puzzlement.
"You didn't think I sold grilled fish at the academy gates just to make money, did you? All I had to do was listen to the students coming and going, and I could piece together a pretty accurate picture."
Wu Feng fell silent for a while before finally choosing to concede to Huo Yuhao.
"Fine, I was wrong. I shouldn't have been so arrogant. Then tell us how we should arrange our tactics."
Huo Yuhao spread his hands and said with a cheerful grin, "Beats me."
"Pfft!"
"Cough, cough, cough, cough..."
Ning Tian and Wu Feng nearly choked to death at Huo Yuhao's reply. No matter how calm and clever Ning Tian was, even she could not suppress the urge to give him a thorough beating right then.
"In short, when we face weak teams, I won't make a move-or at least, I won't reveal my strength. Against teams with no Soul Grandmasters or only one, you should be able to handle them easily with support from Ning Tian and me."
"But I have one requirement for both of you: if you can avoid revealing your soul skills in battle, then try not to use them. Save every soul skill for when it's necessary. That way, we won't expose all our strength while fighting weak teams."
Ning Tian and Wu Feng exchanged a glance and nodded in agreement. As expected of a scheming bastard, his reasoning was perfectly clear.
Bang, bang, bang!
Just then, Mu Jin entered Class Nine's classroom and tapped the blackboard a few times. The noisy classroom immediately fell silent.
"It seems everyone listened to me last night and got plenty of rest? Very good. Remaining fearless before battle is a fundamental quality of an excellent soul master."
"The competition officially begins this afternoon. Teams from the same class won't be assigned to face one another, so you don't need to worry about fighting your classmates. All right, that's all I have to say. Remember to draw lots for your groups at noon, then gather in your assigned assessment area before afternoon classes begin. Go and make your preparations."
With that, Mu Jin left Class Nine's classroom. The students also rose one after another, intending to find somewhere to practice as teams.
Meanwhile, in a grove beside the teaching building, Zhou Yi and Mu Jin stood facing each other. Zhou Yi's face was filled with jealousy and venomous resentment, while a faint smile lingered at the corner of Mu Jin's mouth.
"Mu Jin, you actually stole my position as homeroom teacher! That position should have been mine!" Zhou Yi said furiously.
Mu Jin scoffed and shook his head. "You brought this all upon yourself. If you were allowed to remain a homeroom teacher for a few more years, Shrek Academy would end up with more teachers than students."
"You!" Zhou Yi's eyes nearly spat fire at his words. "Do you dare make another wager?"
"A wager? What do you have to bet against me?" Mu Jin asked with a cold laugh.
"We'll wager on our two classes' results in the Freshman Assessment. The stake will still be a soul bone, but if I lose, I'll resign from Shrek Academy! And if you lose, you must do the same! Well? Do you dare accept?"
Mu Jin shook his head and turned as though to leave. "How boring. I can't be bothered to make such a childish wager with you."
"Wait!" Zhou Yi shrieked, then hesitated for a while before speaking.
"I'll add a Level Eight Close-Combat Soul Tool made by Fan Yu! If you win, I'll have Fan Yu make one tailored specifically for you!"
"Deal!"
Before you continue