Xuan Zi: I don't think he'll amount to much!

On the central island of Sea God Lake, by the lakeshore.

Wang Yan, who had just finished proctoring the Freshman Assessment, stood there with an unusually respectful expression.

Not far in front of him sat an old man with disheveled hair.

He looked decidedly slovenly. His robe, which should originally have been white, had turned grayish brown and was torn in several places, while his hair was a tangled mess. His bare feet soaked in the cool waters of Sea God Lake, and he held an enormous gourd in his right hand.

The gourd was purplish red and made of some unknown material. Every so often, he raised it for a sip, releasing a rich aroma of wine. His other hand clutched a roast chicken. Unbothered by the grease, he alternated mouthfuls of wine and meat, thoroughly enjoying himself.

Needless to say, this utterly disheveled old man was Shrek Academy's most "legendary" level 98 Super Douluo during the era of Peerless Tang Sect, a heaven-defying figure whose name deserved to stand alongside Zhou Yi's.

Titled Chicken Leg, Shrek's greatest mole, the Holy Spirit Cult's honorary supreme elder, and a man whose fighting strength rivaled that of a Soul King-level Evil Soul Master-Xuan Zi.

"That's how it is, Xuan Zi. These students may be young and only freshmen, but they truly deserve attention," Wang Yan said respectfully. "Especially the student named Huo Yuhao. Despite his young age, he's remarkably shrewd. His strength strikes me as unfathomable. He may well be the biggest dark horse in this Freshman Assessment."

"A body martial soul. That's somewhat interesting," Xuan Zi muttered, swallowing another mouthful of chicken. "But calling him unfathomable is going a little too far."

"The eyes are indeed among the very best body martial souls, and his martial soul has a mental attribute. That means his martial soul actually encompasses both his eyes and his brain." Xuan Zi uncorked his gourd, gulped down a large mouthful of wine, then continued.

"But you also said his first soul ring is only at the ten-year level, and his records list his innate soul power as only level one. That shows his talent is extremely poor. Even if he blazes a different trail and puts painstaking effort into close combat, it's still just a cup of water against a blazing cartload of firewood."

"Because battles between Soul Masters are, at their core, contests between martial souls and soul skills. No matter how strong his close-combat abilities are, they ultimately account for only a small part of the whole. Let me put it this way: I don't think this Huo Yuhao will amount to much in the future."

"But, Xuan Zi..."

"Enough. You don't need to say anything else." Xuan Zi waved a hand. "Since you insist, I'll go take a look at the Freshman Assessment's ranking tournament. Go tell Little Ning to save me a seat."

"Yes..."

The next morning, all one hundred students of Freshman Class Nine sat neatly in their classroom, excitement written across their faces.

Mu Jin stood at the lectern, his face also brimming with joy. His words carried an indescribable excitement, and his voice was much higher than usual.

"After three days, the Freshman Assessment has concluded. The final results were tallied last night. All thirty-three teams from Freshman Class Nine who participated have passed the Freshman Assessment. Congratulations! Your efforts have finally earned the rewards they deserved!"

"Whooo!"

The whole of Freshman Class Nine erupted. Cheers rang through every corner of the classroom, and Mu Jin shed tears of excitement at the lectern.

Freshman Class Nine had a total of one hundred students. Apart from the one student admitted to the Soul Tool Department through special recruitment, every single student had passed the Freshman Assessment. The entire class had become first-year students of Shrek Academy, something utterly unprecedented since Shrek Academy established its Freshman Assessment system!

They had every right to cheer and leap for joy, because they had made history that no one could ever surpass!

Moreover, almost every assessment teacher had said that the students of Freshman Class Nine were more tenacious than those of the other classes. Throughout the tightly packed assessment matches, they had displayed astonishing willpower and fighting strength, even pulling off numerous victories after turning the tables on their opponents.

"All right, all right. Settle down, everyone, and listen to me."

Three minutes later, Mu Jin clapped his hands, signaling for the students to quiet down.

"Passing the Freshman Assessment is certainly worth celebrating, but this is only the beginning of your studies at Shrek Academy. You'll have to undergo another assessment when you advance to your second year."

"And among our class's thirty-three teams, sixteen haven't finished their Freshman Assessment yet. You've made it into the top sixty-four, so you still have to complete the upcoming knockout tournament. That tournament will be your real chance to prove your excellence."

"Six teams achieved a perfect record in the round-robin stage of this Freshman Assessment. Our own Huo Yuhao, Ning Tian, and Wu Feng were one of them. Let's give them a round of applause!"

Mu Jin began clapping first, and thunderous applause rose from the students of Class Nine. With someone taking the lead, they began shouting a single word.

"Champions! Champions! Champions!"

Ning Tian and Wu Feng were so moved that their eyes reddened. Yet when they turned their heads, they discovered that Huo Yuhao had actually stood up and raised his right arm, leading the other students in shouting "Champions!"

"Shameless!"

"Does he have no sense of embarrassment at all?"

Ning Tian and Wu Feng hurriedly looked away and sat primly upright, pretending they didn't know Huo Yuhao.

Although Huo Yuhao was undeniably strong, being on the same team as such a goofball was a little too much for two girls who cared so deeply about their image.

"All right, Huo Yuhao, sit down. I know you have a chance of winning the championship, but could you be a little less showy?" Torn between laughter and exasperation, Mu Jin waved at Huo Yuhao.

"Hahahahaha..."

At Mu Jin's words, the students of Class Nine burst into laughter.

"No matter how much you accomplish, you must remain humble and cautious. Remember, humility brings progress, while pride makes you fall behind. The knockout tournament begins tomorrow, so I'll briefly explain what you need to watch out for." Once the classroom had quieted down, Mu Jin began his explanation.

The explanation was quite simple, essentially covering the few top-tier teams among the freshmen, with particular emphasis on the teams of Dai Huabin, Xie Huanyue, and Wang Dong.

Although Ning Tian was also a Soul Elder, a support system Soul Elder depended entirely on her teammates to deal damage and had little fighting strength of her own.

And Huo Yuhao happened to be a Soul Master with only a ten-year soul ring. He hadn't even reached the Soul Grandmaster cultivation level that was considered the bare minimum for entering the knockout tournament, so others saw their chances of winning the championship as extremely slim.

After introducing these formidable opponents in the knockout tournament, Mu Jin offered the students of Class Nine a few words of encouragement, then dismissed the class.

The coming day was time for the students participating in the knockout tournament to discuss their tactics. After his introduction, the students of Class Nine would surely have a clearer understanding of their opponents' strength. From here on, they had to rely entirely on themselves.

Although Huo Yuhao was still laughing and joking with the other students on the surface, his heart was as cold as frost and snow.

He had waited three months for this opportunity, not to prove how extraordinary he was. Huo Yuhao simply wanted everyone to see that he would take back everything he had lost!

Dai Huabin, I'm coming!