The results of the freshman assessment finals soon spread throughout the academy.
This time, Lin Mo firmly declared that he did not want to go.
And yet...
Wang Dong'er supported him on his left, Xiao Xiao on his right, and Huo Yuhao tugged on his tie from the front. The three of them hauled him there by force.
Lin Mo: "..."
At the grilled fish party:
"Fish cheers!"
While Huo Yuhao and the others chatted and laughed, Lin Mo kept his head down and ate fish alone.
As they chatted, Tang Ya suddenly spoke up. "As we agreed before, Dong'er, do you still want to join our Tang Sect?"
Wang Dong'er hastily nodded. "Of course I do!"
Seeing that Wang Dong'er was willing, Tang Ya felt a surge of delight and promptly agreed.
Xiao Xiao blinked. "The Tang Sect?"
Tang Ya hurriedly said, "That's right! The Tang Sect. Our Tang Sect doesn't offer any particularly great benefits, but there's one thing: we would never treasure an old broom and keep it to ourselves. For our own people, every secret art of the Tang Sect is open for you to cultivate."
The Tang Sect was in decline now, and everyone present was a promising student of Shrek Academy. Every additional recruit was a gain.
Yet Xiao Xiao did not agree immediately. Instead, she looked at Lin Mo with some hesitation.
For Beibei to move among the senior students like a fish in water, his emotional intelligence was naturally very high. Following Xiao Xiao's gaze, he immediately understood and addressed Lin Mo warmly:
"Junior Lin Mo, would you be interested in joining our Tang Sect?"
At those words, everyone's eyes instantly converged on Lin Mo.
Yet Lin Mo did not even lift his head, continuing to eat his grilled fish as he said, "Sorry, senior. I have no plans to join an organization for now."
That was the truth.
Although he remembered the Tang Sect developing quite well later on in his previous life, the Holy Spirit Church had truly scared him badly. He genuinely had a shadow hanging over him when it came to things like "organizations."
In his previous life, after he had been abducted into the Holy Spirit Church, if those higher-ups hadn't planted a blood curse inside him and put his life in someone else's hands...
Otherwise, given all the rotten things the Holy Spirit Church did...
He would have run away long ago!
How could he possibly have waited until Zhang Lexuan appeared before making up his mind?
To put it plainly, the Holy Spirit Church had so many fanatical followers simply because its threshold for entry was low and its rewards generous. As long as you were willing to risk your life, it would give you great power, help you take revenge, and help you fulfill your ambitions.
But where in this world was there a free lunch?
Joining the Holy Spirit Church was the same as signing a contract with a devil.
The devil would carry out your wishes with absolute efficiency, but the price you paid would be just as devastating.
Yet on the present-day Douluo Continent, the strong reigned supreme. Ordinary people could not even awaken a martial soul, and there was no shortage of people who plunged headfirst into a devil's embrace after being driven into a corner.
What was more, the Holy Spirit Church had the Sun Moon Empire backing it.
With timing, terrain, and people all in its favor, the Holy Spirit Church grew stronger by the day, like wildfire sweeping across the plains.
Seeing Lin Mo refuse, Xiao Xiao politely declined as well.
Tang Ya and Beibei exchanged a glance. Though disappointed, they did not press the matter.
Huo Yuhao never spoke. He merely lowered his head and gazed at the grilled fish in his hand. In his azure eyes, the faint glimmer of hope gradually faded away.
In the end, he silently tightened his grip on the grilled fish skewer.
Seeing the conversation suddenly turn cold, Beibei hurriedly changed the subject, bringing up the academy's departmental divisions and matters concerning core disciples. Only then did the atmosphere gradually warm again.
Dawn brought another bright, sunny morning.
All the freshmen who had passed the assessment gathered in Shrek Square, waiting for their upcoming class assignments.
Soon, Du Weilun arrived before the students with over a dozen teachers.
First, Du Weilun formally announced the top three teams in the elimination tournament once again. The reward for each member of those teams was a soul ring best suited to them, which the academy would help locate and obtain.
In addition, the championship team had a secret reward, which they would collect with Du Weilun after the class assignments were completed.
Next came the most important part: the core disciples.
"The quality of this year's freshmen surpasses that of previous years. The academy will grant special approval for some students to become outer courtyard core disciples. I will now announce the list of core disciples:"
"Lin Mo, Wang Dong'er, Xiao Xiao."
"Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, Ning Tian, Wu Feng, Lan Susu, Lan Luoluo, Zhou Sichen, Cao Jinxuan."
Huo Yuhao's name was not there.
After the list of core disciples came the list of provisional core disciples, but Huo Yuhao's name was still absent.
Huo Yuhao stood rooted to the spot. He stared at the figure announcing the names on the raised platform, his eyes gradually turning hollow, as though something had sucked his entire soul away.
He did not understand.
He had clearly worked so hard. From his very first day at the academy, he had been cultivating diligently.
When others slept, he cultivated.
When others rested, he cultivated.
When others played, he was still cultivating!
He had never dared slack off. Every day, he cultivated as though his life depended on it!!
After the freshman assessment began, he had given it his all, fighting alongside his companions, cutting through every obstacle in their path, and finally claiming the highest honor among the freshmen!
But... why?
Why wasn't his name on the core disciple list?
It wasn't even on the provisional core disciple list!!
Girls were always a little more sensitive. Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao immediately noticed that something was wrong with Huo Yuhao, both turning concerned gazes toward him.
As for Lin Mo...
Lin Mo silently swallowed.
Because he was standing right beside Huo Yuhao, he could feel the killing intent spilling from him most directly. And there were the darkening special effects surrounding him that only Lin Mo could see.
Drifting black feathers, flowing black blood, clattering chains...
The sight sent cold sweat pouring down Lin Mo's back.
Not good.
Really not good!
Lin Mo was just about to sneak a step sideways, hoping to keep a safe distance from this darkened protagonist on the verge of erupting.
But before he could lift his foot, Huo Yuhao seized his left hand.
He instinctively turned his head.
His gaze met Huo Yuhao's eyes, utterly devoid of highlights.
In that instant, goosebumps sprang up all over Lin Mo's body.
"It's all right."
The corners of Huo Yuhao's mouth suddenly curled up slightly. Turning his head, he whispered into Lin Mo's ear, his voice eerily gentle:
"Lin Mo, I still have you."
Lin Mo: "!!!"
No, no, no!!
You really don't!!
He desperately tried to pull his left hand free, only to discover that Huo Yuhao had tightened his grip, squeezing hard enough to make his hand hurt.
Oh, heavens!
Was it too late for him to drop out?
If the setting hadn't been so inappropriate, Lin Mo really would have wanted to drop to his knees before Huo Yuhao.
Falling in love with a yandere was a story.
But having a yandere fall in love with you was an accident!
And being hated by a yandere was torture that would grind you to dust!!
Most importantly, if Huo Yuhao were a girl, it wouldn't be impossible for him to lie back and enjoy it once resistance proved futile. His girlfriend would just be a little crazy and a little too possessive.
But Huo Yuhao was a fucking guy!!
Was he supposed to play bumper chickens with Huo Yuhao?
There was no way that was happening!!!