At the most critical moment, the sound of something tearing through the air suddenly rang out. Zhao Wuji stood like an iron tower before Tang San, his Martial Soul possessing him in an instant. Seven Soul Rings slowly rose, shielding the youth behind him;
Meanwhile, the old man wearing round glasses strode swiftly forward and closed his fingers, as withered as an eagle's talons, precisely around the wrist of Huo Yuhao's hammer-wielding hand. The small black-iron hammer vanished. The air gave an ear-piercing hum as two powerful forces of Soul Power clashed.
"Young friend, weren't your methods a little too ruthless?" The old man's gaze was as sharp as a hawk's behind his lenses.
Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow and sneered, his Soul Power surging wildly as he tried to break free. "Another one? Are you an examiner too? That Teacher Zhao said that as long as they could defeat me, they could all stay at the academy.
"Since they dared to stand against me as my opponents, they had to be prepared to pay the price-Shrek Academy only recruits monsters, and this is how monsters fight, isn't it?"
He deliberately stressed the word "monsters," a provocative gleam in his eyes.
"What a sharp-tongued brat!" The old man suddenly burst out laughing, the light of seven Soul Rings rising around him. "Yes, looking at you, you really are an unruly monster!
"I am Flender, the dean. With your strength, you could be counted among the finest of the younger generation." The old man's gaze was as sharp as a hawk's behind his lenses, and the seven Soul Rings circling him shone with a heart-stopping light. "But unfortunately, you don't qualify."
Huo Yuhao naturally knew who the old man standing in his way was: Flender, the Four-Eyed Cat Owl. At this point, he should only have had the strength of a level seventy-eight Soul Saint. As for how Huo Yuhao knew him?
Between the statues displayed at Shrek Academy and the introductions in the enrollment guide, the first-generation team had practically had their accounts laid bare. Besides, he had gone in and out of the academy time and again, and he wasn't blind.
With Flender's intervention, Tang San narrowly escaped the fatal blow and collapsed to the ground like a fallen leaf. Xiao Wu helped him up, her eyes red-rimmed and her pink eyes blazing with rage. "Brother, I'm sorry. Xiao Wu was useless and couldn't avenge you. But don't worry. Even if I can't do it now, someday I'll make that guy pay!"
She glared at Huo Yuhao with hatred, then gradually vanished into the twilight, supporting Tang San as they went.
Flender waved Dai Mubai and the others away. Before leaving, Dai Mubai's White Tiger Martial Soul suddenly surged with power. "Huo Lai! I, Dai Mubai, will remember today's humiliation! The next time we meet, I'll make you pay it back twice over!"
Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing exchanged a glance, both looking uncertain and alarmed. Someone who could confront a level seventy-eight Soul Saint without falling behind was far stronger than they could have imagined.
Standing in the shadows, they fixed their gazes on the upright figure beneath the black robe. After a few more looks, they too left.
Flender pushed up his round glasses, studying the black-robed youth before him with a hawk-like gaze as seven Soul Rings flickered in and out of sight behind him. "From beginning to end, you never had any genuine intention of joining Shrek Academy."
"Your way of doing things runs completely counter to Shrek Academy's educational philosophy. We recruit gifted monsters, not a monster who delights in killing. Now, I'm giving you a chance to leave with dignity."
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao's lips curved in a meaningful smile, golden light flowing in his eyes. "Dean Flender, your words remind me of some interesting things. The way you hurried to stop the fight just now, and your choice of words when you mentioned your educational philosophy..."
He paused, his gaze blazing. "Most importantly, when I mentioned Yu Xiaogang, there was a flash of emotion in your eyes as you watched our fight from nearby. Your expression was like that of someone looking at an acquaintance-if you weren't close friends, why would you have shown such an instinctive reaction? I presume you know Yu Xiaogang. You watched the battle at first, and only intervened when you couldn't bear to see his disciple in danger. Am I right?"
Flender froze for a moment, then burst out laughing, his laughter shaking dead leaves from the branches. "What a perceptive brat! That's right, Yu Xiaogang has been a close friend of mine for many years. But so what?" His Soul Power suddenly surged, and the oppressive pressure of his Four-Eyed Cat Owl Martial Soul spread out as though it were solid. "Here at Shrek, I am the rules. What I say goes! If I say you don't qualify, you'll never set foot through these doors!"
Huo Yuhao lightly swept his robe, the black silk rolling like waves in the evening breeze. Standing tall and straight, he wore a faint, careless smile. "The green mountains never change, and the clear waters flow forever. Since your academy cannot tolerate me, we shall part ways here." Before his words had faded, he had already turned and strode away, the hem of his black robe sweeping over the dust and debris on the ground, leaving a proud and resolute silhouette.
The moment he turned, Huo Yuhao reflected that by teaching Tang San and the others a lesson, he had both vented the emotions pent up from his previous life and tested the strength of the powerful figures from ten thousand years ago. His purpose had been achieved. Moreover, the unrest in his Time Sea of Consciousness was growing stronger, and he could clearly sense that he did not have much time left in this spacetime.
Once the figure had vanished completely into the twilight, Flender pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, his gaze still fixed on the direction Huo Yuhao had gone.
Flender unconsciously stroked his chin and let out a low sigh. "What a frightening boy. He knows when to bend and when to stand firm, and he left the moment he said he would, without the slightest hesitation. He really doesn't seem like a boy of eleven or twelve..."
In the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's council hall, a covert guard knelt on one knee, his back ramrod straight, and reported in a lowered voice, "Sect master, the young lady has passed Shrek Academy's examination."
Ning Fengzhi tapped his fingertips lightly on the armrest of his green jade chair. His gentle voice carried the composure of one in command. "That's good. A young eagle must leave the nest to gain experience sooner or later."
"Sect master, hidden dragons and crouching tigers abound in Shrek Academy, with Soul Saints and Soul Emperors holding the fort. Our investigation could not penetrate very deeply, but some information still leaked out."
Cold sweat beaded on the covert guard's forehead. "This disciple only learned that a mysterious youth swept through all the examinees single-handedly during the examination. The young lady and the other examinees all lost to him, and it nearly cost someone their life..."
Ning Fengzhi raised his eyes toward the swaying light of the Glazed Lamps outside the hall, interest stirring in his gaze. "But to face so many alone, and even send those youngsters selected as 'monsters' back with broken wings... this boy is interesting."
The moment Huo Yuhao stepped out of Shrek Academy, a chill suddenly ran down his spine.
He keenly activated his Spirit Eyes and swept his gaze over the shadows around him. A faint, elusive presence clung to him like a disease gnawing at the bone-it carried a heart-stopping pressure that only a powerhouse at the Titled Douluo level could possess. Without betraying any sign, he circulated his profound technique, and his presence dissipated like a thin mist melting into the air.
With a light tap of his toes, Huo Yuhao became a blur and darted deep into the dense forest. His seemingly casual twists and turns concealed intricate spatial paths. After the presence behind him detected that he had disappeared, the powerful pressure vanished as well.
He looked back at the empty forest, his lips curving in contempt. Even a Titled Douluo would be wasting their time trying to track him in the Star Dou Great Forest.
Finding a hidden cave with stalactites hanging from its ceiling, Huo Yuhao moved his fingers, and pale golden light spread out like a spiderweb. As an obscure incantation sounded, an invisible barrier enveloped the entire cave, completely sealing off the presences inside from those outside.
Huo Yuhao's figure also vanished from the cave, leaving only boundless darkness and the occasional roar of a Soul Beast. This was Huo Yuhao's trick to fool the eye. He had gone to considerable trouble to keep anyone from discovering him, and the place was now extremely well concealed. He sat cross-legged at the bottom of the cave, took a deep breath, and sank his consciousness into his Sea of Consciousness.
The mysterious great bell slowly rotated in the depths of his consciousness. With every hum, his figure grew more insubstantial, and white light slowly gathered around him once more in the Time Sea of Consciousness.
Suddenly, the laws of spacetime twisted violently around him. As heaven and earth spun, Huo Yuhao's figure dissolved like a shattered mirror. When the last trace of light vanished from the cave, no trace of his existence remained in this spacetime.