The Freshman Assembly
Even the one who used the skill was hurt by its backlash,so it was needless to say how terrible it was for Dai Huabin, the target of the attack.
The instant the Spirit Shock made contact with Dai Huabin, the soul power shell surrounding the attack clashed violently against the protective soul power that instinctively surrounded Dai Huabin's body.
Although the difference in their soul power levels was vast, Dai Huabin's current defense was merely instinctive; he hadn't used a soul skill to strengthen it.
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Shock had power equivalent to a two-to-three-thousand-year soul skill. Even though its greatest strength wasn't in breaking through soul power defenses, it was still far beyond what the instinctive defense of a Soul Elder specializing in frontal assault could withstand.
The Spiritual Shock pierced straight into Dai Huabin's mind. Since Dai Huabin had yet to even form a spiritual sea, he had no resistance at all. His eyes rolled back, and he fainted instantly.
Because of the damage to his brain, blood slowly seeped from his seven orifices. If not for his strong physique and excellent martial soul, this single attack might have left him brain-dead.
On the platform, Yan Shaozhe and Qian Duoduo, who had been observing Huo Yuhao closely, both noticed what had happened.
When the powerful shock occurred, Huo Yuhao's eyes had briefly flashed with a platinum glow,a sight that drew everyone's attention. The next moment, Dai Huabin fell to the ground unconscious.
"Excellent. Very good," Yan Shaozhe said with satisfaction from the spectator's platform. "That shouldn't be Huo Yuhao's soul skill. His first soul skill has already been recorded,it should be an insight-type ability."
As a Super Douluo, Yan Shaozhe only needed to sweep his gaze over the arena to roughly understand what had happened. People at his level could easily sense fluctuations in spiritual power.
He also realized that while Dai Huabin appeared to be in bad shape, the attack wasn't enough to damage a Soul Elder's foundation. Therefore, he didn't intervene or stop the match.
"It seems that he has created a self-made soul skill based on his martial soul, using his spiritual power as his strength. By gathering his spirit into a condensed strike that attacks an opponent's mind, it's already quite developed. For lower-level battles, this move will be nearly unbeatable."
After saying this, Yan Shaozhe gave Qian Duoduo a teasing look, as if to say: "Old Qian, don't even think about stealing him into your Soul Tool Department now. You almost fooled me earlier."
Having been rivals for decades, Qian Duoduo naturally understood the unspoken jab. His face twitched slightly, and with a cold snort, he flicked his sleeve and left.
Back in the arena, seeing Dai Huabin collapse, Zhu Lu,the Nether Cat, and Dai Huabin's martial soul partner,panicked and rushed forward to help him up.
But the supervising teacher quickly intervened, blocking her and taking Dai Huabin off the stage for treatment. After confirming there were no serious injuries, the teacher let the match continue.
Although Huo Yuhao had spent much of his mental energy to launch the attack, restraining Zhu Lu, who was only a Grandmaster-level spirit master, wasn't difficult for him.
Hidden weapons flew from his hands like a rainstorm, each one accurate as if guided by eyes.
Zhu Lu, agile as she was with the Nether Cat's speed, couldn't evade them. The barrage struck her continuously. Even with one of the best agility-type martial souls, she couldn't get close to Huo Yuhao.
Soon, Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao defeated Cui Yajie and came to assist Huo Yuhao. Together, they finished Zhu Lu off.
Though it sounded like a complex battle, it lasted only a few minutes. The highly anticipated final round of the freshman assessment ended anticlimactically, leaving the watching teachers with a sense of emptiness.
While the result indeed showed Wang Dong's team's strength, what the teachers had hoped for was a fierce clash, not a one-sided finish.
Everyone knew that the combination of Evil-Eyed White Tiger and Nether Cat represented a potential martial soul fusion. Otherwise, why would the two always fight together?
Even Dai Huabin's older brother, Dai Yaoheng,also an Evil-Eyed White Tiger,had no suitable partner among the Nether Cat family. Despite being engaged to a member of the Zhu family, they never cultivated together since their martial souls were incompatible.
But this pair, Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu, didn't even get the chance to display their family's signature martial soul,before being utterly defeated.
Director Du Weilun of the Martial Soul Department coughed lightly, then descended from the platform. "Excellent. Now, I officially announce the final champion of the freshman assessment tournament: Wang Dong, Huo Yuhao, and Xiao Xiao's team!"
"This concludes the freshman assessment. Tomorrow morning, we will hold the Freshman Assembly, award the top three teams, and announce class assignments. Everyone, go rest,you've earned it."
Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao cheered, raising their hands high.
"We won!"
"We're the champions!"
Huo Yuhao smiled and joined their celebration, hugging them both. Though he acted happy, it was mostly to fit his age and situation.
Their instructor, Zhou Yi, came over. Even though the results mainly depended on the students themselves, she still showed rare satisfaction and gave the trio a pleased smile.
Dai Huabin, now conscious after being treated by a healing-type spirit master, glared at Huo Yuhao and his teammates with cold hatred. In his heart, the championship was supposed to be his. He swore that next time, he wouldn't lose.
Huo Yuhao didn't care about the defeated boy's resentment. Knowing Dai Huabin's nature, he wouldn't do anything beyond petty provocations. And no matter what he tried, Huo Yuhao wouldn't be afraid,with the Iceworm Tianmeng and the hidden power of Electrolux on his side.
"Let's go back," Huo Yuhao said calmly.
"Yeah! I can't wait to tell Sister Xiaoya!" Wang Dong replied excitedly. "Oh right, let's have dinner together tonight to celebrate!"
"Sure," Huo Yuhao agreed.
Now that he had displayed his potential, Shrek Academy's upper management would take note of him. His next goal was to strengthen those ties and gain what he needed from them.
That night, the group celebrated joyfully. Persuaded by Tang Ya, even Xiao Xiao joined Tang Sect,but to Huo Yuhao, it didn't matter much. Though Tang Ya was the current sect master, she lacked both strength and talent to truly rebuild the sect.
Once his own power grew, Huo Yuhao planned to use Tang Sect for his own purposes,just as Shrek Academy had done a thousand years before.
The next morning, under bright sunshine, all freshmen who had passed the assessment gathered in Shrek Plaza.
Du Weilun and several teachers arrived, officially starting the Freshman Assembly.
With a smile, Du Weilun began announcing the top three teams and their rewards.
"Third place: Huang Chutian's team,Huang Chutian, Lan Susu, and Lan Luoluo, step forward."
"Second place: Dai Huabin's team,Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, and Cui Yajie, step forward."
"First place: Wang Dong's team,Wang Dong, Huo Yuhao, and Xiao Xiao, step forward."
Each group's expressions were different.
Huang Chutian's team was excited and proud.
Dai Huabin's team looked sour.
Huo Yuhao's team smiled calmly.
To Dai Huabin, those smiles were unbearable, as if they were mocking him.
As the champions stepped forward, applause and cheers filled the plaza,though few knew how much of it was sincere.
"Now, the rewards," Du Weilun announced. "Each member of the top three teams may, when in need of a new spirit ring, request assistance from the academy to obtain the most suitable one within their limit."
Gasps of amazement spread among the freshmen.
But to Huo Yuhao, this reward was unimpressive. It was little more than lip service; such assistance usually applied only to spirit beasts under ten thousand years.
Moreover, those from powerful families already had help acquiring optimal spirit rings. How many true commoners even made it to the top three?
After the murmurs died down, Du Weilun continued, "Given the champion team's exceptional performance and flawless record, the academy has decided to grant them an additional special reward. The details will be revealed after class assignments are complete."
After a round of ceremonial praise and congratulations, the event moved to its next stage.
"All right, everyone return to your teams. We'll now announce this year's core disciples."
Once the students regrouped, Du Weilun read the names aloud:
"The officially approved core disciples are: Wang Dong, Huo Yuhao, Xiao Xiao, Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, Zhou Sichen, Cao Jinxuan, Lan Susu, Lan Luoluo, Ning Tian, and Wu Feng."
"In addition, several students who displayed notable performance despite some weaknesses will temporarily enjoy core disciple privileges until the end of the academic year. If they make further progress, they'll be officially promoted. These are: Cui Yajie, Huang Chutian, Long Xiangyue, and Nanmen Yuner."
Huo Yuhao nodded slightly. This was exactly what he had aimed for,access to Shrek's core resources.
Unlike in the original timeline, the academy hadn't turned a blind eye to him. At least now, he held the status of a core disciple.
To be fair, the academy's earlier behavior had been foolish. The resources needed for one core student were negligible compared to Shrek's wealth. Denying such support to a proven champion was irrational.
But none of that mattered anymore. Huo Yuhao had no intention of wasting time studying outdated soul tool techniques from the Sun and Moon Empire's leftovers.
Even the resources from the Martial Soul Department alone were enough to help him through his early growth.
After the disciple announcements came the new class divisions:
Class One,Assault and Control types.
Class Two,Defense and Agility types.
Class Three,Support types.
Class Four,Food, Healing, and other special categories.
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