Immediately after, Dai Huabin from Class 2 stepped forward.
Upon seeing him, Yan Shaozhe, who had arrived late, narrowed his eyes slightly and said to Du Weilun beside him, "Is this the owner of the White Tiger martial spirit?"
Du Weilun nodded and replied, "Dai Huabin's current soul power level has reached level 36. His talent is even greater than that of his brother. At his current rate of cultivation, he is likely to break through to level 40 within two years."
Yan Shaozhe shook his head, his tone carrying a deeper meaning. "Sometimes, talent alone doesn't mean much. If one strays from the right path, no matter how high the talent, it will be useless to us. Besides, his talent is far inferior to Yuhao's."
Du Weilun looked slightly puzzled. "Dean, what are you talking about? As for Yuhao's talent, no one else can match it, right?"
Seeing Du Weilun's confusion, Yan Shaozhe smiled faintly. "You'll find out later."
The same thousand-year soul beast that Dai Huabin had chosen coincidentally turned out to be of his own kind—a Wind Tiger.
From start to finish, the battle was over in a single encounter. Dai Huabin used sheer force to cleave the Wind Tiger's body in half, turning it into a purple soul ring. When he stood up, he was drenched in the Wind Tiger's blood and internal organs, appearing as a blood-soaked figure.
The sight was gruesome. While Class 1 remained composed, most of the students in Class 2 turned pale, and some of the female students even retched.
Only Zhu Lu's eyes sparkled with admiration. She adored Dai Huabin's strength. In her eyes, this was the man she admired most! After nearly a year of silence, the confident, arrogant young man in her mind seemed to be announcing his return!
"Dai Huabin, what are you doing? Didn't you hear me tell you to stop?" Du Weilun's angry voice rang out.
The death of a thousand-year soul beast was a significant loss. Capturing and taming such a soul beast was no easy feat, and the Beast King, Gong Changlong, was not someone to be trifled with.
Dai Huabin replied calmly, "The battle between a soul master and a soul beast is a matter of life and death. It wanted to kill me, so why couldn't I kill it? As for the academy's loss, I am willing to compensate accordingly."
Du Weilun frowned, beginning to understand what Yan Shaozhe had meant.
Although Dai Huabin was powerful, his temperament was too fierce. Moreover, he was a troublemaker. As his strength grew, his unruly nature would only become more pronounced, which was not conducive to the academy's cultivation of its students.
However, Du Weilun didn't think it was a big deal. Shrek Academy had dealt with students more unruly than Dai Huabin before. In fact, the academy prided itself on cultivating extraordinary students. It wasn't afraid of students with strong personalities; it was afraid of students with no ability.
Du Weilun turned to look at Yan Shaozhe, who nodded slightly and whispered something to him.
Du Weilun then sat down and said in a deep voice, "Dai Huabin, choose a thousand-year soul beast for the upgrade assessment. The base score is 100, and the combat skill score is 40. If you pass the upgrade assessment, you must compensate the academy for the loss caused by killing the soul beast within ten days. Otherwise, the academy will revoke your status as a core disciple."
"Understood," Dai Huabin replied without further argument. When he heard that he had scored 140 points, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. This was a strong result, close to a perfect score!
After bowing slightly in salute, Dai Huabin strode back to his class. As he passed by, he glanced at Huo Yuhao, who stood at the front of Class 1.
'So what if you scored a perfect 150? The gap between us is shrinking!'
But what Dai Huabin didn't know was that some people achieved perfect scores because their strength was limited to that level. Others achieved perfect scores because the test's upper limit was only that high. Moreover, Huo Yuhao hadn't just chosen a thousand-year soul beast this time!
Returning to Class 1, it was now Huo Yuhao's turn.
"I want to challenge the ten-thousand-year soul beast," Huo Yuhao declared calmly, his voice not loud but carrying an undeniable weight that stunned everyone present.
"A ten-thousand-year soul beast?!" The crowd erupted in shock, except for Yan Shaozhe.
Even Wang Dong'er was taken aback. 'Wait, isn't the test restricted to soul beasts between one hundred and one thousand years? Can you even do that?'
The other students' expressions shifted dramatically.
'Huo Yuhao, are you crazy and so bold?'
They had thought Dai Huabin's direct confrontation with the thousand-year soul beast was already audacious, but now Huo Yuhao was taking it to another level!
And the one making such a bold declaration was Huo Yuhao, who was usually so humble and gentle!
All the assessment teachers, including Du Weilun, were equally shocked.
'This is a second-year student?'
Not even in the promotion assessments from fifth to sixth grade had anyone ever challenged a ten-thousand-year soul beast.
Once a soul beast reached the ten-thousand-year level, it underwent a qualitative transformation. Generally, only Soul Emperors could defeat such beasts in a duel, and even then, only those whose cultivation had just surpassed the ten-thousand-year mark.
Although Huo Yuhao was powerful, could he really bridge such a vast gap in cultivation?
At this moment, everyone began to recall Huo Yuhao's past achievements.
Nearly a year ago, he had defeated Zhou Yi, a Soul Emperor, while only being a Soul Elder himself. After such a long time, perhaps challenging a ten-thousand-year soul beast wasn't so far-fetched.
"Can he really choose a ten-thousand-year soul beast just like that?"
Several figures emerged from the side door of the Beast Dueling Arena's beast ring. The one who spoke was an old man at the front, with a face as rugged as a date, a tall figure, and a head of striking red hair.
This red-haired old man was Gong Changlong, the person in charge of the Colosseum. He held a transcendent status at Shrek Academy and had an in-depth understanding of soul beasts. Even Du Weilun had to show him respect.
"Let him choose!" Yan Shaozhe interjected at this moment.
Simultaneously, Du Weilun floated down from the high platform and approached the old man, explaining in a low voice, "Mr. Gong, Dean Yan wants Yuhao to face the Silverbrave Beast, the one Elder Xuan brought back last time."
"What? A twelve-year-old boy dealing with a ten-thousand-year soul beast? Which kid is this? This is nonsense!" Gong Changlong, known for his fiery temper, immediately began to rant.
Du Weilun smiled wryly and explained, "It's Huo Yuhao. As a student with both inner and outer court identities, Shrek naturally has to treat him specially."
"Huo Yuhao?" Gong Changlong suddenly realized and said angrily, "It's him? With such strength, why hasn't he entered the inner courtyard yet? Why is he still in the second grade?"
"Old Gong, this is Elder Mu En's intention..." Yan Shaozhe's voice transmitted through soul power echoed in Gong Changlong's ears.
Hearing this, Gong Changlong didn't press further and nodded in understanding.
He was a straightforward man and patted Du Weilun on the shoulder. "Alright, Xiao Du, you can continue presiding over the assessment. I'll take my leave now. I'll make arrangements for the Silverbeast Beast immediately."
Before leaving, Gong Changlong added solemnly, "However, Xiao Du, you must remind Yuhao to be careful. The death of a thousand-year Wind Tiger is one thing, but this Silverbrave Beast is a rare species that was once on the verge of extinction. It's also twenty thousand years old. Don't let it get damaged!"
"I understand," Du Weilun nodded.
This was a subtle warning. Du Weilun also realized that one of the reasons Gong Changlong had appeared at this moment was likely due to the death of the Wind Tiger.
…
With the stage set, everything was ready.
"Yuhao, are you prepared?" Du Weilun asked.
For safety reasons, he was now acting as the assessment supervisor. Of course, it was more for the Silverbrave Beast's safety than Huo Yuhao's.
Huo Yuhao nodded slightly.
Du Weilun made a gesture and reminded Huo Yuhao once more, "Be careful. If you find yourself outmatched, prioritize your safety."
"Thank you for the reminder, Director Du," Huo Yuhao replied calmly.
He had already defeated older, mutated Silverbrave Beasts, let alone this twenty-thousand-year-old one.
At this moment, Huo Yuhao was the center of attention. Just like his battle with Zhou Yi, this fight had captured everyone's interest.
But soul beasts were different from soul masters. Facing such a ferocious ten-thousand-year soul beast, could Huo Yuhao still achieve the impossible and maintain the miracles he had accomplished since entering the academy?
The Silverbrave Beast emerged from its cage with a thunderous roar, and the pressure of a twenty-thousand-year soul beast filled the arena.
The students of Class 1 held their ground, having undergone Huo Yuhao's rigorous training.
However, the students of Class 2, who hadn't received such training, turned pale, their faces filled with terror. Some even instinctively released their martial souls, assuming defensive stances.
'Is this the power of a ten-thousand-year soul beast? Just its aura is this terrifying!'
And they were only on the outskirts of the Colosseum, not the main targets.
When they regained their composure, they searched for Huo Yuhao. To their astonishment, he was already standing high in the air.
Yellow, purple, purple, and black—the four soul rings rhythmically pulsed behind him.
The crowd was stunned into silence.
The fourth black ring was deep and mysterious, complementing Huo Yuhao's purple-gold eyes, which exuded an air of nobility. The figure in white stood in the sky, looking down at the Silverbrave Beast like a God passing judgment.
'A young Soul Ancestor!'
Some exchanged glances, speechless for a long time.
No wonder Huo Yuhao had the confidence to challenge a ten-thousand-year soul beast! He had already broken through to the Soul Ancestor level and even absorbed a ten-thousand-year soul ring as his fourth!
Xiao Xiao covered her mouth in shock. "Dong'er, did you know Huo Yuhao had broken through to the Soul Ancestor level?"
"I knew Yuhao was acquiring his fourth soul ring during this vacation, but I didn't expect it to be a ten-thousand-year one," Wang Dong'er replied.
"With Huo Yuhao's talent, I wouldn't be surprised by any miracle he achieves," Xiao Xiao said matter-of-factly.
"That's true," Wang Dong'er agreed. She had been stuck in a fixed mindset. The best soul ring ratio? That only applied to ordinary geniuses.
With Huo Yuhao's physical fitness and immense mental power, absorbing a ten-thousand-year soul ring at the fourth ring wasn't far-fetched. If the Sea God could do it thousands of years ago, why couldn't Huo Yuhao?
In Class 1, Wu Feng's emotions were complex.
Over the past year, as Huo Yuhao's classmate, she had naturally interacted with him.
To prevent Huo Yuhao from getting too close to the young master, Wu Feng had repeatedly challenged him, only to be defeated time and again.
The gap between them had grown so wide that she couldn't even pass the test set by Huo Yuhao's "follower," Wang Dong'er.
Fortunately, Ning Tian's emotional advances toward Huo Yuhao had been completely ineffective.
After an entire semester, Ning Tian still hadn't succeeded in engraving a Level 1 core array. As a result, she had decided to give up on the soul guidance department after the second grade began.
After all, she wasn't particularly talented in soul tools. With the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's resources, they didn't need her to be a soul engineer—they just needed her to be proficient in using various soul guidance devices.
This was good news for Wu Feng, as it meant she could spend more time with the young master.
'Should I thank Huo Yuhao for giving me this opportunity?' Now, as she watched Huo Yuhao standing proudly in the sky, Wu Feng's thoughts were in turmoil.
Meanwhile, Dai Huabin's pride was shattered. His confident eyes turned dull, and he muttered, "How is this possible? This can't be..."
It was clear that his soul power had once been higher than Huo Yuhao's, but now even that last shred of superiority had been completely overtaken...
Thinking back to his earlier provocations, he felt like a clown, utterly ridiculous.
…
[Achievement Triggered!]
[Achievement: Wu Feng's "The Sky Clears, the Rain Stops, and the Witchcraft Can Begin Again" unlocked. Rewards: Decent.]
[Decent: Level 2 Gu worm, Time Dao. Can attack and defend, reverting the opponent's soul skills to their state before activation.]
[Evaluation: If you want to live a decent life...]
In mid-air, Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow.
'Has Wu Feng finally given up in the face of such an overwhelming gap in strength?' He had told her countless times that he had no interest in Ning Tian.
The Silverbrave Beast looked up at Huo Yuhao in the sky, momentarily unsure of what to do.
Previously bound by a soul tool, it had no soul beast partner to imprint on. Now, as it attempted to replicate Huo Yuhao's soul skill of standing in the sky, it was shocked to find that it couldn't!
Seeing the Silverbrave Beast's confusion, Huo Yuhao smiled faintly.
His ability to stand in the sky was due to the upgraded passive soul skill of his third soul ring, Teleportation. As his soul power and the age of his soul rings increased, this passive skill became increasingly useful. Now, he could even use Spatial Control to create a temporary zone where teleportation was prohibited.
'It's time to end this boring battle.'
As his fourth soul ring lit up, the shadow of an Evil Fire Phoenix materialized behind Huo Yuhao.
"Spiritual Engraving—Phoenix Meteor Shower!"
The Silverbrave Beast tried to replicate the skill again but failed. It couldn't imprint the spirit released by Huo Yuhao!
As the meteor shower descended, Du Weilun swiftly rescued the trembling Silverbrave Beast.
"Challenge successful!"
…
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