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"Second place goes to the Dai Huabing team. Team members include Dai Huabing, Zhu Lu, and Cui Yajie. Please step forward."
Applause erupted once again, but as the three stepped out, there was no trace of excitement or joy on their faces. Cui Yajie still appeared pale and weak from her mental trauma, while Dai Huabing's expression remained tense, his head slightly lowered, seemingly preoccupied with his thoughts.
It seemed that news of the finals had already reached his family, who were evidently disappointed in him.
Though he had lost in the original storyline as well, at least back then he had managed to unleash a Spirit Fusion Technique, falling only to the overwhelming might of the Hao Dong Spirit Fusion Technique, which even the academy teachers marveled at.
But this time? From the very beginning of the match, Yuwen Tuo had completely shut down their ability to even activate their Spirit Fusion Technique. Throughout the entire fight, they hadn't landed a single effective counterattack. Calling it a crushing defeat would be an understatement.
If this were the Dai family from ten thousand years ago, Dai Huabing would have been in serious trouble. Clearly, he blamed Yuwen Tuo for this outcome.
But Yuwen Tuo paid no mind to his grievances. He had no intention of joining the White Tiger Dai family anyway.
At this moment, Yan Shaozhe raised his voice slightly. "Now, let us welcome with thunderous applause the ultimate champions of this year's freshmen assessment—the Yuwen Tuo team! Team members: Yuwen Tuo, Lian Yue, and Xiao Xiao!"
Amidst the cheers and applause of the first-year students, the three quickly stepped forward.
Though Yuwen Tuo disliked Shrek Academy, he remembered one thing clearly: the champion's reward was a Soul Bone.
Such a valuable prize wasn't something to turn down. It wasn't stolen, swindled, or obtained through deceit—it was earned through sheer strength. Why reject it out of false modesty?
He might not absorb it himself, but giving it to Xiao Xiao wouldn't be a problem.
The top three teams all received rewards from the academy—a guarantee of hunting a soul beast with the maximum possible years for their next soul ring.
For example, Xiao Xiao, who was currently in her twenties, would normally face a limit of around 1,700 years when she reached Rank 30. The academy promised to help her hunt a soul beast nearing that age. For most, this was a decent reward.
However, it meant nothing to Yuwen Tuo. His unique circumstances ensured that all his soul rings far exceeded conventional limits.
In this era, exceeding standard soul ring limits was no longer as rare as it once was. Many leaders of major factions possessed soul rings that deviated from the norm.
For someone like Dai Huabbing, this reward also held little significance. Given his background, obtaining a high-quality fourth soul ring shouldn't be difficult. The upper limit of around 5,000 years was hardly a stretch for his family.
Only the champion team stood apart. In addition to the guaranteed soul ring, they also received a special prize, though the academy didn't publicly announce its nature.
After all, Soul Bones could be forcibly taken. The fewer people who knew about it, the better.
The academy simply instructed Yuwen Tuo and his teammates to visit the principal's office later to claim their special prize.
No student objected to Yuwen Tuo's team receiving additional rewards. After all, his strength was undeniable—he had defeated teams led by the powerful Evil Phantom Moon, Ning Tian, and Dai Huabing, all of whom were Rank 30+ Soul Masters. All three top Soul Masters among the freshmen had fallen to him. There was no doubt that their championship was earned without any tricks or shortcuts. Additional rewards were well-deserved.
Yuwen Tuo was now undeniably the strongest among the freshmen. Though his level placed him in the middle tier, his combat prowess was unmatched.
Yan Shaozhe continued, "This year's batch of freshmen has surpassed previous generations in quality. I hope you continue to work hard. The path of cultivation rewards diligence; the greater your talent, the more regrettable it is if it's wasted. Those who fail deserve their fate. As the number one soul master academy on the continent, I sincerely hope you all graduate successfully. In light of the outstanding performances during this year's freshmen tournament, the academy has specially approved certain students to become core disciples of the outer court. Now, I will announce the list."
The atmosphere in Shrek Square grew so silent that a pin drop could be heard. While the rewards for the top three teams were out of reach for most, becoming a core disciple wasn't limited to just those teams! Any freshman who performed exceptionally during the tournament had a chance to earn this status. With their future and personal interests at stake, the students listened intently, terrified of missing their names.
"Based on the freshmen's performance during the assessment, the academy recognizes the following core disciples: Yuwen Tuo, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, Dai Huabing, Zhu Lu, Zhou Sichen, Cao Jinxuan, Lan Susu, Lan Luo, Ning Tian, Wu Feng."
Those whose names were called—aside from Yuwen Tuo and Xiao Xiao—were overjoyed. Those who weren't mentioned sighed in disappointment.
Huo Yuhao felt a deep sense of frustration. He had anticipated this outcome. His team had been eliminated early, and with his measly Rank 15 and a first soul ring that appeared white on the surface, how could the academy possibly take notice of him?
"Yuhao, are you alright?" Wang Dong whispered.
Huo Yuhao shook his head lightly, forcing a smile. "I'm fine. I truly don't qualify to be a core disciple. After all, I'm just a one-ring soul master."
Wang Dong protested, "No, that's not true! They don't know how powerful your soul skills are…"
Seeing Ho Yuhao's dejected state, Wang Dong couldn't help but feel frustrated himself. He glared at Yuwen Tuo, standing proudly at the front as the champion. If it weren't for him, this position would have been Ho Yuhao's, and he wouldn't feel so disheartened.
After the core disciple nominations were finalized, the next order of business was class assignments. The first-year students were divided into four classes:
- *Class One*: Focused on offense and control.
- *Class Two*: Specialized in defense and agility.
- *Class Three*: Dedicated to auxiliary soul masters.
- *Class Four*: Included various other specialized battle and tool-based soul masters, such as food-system users.
Naturally, the strongest students were assigned to Class One, where both Yuwen Tuo and Xiao Xiao were placed. Lian Yue, however, was assigned to Class Three, splitting up the trio.
Cao Jinxuan joined their group instead, being a control-type soul master.
After the class assignments were finalized, Yuwen Tuo, Xiao Xiao, and Lian Yue followed Yan Shaozhe to the principal's office as instructed.
"This tournament, the three of you performed exceptionally well. This year's batch of freshmen possesses potential far beyond previous generations. Rising above them makes you truly outstanding. Here is the academy's prize for your championship victory. There's only one, so you'll need to decide how to allocate it among yourselves." Without further ado, Yan Shaozhe handed them a small brown pouch.
Knowing that Yuwen Tuo harbored resentment toward Yan Shaozhe, Xiao Xiao took it upon herself to act as team leader and stepped forward to accept the reward. "Thank you, Principal!" she said graciously.
Yan Shaozhe nodded. "Mm. Train hard. You may leave now."
As the three turned to leave, Yuwen Tuo glanced at Yan Shaozhe out of the corner of his eye. According to his plans, he would leave Shrek Academy within a year—but within eight months, he needed to make a trip outside. Having fulfilled his agreement with Ling Luochen, the next step was to use the leverage he held to negotiate a deal with Yan Shaozhe.