Chapter 94 Calm? Not Calm at All
The next day.
The finals of the freshman ranking tournament arrived as scheduled.
Facing the three so-called "daydreamers," who were fired up with the ambition of seizing the championship as dark horses, Lin Yun silently slipped his hand inside his robes under their gradually stiffening gazes and drew out his treasured partner, Qing'er.
Not wishing to reveal too many trump cards in front of Wang Dong, Lin Yun simply let Qing'er act. With just a single move, the final had ended before it even properly began.
That is the way with battles—if the difference in strength is not large, tactics and experience may overturn the odds. But when the gap is overwhelming, no amount of effort can change the result.
Unless the opponent trips over themselves first. (Isn't that right, Xuanz i, Grand Elder of the Holy Spirit Sect, who let a Soul King evil soul master slip through your fingers?)
At this stage, Qing'er was nearly unstoppable. Without soul tools permitted, the Ice Emperor's Wrath froze opponents with perfect certainty.
Thus, Huo Yuhao's black-horse journey came to an end, finalizing at runner-up.
The terrifying strength of Qing'er only made Huo Yuhao more eager for the second martial soul that Tianmeng Iceworm had promised him in the future—after all, Tianmeng had said it would be far stronger than Qing'er.
Next came the anticipated selection of Core Disciples.
Core Disciples: Lin Yun, Xiao Xiao, Wang Dong, Ning Tian, Wu Feng, Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, Zhou Sichen…
Core Disciple Experience Cards: Zheng Shaolong, Huo Yuhao, Nanmen Yuner, Cui Yajie, Lan Susu, Lan Luoluo…
As expected, Huo Yuhao was not chosen as a core disciple, only receiving an experience card.
He was not alone—Zheng Shaolong was also excluded from the core disciples, receiving only an eight-month experience card. Even Ning Tian's team, who had placed third, saw Nanmen Yuner receive nothing more than a core disciple experience card.
Perhaps because he had Zheng Shaolong and Nanmen Yuner as companions, Huo Yuhao, though disappointed and resentful that the academy had not given him a core disciple position, did not come close to blackening or breaking down as in the original timeline.
With the freshman assessment concluded, Lin Yun's champion team made their way together to the teaching director's office to claim their reward.
Du Weilen offered them a few words of encouragement before handing over a leather pouch that concealed fluctuations of soul power. Inside, as expected, was a soul bone. But unlike the original timeline's Bright Demon Leopard left leg bone, this was the left leg bone of a dragon-type soul beast.
A strong-attack type left leg bone. Its intended recipient was clear—it was a lure prepared by Yan Shaozhe to win Lin Yun's favor.
Lin Yun, of course, was not about to play magnanimous by passing it on to Zheng Shaolong. He had already carried him far enough for showing sense; Zheng Shaolong had brought him little true benefit, so why would he possibly hand over a soul bone?
The bone thus entered Lin Yun's possession without dispute.
Neither Xiao Xiao nor Zheng Shaolong objected.
Zheng Shaolong knew his place. Though he coveted a soul bone like anyone, he harbored no greed.
The wise know what can be taken and what must never be touched. Lin Yun had already treated him better than expected. To press further would be sheer folly courting death.
As for Xiao Xiao—
Not long ago, Lin Yun had already given Xiao Xiao a soul bone and a stalk of immortal herb. Just from those alone, the little loli still hadn't figured out how to repay him. If she were to take another soul bone, she might start thinking she had to wash herself clean and offer herself in return.
"Boss, after the class split, I won't be going to Class One. I'm an auxiliary-type soul master, so Class Three suits me better." Zheng Shaolong fell silent for a while before finally speaking to Lin Yun.
"You've decided?" Lin Yun turned his head, surprised.
He had thought Zheng Shaolong would choose to cling to him and enter Class One together. He didn't expect him to choose to leave.
"Being able to cling to you and win a spot in the champion team of the freshman assessment—I'm already satisfied. I can't always rely on you, Boss." Zheng Shaolong smiled, relieved, and bowed deeply to Lin Yun.
"But I'll remember your kindness. If there's ever a time you need me, I, Zheng Shaolong, will go through fire and water without hesitation!"
Zheng Shaolong departed.
Lin Yun and Xiao Xiao, however, were placed into Class One. With strong attack and control inseparable, the two of them sat again in the back row by the window. After the redistribution, Ning Tian came over to sit in front of Lin Yun, while Wu Feng sat in front of Xiao Xiao.
Lin Yun wasn't stupid. Ning Tian's intentions were obvious.
But Ning Tian was not the same as Xiao Xiao. At most, Xiao Xiao only had a modest family behind her. Ning Tian, however, carried the backing of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, a clan with ten thousand years of heritage.
Could one expect the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to betray humanity and side with soul beasts?
Impossible.
There was already a chasm of irreconcilable positions between them.
If Lin Yun were alone, he wouldn't mind accepting Ning Tian, this little rich girl. But as the Soul Beast Lord, he could not stoop to using a girl's feelings like Tang San had.
So, no matter how Ning Tian tried to get closer, Lin Yun only responded with polite smiles, always keeping a careful distance.
One small incident occurred after the class division.
When voting for class monitors, under the strong attack category, Lin Yun's name received nearly ninety percent of Class One's votes. Second place was Wang Dong, and third was Dai Huabin.
Seeing this, Lin Yun decisively passed the strong attack monitor position to Wang Dong, raising Dai Huabin's hatred for Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao another notch.
'I really am such a good person!'
After the freshman assessment, life settled into a calm routine.
At least, for Lin Yun it was calm. For some, it was anything but.
Class One's homeroom teachers, Mu Jin and Wang Yan, were both gentle in temperament. As long as nothing too severe happened, conflicts among students were tolerated—fitting Shrek's ridiculous motto of "Those who don't dare cause trouble are mediocrities."
Dai Huabin's hatred toward Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong had reached its peak.
Huo Yuhao had made him into the so-called Proud Hero. Wang Dong had humiliated him. Together, the two had turned him into a laughingstock among the freshmen. For someone as arrogant as Dai Huabin, how could he endure it?
Not only did he harass them openly every day, he was also plotting in the shadows.
One thing was certain—Dai Huabin now wanted Huo Yuhao dead. If this weren't Shrek, for that one-egg hatred, Dai Huabin would already have hired a few Soul Sages to kill him.
(End of Chapter)
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