On the viewing stands, the homeroom teacher of Class Eight frowned when he saw his class's seed team surrender outright. His expression was unpleasant, but in his heart, he couldn't entirely blame them.
Yu Tianhuang's strength far exceeded the level of freshmen.
His team's overall ability was about the same as Wang Dong's from Class One, who had been crushed in the morning. Forcing his students to fight on would only hurt their confidence.
After a moment of thought, he shook his head helplessly and sincerely congratulated Mu Jin beside him.
"Teacher Mu, you've truly raised an outstanding student this time. It seems the championship of this year's freshman assessment is already clear."
"It's Yu Tianhuang's own talent that's exceptional—it has little to do with me." Mu Jin smiled politely, her tone courteous.
"In any case, we'll see how they perform. Nothing is certain yet."
Among Shrek Academy's outer court teachers, Mu Jin always had good relations. Only when facing Zhou Yi did she clash strongly.
Still, despite her words, she placed great hope in Xu Zihuang and his group.
—
At the edge of the assessment grounds, the three Class Eight students who had surrendered showed no frustration at all. Instead, they grinned and quickly struck up a friendly rapport with Xu Zihuang.
After all, to be recommended by the city lord of a main city and enter Shrek Academy, most students had some kind of background. Raised in elite environments, they were far more mature than common-born peers.
They weren't stupid. With Yu Tianhuang's talent, befriending him could only benefit their own futures.
Exchanging polite nods with them, Xu Zihuang turned and left the field with Tuoba Yu and Nanmen Yun'er.
That afternoon's matches were the round of thirty-two, so with this easy win, they had directly advanced into the top sixteen.
Because the Class Eight team had surrendered, even the upperclassmen who had come mainly to watch Xu Zihuang lost interest and dispersed.
Though they had noticed the three purple millennium rings glowing around him, without witnessing another crushing victory like in the morning, they were a little disappointed.
Still, from today on, Xu Zihuang's name was sure to echo throughout the entire outer court.
Even Shrek's so-called Twin Stars, Beibei and Xu Sanshi, could not compare with such talent.
Leaving the assessment grounds through a quieter path, the three seemed almost relaxed compared to the tense atmosphere of the tournament.
"In fact, I thought you wouldn't make it back in time," Tuoba Yu said lazily, hands clasped behind his head.
"But I have to admit, winning by default feels pretty nice."
"I think you and Yun'er should show off your strength a bit more in the next matches. After the freshman assessment, the selection of core disciples mainly depends on individual strength and potential," Xu Zihuang reminded them with a smile. Then, frowning as he glanced toward the medical ward, he added:
"I've got something to take care of. I'll go on ahead."
Among their trio, Xu Zihuang and Tuoba Yu were closer as roommates. Nanmen Yun'er was gentle, but not talkative with those she wasn't close to.
After days of assessment without any truly threatening opponents, they hadn't exactly formed a bond through hardship. For Tuoba Yu and Nanmen Yun'er, she was just a classmate and teammate they'd grown familiar with.
Without Xu Zihuang around, the atmosphere between them quickly grew awkward.
Walking together through Shrek Plaza felt unbearable until they hurriedly split at the dormitory crossroads.
Tuoba Yu was the classic shy braggart—always gossiping with Xu Zihuang in the dorm about pretty new students or senior sisters, but when faced with girls in person, he could hardly get a word out.
—
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao, who had fainted in the morning match due to backlash from Xu Zihuang's soul skill, finally regained consciousness.
Xu Zihuang had treated Huo Yuhao differently than that Fear Demon Dragon.
The moment Huo Yuhao collapsed from backlash, Xu Zihuang had withdrawn his spiritual power deliberately. Otherwise, with Huo Yuhao's meager cultivation and weak spiritual foundation, the outcome would've been worse than the dragon's.
If not his head exploding on the spot, then death was still ninety-nine percent certain.
Xu Zihuang couldn't kill someone openly in Shrek Academy, nor did he want to ruin the image he had worked so carefully to build.
So when he happened to spot Beibei, Tang Ya, and the unconscious Huo Yuhao through the infirmary window, he decided to stop by and check in.
Tang Ya had gone to fetch a healing teacher.
Huo Yuhao, now awake, leaned weakly against the bed and quietly asked Beibei beside him:
"Senior Brother, can you tell me what happened after I fainted? We must have lost, right…"
Though he had blacked out, he clearly remembered the three purple millennium rings that had appeared around Xu Zihuang.
Millennium rings—so distant and unreachable for him. With only rank one innate soul power at awakening, the path to reaching the Soul Elder realm, where millennium rings could be absorbed, was impossibly long. He might never even cross the bottleneck at rank thirty.
His heart sank, but he didn't feel crushed. He had already realized, ever since meeting Wang Dong, that people's talents could not all be judged the same.
And waking up to see Tang Ya and Beibei at his side reassured him—someone still cared for him.
Seeing Huo Yuhao no longer as withdrawn and stubborn as before, Beibei gently ruffled his hair with relief.
"Tianhuang's talent is one that Shrek Academy has rarely seen in thousands of years. Yuhao, don't put too much pressure on yourself."
"I understand, Senior Brother."
In fact, Huo Yuhao had a good impression of Yu Tianhuang. Despite his amazing talent, he showed no arrogance. He had also heard from Beibei that it was Yu Tianhuang who carried him back to the dorm after he fainted. Even the precious Fear Demon Dragon soul ring he had obtained was thanks to Yu Tianhuang.
"Then let me give you a bit of advice." Beibei smiled.
"Yuhao, why not take Tianhuang as your goal? Just keep chasing after his footsteps. Even if one day you realize the gap between you only grows wider, when you look back, you'll see that you've still pulled far ahead of your peers."
With that, Beibei took out a jade bottle from his soul tool and pressed it into Huo Yuhao's hand. Inside was a deep-blue pill—the priceless Xuan Shui Dan.
To Beibei, Yuhao was still a part of the Tang Sect. In the end, he had decided to get him a Xuan Shui Dan. The Spirit Eyes martial soul had great potential. Poor talent could be supplemented with medicinal help. Beibei didn't expect Yuhao to reach lofty heights, but if he could support Tang Ya, that was enough.
He could tell Yuhao carried heavy burdens. But that too could become the drive behind his cultivation.
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