Xie Huanyue from Class Two looked at Xu Zihuang with both relief and dread, a bitter taste rising in his heart.
Though they were all freshmen, the gap between them was simply too vast.
Not far away, Ning Tian's water-blue eyes shimmered as if filled with countless stars. She lightly bit her moist red lips.
Though still young and not fully understanding of emotions, she could not deny that Xu Zihuang's figure had been deeply imprinted in her heart.
After meeting someone as outstanding as Xu Zihuang, she might never again find another boy who could catch her eye.
As for Wu Feng, her face was pale. As a bystander, she saw the truth more clearly than Dai Huabin—Yu Tianhuang and she were destined to be people of two different worlds.
Dai Huabin, what makes you think you'll ever defeat Yu Tianhuang? Do you think he'll stand still and wait for you to catch up?
What a brainless fool. You couldn't even beat Yu Tianhuang with a Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
One step ahead means every step ahead. If Yu Tianhuang was already this strong now, the gap between them would only widen in the future.
The idea of catching up seemed utterly hollow and powerless.
Yet she couldn't accept it.
Clenching her fists, she turned to glance at Ning Tian. The dark-red eyes that were usually as cold as ice now softened slightly, showing a rare trace of gentleness.
Among the three of them, Ya Lu was the calmest.
At first, she too had harbored special feelings for Xu Zihuang. But once she realized the vast gulf between them, she gradually abandoned the thought. After all, her family's inherited martial soul was hardly strong.
Her potential for future development was far inferior to Nanmen Yun'er or Tuoba Yu. Simply graduating from the outer court would already be an accomplishment.
Before reaching three rings, the gap wasn't too obvious. But after three rings, differences in martial soul quality became much clearer.
So she corrected her mindset, choosing to treat Xu Zihuang simply as a classmate and friend.
She had a strong intuition: if she could maintain a friendly relationship with Yu Tianhuang, she would surely benefit greatly.
Meanwhile, Xu Zihuang left the field with Tuoba Yu and Nanmen Yun'er.
They had stood in the center of the arena when Xu Zihuang suppressed the Netherworld White Tiger, so their impressions were even deeper and more vivid.
Tuoba Yu still hadn't recovered.
"Wait, that's it? We're in the finals already?"
He felt like he hadn't done anything, yet somehow they had already won.
Beside him, Nanmen Yun'er smiled softly, quietly following Xu Zihuang.
The unconscious Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu were carried to the infirmary by several healing teachers. Just as Xu Zihuang stepped out of the arena, the Director of the Martial Soul Department's outer court blocked his way.
Du Weilun, who had always left an impression of rigid sternness on almost every freshman, actually revealed a rare smile to Xu Zihuang.
"Yu Tianhuang, Dean Yan and Dean Qian want to see you. Come with me."
At those words, many freshmen gathered at the edge of the field, including Xie Huanyue, cast envious looks at Xu Zihuang.
To be summoned directly by two deans of Shrek Academy—what an honor!
Among them, only Ning Tian showed no unusual reaction. With her serene, refined smile, she easily won favor from others.
The viewing platform was on the north side of the field. Under Du Weilun's lead, Xu Zihuang climbed to the top.
He was immediately met with the gazes of several teachers, including his Class Nine homeroom teacher, Mu Jin.
The more she looked at Yu Tianhuang, the more satisfied she felt. But with Director Du and the two deans present, she naturally couldn't pull him aside to talk. She only smiled broadly and nodded slightly at him.
Du Weilun led Yu Tianhuang before Yan Shaozhe and Qian Duoduo, hurriedly introducing him to Qian Duoduo and the man standing behind him, Fan Yu.
"You've already met Dean Yan of the Martial Soul Department. This is Vice Dean Qian of the Soul Tool Department. And this is Teacher Fan Yu of the Soul Tool Department."
"Greetings, Dean Yan, Vice Dean Qian, Teacher Fan Yu."
Yan Shaozhe rose with a warm smile, patting Xu Zihuang's shoulder kindly.
"Student Yu Tianhuang, don't be restrained. Sit here."
As he spoke, he actually pulled Xu Zihuang to sit between himself and Qian Duoduo, not forgetting to tease Qian along the way.
"Old Qian, weren't you very interested in Student Yu? Go ahead and ask him what you want—don't mind me."
Qian Duoduo's brows twitched violently.
You old fox, doing this on purpose, huh? Fine, I won't be polite then.
He placed his broad hand on Xu Zihuang's shoulder, smiling as he asked,
"Student Yu, what are your thoughts on soul tools?"
At those words, even Fan Yu and Du Weilun grew alert. The smile on Yan Shaozhe's face also faded somewhat.
Yet in front of the two deans, Xu Zihuang showed no trace of unease. Meeting Qian Duoduo's gaze directly, he hesitated briefly before answering respectfully:
"Vice Dean Qian, personally I have no objections to soul tools. Their development is inevitable, and their effect on enhancing spirit masters' combat power is obvious. However, at this stage, my main focus will naturally remain on my martial soul. For a spirit master, the root is still the martial soul."
His words were perfectly phrased—offending neither side, clearly stating his stance, yet leaving room for interpretation.
Normally, the next step would be for Qian Duoduo and Yan Shaozhe to each offer him benefits.
This had been his plan since entering Shrek Academy: to leverage both the Martial Soul and Soul Tool departments' resources. Qian Duoduo's question had only saved him the trouble of raising it himself.
As expected, Qian Duoduo's eyes lit up at his first words.
Though he had also heard Xu Zihuang stress that the root was the martial soul, he didn't mind. The "Ultimate Soldier Project" he and Fan Yu envisioned was meant to cultivate a top-tier powerhouse who could decide battles—not merely a pure soul engineer.
The fact that Yu Tianhuang was willing to actively engage with soul tools was already an excellent start. At once, he patted his chest like solid granite and said with approval:
"Student Yu, well said. The development of soul tools is indeed the trend of the future. I can't promise much, but if you're interested in them, the doors of the Soul Tool Department are always open to you."
As he spoke, he took a crystalline token from his storage tool and placed it in Xu Zihuang's hand.
"This is our department's token. With it, you can freely enter any area of the Soul Tool Department."
At that moment, Yan Shaozhe finally spoke.
"Though soul tools have developed rapidly these years, the true foundation of a spirit master is still their martial soul. Student Yu, your talent in martial soul cultivation is rare even in Shrek Academy's millennia-long history. Don't waste it. If you enjoy soul tools, you can explore them later—after you've reached Titled Douluo level."
He then turned to Du Weilun.
"By the way, Weilun, a few days ago, Teacher Li from the inner court refined five Soul Ascension Pills. Go fetch three of them as additional rewards for this year's freshman assessment champions."
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