On the way, Beibei and Tang Ya filled Huo Yuhao in on various things about Shrek Academy — all, naturally, circling around Tang San as their center, their words forming a perfect rainbow of praise.
Still, Huo Yuhao managed to gather that Shrek Academy hadn't changed — no butterfly effects, no quantum anomalies, nothing that might have altered the original plot.
Good. If the timeline had gone off the rails, I'd have to rethink everything. For now, this is fine. Build strength first. Get through the weakest stage quietly.
At last, they reached Shrek City. Entering through the east gate, the Academy was just a short distance ahead.
To most, this would have been an awe-inspiring moment, but to Huo Yuhao, it was… ordinary. Unlike the original Huo Yuhao, who had never left the Duke's Mansion, he had taken high-speed trains and planes in his past life — crossing entire countries for school. Shrek City's scale, at best, was that of a small third-tier city.
The walls were decent — sturdy, built to defend against beast tides — but the so-called "prosperity" inside? Not much to look at.
Finally here. But…
He swept his gaze around. What interested him wasn't the buildings or shops — but the people.
During their journey, he'd rarely seen so many humans gathered at once. Activating the Eye of Truth, Huo Yuhao could clearly see the flow of soul power within each person — and the faint outlines of their martial souls forming from that energy.
If I want to study martial souls in the future, crowded places like this are perfect. Soul power seems to affect the clarity and structure of a martial soul's form… Beibei and Tang Ya's power levels were similar, so I couldn't tell before. Mine's mutated — I can't use it as a baseline.
Between ordinary people with no soul power and those with one or two rings, the difference is striking. The higher the soul power, the more defined and complex the martial soul's pattern becomes… These lines and patterns that shape each one — what exactly do they mean? I'll have to study that later.
"Xiao Yuhao, what are you staring at?" Tang Ya teased with a grin. "Got dazzled by Shrek's splendor? Come on, let's go register!"
"Teacher Tang Ya," Huo Yuhao said seriously, "may I stay in the city a few more days? I want to master the Tang Sect techniques before enrolling. That way, I can try entering through Tang Sect's recommendation route rather than the direct quota."
"That way, even if my soul power is low, the other students won't gossip — and even if I fail, I'll still have the normal Tang Sect nomination as backup."
Tang Ya looked to Beibei, who nodded approvingly. "Our little junior brother's progress with Tang Sect arts has been astonishing. And the will to temper himself — that's exactly what a true spirit master needs."
"Well said!" Tang Ya puffed her chest proudly. "Leave the hidden weapons to me, then. Yuhao, practice the Hundred Mechanisms of Hidden Weapons well — during the entrance exam, show everyone the might of our Tang Sect!"
Beibei had confidence in him too. Even at one or two rings, hidden weapons offered great advantage — and Huo Yuhao's eye for detail made him even deadlier.
His soul power might be weak, but paired with Tang Sect weaponry — allowed in the exams unlike soul tools — he could easily match the combat power of a two-ring Spirit Grandmaster.
That was why Beibei agreed to let him participate — it was better than having him enter through special privilege and risk embarrassment later.
Beibei and Huo Yuhao rented a small inn room, and Beibei handed him a pouch of golden soul coins.
"Little brother, I need to return to Shrek to report my recent assignment. Take these — buy what you need for daily life and prepare for the exams," Beibei said kindly.
Huo Yuhao accepted it gratefully. "Thank you, Senior Brother. I'll focus on practicing my hidden weapon techniques."
Once Beibei left, Huo Yuhao shut the door and exhaled deeply.
His real goal wasn't to "honor Tang Sect's reputation." He simply wanted to delay enrollment.
Because the earliest entrants — those admitted through Tang Sect's internal quota — would all end up in Zhou Yi's class.
And Huo Yuhao had no wish to experience that particular "teacher's" strictness firsthand. Right now, stealth and quiet development mattered far more than recognition.
Even if I pass, I'll only be safe for the first term. Once class divisions start, control- and attack-types still fall under Zhou Yi's supervision… headaches ahead.
Maybe I'll just apply for the agility department instead. In truth, the divisions aren't that strict anyway.
With that settled, he relaxed. As for "training Tang Sect techniques"? Please — he had Tianmeng's Auto-Cultivation Device running twenty-four hours a day.
He'd already memorized The Hundred Mechanisms at a glance. With his mental strength and Eye of Truth, he could replicate every trajectory and mechanism perfectly — even if his body wasn't that strong yet, it was enough to match an ordinary Spirit Master in real combat.
The entrance exam lasts three days. With Tang Sect's recommendation, I can skip the first three stages — the referral check, the soul power test, and the age verification.
That leaves only the fourth stage: combat assessment. Nothing too hard, but I'd better get some practice in. Maybe I can spar with Beibei once he's back.
Two days passed in a flash. On the second, Beibei returned with a new gift from Tang Ya — a full set of basic Tang Sect hidden weapons.
Thanks to Tang San's legacy, all such mechanical weapons were fully permitted in Shrek's assessments — unlike soul tools.
On the third day, Beibei took Huo Yuhao to the Academy grounds. The first three tests were quickly cleared under Tang Sect's sponsorship.
Then came the fourth — actual combat. Three-person teams, facing upperclassmen in simulated battles.
Victory wasn't required; survival and teamwork were the goals. The longer one lasted, the higher the score.
Team assignments were "random" — but balanced, never grouping three support-types together.
"Martial soul — your eyes? So it's a visual-type? More agility and support than offense… understood," said a senior student in charge of registration. He nodded to Beibei. "Senior, I'll take this one."
Beibei nodded, and Huo Yuhao followed him to the waiting area — where he immediately recognized several familiar figures.
That fat one must be Xie Huanyue… and that pink-haired one… oh no.
Please, heavens, just don't let me end up in Zhou Yi's class.
He activated the Eye of Truth briefly, scanning the surrounding students' soul power flows without diving too deep. Deep analysis drained too much mental energy — not ideal before a fight.
"Numbers 1, 2, and 3 — team up and prepare. You have ten minutes to discuss tactics."
"Numbers 31, 32, 33 — Wang Dong, Huo Yuhao, Zhao Haochen — gather and prepare for your match."
…Oh, come on.
Huo Yuhao could only sigh helplessly. If this wasn't divine intervention, he didn't know what was.
Of all possible combinations, I had to get Wang Dong? This has Tang San's fingerprints all over it.
There was no way the Clear Sky Sect princess got here through normal channels — she clearly had a recommendation, probably from her clan. Yet here she was, taking the test like a normal applicant? Impossible coincidence.
"You're my teammates?" said a handsome youth with pale skin, sharp blue-pink hair, and clear eyes. He crossed his arms proudly. "Don't drag me down."
"Wang Dong. Rank twenty-one, two-ring Spirit Grandmaster, assault type."
The plump boy next to him waved eagerly. "I'm Zhao Haochen! Martial soul: Big Drumstick! Rank fifteen, support type. I'll count on you, big bro!"
"Huo Yuhao," the last boy said calmly. "Rank twelve, agility-type Spirit Master."
Both Wang Dong and Zhao Haochen froze.
"Twelve? But isn't the minimum for admission fifteen?" the fat one asked, confused.
Huo Yuhao only shrugged.
That "twelve" was his most recent breakthrough — and that with his twenty-four-hour auto-cultivation. In the original timeline, Huo Yuhao was still stuck at rank eleven during the entrance exams.
Wang Dong frowned. "Hmph. I don't care how you got in, just don't hold me back."
"Sure, sure," Huo Yuhao said flatly, too lazy to argue.
"You—!" Wang Dong's temper flared, but before he could retort, the examiner's voice rang out:
"Numbers 31 through 33, enter the arena for assessment!"
"Hmph. Let's see what you can do," Wang Dong said coldly and stepped forward. Huo Yuhao and Zhao Haochen followed.
Their opponent stood tall and calm. "He Heng'an. Rank forty-five, defense-type Spirit Ancestor. Martial soul — Golden Armored Beetle."
"Wang Dong. Rank twenty-one, assault-type. Martial soul — Radiant Goddess Butterfly!"
"Huo Yuhao. Rank twelve, agility-type. Martial soul — Spirit Eye."
"Zhao Haochen. Rank fifteen, support-type. Martial soul — Big Drumstick."
At the edge of the stage, another examiner lit an incense stick — signaling the start of the battle.
And so, Huo Yuhao's first real fight on the Douluo Continent began.
(End of Chapter)