The first round of the freshmen assessment quickly finished. The purpose of today's assessment was more or less to allow the participating students to adapt to the assessment.
However, tomorrow's assessment would be much more challenging. The students would have to undergo two rounds of assessments in both the morning and the afternoon, totalling four rounds for the day. On the third day, all of the teams that were left would have to undergo five rounds that day. The duration of the freshmen assessment was only three days long.
After the match they'd fought on the first day, as well as some observations they'd made afterwards, Huo Yuhao was one-hundred percent certain that there were no opponents in their group capable of threatening them. Other than his own team, there was only a single student above the twentieth rank of soul power and they'd already defeated him.
'This competition...is sooo boring~' Thought Huo Yuhao as he sat down on the arena and let his teammates fight their third match of the assessment, the second round of this morning, as he supported them from behind.
This wasn't because he was being lazy...okay he was, but also because Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao had been getting ansty and wanted some action.
And since he already deduced that their enemy wasn't much of a threat, eh, why not? It was better to let them have some fun and gain some experience than get all rigid later on the finals.
'Though judging by everyone's expression, this might be the last match we'll be fighting for the day.' He inwardly sighed as he watched the match unfold.
As the match reached its conclusion, Huo Yuhao's team emerged victorious once again. And for the remaining two matches in afternoon, their opponents just gave up and forfeited. Bringing them on a five winning streak.
'Hah. Just when would there be an interesting opponent?'
While Huo Yuhao was lamenting his lack of challenge, Wang Yan felt somewhat depressed as the proctor of the 33rd arena. Five matches had passed, each one single won with ease, yet Huo Yuhao, except for the first match, hadn't revealed much as to what his martial soul was!
As a theory-based teacher, how could he not feel depressed?
'I can't take it any longer. I just have to swallow my pride and ask the boy,' Letting out a sigh, Wang Yan turned towards Huo Yuhao's team after winning their last match of the day.
"Huo Yuhao, you three come over here for a moment."
"Teacher Wang." Huo Yuhao walked in front, with Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao flanking him. He politely nodded at the teacher and asked, "Is something matter?"
'As I had thought, Huo Yuhao is the core of their team.' Wang Yan thought to himself before replying,
"I just want to congratulate your team for obtaining such excellent results. It's not everyday I get to see such an overwhelming victory from new students. Nonetheless, you must continue to work hard in your future matches because tomorrow's five matches won't be nearly as easy as today's were." he said with a smile.
Huo Yuhao nodded and replied, "Thank you, Teacher Wang. We'll definitely work hard."
"Ah, before you go, can I ask you what your martial soul is?"
Huo Yuhao blinked in surprise and shrugged, it wasn't exactly a secret to the staff members of the academy.
Huo Yuhao's deep blue eyes changed into a deep red and gold, the three golden tomoes in his eyes lazily spun around.
"My martial soul is called the Sharingan, which is my eyes." He said, pointing at his eyes.
"Sharingan? Your martial soul is your eyes?!" Wang Yan's response was even greater than Huo Yuhao could've imagined. After hearing Huo Yuhao's explanation, he was so excited that he almost started jumping around.
"Teacher Wang, what's gotten into you?"
In his excited state, Wang Yan raised his hands to grab him but Huo Yuhao quickly took a few steps behind to evade the grabbing teacher. Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao came up forward protectively.
"Huo Yuhao, is your martial soul really your eyes?!" Wang Yan didn't seem to care about that and asked once more.
"Yes...I believe I had said that, pretty clearly." Huo Yuhao replied, slightly confused by the teacher's reaction.
Wang Yan's excitement soon turned nervous. "Then, do you belong to the Body Sect?"
"Ah, no. I'm actually part of Tang Sect. Also, Body sect? Never heard of it."
Excitement reappeared on Wang Yan's face and said, "Wonderful! This is a truly wonderful day! Haha, I never would've thought... So that's why you're the core of thia team and had easily defeated three students yesterday. As it turns out, you actually have a body soul. It really is a pity. If you'd entered the Academy earlier, I..."
The trio shared a glance with each other and understandingly took a few steps back.
This teacher Wang Yan seemed to be not right...
Wang Yan took a deep breath, calming down, and said. "Alright. Huo Yuhao, you guys head back and rest first. I'll come and look for you again later on." he turned around and hastily left.
'Please don't.' Huo Yuhao deadpans as he stared at the strange teacher running off to somewhere. Shaking his head he turned to his friends, "Well, wanna eat some ramen?"
"Yeah... I am pretty hungry."
"Ooh, I always wanted to try your famous ramen."
As the trio just left the Examination Area, they bumped into a familiar duo.
The people they'd bumped into weren't random people; it was the literal hottie from the inner courtyard, Ma Xiaotao, and the person she'd dragged away a few days ago, Xu Sanshi.
Only, there was something off about the two.
Xu Sanshi had an ashen look on his face, as if all the energy had been drained from his body. He looked listless, and his clothes were crumpled. While Ma Xiaotao looked beautiful as ever, there was an abnormal flush on her charming face, and the redness of her eyes had darkened a bit.
"We've found them, right? Sister Xiaotao, can I go now?" Xu Sanshi bitterly said with a forced smile.
For the last few days, he went through hell. His mind, body and soul power were almost completely drained. Right now, all he wanted to do was return to his room and sleep, then go find his precious Jiang Nannan to soothe his tired soul.
Ma Xiaotao indifferently nodded. "Okay, you can go."
Xu Sanshi glanced at them, mouthing at them for a moment, before taking off like the wind, not even looking back at the very confused juniors.
Though Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao couldn't understand what Xu Sanshi had said, Huo Yuhao did.
"I'm sorry. Juniors, forgive me."
'What did you do?!' Huo Yuhao was understandably both confused and pissed. For Xu Sanshi to react like that, he might have done something that would endanger them or something.
And with Ma Xiaotao here looking slightly...off, it might have something to do with her.
And with how she's the one who almost ended both his and Wang Dong's lives, something he guessed at first but later proven by Ancestor, it wasn't going to spell good for them.
Ma Xiaotao stared at them and said, "You two, follow me. Junior Xiao, you can return by yourself."
"I–"
Xiao Xiao was just about to say something, but Huo Yuhao stopped her by grabbing her shoulder and shaking his head.
Huo Yuhao was a boy of many things, but implicating a friend was not one of them.
'Don't worry,' Using his second soul skill, Spiritual Sharing, Huo Yuhao assured her. 'I got this under control, trust me.'
Xiao Xiao hesitated for a moment before nodding and giving Huo Yuhao a small smile. "Alright, be careful."
With that, Xiao Xiao turned and left, leaving both Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong to follow Ma Xiaotao.
After walking for a little while, they arrived at the lakeside where they'd first been attacked by her.
Wang Dong vigilant against the older girl while Huo Yuhao kept a cool and calm expression.
"Senior Ma, why did you call us over?" Huo Yuhao asked, a smile on his face. "Ah, don't tell me you already want my roasted fishes and ramen. If it was like that, you should've just waited for a bit."
With her back to them, Ma Xiaotao coldly stated. "I'm not here for your roasted fish or noddles, I'm here for something else entirely."
Huo Yuhao's warm and friendly facade dropped when Ma Xiaotao wasn't going to play their conversation cordially. "And that is?"
"Don't play dumb. Xu Sanshi told me how intelligent you are and despite him being a top notch soul elder, you had defeated him under one breath. So you might've already guessed it but yes; I was the student who burst out from the inner courtyard—the student who almost harmed you two that time. At the time, I truly had no choice. Now then, I'd first like to apologize to you two."
'Yeah, no. You're full of shit.' He didn't believe that Ma Xiaotao had just brought them over to apologize to them. He could tell from her body language and tone of voice.
Wang Dong curled his lips, inwardly thinking the same, 'This is apologizing? There's no sincerity in your actions at all!'
The two shared a glance for a second, a silent understanding was shared, and they slowly backed away as Huo Yuhao said. "Senior Ma, let's let bygones be bygones. The school's already compensated us anyway."
Ma Xiaotao suddenly turned around, the shades of pink in her eyes suddenly darkening further. A overwhelming pressure suddenly appeared on Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong's bodies, freezing them in place.
"In my opinion, this matter isn't over yet." Ma Xiaotao growled. She raised her right hand and a dark red fireball appeared.
Its heat caused both boys to start sweating.
"That day, there should've been a fire-type soul master that stopped me. That person was the one who stopped me from harming you two. That person is extremely important to me. Tell me everything you know. Perhaps it was one of your protectors. Either way, I must find them."
"Also, it's no use of lying. Little Xu told me some of your background, so if you don't tell me the truth now..." Curling her fingers, the dark red fireball suddenly grew in size, it was almost as large as a car.
'You fucking rat!' Despite the dire situation they were in, Huo Yuhao took to swearing vengeance against that simp for snitching them out first.
He wasn't really that worried against her threats.
Wang Dong tried reasoning with her, claiming that both of them really don't know what happened that day, and it seemed to have worked because Ma Xiaotao looked hesitant.
"....You really don't know?" Ma Xiaotao asked in a low voice.
Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong simultaneously shook their heads. The former was hoping that things wasn't going to end this way.
It did.
Ma Xiaotao's expression suddenly changed as she spoke in a chilly voice, "Don't blame me for being impolite. If you really don't know, I'll have to force him out." The heat released by the fireball in her hand started to rise when–
"Yeah, nope. You're not going to do that." Huo Yuhao said, his eyes changed into the Sharingan and he flatly stared straight at her.
Ma Xiaotao scowled, her red wine eyes turned darker. A mocking smile spread across her face, "Or what? Are you going to finally on your protector you–"
"Genjutsu: Sharingan."
Ma Xiaotao's eyes flashed, the flames and heat surrounding her slowly died out, as her eyes took on the appearance of his Sharingan.
She froze in place, unable to move or speak. The genjutsu had taken hold of her mind, leaving her completely under Huo Yuhao's control.
"Now, I don't want you remembering all of this so," Huo Yuhao's voice had a dangerous edge to it as he walked closer to her. "how about you sleep for now, huh? Good night, senior Ma." He raised his right hand, and snapped his fingers.
There was two reasons as to why Huo Yuhao had easily caught her in his genjutsu. One, his spiritual power was strong. Much stronger than anyone of his peers, even before his three month long training, he could effortlessly infiltrate Zhou Yi's spiritual sea without her knowing.
Secondly, Ma Xiaotao wasn't that proficient with spiritual power and had virtually no strong mental defenses. She could've caused more resistance if she had or worse, she was a spiritual type soul master and her Soul Emperor cultivation, he wouldn't have stood a chance on casting a genjutsu on her.
So yeah, it was that easy for Huo Yuhao to take her down with just a glance.
Ma Xiaotao's eyes slowy close, her soon started falling but Huo Yuhao was quick to catch. As he did, he had unintentionally touched her side bood, which he subconsciously tightened his grip. He also couldn't help but notice the scent from her body. Strangely, she smelled like...roses? He shook his head, inwardly reprimanding himself for being such a perv, he quickly and carefully laid her on the ground before standing up and leaving.
Also, just before he knocked her out, he had already manipulated her memories into thinking that she had tried harming them to make the culprit come out, only for her Evil Phoenix Fire to burst out of control and making her fall unconscious.
As for what happened to them when she went out of control, he'll just tell her that Wang Dong used his martial soul to make their escape.
A clean and quick escape, leave no evidence behind. No problem.
"H-Huh? Eh! What just happened?" By his side, Wang Dong stared at his friend with a mix of confusion and shock. After all, he had just knocked out a inner courtyard student!
With all the rumors he heard about them, the girl that was now knocked out was at least a Soul Ancestor! And his friend, a Spirit Master with a ten year soul ring, just easily took her down?!
Even if he told it to people, they would treat it as a joke.
Just how strong was his friend?
Wang Dong also couldn't understand it but when Huo Yuhao stood against Ma Xiaotao fearlessly and being so confident...it made his heart skip a beat.
"Huo Yuhao? Was that–?"
"Yup. One of my mental techniques I comprehended by learning the Purple Demon Eyes. Just like my other techniques I showed you."
Wang Dong's eyes lit up in excitement, "Woah. Now I want to join Tang Sect! Alright, let's win as the champions!"
Huo Yuhao smirked and patted his back. "That's the spirit!"
'With you joining, possibly even Xiao Xiao, taking control over Tang Sect later on when necessary would be quite easy.' His smile spread out a bit darkly. 'And when that day comes, it'll be a new dawn of history. Hmm, should I change the name when I take over? What was the name of the organization that one of Ancestor's previous incarnations created?'
'Hehe, I shouldn't get ahead of myself just because I managed to knock out a Soul Emperor. I gotta take small steps,' He shook his head as he and Wang Dong headed back towards their dormitory.
'Now, where the hell is that prick hiding at?'
....
A few minutes went by and a certain red head woke up.
"Ugh...Huh? Where am I?" There was a brief pause. "....Why am I on the ground?! This is my favorite dress, dangit!"
....
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