"W-What was that?!" The Emperor abruptly stood up from his seat, a look of disbelief on his face as he set his eyes on the young man standing on stage with an aloof expression after he had singlehandedly made a whole team admit defeat without even touching him!
Everyone looked at the lonesome Huo Yuhao on stage, their expressions varying.
The plaza filled with several hundreds of thousands of spectators, including the imperial family of the Star Luo Empire and its civil and military officers, along with more than a hundred advanced soul master and soul engineering academies, was completely silent at this moment.
Their gazes were filled with awe, fear, admiration, and shock.
The people who had previously been somewhat doubtful towards this one boy against seven people were now left staring wide-eyed, mouths gaping and some even had their hearts stopping from shock.
Practically everyone were left dumbfounded.
Huo Yuhao tucked his hands into his pockets and slowly turned around, and just as he was about to leave the stage he stopped at the edge.
He then tilted his head high, expressionless and aloof to those who can see him from afar.
Many girls were quickly falling in love of his dashing look and mysterious vibe. Though his face was a little scarred, it just seems to enhanced his charms.
He then spoke in a calm and loud voice, he used his soul power to enhanced it further, carrying his voice through the entire plaza, "We are Shrek, and we... are unrivalled!" After he said that, he then walked down from the stage.
The crowd remained silent for a moment, absorbing the gravity of his words.
Then, like a wave crashing onto shore, the cheers erupted anew.
The spectators, having witnessed such a display of power and confidence, could not help but be swept up in the excitement and admiration.
"Shrek! Shrek! Shrek!"
"Shrek! Shrek! Shrek!"
Wang Yan took the initiative to walk up to Huo Yuhao. When he walked forward, their eyes conveyed a secret conversation. With a sigh, he said. "You were too vicious."
Huo Yuhao snorted and walked past him, "I already shown mercy by not taking their lives when they froze up. How disappointing. I only used a fraction of my power and they didn't even fight. I hope the others can do better." His voice was very loud, allowing the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy and the other academies to hear his words.
Ling Luochen, Xi Xi and some of the others of their group were somewhat flabbergasted. They'd never thought that this match would end in such a dramatic fashion.
Although they were confident of his victory after seeing the opponents released their martial souls, they'd never expected that Huo Yuhao would win in such a manner.
Like seriously, what was up with that huge blue skeleton? And a fifth red-colored soul ring?! Uh, hello?! What did we miss? Explanations please!
Huo Yuhao didn't explain anything yet, too many ears in their general area after all, but the blue skeleton that he had shown using was an ability of his Mangekyou Sharingan: the Susanoo.
A gigantic, humanoid avatar made of the user's soul and spiritual power which surrounds them and fights on their behalf. It is considered to be the strongest ability available to those who have awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan in both eyes.
When activated, the Susanoo forms around the user and becomes an extension of their will, acting and attacking on their behalf. By default, Susanoo is anchored to its user and they to it: in its less developed forms it will move around with the user; in its more completed forms the user will be suspended within Susanoo, being brought with it as it moves around. This connection allows Susanoo to be a shield against physical attacks, one that becomes more difficult to penetrate as it is manifested more fully.
And like any ability, it activates on the user's energy. With the Susanoo, it draws in very large amounts of energy so long as it is active.
Even though Huo Yuhao had only used it for a brief moment, by at least a minute, the Susanoo had already consume more than 40% of his soul and spiritual powers.
Moreover, it was only at it's initial phase! According to Ancestor, the more he masters his Mangekyou Sharingan, the more its abilities get stronger. However, it had a certain limit.
He needed to get 'eternity' if he wanted his Mangekyou Sharingan's full potential.
Back to his Susanoo, the energy consumption wasn't the only issue. When he used the Susanoo, he felt an itchy-like pain every cell in his body, which only increases over time of usage. Being a Mangekyō Sharingan-based ability, it also places a strain on the user's eyes the more it is used.
As for his fifth and red colored soul ring, yeah he just conjured that up as an intimidation tactic. After all, what better way to scare the living shit out of someone more if not a hundred thousand year old soul ring?
Huo Yuhao's right eye twitched, his vision getting a bit foggy and his breathing became slightly labored. But he hid it all with his genjutsu.
Since he woke up from his coma, having not eaten or drunken anything, and having used the Susanoo.... He already feels like he was going to keel over at any moment. He had pushed himself hard for this opening match, knowing it would set the tone for the rest of the tournament.
Wang Yan turned towards his retreating figure and said, "You're not gonna stay and watch the other matches?"
A look of contempt appeared in his eyes as he coldly replied, "What's there to look at? Is there anything worth seeing? Let's go back." With that, he directly went outside with his group following him from behind.
As he walked past the representative teams from the various academies, Huo Yuhao didn't spare them a glance or acknowledge their presence.
His demeanor was one of complete indifference, as if they were beneath his notice. This attitude only added to the mystique and aura of dominance he exuded.
Unexpectedly, no one dared to look at him and his group. After what they saw, they saw the current Huo Yuhao as a monster among monsters.
The Emperor clenched his fists and said to the Empress, "Get me everything about this person. I wanna know his name, his martial soul, everything! And what his role in Shrek Academy!"
"Yes, Emperor!" The Empress replied, her gaze followed Huo Yuhao and his group all the way out. Shrek Academy's immediate exit following the end of the battle caused the entire tournament to pause for several seconds or so, and their exit attracted the gazes of everyone present.
A fervent look gradually appeared in every single pair of eyes in the arena. Yes! How could they have such doubts? This was Shrek. This was the number one academy under the heavens, the existence akin to the realm of the Gods in their eyes!
To have a boy that wasn't even 20 years old with a hundred thousand year old red soul ring, this shows Shrek Academy's incredible strength and the unfathomable potential of its students.
As Huo Yuhao and his group made their way through the crowd, whispers and murmurs followed them.
"Did you see that power?"
"Unbelievable... a hundred thousand year old soul ring at his age?"
"Shrek Academy truly lives up to its reputation."
Huo Yuhao maintained his cold expression as he led the students of Shrek Academy all the way back to the Imperial Star Grand Hotel, and until he opened the door to their meeting room.
As everyone walked inside, the expression on Huo Yuhao's face suddenly changed and his body went limp.
"Yuhao!"
He would've fallen face first onto the ground if it weren't for Wang Dong'er and Ma Xiaotao who had been keeping an eye on him a while ago, obviously noticing his unsteady state with their connection with him. This was more so for the former.
They rushed forward just in time to catch him by his arms, supporting his weight between them.
"Yuhao, are you alright?" Both girls asked in unison, their voices filled with concern.
Huo Yuhao managed a weak smile, "I'll be fine. I'm just.... a little hungry and thirsty."
Ma Xiaotao nodded, "We need to get him some rest. Let's move him to his room."
The rest of the group followed closely as Wang Dong'er and Ma Xiaotao carefully guided Huo Yuhao to his room. Once inside, they laid him down on the bed, and Xiao Xiao got a tray filled with food and water. Ma Xiaotao immediately began checking his vital signs with her soul power.
"....He's just exhausted," she said, letting a sigh of relief. "We just need to let him rest and recover his strength."
Wang Yan, who had been silent during the walk back, stepped forward. "Yuhao, you did exceptionally well in the competition. But, why did you went with this plan? How were you so sure it would work? And... what was with that blue skeleton and red soul ring?"
"Teacher Wang, I understand that you have some concerns. But Yuhao is exhausted right now. Can't this wait?" Wang Dong'er said.
Huo Yuhao waved his hand, "It's fine, Dong'er. Anyone would be curious."
He then began to explained nature of the blue skeleton, aka Susanoo, and about the red soul ring that he had. The red soul ring didn't need much explanation but the matter of the Susanoo, he didn't tell them about the drawbacks and simply stated that it was the natural ability that he had gained from his martial soul having undergone a sort of evolution; which he also added that it was the reason why he had been unconscious for a while.
Everyone listened intently, their curiosity piqued and reactions varied.
"What?! Evolution?! That could only mean... a second awakening? I thought it was a myth amongst Body Souls. But since you say it's true, then you might really have undergone a second awakening!" Wang Yan exclaimed, his eyes widening in astonishment. "This explains so much!"
"Second awakening? Teacher Wang, what do you mean by that?" Huo Yuhao asked, curious. The others also showed similar look of interest.
Wang Yan opened his mouth and then closed, his shoulders slumped down. "It's something I stumbled across in the outer courtyard's library. It didn't go into detail much, as it said that it was but a myth. The Second Awakening is as the name suggests, a person's martial soul can evolve one level higher than others, specifically with a Body Soul."
"The method on how to undergo a second awakening wasn't written, but it did say that those who did would have an explosive increase in their power and gain new, extraordinary abilities. This is very rare. Elder Xuan could probably explain it better to you."
Everyone looked at Huo Yuhao with a mixture of awe and respect. The implications of a second awakening were profound, and it explained the dramatic increase in his abilities and the unique powers he displayed.
"But enough of that," Wang Yan said, snapping everyone back on track. "Yuhao. I want to know why you went with such a grand and intimidating tactic? Sure it would help us push back against most of the academies, but in the long run... You're not the only one here fighting in this tournament. Your allies, they-"
They were weak, were the words that was left unsaid. Tang Ya, Wang Dong'er, Bei Bei, and the rest are indeed exceptional soul masters for their age, but they were still not strong enough. Ma Xiaotao and the rest can help carry them through.
But that would mean some underlining mental barriers would developed, stagnating their growth and eroding their potential.
Huo Yuhao merely smiled.
"I know. Which is why I went this tactic. I won't be participating in every match, only when I am truly needed, I leave the rest to my friends. I trust them."
....
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