The teachers of Shrek Academy had seen many geniuses, but freshmen like Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong, who were this fixated on victory and this resolute in their beliefs… they were simply too rare.
The Director of the Martial Soul Department, Du Weilun, walked over to the stunned Zhou Yi. "Teacher Zhou, congratulations on teaching these two excellent students. Report them to the higher-ups. I believe that they both have the qualifications to become core disciples of the outer courtyard."
Only then did Zhou Yi react. She hurriedly replied, "Director Du, there's still Huo Yuhao. He's the core of their team, as well as their team leader."
Du Weilun was stunned, but he shook his head. "He only has a single soul ring. He's too weak. Also, he should be one of those rarely-seen spiritual-type soul masters. Don't you know how few spiritual-type soul beasts there are?" With that, he walked off the tall stage.
As the Director of the Martial Soul Department, Du Weilun wasn't just strong, he was calculative as well. He naturally saw the role that Huo Yuhao had played during the match. He was the one that had stimulated the nearly-insane fighting spirits of Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao. However, he had important responsibilities as a Director; he naturally wouldn't choose a core disciple just for his personality and leadership skills.
After listening to Du Weilun's words, Zhou Yi's entire body shook. Right! She'd always overlooked this simple problem. Although Huo Yuhao's first soul ring had a strong soul skill attached to it, he was still a spiritual-type soul master. Spiritual-type soul beasts were simply too rare, and strong ones were even rarer. Under these circumstances, the chances of Huo Yuhao becoming an expert was naturally much smaller than normal.
"No problem. If the Martial Soul Department doesn't want him, our Soul Tool Department will take him." A bright light flickered through Fan Yu's eyes as he patted Zhou Yi's shoulder. "It's hard to find strong spiritual-type soul beasts, but it's still possible to find ordinary ones. As long as he has enough soul power, he'll still be able to become an outstanding student of the Soul Tool Department—even if he only has his first soul ring. I want this core disciple."
In front of Fan Yu, Zhou Yi didn't seem to have any of her usual iciness, "No, it's not time yet. You need to give him three years. Yuhao is a specially-invited student who was recommended by the Tang Sect; he should've been a rogue soul master who grew up in a poverty-stricken family. That's why he only has a ten year soul ring. He's always been the most attentive student during class time, and although he's had a somewhat late start, he's the most hardworking and serious student I've ever met. His foundation is too weak, thus I need to stay by his side and continue teaching him. Three years will be enough for him to obtain a basic knowledge of how things are, and with his current level of diligence, he should be able to obtain three rings at the very least by that point. Once he obtains his third ring, he'll naturally have brighter prospects. At that time, he can be the core disciple of your Soul Tool Department.
Fan Yu smiled. "I can see that you like this child a lot. Since you've already planned things out for him, I'll listen to you. Once the freshmen assessment has ended, take him over to see me, and I'll let him participate in the Soul Tool Department in addition to his regular studies. I'll see whether or not he has any talent in that field."
"Yup." Zhou Yi nodded her head, "I'll go check on Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong. Fan Yu, believe me, the Martial Soul Department will definitely regret not taking Huo Yuhao in as a core disciple."
Fan Yu replied, "Then, let's wait and see."
Wang Dong was left in a slightly better condition than Xiao Xiao, as he'd only used up all of his energy. More importantly, he had his fusion partner, Huo Yuhao. Once Huo Yuhao hugged him, his soul power naturally flowed into Wang Dong's body, allowing him to quickly recover a strand of his soul power. After using their Haodong Power, Wang Dong was able to wake up from his unconscious state in less than ten minutes.
However, Xiao Xiao's condition was much worse than Wang Dong's. She needed both soul power to active her Cauldron's Trembling Quake, as well as an extremely strong amount of control over it to maintain it. Under normal circumstances, Xiao Xiao would only use her National Treasure to deal a single attack, sending her opponent flying while applying a forced stun effect. The strength of this single blow far exceeded that of using both of her soul skills one after another. However, she didn't do this against Xie Huanyue. Instead, she'd used it to trap him. She'd done so for the sake of buying even more time for Wang Dong. Xie Huanyue's defense was simply too strong, and Xiao Xiao had been scared that he'd charge straight back towards them if he was sent flying away. Furthermore, there was a high chance of that happening due to his body's bouncing speed.
Because of that, Xiao Xiao hadn't just overdrawn her soul power alone; she'd overdrawn her spiritual power as well. As soon as the match had ended, she'd instantly sunk into a deep coma.
Fortunately, they were in Shrek Academy, which had no shortages of healing medicines. After consuming a few medicinal pills, Xiao Xiao sank into a deep sleep. However, the teacher that treated her said that she'd have to rest for a full day, at the very minimum. Furthermore, she couldn't be disturbed in any way at all, so that the medicinal pills that had been used on her wouldn't leave any aftereffects. In other words, Xiao Xiao wouldn't be able to participate in the following two matches… and that was a conservative estimate.
Zhou Yi personally carried Xiao Xiao back to her room for her to rest, while Huo Yuhao carried the weakened Wang Dong back to their dorm room.
"Wang Dong, should we give up on the next match?" As he looked at Wang Dong's pale face, Huo Yuhao sighed gently.
"No way." Wang Dong knew that Huo Yuhao was concerned about the state of his body, but his current will to fight was still as strong as it previously was. He'd never been as serious as this towards anything else as he was now.
"Yuhao, I know that you're worried about me. But we have to continue on with this tournament. If we just gave up like this, how could we face Xiao Xiao? She may have fainted, but there's still the two of us. And, don't we have our Haodong Power? We'll definitely be able to recover before the afternoon match. We have to fight for Xiao Xiao, and wait for her to come back."
As he looked at Wang Dong's determined eyes, Huo Yuhao's heart was completely moved. True feelings had blossomed between them as a result of their hardships. The matches that had occurred yesterday and today had rapidly narrowed the gap between him, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao. The feelings between the three of them were no longer those of fellow schoolmates, but those of comrades-in-arms who were willing to live and die together. Although this wasn't a true battlefield, they already treated the tournament as one.
"What're you waiting for? Hurry up." As he spoke, Wang Dong raised his hands.
Huo Yuhao took a deep breath, then placed his palms on Wang Dong's palms. He spoke with a resolute tone in his voice, "Let's fight for Xiao Xiao."
Sea God's Island, the Lakeside.
"Xuan Lao, what do you think?" Wang Yan stood beside Xuan Lao and asked in a quiet voice.
Xuan Lao had already finished his chicken legs, and there were now chicken wings around him. It seemed as though he'd never be full.
"Those two fellas aren't bad. As for that fella with the Body Soul you were talking about, he's lacking by quite a bit. He should have a skill that's similar to a spiritual detection-type skill, however it's unfortunate that his first soul ring is only ten years old. This is a flaw that can't be made up for." As he spoke, Xuan Lao swallowed a mouthful of wine.
Wang Yan replied, "But, Xuan Lao, he still has a Body Soul!"
Xuan Lao shook his head. "You should know what the most important part of a Body Soul is; it's the potential that it has, as well as the variations that the martial soul can undergo during combat. It's very clear from today's match; even under that sort of pressure, his martial soul didn't undergo any variations. In other words, he doesn't possess the essence of a Body Soul. He's too old, and he doesn't have enough soul power. At the same time, his first soul ring is only ten years old. Even if he has decent potential, he isn't something that I want. Do you understand?"
Wang Yan was still somewhat unresigned. "Xuan Lao, I just found out yesterday that Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong have fused their martial souls, and can even release a fusion skill. Although I don't know what exactly their fusion skill is, isn't that enough to prove his talent?"
Xuan Lao objected. "A fusion skill doesn't mean everything. Alright, I've already made my decision. Those two little fellas can be chosen. As for Huo Yuhao, just leave it."
With that, he stood up and walked unsteadily away, a chicken wing in one hand and a huge bottle gourd in the other. His unsteady gait made it seem as if he could fall down at any time.
As he stared at Xuan Lao's back, Wang Yan couldn't help but sigh. He naturally knew of Huo Yuhao's problems, but he still felt that he had an unordinary temperament. Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao were much, much more outstanding than him on the surface, but he was still able to lead them into their matches, and had become the true core of their team. Why was this?
"Was my judgement truly wrong? No, I won't give up. No matter what, I'll do all I can to nurture Huo Yuhao. It won't be too late to find Xuan Lao after he's obtained a few achievements."
The freshmen assessment had already entered its final stages, and the top 8 had already been decided from the morning matches. There was no doubt that these 8 teams were the most outstanding teams amongst the freshmen students. However, two of the teams that were led by Soul Elder-ranked students had actually been eliminated, to everybody's surprise. More importantly, they had actually been eliminated by the same team.
There were only eight teams left in the knock-out round. The moment Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong arrived at the Assessment Area, they immediately attracted the attention of the other seven teams. It was clear that none of the other teams were willing to fight against the two of them in the quarterfinals—even if they only had two people left in their team.
Their Haodong Power was truly miraculous. Under Huo Yuhao's assistance, Wang Dong had already recovered all of his soul power after cultivating for merely four hours. Furthermore, using all of his strength during the morning match, combined with the diligent cultivation he'd recently done, had allowed his soul power to increase to Rank 25.
While drawing the lots, Huo Yuhao whispered to Wang Dong, "Right, what was that skill you used at the very end of the morning match?"
Wang Dong replied, "It was a fusion skill that I created by combining my Guillotine Wing and my Light of the Butterfly Goddess. It's the strongest move I have at my disposal. If I'm not mistaken, that Xie Huanyue possesses a very rarely seen Beast Soul that's known as the Rubberdon. That martial soul innately possesses an extremely strong defense. His first soul skill should've been 'Elephant Transformation', while that arm-elongating skill should be 'Elephant's Nose'. That last skill that had a powerful crowd-controlling effect should be something like 'Elephant's Fury'. If you want to break that rubber ball-like defense of his, normal attacks definitely won't work. There are only two ways that I know of: A peak-level elemental attack, such as an extremely hot fire-type skill or an extremely cold ice-type skill, or an extremely sharp skill. I used my Light of the Butterfly Goddess to activate my Guillotine Wing so that I could use its sharpness to pierce through his defenses. While that guy was trapped by Xiao Xiao, I had just enough time to charge up enough energy to use it. I was confident that a single attack of mine could destroy his martial soul."
After listening to Wang Dong's explanation, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but inwardly praise him. Although he'd studied the various aspects of soul master-related knowledge during these three months, there was still a large gap between him and Wang Dong! This further solidified Huo Yuhao's conviction to diligently cultivate.
"Team Huo Yuhao, come forward and draw your lots." Director Du Weilun's voice jolted Huo Yuhao awake. He then hurriedly walked forward, drawing a stick from the ballot cylinder Du Weilun held.
Du Weilun carefully looked at Huo Yuhao, thinking to himself, This kid truly has his own outstanding points, and his spiritual-type martial soul is extremely rare. Unfortunately, he hasn't reached Rank 20 yet, and the chances of him obtaining a strong soul ring in the future are too small. If he can continue to pass all of the Academy's assessments and remain as a student, we'll be able to see whether or not he has the qualifications to become a core disciple of the Martial Soul Department by the time he gets to his fourth or fifth year.
"Number 3." After taking Huo Yuhao's lot, Du Weilun loudly announced his number.
One of the teams who'd already drawn their lots suddenly had a change in expression; they were going to fight against Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong.
Huo Yuhao walked back towards Wang Dong. "There's a one in seven chance that we're going to fight against the last team that has a Soul Elder in it. If that team's our next opponent, I think that we should consider praying to a god."
Wang Dong had a speechless look on his face. "What god should we pray to?"
Huo Yuhao chuckled, "The Sea God, of course. Isn't that ancestor the true symbol of our Shrek Academy?"
Wang Dong placed his right hand on Huo Yuhao's shoulder. "Hey, that's not funny. When there was a 3 in 32 chance in the beginning, the chances of us fighting against a team with a Soul Elder in it wasn't even ten percent, but we still got them. When it was two in sixteen, it wasn't even eight percent, but we still got them. Now that it's a one in seven chance, the odds of us fighting against the last team with a Soul Elder in it are even greater than our previous odds. What do you think our odds are now?"
After hearing his analysis, Huo Yuhao immediately smiled bitterly. "We can't be that unlucky, right…."
Although the concept of luck did exist, one wouldn't be lucky or unlucky all the time; the facts proved it. This time around, there weren't any Soul Elders in the team they'd picked.
After entering the Assessment Area, both teams stood facing each other and introduced themselves. This time, their opponents were from Class 9, and all three of them were Soul Grandmasters. Relatively speaking, they were an extremely strong team. However, there was a large gap between their team, and the teams that Huo Yuhao's team had defeated in their two previous matches.
"Two agility-types and an assault-type. It's this combination again, how boring. How should we go about this?" Wang Dong whispered into Huo Yuhao's ear.
A light flashed through Huo Yuhao's eyes. "Let's just brute force our way through them."
"Fine."
The level of synergy between the two had become much higher. After a simple exchange of pleasantries, the match started.
Both sides simultaneously released their martial souls. However, the assault system Wang Dong didn't immediately charge out. Instead, he flapped his blue wings, flying into the air while immediately activating his second, purple soul ring.
Huo Yuhao held onto Wang Dong's ankle from below, the faintly golden light in his eyes completely concealed by the light that Wang Dong was currently releasing.
The golden patterns on Wang Dong's wings all lit up, while a smidge of orange appeared on them as a result of the Haodong Power that was being poured into them.
This time around, Huo Yuhao was able to closely observe Wang Dong from a short distance with nobody disturbing him. As a result of that, he was able to clearly see that Wang Dong's Light of the Butterfly Goddess wasn't spurting out a pillar of light, but many light orbs. Each and every golden pattern on Wang Dong's wings would spurt out a single orb of light, causing a total of several tens of them to appear. In the next instant, an orange light illuminated the entire arena.
Their opponents never expected Wang Dong to go all out the instant he made a move. More importantly, they'd never expected the strength of his Light of the Butterfly Goddess to be this terrifying.
With the support of their Haodong Power, Wang Dong's Light of the Butterfly Goddess was equivalent to a three-ringed Soul Elder using their thousand year soul skill at the very least. All that their opponents could do was release their soul skills at full power and defend against it.
When the dazzling ray of light appeared, the two agility system soul masters were almost immediately blasted out of the arena. Although the assault system soul master was able to remain standing inside of the arena, his soul power had been almost entirely drained, and he'd suffered some minor injuries.
Because of that, Wang Dong uttered an extremely domineering sentence after he'd unfurled his dazzling wings and landed, "Are you going to leave the arena by yourself, or do I need to assist you?"
After that… there was no 'after that'. This was the quickest match that had occurred since the tournament had begun. It was also this match that had caused Wang Dong's popularity to soar, and made many people refer to him as the number one assault system soul master.
After the match had ended, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong both rushed back to their dorms. In reality, even though Wang Dong had recovered his soul power, his overdrawing of it during the previous battle had caused him to suffer a few injuries, resulting in him being at a disadvantage in a drawn-out fight. However, only Huo Yuhao and him knew about this. That was why they'd chosen to end the match in such an explosive manner. If they'd met an opponent specialised in defense like Xie Huanyue was, the difficulty of the match would've increased exponentially—even if their opponent only had two rings.
The second their match ended, Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao had already entered the top 4 of the tournament. In other words, they would definitely receive a prize if they won another match. If they managed to win two more matches, they'd be the champions of the tournament.
Zhou Yi had told them that this year's batch of new students' quality far exceeded that of the previous years. If they were able to become champions despite these circumstances, they'd undoubtedly have proven their potential.
After they returned to their dorm room, Huo Yuhao didn't set up his stall. Instead, he immediately began cultivating with Wang Dong. Without Xiao Xiao's help, their following matches would only get tougher. Furthermore, they couldn't use the same tactic a second time. Their explosive method of obtaining victory during their previous match had had an enormous element of surprise to it; now that their opponents were prepared for it, it'd be extremely difficult to pull off again. However, this was their best strategy to achieve victory with before Xiao Xiao returned.
When morning arrived, both Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong simultaneously opened their eyes and separated their palms from one another. As the sun had just risen, Huo Yuhao stood up from his bed and opened the window in their room that faced east.
A smidge of purple quietly appeared within the marble-white sky, causing Huo Yuhao's eyes to instantly turn purple.
After tidying his clothes up, Wang Dong went to clean himself up.
Everything occurred in a natural manner. After breathing in some fresh air that had been let in by the window, a faint smile appeared on Huo Yuhao's face.
Mom, can you see me? Your son has already become a true soul master. I've even become a member of one of the top 4 teams in the freshmen assessment of the continent's number one soul master academy. Don't worry about me; I'll definitely return to see you. Since you've suffered so many grievances, I'll definitely let you have a grand funeral someday. I'll make those who held you in contempt and bullied you pay.
With that, a trace of hostility flashed through Huo Yuhao's eyes, causing a layer of red to flare within his eyes before disappearing.
He didn't cultivate so diligently and devotedly just to become a peak-level expert or to become an expert amongst experts. He just wanted revenge—revenge for his mother. He'd never forgotten the humiliation he'd suffered during his youth. Although he'd received warmth from others, and had felt fraternal love between friends after entering Shrek Academy, he hadn't forgotten the eleven years of pain he'd suffered. The memories from his childhood were already deeply ingrained in his mind.
Yes, there would be a day when he returned to the place that had left a black mark on his childhood memories, as well as where his mother's remains were.
Huo Yuhao's ambition was one that nobody would've ever thought of. However, the seeds of revenge had already sprouted in his heart.
After the time needed to brew a cup of tea had passed, Wang Dong pushed the door open and re-entered their room. When he saw Huo Yuhao, who was still standing by the window, he couldn't help but puzzledly ask, "Yuhao, are you okay?" In the past, Huo Yuhao would always be ready to go shower once he'd returned. However, he was still standing in front of the window today.
Huo Yuhao hurriedly wiped the tears from the rims of his eyes and turned around, forcefully putting on a smile. "I'm fine, I was just thinking of my mother."
Regardless of it had been Tang Ya, Bei Bei, or Wang Dong, the only thing that Huo Yuhao had said about his parents was that they'd died, leaving him an orphan.
Wang Dong's gaze immediately turned soft. He walked towards Huo Yuhao and said, "Don't feel sad. What's happened has already happened. I'm sure that Aunty would want you to be happy, no? You've already had a completely new beginning in Shrek Academy, so leave those unhappy things in your past. Go take your shower quickly. We'll cultivate a bit more once we're done with breakfast. This is truly a perfect example of the phrase ,'when it comes time to apply your knowledge, you find that you don't have enough of it'! If I'd worked harder in the past, we wouldn't be this worried now."
Huo Yuhao chuckled, then grabbed his toiletries and left the room. Could one simply just forget their revenge? If one could just 'forget' revenge, what other force could prompt a mere eleven-year-old kid to travel across the lands and head towards the Great Star Dou Forest? What else could motivate a kid—whose talent was extremely bad—to the point that he was at now? However, even though revenge could be a driving force at times, there were times where it could also cloud one's eyes.
After showering, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong hurriedly ate their breakfasts, then cultivated until the sun had risen. After the sun had risen, they left their rooms and headed towards the Assessment Area. The champions of this year's knock-out tournament would be decided today, and after getting all the way to the top 4, none of the teams would cower from the others.
The number of spectators today was even greater than yesterday. All of the spectators were teachers, of course, as the students still had to continue their classes. The only difference was that the sloppy old man who'd appeared on the tall stage yesterday hadn't turned up today.
The top 4 teams stood together, waiting to draw lots. However, the person in charge of the lot-drawing today was no longer the Director of the outer courtyard's Martial Soul Department, Du Weilun.
A white-clothed old man had taken his position. When he saw this old man, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but inwardly feel astonished; he'd previously seen this old man before, when he and Wang Dong had met the berserk Ma Xiaotao for the first time!
At that time, this old man had been the person in charge of the teachers who'd rushed over from the Sea God's Lake. As the freshmen assessment's knock-out tournament had progressed to its final stage today, he'd finally shown up. This clearly showed his lofty position in the Academy. Even Director Du Weilun—who possessed an extremely high amount of authority in the Academy—respectfully stood beside him.
"Greetings, youths. I'm Yan Shaozhe, the 261st Dean of Shrek Academy." The white-clothed old man carried a smile on his face as he spoke. He had an extremely warm temperament, and made it seem as if he was only an ordinary old man.
Although Huo Yuhao had already guessed the man's identity—at least to some extent—he still unconsciously straightened his back when it was personally announced by the man, just like the other students.
Just what status did the Dean of Shrek Academy have? As the Dean of the continent's number one academy, he had the qualification to be on equal footing with the emperor of any country in the world. Furthermore, as the Dean of Shrek Academy, he was definitely a Titled Douluo super expert! He was a true, peak-level existence on the Douluo Continent.
The Dean personally appearing was something that none of the freshmen could've predicted.
"I know that all of you are very curious as to why I've come here, and you're not wrong to be so. Normally, when the freshmen assessment enters its last stage, a Vice-Dean would be sufficient to show how much the academy values you. However, I have to admit that your performances during this freshmen assessment have left me extremely pleased. I've come because you all are the best batch of freshmen that I've seen during the past hundred years, so I'm very interested in you all. In addition to that, I'll be watching all of the matches today, so I hope that I'll continue to be pleasantly surprised by you all. Alright, let the lot-drawing begin."
Naturally, the Dean himself couldn't draw the lots. Thus, Du Weilun hurriedly took over the responsibility of drawing lots. However, Dean Yan himself was personally holding the ballot cylinder, which immediately caused all of the freshmen present to feel their blood boil.
This was a superpower that was only spoken of in the legends! The Dean of Shrek Academy is actually holding the ballot cylinder for us! Not to mention these freshmen, even if a group of eight-ringed Soul Douluo were here, they'd still feel deeply honoured. In an instant, the freshmen felt uncontrollably elated; Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong weren't exceptions either.
"Team Huo Yuhao from Class 1, please come forward to draw your lot." This time around, the first team to draw their lot was unexpectedly Huo Yuhao's team.
Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong glanced at each other. "You go." Huo Yuhao nudged his friend.
Wang Dong shook his head. "No, you're the team leader. Quickly go and draw." While speaking, he pushed Huo Yuhao out, making him the first student to draw a lot from the Dean.
Huo Yuhao felt somewhat nervous as he walked forward. When he stretched his hand out to draw his lot, he almost couldn't control his emotions—his arm was even trembling.
Dean Yan smiled. "Little fella, there's no need to be nervous. I hope that your team can obtain good results."
After drawing his lot, Huo Yuhao took a step back and respectfully bowed deeply towards Yan Shaozhe. Afterwards, he handed his lot over to Du Weilun before walking back towards Wang Dong. By the time he reached Wang Dong, he discovered that the speed of his heartbeat had doubled.
"Class 1, Team Huo Yuhao. Lot Number: 2."
The number 'two' signified that they'd be competing in the second arena during the semifinals. There were four numbers in the cylinder; two 'ones', and two 'twos'.
"Class 5, Team Dai Huabin. Please come forward and draw your lot."
A tall youth walked forwards with large steps. Huo Yuhao had always had a good memory, but as he looked towards the back of this youth, he discovered that he'd never seen this youth during the lot-drawings of the previous matches. Clearly, the team from Class 5 had changed the person they were sending out to pick their lot due to Dean Yan Shaozhe's appearance.
The youth walked up to the stage and, after saluting Yan Shaozhe and Du Weilun, drew a lot. Following Huo Yuhao, he bowed deeply before handing his lot to Du Weilun. Afterwards, he turned away.
His face was handsome, yet ice-cold. His long, golden hair was split in two atop his head, and was draped over his shoulders. If one were to carefully inspect him, they'd notice that there were unexpectedly two pupils in his deep blue eyes. In addition to that, he was also slightly taller than his peers.
When Huo Yuhao saw him, his entire body suddenly shook violently. An inconceivable look filled his eyes, and his body suddenly began trembling uncontrollably as he grabbed the arm of Wang Dong, who was next to him.
Wang Dong was startled by his sudden movement. He turned around to look at Huo Yuhao, only to discover that his face was extremely pale. An unconcealable amount of hatred had appeared in his eyes. Huo Yuhao's grip was extremely strong, so much so that even Wang Dong felt that it was slightly painful.
...
....
"Mom, I'll help you dry the clothes." A delicate seven or eight-year-old child strenuously hugged a large wooden bucket and unsteadily walked out of the courtyard to dry the clothes outside.
A beautiful, middle-aged woman stood in the courtyard as she looked at the figure of the youth, a gratified look in her eyes. She muttered to herself, "My Yuhao has truly grown up. He's become more and more thoughtful."
The little Yuhao carried the wooden bucket and left the courtyard with much difficulty. When he passed through the passage in front of him, he'd be about ten steps form the clothes-drying area.
Right at that moment, a large force suddenly slammed into his body from the side, viciously pushing his body, along with the bucket, to the ground, causing the clothes which had just been cleaned to immediately scatter on the ground.
"You bastard, do you not have any eyes? Didn't you see that the young master has returned? Screw off." An overbearing voice rang out. The little Yuhao endured the pain he was feeling, only to see eight strong-looking guards standing by either side of the pathway. The person who'd just knocked him down was a guard, and a youth—who was wearing a white robe embroidered with the pattern of a white python—walked towards him.
The youth looked extremely handsome, and he had two pupils in his eyes. In addition to that, he gave off a noble and aloof feeling. There was a stern look in his eyes, however he didn't even spare a glance towards Huo Yuhao until he stepped on a piece of clothing that had been dirtied by the mud.
"Hmm?" The white robed youth stopped and glanced coldly towards Huo Yuhao. "Beat him up." With that, he quickly walked away, as if he was scared of dirtying his eyes.
Two of the eight guards immediately ran towards the little Yuhao, then began to viciously beat him up.
Huo Yuhao had only been eight years old at the time, so how could he even have the energy to resist? Hearing the commotion going on outside, Huo Yuhao's mother had rushed out from the courtyard and used her own body to shield her son while bitterly begging the guards to stop. However, the mother and son duo were beaten to within an inch of their lives before the two guards finally stopped.
Huo Yuhao was still young at the time, so his recovery ability was a bit stronger than his mother's. However, his mother's body was already weak from an illness that had accumulated over her many years of hard work. Furthermore, the beating she'd received this time had left her with extremely severe injuries. After two years, she fell gravely ill, and then eternally left the world.
...
....
Three years had passed, and he'd grown much older. However, even though this was the case, Huo Yuhao would never forget his pair of indifferent eyes, nor his cold voice from that time.
It was him; he was the main culprit who'd caused his mother's death. Redness gradually filled Huo Yuhao's eyes. He clearly saw those striking twin pupils that signified the direct descendants of the Duke's Mansion. And that person was the youngest son of the Duchess. In other words, he was his half-brother; he was the person who'd caused the death of his mother. He was Dai Huabin.
Dai Huabin's face was as cold as ever. Even as he stood before Dean Yan Shaoze, he didn't lower his proud head. Unlike the other students who'd stood before the Dean, he was much calmer. Only his tightly clenched fists revealed the restlessness in his heart.
He'd clearly forgotten who Huo Yuhao was. That's right! Even though he'd brought a calamity down upon Huo Yuhao and his mother at that time, he'd never recognised him as his half-brother.
"Team Dai Huabin, Lot Number 1." After Du Weilun made his announcement, Dai Huabin returned to his team. Huo Yuhao's emotions calmed down by quite a bit when he was no longer able to see Dai Huabin's face. The current him needed Wang Dong's support to even stand firmly on the ground.
Wang Dong was filled with shock. This was the first time that Huo Yuhao had ever been so emotional, and he was completely unsure as to what had happened to him. However, it was certain that this had something to do with that Dai Huabin.
"Yuhao, Yuhao, calm down. What happened to you?" Wang Dong softly consoled him.
As the lot-drawing continued, nobody noticed the change in Huo Yuhao's expression. Only when the lot-drawing had ended did Huo Yuhao manage to regain his composure. However, Wang Dong could still feel his body trembling. Furthermore, this was the sort of trembling that only occurred when one's emotional state had reached its limit!
"Can you still fight?" Wang Dong asked, concerned. There was no time left to ask 'why', as the semifinals were just about to start.
Huo Yuhao took a deep breath, then forcefully restrained the pain he had in his heart as he softly nodded. "I can. Just now, what number did Dai Huabin get?"
Wang Dong furrowed his brows. He didn't even hear such a loud announcement? The change in his emotions was that great?
"He drew a one. If we fight against them, it'll be during the finals. Earlier, I heard someone say that he was the last three-ringed Soul Elder left in the freshmen assessment."
"A three-ringed Soul Elder?" A cold light flashed through Huo Yuhao's eyes. "Right! A three-ringed Soul Elder? He's had so much support and so many resources; why wouldn't he be this outstanding? Come, let's go finish our match."
At this moment, Huo Yuhao seemed to have regained his composure. The trembling on his body and the violent emotional fluctuations he'd been experiencing completely vanished. Wang Dong felt as if everything that had just happened were just figments of his imagination. However, he knew that they definitely weren't hallucinations!