He Caitou's choice to enter the Tang Sect was an absolutely overjoyous event to the previously five-man Tang Sect. Bei Bei had agreed to it, but Tang Ya was still the master of the Tang Sect. He immediately gathered everyone and went to inform her of the good news.
Tang Ya was overjoyed and naturally agreed. The Tang Sect had originally declined due to the large-scale appearances of soul tools. As such, they needed to start from the same field if they wanted to make a comeback. Outstandingly talented disciples could give the Tang Sect a certain amount of fighting power, but if they truly wanted to regain their past glory, they needed a source of income. Coincidentally, soul tools could not only give the Tang Sect a source of income, they could also cause their status on the continent rise once again.
The integration of soul tools and the Tang Sect's hidden weapons was naturally of the utmost importance. Even though Huo Yuhao had begun to display his talent with soul tools, he was still only a single person. He Caitou, on the other hand, was already a Class 4 soul engineer. At the same time, he was also one of Fan Yu's inheriting disciple. As such, the Tang Sect's strength could be considered to have grown greatly with his addition.
Ever since the Tang Sect had declined, everything in it had been conducted in a rather simple manner; the induction ceremony that Tang Ya held for He Caitou wasn't complicated, and everyone was able to enjoy a celebratory feast once the ceremony had ended. Jiang Nannan and Xu Sanshi joined the festivities as well.
Once everyone had finished their meal, He Caitou called out to Huo Yuhao, who'd been about to head to his dorm room, "Junior brother, I'd like to talk to you alone."
"Ah? Alright!" Huo Yuhao stopped walking and looked towards the seemingly worried He Caitou with a somewhat astonished look in his eyes.
Wang Dong said, "I'll head back first. You two can chat." With that, he left.
Huo Yuhao walked towards the seemingly hesitant He Caitou, then asked "Senior brother He, what's happened to you?"
The sky had already become dark, and bright stars currently dotted the cloudless sky.
He Caitou looked towards the sky. Afterwards, the normally straightforward look on his face gradually changed into a grave one. The blankness that was usually present in his eyes subsequently disappeared, and a clarity that Huo Yuhao had never seen before in He Caitou's eyes slowly appeared.
At that moment, he seemed like he'd become a completely different person. His temperament had completely changed, to the point that Huo Yuhao almost couldn't recognise him.
He subconsciously took a step back, his face filled with astonishment. "Senior brother, you…"
He Caitou looked back towards Huo Yuhao. When his gaze met Huo Yuhao's, there seemed to be something else besides the clarity that had just filled them.
"Yuhao, you know, I'm truly envious of your talent. If I had the same amount of talent as you do, I'd work hard and do everything that I could to get everything that I deserve returned to me. However, I can't. Even if I do everything that I can, I'm still limited by my talent. My future accomplishments will, at most, tie with our teacher's. However, you're different: You have twin martial souls, with one of them being an Ultimate one. Your future is immeasurable. Even in a place like Shrek Academy, your radiance will still outshine everything."
Huo Yuhao was at a loss when he heard He Caitou's words. "Senior brother, what are you saying!?"
A pained look appeared on He Caitou's face. "You know, we've always had a plan in our Soul Tool Department. It was known as the 'Ultimate Soldier Plan'."
"The 'Ultimate Soldier Plan'?" Huo Yuhao asked, astonished.
He Caitou nodded. "It's also the most important plan that we have. It was created in order to allow us to compete with the soul engineers of the Sun Moon Empire on equal terms."
"The so-called Ultimate Soldier Plan refers to the Soul Tool Department creating a single person capable of changing the outcome of an entire battle by himself. Someone that possess this level of strength would thus be known as an Ultimate Soldier."
Huo Yuhao asked, curious, "Shouldn't a Titled Douluo be able to do that? What does this have to do with our Soul Tool Department?"
He Caitou shook his head. "No. Indeed, a Titled Douluo might be able to change the situation of a battle, but they can't reverse the outcome of a large-scale battle. Won't our enemies have experts on their level as well? However, the Ultimate Soldier is different. The Ultimate Soldier is an existence that would live for the sake of war. It wouldn't just be limited to strength alone either; it would be specialised in both using and creating many different types of soul tools, and it would be good at concealing itself, subterfuge, and destruction. It would be sharp enough to find any node on the battlefield, and then capable enough to destroy targets or to provide assistance. The Ultimate Soldier isn't a commander, but an artist who can change the outcome of a battle. A Titled Douluo is strong individually, but their use in a battle is far from planned power of the Ultimate Soldier. Originally, I was working hard as the focal point of this goal, and our teacher always relied on me to realize this plan. However, everything changed when you appeared. Not only are you more talented than me, you're also stronger than me in both soul tool creation and individual strength. Yesterday, our teacher told me that I wouldn't be nurtured as the focal point of the Ultimate Soldier anymore. Instead, I'm to become an Auxiliary Soldier to help you. If we're to say that you're the future Ultimate Soldier, then I'll be your portable armory."
Huo Yuhao was astonished when he heard this. He couldn't help but cry out, "Senior brother He, I—"
However, He Caitou put his hand up to stop him from continuing. "Yuhao, don't panic. Let me finish first."
Huo Yuhao truly didn't wish for a situation like this to occur. Ever since he'd begun to follow in Fan Yu's footsteps, He Caitou had given him advice in many different aspects, and had selflessly passed on his experiences to him. The respect that Huo Yuhao had for He Caitou was no less than the respect he had for Bei Bei. However, he'd never thought that he'd be the one who'd rob his senior brother of his dreams. As such, he felt greatly pained.
It was precisely because of the fact that he'd lived in a hypocritical place like the Duke's Mansion that Huo Yuhao valued relationships as much as he did. He'd finally managed to obtain both warmth and friendship inside of Shrek Academy, and he treasured these feelings greatly. At the moment, his first thought was to give up his studies in the Soul Tool Department.
He Caitou patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder, and the look on his face became a little bit gentler. "Yuhao, don't panic. I don't have any intentions of blaming you. If it were someone else, I'd definitely be unwilling to accept it. In fact, I'd probably even rebel against teacher's arrangements. However, I don't feel unresigned at all, since I know that the person who'll carry out the Ultimate Soldier Plan is you. On the contrary, I feel quite happy."
"I know where my flaws lie. No matter how hard I work, I won't be a suitable Ultimate Soldier. This is due to the innate flaws in my martial soul. Category wise, I'm a food-type soul master. Even though my martial souls's auxiliary capabilities aren't bad, my personal combat strength is limited; I'm far from comparable to battle-type soul masters like you. I've done all I can, but all I can rely on are soul tools. However, oftentimes the effectiveness of soul tools falls short of martial souls. I've worked hard, but talent isn't something that you can get away with by relying solely on hard work."
"Do you still remember the first time we met? I've always been an extremely simple person in the academy. Furthermore, because of how special my name is, everyone's always called me a turnip (Caitou), or some other nicknam like 'blackie' or 'muscleman'. You're the only exception to this. The first time you met me, you called me 'senior brother'. The look in your eyes back then was extremely clear, and was also very sincere. I recognised you as my junior brother from then on."
"Once you began your studies, the talent that you revealed astonished even our fierce teacher. I can understand how he feels; after all, who wouldn't wish for one's disciple to exceed oneself? Furthermore, there wouldn't be the current 'me' without our teacher. Thus, junior brother, you don't need to feel burdened. I've already talked it over with teacher, and I'll do all I can to support you as the Ultimate Soldier. I'll be your Portable Armory."
Tears began to well up in Huo Yuhao's eyes. "Senior brother, I really didn't wish for this to happen. This isn't fair. Why don't I…?"
He Caitou stopped him once more. "Junior brother, don't speak nonsense. There are some things that simply can't happen. Furthermore, I have my own selfish motives for helping you out at all costs: I hope that you'll help me out with one single thing in the future. Once you've become successful with your cultivation in the future, I want you to help me out. Of course, only if it's within your means."
"Senior brother, tell me." Huo Yuhao hurriedly inquired.
A trace of deep pain appeared in He Caitou's eyes. "Yuhao, you know, in reality, even teacher Fan Yu doesn't know where I'm from, or my identity. This is because I don't want to bring him trouble, nor do I wish for him to feel disturbed. Since I've already told you this much today, I'll go ahead and tell you all of it; I've held back too much pain in my heart over the past several years."
"When teacher Fan Yu saved me that year, I was nine. When he first saw me, I was covered with blood, and I was completely powerless. Once he'd saved me, he inquired about my origins. I told him that my family were businessmen, and that all of them had been killed in an unfortunate encounter. I told him that I was the only one who'd escaped, and that I had already become an orphan. When I said this, I was afraid that I'd implicate him. However, I'd never expected that this would become my origin story."
"When teacher brought me back to the academy and taught me how to practice soul engineer, I cultivated diligently, which gradually revealed that I had a certain amount of talent towards soul tool creation. However, I hid an unforgettable piece of hatred in the depths of my heart."
"Huo Yuhao, I'm a person from the Sun Moon Empire. The only place where you can find a person as dark as me is in that place. Furthermore, I'm a member of the Sun Moon Empire's imperial family. I'm the nephew of the current Emperor."
"Ah?" Huo Yuhao was greatly astonished by what he'd just heard. Never in his wildest dreams would he have expected that his normally straightforward and simple senior brother He would have such an impressive origin. For a brief moment, he was completely flabbergasted.
He Caitou smiled bitterly. "You're surprised, aren't you? It's no wonder, as I've kept this matter buried deep inside my heart for such a long time. My father was the previous emperor of the Sun Moon Empire. In fact, I had seven older sisters, and my mother only gave birth to me when my father had turned forty-eight. Back when my father was still the crown prince, his younger brother, who's also my uncle, had always tried to snatch the throne away from him. However, grandfather knew about uncle's vicious nature, and knew that giving him the throne would've only brought trouble to the country. Even though uncle's talent far surpassed that of my father's in every field, my grandfather still decided to deny him the throne."
"Once he'd inherited the throne, my father ruled the empire in earnest. He'd give his it his all to take care of national affairs, every day. As time went on, our empire became more and more prosperous beneath his rule. A large majority of the officials were moved by his earnestness, thus they pledged their loyalty to him."
"Right before his death, grandfather told my father to completely strip away uncle's power—only then would our country remain peaceful. However, my father was too kind-hearted; he couldn't bear to take away his younger brother's power. Therefore, he didn't fulfill grandfather's last wish, and thus left behind the root of all of the troubles that followed."
"Six years ago, when my father was in the prime of his life, he suddenly died in the middle of the night. My mother and my three unmarried elder sisters also died that same night. Later that same night, my uncle led the army and barged into the capital. Later, it was found out that my father, mother, and elder sister's food had all been poisoned. Everything changed from that night on. I still remember that terrifying figure entering the imperial palace and murdering everyone. I was only able to survive because my mother shoved me into a secret passage."
"When he didn't find my body, uncle sent some out some people to find and kill me. At the same time, he declared to the country that our entire family had died from food poisoning. He then took advantage of the situation and killed all of the subordinates and servants in the palace that were still loyal to my father, and then buried them with him. After this great purge, and due to the fact that he was the sole remaining heir to the empire, he began to rule over the country with an iron fist."
He Caitou's eyes had become red as he spoke, and he'd clenched his fists tightly. His usually kind and naive face had also become extremely sinister. His heart was currently full of hatred.
"Maybe it was thanks to father and mother watching over me from the heavens, but in the end, I managed to escape. However, I—who'd once been the crown prince—had been reduced to someone that was inferior to a beggar. And yet, I still didn't dare to return; I could only keep running. Afterwards, I managed to reach the borders of the Heavenly Soul Empire, which is where teacher saved me. Thanks to that, I was able to survive. However, I couldn't simply forget the deep hatred that's buried inside of my heart. Of course, I was clear as to what my limits were. In the end, I was still alone, and my power was insignificant by itself. The Ultimate Soldier Plan was my only hope of succeeding. However, I simply don't have enough talent to complete this plan."
He looked towards Huo Yuhao, his eyes red, and continued, "Yuhao. In the future, I really that you'll become the Ultimate Soldier. And once you do, I hope that you'll help me get my revenge. I know that this request might be too much. However, I'll do everything in my power to help you grow and become stronger. I didn't join the Tang Sect today just for its hidden weapons. It was also for the sake of deepening our relationship as brothers. I won't force you to do something you don't want to do. However, I can't get my revenge by relying on my power alone. Therefore, are you willing to try your best to help me, so long as it doesn't endanger your life?"
Huo Yuhao looked towards He Caitou, his expression now somber. "Senior Brother He, I also carry a deep hatred within me. However, I can't give you a definite answer right now, as I don't have the qualifications to do so. As of right now, I'm too weak to deal with either of our enemies. However, I'll always be your junior brother. If there's someone that wants to injure you, I won't let them off."
"Before I entered Shrek Academy, my heart was full of hatred. The only thought I had on my mind was revenge. However, when I arrived here, I discovered that I was nothing but a drop in the ocean. In order to get my revenge, I realized that I needed to train harder than I'd ever trained before. Only once we've become powerful people in the academy will we have the qualifications to talk about revenge. We'll both have to keep our hatreds buried inside of our hearts until we're strong enough. When the time comes, not only will we be brothers, we'll also be comrades-in-arms. At that time, I'll fight side by side with you."
"Fine." He Caitou stretched out his large hand towards Huo Yuhao. His white palm created a sharp contrast with the tanned skin on the back of his hand. Huo Yuhao also stretched his hand out and tightly grasped his.
He Caitou said in a grave tone, "Junior brother, let's try to help each other. We'll get through this together. Even if we take our revenge in ten years, it won't be too late. Right now, we're both still very weak. But what about ten years from now?"
Once he'd brought Huo Yuhao back to his dormitory, He Caitou changed back to the kind and plain core disciple of the Soul Tool Department he'd always been. Huo Yuhao had also gone back to normal; it was as if nothing had happened between them. However, he'd buried He Caitou's secret deep inside of his heart. Unless they had absolute strength, it would be pointless to talk about revenge.
Once they received the status of Shrek's Seven Monsters substitutes, Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao dedicated even more time to their studies. They spent all of their time after class cultivating.
They were honored to act as substitutes. However, the pressure weighing down on them was much greater at the same time. They wanted to preserve Shrek Academy's honor with all of their strength. And, since they were the youngest of the group, they needed to expend even more effort to keep up with the others and to maintain their position.
In the blink of an eye, two weeks had passed. In that time, Elder Xuan had helped them with their training twice. His teaching methods were very direct and crude. He simply made them fight without any reservations.
Every time, the seven of them would be divided into different groups and made to fight each other. Elder Xuan had also told them not to hold back. With a powerful expert like him as a supervisor, they wouldn't be in any danger. Under Elder Xuan's assiduous training, Huo Yuhao fought while paired with several different teammates. And every single time, his team would end up on the weaker side.
As they studied and cultivated earnestly, Huo Yuhao could feel that himself improving every day. Moreover, he and Wang Dong had gotten better and better at using their Haodong Power. After half a month, Huo Yuhao could feel his soul power approaching rank 27. Soon, he'd break through again.
But the one that gave them the biggest surprise was Xiao Xiao. Her soul power had managed to reach rank 29. Just one more level and she'd be able to hunt a soul beast and become a rank 30 Soul Elder.
Today was one of the days that Elder Xuan was training them. Whenever this happened, Huo Yuhao and the others would skip their classes and come to the Assessment Area to take Elder Xuan's lesson. Today was no different.
However, as soon as they entered the Assessment Area, they saw some unfamiliar faces.
Bei Bei, He Caitou, Xu Sanshi, and Jiang Nannan had already arrived. However, there were also some other students alongside Elder Xuan.
Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao felt their heartbeat speed up when they saw the seven students, all of whom were wearing blood-red school uniforms. This color meant that they were students of the inner courtyard.
Huo Yuhao only knew one of those seven students: Ma Xiaotao. However, he hadn't seen her since that day.
Today, her long hair had been pulled up into a ponytail; she looked extremely neat. When she noticed Huo Yuhao, the corners of her mouth lifted to reveal a pensive smile.
Huo Yuhao was somewhat embarrassed, and he immediately blushed. He still clearly remembered the scene from that day! Moreover, Ma Xiaotao was the first woman to have ever had such an intimate relationship with him. As such, he remembered it even more clearly.
Besides Ma Xiaotao, there were six other people present, four of which were men, while the other two were women. Their age seemed to be about the same as hers. Bei Bei and the others had arrived a bit earlier, and they had solemn expressions as they stood there. From time to time, they'd shoot a glance at the inner courtyard disciples. Apart from their envy, there was also admiration and respect within their eyes.
These red-clothed disciples of the inner courtyard were the strongest students in the academy. It was also thanks to them that Shrek Academy could maintain its status as the number one academy on the continent.
Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao walked toward Bei Bei and the others; they too were very reserved. After all, today they were in the presence of several fellow powerful students. In addition to this, they had more or less guessed the seven's identities.
Elder Xuan nodded at their arrival and said, "You've all arrived. The next Continental Advanced Academy Soul Dueling Tournament will begin in ten days. Both of your groups should've guessed the identity of the other. Your guesses aren't wrong. On one side, we have those that will participate in the competition. On the other side, we have the reserves. Both of you are the old and new generations of the Shrek's Seven Monsters. There are two reasons that I've brought you to here to meet each other today: The first is to get to know each other, while the second is to get you guys acquainted with each other's respective abilities."
With that, he turned toward Huo Yuhao and the other seven and said, "You couldn't have possibly thought that you guys would just act as spectators, right? On the contrary, unless something expected happens, all of you will probably have to fight. Whenever we encounter an opponent that's not too strong, it'll be your turn to go on stage. This way we can properly hide the main team's abilities."
When they heard that they would have a chance to go on stage, Huo Yuhao and the others were pleasantly surprised. At first, they had really thought that they would just be present as spectators! They hadn't thought that they'd have the opportunity to represent the academy! And this wasn't just any academy they would be representing; it was Shrek Academy!
Elder Xuan snorted and continued, "Don't get overexcited. It's inevitable that you'll have to go on stage. However, you're not allowed to lose. If one of you isn't careful and manages to lose a match… Hehe, you'll learn the consequences. So long as I'm alive, that person can forget about entering the inner courtyard. Moreover, you should adjust your mentality. In this session, you'll act as a support for the main group. You'll have to obey their every order. Do you understand?"
"Understood." The group of seven answered in chorus. With their current ages and cultivations, becoming the official substitutes for the main team was already enough to fill them with happiness! Furthermore, they might even get the oppurtunity to go out and fight. An experience such as this was already quite difficult to come by, yet the academy had done all of this in order to prepare them to become the next generation of Shrek's Seven Monsters.
Elder Xuan nodded. "Alright, everybody introduce yourselves so that you all can get to know each other. We'll start with the preparatory team."
After confirming how old they were, there was naturally no problem regarding the order in which the preparatory team started speaking. Bei Bei was the first to walk out, "I'm Bei Bei, a fifth year student from the outer courtyard. I'm a Rank 42 assault-type Soul Ancestor."
He Caitou was the next to take a step forward. "He Caitou. Fourth year from the outer courtyard. I'm from the Soul Tool Department, and I'm a Class 4 soul engineer." As a student of the Soul Tool Department, he evidently had no need to give out his own cultivation. On the contrary, he would use his Class to reveal his own strength.
Xu Sanshi was the third to come up. "Xu Sanshi. I'm a fifth year from the outer courtyard, and I'm a Rank 43 defense-type Soul Ancestor." In terms of soul power, he was still slightly weaker than Bei Bei.
The fourth in line was Jiang Nannan. Though she didn't want to stand next to Xu Sanshi and listen to him grumble on and on again, they were of a similar age. It wouldn't be good to reveal her thoughts at an important event like this.
"I'm Jiang Nannan. I'm a fifth year from the outer courtyard, and I'm a Rank 41 agility-type Soul Ancestor."
The gazes of a few male students from the inner courtyard immediately lit up after seeing her. Jiang Nannan was indeed extremely beautiful. Of the females present here, she was the most beautiful in terms of looks alone; Ma Xiaotao, on the other hand, had the best physique. As for Xiao Xiao, she was simply too young. As a result, she hadn't developed much of her womanly charms.
Xu Sanshi immediately tensed up, and he looked toward his seniors in the inner courtyard with a blazing look in his eyes.
The fifth person to step out was Xiao Xiao. "I'm called Xiao Xiao, greetings to my senior upperclassmen. I'm a second year from the outer courtyard, and I'm a Rank 29 control-type Soul Grandmaster."
The disciples of the inner courtyard who were enraptured by Jiang Nannan's looks involuntarily widened their eyes at hearing the words 'Rank 29'.
Rank 29? Did they hear something wrong? This was the preparatory team of the Shrek's Seven Monsters, but there was actually a second year among them? It was no wonder they looked so small. Heavens! What was Elder Xuan trying to do?
The next-in-line after Xiao Xiao was Huo Yuhao. He took a step forward to Xiao Xiao's side and said respectfully, "Greetings to my senior upperclassmen. I'm Huo Yuhao, and I'm a second year of the outer courtyard. I'm a Rank 26 control-type soul master."
Rank, Rank 26? Other than Ma Xiaotao, the expressions of the others in the inner courtyard became somewhat strange. However, seeing as they were able to become disciples of the inner courtyard, they had extremely calm temperaments. Though they were astonished, they didn't reveal any large changes on the outside.
The last in line was Wang Dong. He could naturally see the astonishment that the seniors in the inner courtyard had, and hence he proudly raised his little chest and said, "Wang Dong. Second year from the outer courtyard, and a Rank 31 assault-type Soul Elder."
Elder Xuan nodded and pointed towards the disciples from the inner courtyard, "Your turn."
The first one to walk out from among the group of disciples from the inner courtyard was actually Ma Xiaotao. She was evidently much calmer than before.
"Inner courtyard, Ma Xiaotao. Rank 67 assault-type Soul Emperor."
Though Huo Yuhao and the rest knew that she was powerful, they couldn't help but gasp after hearing her say the words 'Rank 67'.
The fact that she could participate in the Continental Advanced Academy Soul Duelling Tournament meant that she wasn't even twenty yet. However, her cultivation had already reached Rank 67. This couldn't even be described using the word 'terrifying'.
A male student stepped up after Ma Xiaotao. He was extremely tall, and standing together with the slender Ma Xiaotao was extremely fitting. Huo Yuhao felt a few traces of familiarity upon seeing him, but didn't know why this was the case. This man had a solemn temperament, and his gaze was as cutting as a blade. He said in a low voice, "Inner courtyard, Dai Yueheng. Rank 64 assault-type Soul Emperor."
Huo Yuhao finally came to himself after hearing the words 'Dai Yueheng'. He was greatly astonished, and his expression changed involuntarily. On the other hand, Dai Yueheng squinted his eyes as he looked at Huo Yuhao, and a faint chilly light flickered through them.
The White Tiger Duke had two sons. The eldest was the prince of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, and also its future inheritor; he was called Dai Yueheng. Dai Huabin's talent was very outstanding, as shown by the fact that he was able to become a Rank 37 Soul Elder before even turning thirteen. However, he still had to live under the shadow of his elder brother.
Huo Yuhao had never expected to see Dai Yueheng in a situation like this. He was actually one of the current generation's Shrek's Seven Monsters. From the look in Dai Yueheng's eyes, he knew that his grudge with Dai Huabin was definitely known by the former.
The person who came up after Dai Yueheng was another male student. He wasn't as sturdily built as Dai Huabin, but his body was slender. He carried the trace of a warm smile on his face. "Inner courtyard, Chen Zifeng. Rank 57 assault-type Soul King."
Though the two previous Soul Emperors were shocking, a person who was able to become a Soul King before the age of twenty was similarly astonishing! It was extremely difficult to become a disciple of the inner courtyard, but he was actually able to stand out from the many disciples in the inner courtyard to go out and represent Shrek Academy. Their excellence could be seen from this.
The fourth person was another woman. She looked extremely normal, and her figure was also extremely normal. Moreover, she even had short hair. On the surface, she was a young girl who couldn't be any more normal. Even her voice was so normal that it was astonishing.
"Inner courtyard, Xi Xi. Rank 56 agility-type Soul King." She gave a similar introduction, but it didn't really give a deep impression. The moment she spoke, her entire person seemed to dim, as if she'd been completely overshadowed by the radiance of the people in front of her.
The fifth person was also a female student, and she was much prettier than Xi Xi. Unlike Ma Xiaotao's fierceness, she had a cool sort of beauty. She was also different from Jiang Nannan's gentleness; the cold and aloof feeling that came from her would easily give a person a deep impression. Her skin was very white, and she seemed completely weightless as she stepped forward.
"Inner courtyard, Ling Luochen. Rank 55 control-type Soul King." Finally, a control-type soul master came out after the other assault and agility-type ones.
The sixth person was a thin boy who was only 1.6 meters or so tall. He had a thin body, and was much shorter than Ling Luochen, but his eyes were bright and filled with expression.
"Inner courytard, Yao Haoxuan. Rank 55, control-type Soul King." It was another control-type soul master, but were there any auxiliary-type ones?
The last disciple from the inner courtyard had an elegant set of facial features. Right, the word was 'elegant'. Though he was clearly a male student, he had a slender body and a jade-like face. His elegant appearance made one involuntarily fall in love with him, and even his voice was soft, "Inner courtyard, Gong Yangmo. Rank 59 auxiliary-type Soul King."
The seven from the preparatory team would never have thought that the last member of the Shrek's Seven Monsters would actually be ranked third in terms of cultivation. Second only to Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng, he was at Rank 59. He only needed to take a single step to become a Soul Emperor-ranked expert.
After hearing his senior upperclassmen introduce themselves, Huo Yuhao etched their names, specialties, and soul ranks into his mind. Though they were were only assisting them in the actual competition, there were evident benefits to memorising all of this.
Other than the gloomy feeling he had after Dai Yueheng's unexpected appearance, Huo Yuhao felt astonished after memorising the details of his seniors.
These competitors were all under the age of twenty, but they were all above Rank 50! Moreover, there were even two of them who were Soul Emperors. Was this actually something that could be achieved before the age of twenty? Though they were definitely consummate existences amongst their peers, since they were studying in Shrek Academy's inner courtyard, the fact that they were all Soul Kings and Soul Emperors still managed to startle Huo Yuhao. If he were able to reach the Soul King rank before the age of twenty, wouldn't that be a sight to behold?
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the inner courtyard disciples standing in front of Huo Yuhao were already at the very top amongst their peers. Would there even be a chance of losing in the Continental Advanced Academy Soul Duelling Tournament with a team like this participating?
Elder Xuan nodded slightly, "Okay, you all know each other a bit now. For the sake of getting you guys to know each other more, your first training task today is a friendly match. You should try and increase your familiarity with each other in today's match. You won't just be teaming up with your own teammates; I can switch the members of your teams any time I wish to during the match, so as to ensure that we can be the final champions of the Tournament. Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, you each take a team. Ma Xiaotao, your cultivation's higher, so you can only take two official members for your team. However, I'll let you choose a member from the official and preparatory teams first. Dai Yueheng, you can take three official members along with some people from the preparatory team.
Huo Yuhao's group of seven were still somewhat baffled, but the seven from the inner courtyard were clearly familiar with Elder Xuan's way of doing things.
Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng took a step forward and put some distance between the two of them. The former said, "The first person I'll choose from the official team is Gong Yangmo." She had a total of three official members she could choose from, but the first person she chose wasn't the assault-type Cheng Zifeng, but the person who had the highest cultivation within the official team other than her and Dai Yueheng, Gong Yangmo.
With that, she paused, "The first person I'll choose from the preparatory team is Huo Yuhao."
"Huh?" The moment she spoke, both teams were greatly astonished, and even Elder Xuan revealed a startled look on his face.
Ma Xiaotao snorted coldly. "What? Can I not choose him?"
Wang Dong bumped Huo Yuhao, who then glanced back at him. Under Wang Dong's slightly inquisitive gaze, the former could only reveal a helpless smile.
Gong Yangmo walked elegantly over to Ma Xiaotao and smiled slightly. "Xiaotao, you truly have good eyes."
Ma Xiaotao revealed a loathful look and said, "Maintain a five meter distance between you and me. Otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite."
Gong Yangmo wasn't angered by this; he walked five meters away from her with a smile.
Ma Xiaotao waved Huo Yuhao over. "What're you waiting for? Quickly, come here."
"Oh." Only then did Huo Yuhao quickly walk over to Ma Xiaotao's side.
Ma Xiaotao raised her chin towards Dai Yueheng in a seemingly provocative manner. "It's your turn."