The core strength of Dai Yueheng's team was comprised of Chen Zifeng, Ling Luochen, and himself. Among the other four, Xu Sanshi was comparatively stronger in terms of direct combat. The remaining three consisted of Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao.
To them, the only advantage brought about by having Huo Yuhao on their team was that Ling Luochen's ability shouldn't be restricted, but that was all.
Elder Xuan indicated for both parties to space out, but he didn't give them time to familiarise themselves with one another this time around. As soon as both parties were a hundred and fifty metres apart he sounded the command for them to begin.
Both sides were closer to one another this time around. As soon as Elder Xuan gave the signal to begin, the Control System Battle Soul Masters on both sides immediately activated their skills.
Dai Yueheng, Chen Zifeng, and Xu Sanshi were in front, Ling Luochen was in the middle, and Wang Dong, Huo Yuhao, and Xiao Xiao were in the back.
Ling Luochen ran ahead of Huo Yuhao, then turned her head back to look at Huo Yuhao, her cold gaze bearing a degree of curiosity and alertness.
Huo Yuhao shrugged his shoulders towards her. Afterwards, both of his foolproof white soul rings of lit up once more. Just like before, his Spiritual Detection Sharing was activated when the moment that his first soul ring lit up.
The people in front of him shuddered all simultaneously shuddered. If it weren't for the fact that they were all well experienced in battle, they wouldn't have been able to keep themselves from turning and staring at Huo Yuhao.
Dai Yueheng and Chen Zifeng finally understood why Ma Xiaotao's Phoenix Meteor Shower had been so accurate before. However, they hadn't even thought that it had been due to Huo Yuhao. Weren't his soul rings just white, ten year ones? How could he have such a powerful spiritual-type soul skill?! Furthermore, he'd previously used an ice-attribute martial soul, right? As such, how had this spiritual-type soul skill come about?
Both parties were just over a hundred metres away from one another. It didn't matter that Dai Yueheng, Chen Zifeng, and Ling Luochen had misgivings about this soul skill in their hearts, as they had to face their opponents first.
Ling Luochen was also a Control System Battle Soul Master. The cold stream that had previously surrounded her rose up once more. As it did, Ma Xiaotao appeared directly across from her. In that moment, her phoenix wings unfurled again, and with Gong Yangmo's help, raging torrential flames appeared once more. The temperature in the assessment area rapidly began to increase.
At that exact moment, Ling Luochen felt two warm palms suddenly press themselves against her back. She couldn't help but shudder, which nearly interrupted her soul skill.
Ling Luochen was mysophobic, quiet, and cold. Besides her close relatives, she'd never let anyone from the opposite sex touch her body before. Amongst the three people standing behind her, the one directly behind her was Huo Yuhao. As such, this pair of hands undoubtedly belonged to Huo Yuhao. She was immediately enraged, but right when she was about to turn around and lash out at him, she suddenly felt that something about her soul skill had changed. It was difficult to describe the frigid air that had suddenly surged into her body from her back: Her ability was originally ice-based, thus this external force wasn't an attack, but an assimilation. She felt that her ice had turned into an existence that stood on a completely different level than before, while her entire temperament seemed to have subsequently changed because of that frigid feeling.
As one of Shrek Academy's inner courtyard disciples, Ling Luochen wasn't only stubbornly strong, she was also extremely knowledgeable when it came to soul masters. She immediately became aware of a possibility that had been unknown to her up until this point. When she thought of this possibility, she immediately understood why she'd previously lost to Huo Yuhao in such a dubious manner.
Ultimate, it's actually Ultimate Ice. This tiny youngster actually has an inconceivable martial soul like Ultimate Ice!
Both parties began to near each other as Ling Louchen had this revelation. Ling Luochen quickly calmed down, then immediately confirmed that it was Huo Yuhao behind her. However, when she did, she noticed that his two soul rings had actually turned into a single soul ring. Wang Dong was right behind Huo Yuhao, and he'd firmly planted both his hands on Huo Yuhao's back as well. She was able to see all of this because of Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection.
Her ice element had turned into an Ultimate Ice element! To Ling Luochen, this feeling was both magical and wonderful. Even though this wouldn't turn her into a true Ultimate Ice Soul Master, what Huo Yuhao had done was equivalent to amplifying her ice attribute for a short period of time, such that she could temporarily use the power of an Ultimate Ice attribute. Furthermore, Ultimate Ice that bore the power of a Soul King.
Ling Luochen's first soul ring metamorphosed into an icy staff, which she then raised over her head. However, she didn't release her second soul ring and equip her ice armor this time around. Instead, she pointed her icy staff towards the sky. When she did, an icy blue halo encased her whole body in a split second, which caused body to be wrapped in an icy blue coat.
Immediately afterwards, an icy blue pillar of light soared into the sky. The dry heat that had filled their surroundings was immediately swept into oblivion. Not only that, but once the icy cold draft had risen ten metres into the air, it rapidly spread like a tide and pressed itself against Ma Xiaotao's phoenix flames.
No matter how firm Dai Yueheng's resolution was, he couldn't help but look up at the sky. He just so happened to see an icy blue layer overtake both Chen Zifeng and himself at an astonishing speed. That icy blue layer then rapidly came into contact with Ma Xiaotao's monstrous phoenix flames.
When they felt the chilliness brought about by the Ultimate Ice, Dai Yueheng and Chen Zifeng couldn't help but shiver, despite being her teammates. They exchanged a glance, the astonishment they felt clearly present in their eyes.
All of them were within Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection Sharing, thus they could naturally tell that Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong were both currently supporting Ling Luochen. Furthermore, the cold aura that Ling Luochen had revealed had completely surpassed that of the one she'd revealed in the past. The overwhelming pressure brought about by it shocked even a Soul Emperor like Dai Yueheng!
Ma Xiaotao's Reddish-golden flames rapidly collided with the icy blue streams of cold.
The people on Ma Xiaotao's team were startled to find that their deduction was wrong: The one currently winning wasn't the Soul Emperor Ma Xiaotao, but rather the Soul King Ling Luochen.
When the cold streams came into contact with the scorching phoenix flames, they seemed as though they'd suddenly encountered a downpour. The flames dissipated in the face of the cold streams, and were consequently replaced by the cold torrential streams. The cold streams of air shocked every single person on Ma Xiaotao's team, and caused them to feel a little sluggish.
Yao Haoxuan had already turned into an extremely brawny four-metre tall man, and he began forcefully thumping his chest. That was his first soul skill, 'Warfare'.
However, this yellow soul skill of his that strengthened everyone on his team wasn't able to neutralize the chilliness they felt. Contrary to his expectations, he even slowed down a little.
It was at this moment that Xiao Xiao's Ninephoenix Worshipping Flute suddenly rang out. Under her precise control, the sound waves that caused people to slow down flew past her teammates without affecting them, only affecting the seven people on Ma Xiaotao's team.
Ma Xiaotao's team was strong, but they had a problem—they didn't have a real Control System Battle Soul Master on their team. Their opponents, on the other hand, had three of them.
Under the joint efforts of Ling Luochen and Xiao Xiao, their seven-man team had now become significantly slower.
Dai Yueheng and Chen Zifeng became fired up when they saw this. They suddenly felt that their loss wasn't necessarily certain in this match, and both released their martial souls. They then simultaneously accelerated towards Ma Xiaotao. Ma Xiaotao was in a completely different situation this match, now that she didn't have Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection Sharing to aid her. Furthermore, Ling Luochen was suppressing her phoenix flames.
"Xi Xi, get rid of Huo Yuhao!" Ma Xiaotao shouted out as she faced Dai Yueheng and Chen Zifeng head-on without a shred fear in her body. Bei Bei and He Caitou flanked her from the sides, but a flash of lightning immediately sparked past all of them, which formed a refraction at an alarming speed; Xi Xi had already reached Huo Yuhao's side only a second after Ma Xiaotao had shouted.
Neither Ling Luochen's cold streams nor Xiao Xiao's Ninephoenix Worshipping Flute were capable of impairing Xi Xi's speed by a large amount. She was Xi Xi: An ordinary-looking girl, yet a true assassin-like Agility System Soul Master!
"Dong—" Lightning shot out in all directions amidst the prolonged sound that was produced from a collision. Xi Xi finally revealed her true self from within the lightning.
In that moment, her pupils were vertical, while her skin had turned black, and lightning was currently coiling around body. That's right, this was her martial soul—Lightning Leopard.
However, someone had blocked that attack of hers, which she'd unleashed with the intention to win. It was only natural that Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong wouldn't have been able to block her sudden attack head on, but there was someone who could: Xu Sanshi.
His huge Shield of the Xuanwu Turtle had landed right in front of Huo Yuhao, which had caused Xi Xi to rebound from her attack. After her attack struck, Xu Sanshi positioned himself horizontally from her.
At that moment, Dai Yueheng and Chen Zifeng were even more aware of the wonder brought about by Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection. They were able to completely grasp the situation on the battlefield in a three-dimensional form at all times due to his Spiritual Detection. Normally, a speedy assassin such as Xi Xi would dart behind their opponents and ambush them where they knew they'd appear. However, they didn't make a detour to deal with Xi Xi this time around. Xu Sanshi's obstruction had appeared in their Spiritual Detection, thus all they needed to do was face their opponents head-on.
Both parties were about to collide with one another, when Dai Yueheng suddenly revealed a somewhat strange smile on his face. Following that, his fourth soul ring suddenly lit up.
A bright, golden-white pillar of light soared into the sky. A brilliant, crescent-moon shaped light seemed to shine from within the light pillar. Shortly afterwards, tens of balls of light appeared from atop the light pillar and descended in a flash. They passed Ma Xiaotao by, then split into two groups. One group headed towards the sky-bound Gong Yangmo, while the other portion rapidly dispersed and shot towards Jiang Nannan and He Caitou.
Who doesn't know how to unleash a meteor shower? You have your Phoenix Meteor Shower, I have my White Tiger Meteor Shower. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth! It's my turn to land a clean hit now that I have Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection on my side!
If they were competing based purely on strength alone, Dai Yueheng naturally wouldn't be able to compare to Ma Xiaotao's six-ringed soul skill with just his four-ringed one. They were both Meteor Showers, but his was much weaker than hers. However, his meteor shower had a much smaller amount of meteors compared to Ma Xiaotao, which caused every single meteor of his to be more powerful in their own right. Moreover, the main target he'd chosen wasn't the weakest amongst the three from the opposing team, but rather their team's main attacker, Gong Yangmo. As long as he was able to get rid of Gong Yangmo, the strength of Ma Xiaotao's team would plummet.
Gong Yangmo had already released three soul skills at this point. The first soul skill he'd used was 'Scarlet Strength', the second was 'Orange Soul', and the third soul skill was 'Yellow Speed'. These three soul skills caused three halos to appear atop the heads of everyone on his team, with Yao Haoxuan's amplification then added onto them. Their party was now much stronger, and if one were to isolate their team and look at each individual's current state they'd clearly be able to see this.
However, the moment that both parties were about to engage in a close-quarters battle, Ling Luochen suddenly let out another attack.
Ling Luochen's third soul ring instantly lit up as she pointed her icy staff forward, which caused an icy-blue ray of light to strike the top of Ma Xiaotao's head.
The blue light enveloped her and instantly entrapped her within an icy prison . Ma Xiaotao's charge immediately halted her charge and her fiercely struck the icy prison with her phoenix flames.
However, the icy prison didn't shatter like she'd expected it too; only a few cracks had appeared. Ma Xiaotao's fiery flames had been completely suppressed by this icy prison.
Of the seven within the official team, Ma Xiaotao didn't just have a bad relationship with Dai Yueheng. Her relationship with Ling Luochen wasn't good either. She was of the fire element, while Ling Luochen was of the ice element. As such, their dispositions naturally clashed with each other. In the past, Ling Luochen had refused to help Ma Xiaotao suppress her evil fire. If she hadn't, she wouldn't have had to stoop to finding Xu Sanshi.
However, Ma Xiaotao had always suppressed Ling Luochen in terms of pure cultivation; she definitely didn't want to lose against her this time around.
Opportunities on the battlefield were both transient and fleeting; a single moment's opportunity could change the entire situation of a battle.
Dai Yueheng had originally planned to fight Ma Xiaotao in a direct confrontation. However, the moment that Ling Luochen had made her move he'd been able to figure out who her target was due to Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection. His body suddenly flickered, and his first, third, and fifth soul rings once again lit up. This brought him to the peak of his abilities, and in an instant, he found Bei Bei.
With the assistance of Gong Yangmo's Rainbow Dragon, Bei Bei was able to block three of Dai Yueheng's blows. However, he still retreated step by step as blood dripped from his mouth and nose. At the same time, Gong Yangmo was doing his best to protect himself from the White Tiger's Meteor Shower. As a result, he wasn't able to assist Ma Xiaotao. On the other hand, Jiang Nannan and He Caitou only choice was to exhaust their abilities in order to protect themselves from the White Tiger's Meteor Shower. Their originally orderly formation had crumbled in an instant.
With a flash of blue light, Yao Haoxuan—who'd just swallowed a meteor from the White Tiger's Meteor Shower and spat it out to help Gong Yangmo—was suddenly trapped in another icy prison. At that moment, Ma Xiaotao finally broke through the icy prison that had entrapped her. However, Ling Luochen's attack arrived at the same instant that she broke free.
She pointed her icy staff forwards and her ink-like fifth soul ring lit up. A dark-blue ring of ice then floated outwards, the extreme cold it emanated covering the entire Assessment Area in a layer of frost. Ma Xiaotao's evil fire was then subsequently suppressed to the point where it could only actually appear in a two meter diameter around her.
On the other side of the battlefield, Xi Xi continued to attack Xu Sanshi wildly. However, even though she was quick, her attacks weren't very strong. On the other hand, the Soul Ancestor-ranked Xu Sanshi was essentially a well-guarded fortress. He relied on the accurate predictive capabilities of Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection to defend Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao in a timely manner using his Shield of the Xuanwu Turtle.
Ling Luochen's dark-blue ring of ice continued to slowly rise, while the bluish light on it circulated and released three blue pillars of light that shot towards Ma Xiaotao, Gong Yangmo, and Yao Haoxuan respectively.
As a control-type soul master, Ling Luochen's held an enormous amount of control over her Ice. With Huo Yuhao's elemental amplification, she was able to instantly gain the initiative with this attack.
Ma Xiaotao gritted her teeth. She knew that if this attack were to land, there was a high possibility that she wouldn't be able to turn things around. She flapped her wings fiercely, which caused the soul power within her body to suddenly explode outwards. Amidst the sonorous cry of a phoenix, her body turned illusory. In that instant, she seemed to transform into a genuine phoenix. The golden-reddish light on her legs lit up, and she accelerated toward Ling Luochen as she activated her fifth soul ring. If she wasn't able to deal with Ling Luochen, she wouldn't have another chance to take back the initiative.
However, how could Ling Luochen, who was the core control-type soul master of her team, be allowed to take on Ma Xiaotao's all-out blow?
Dai Yueheng's muscular body suddenly appeared on the only path that Ma Xiaotao could take. Amidst the roar of a tiger, his sixth soul ring finally lit up.
An enormous 'KILL' that alternated between black and white appeared in midair and collided with the charging Ma Xiaotao, who'd been assisted by her two leg soul bones.
"Boom—" A violent undulation of soul power instantly spread outwards from the point of their collision, which forced everyone it to bend down and defend themselves.
When the fierce, fiery red light collided with the golden-white tiger, they shot straight into the air. Their figures instantly separated once they'd collided with each other.
Dai Yueheng was sent flying backwards from the collision, and two deep grooves had appeared on the ground below him. When he finally stopped, he was already knee-deep in the ground.
Ma Xiaotao wasn't feeling any better. As she tumbled on the ground, she was struck by Ling Luochen's icy ring, and was frozen into a dark-blue pillar of ice as a result.
As for Gong Yangmo, even though his auxiliary abilities were extremely strong, he wasn't specialised in combat. He Caitou did his best to rescue him with his soul tools, but a ten thousand year soul skill that held the power of Ultimate Ice wasn't something that a Class 4 soul engineer could withstand. The power of Ice enveloped him, and he was frozen solid as well.
There was no need to even mention Yao Haoxuan. Before he could destroy the icy prison that had entrapped him, Ling Luochen reinforced it. As a result, his massive body was sealed within the icy prison. With Huo Yuhao's elemental amplification, Ling Luochen's level of control over the battlefield had been at least doubled.
The blood-red Soulchasing Sword flickered proudly as it shot forwards. It smashed into the solid pillars of ice that were Ma Xiaotao, Gong Yangmo, and Yao Haoxuan's bodies, then flew towards Bei Bei, He Caitou, and Jiang Nannan.
Bei Bei had already been injured, and he'd consumed an enormous amount of soul power. He Caitou's consumption of soul power had been similarly enormous. Jiang Nannan had already expended all of her strength when she'd defended herself against the White Tiger's Meteor Shower. How could the three of them currently defend themselves against Chen Zifeng's powerful Soulchasing Sword? With the help of Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection, the battle ended in just three breaths of time.
The battles going on on the other side of the battlefield ended as well.
When Dai Yueheng clashed against Ma Xiaotao, a flaw finally appeared in Xu Sanshi's defense. How could Xi Xi give up on an opportunity like this? She charged towards Huo Yuhao, who stood behind Ling Luochen, with a flash.
At that moment, however, Huo Yuhao suddenly turned around. Two bolts of purplish-golden lightning shot out of his eyes towards Xi Xi's.
Xi Xi only felt as if her head had been viciously smashed by a hammer. An instantaneous period of blankness overwhelmed her mind.
Regardless of how quick she was, she was still a Soul King. Huo Yuhao had fused his Spiritual Shock with his Purple Demon eyes, and had utilized the spiritual power from the Haodong Power; even Ma Xiaotao would've been momentarily stunned by his attack.
Huo Yuhao wasn't the only person who'd made a move; Xiao Xiao, who'd been standing there and playing her flute by herself, finally made her a move as well. Her enormous pitch-black cauldron mightily rumbled forwards as she released her National Treasure, Cauldron's Quaking Tremble. She used her strongest soul skill, then maneuvered it right in front of Xi Xi's body with the help of Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection. Even though Xi Xi had only been stunned for a single second, that was enough time for her.
Wang Dong's charged-up attack also finally arrived and struck Xi Xi. Even though she'd been able to quickly recover from Xiao Xiao's Cauldron's Quaking Tremble with her powerful cultivation, it wasn't possible for her to dodge this attack.
Wang Dong's thousand year soul skill, the Butterfly Goddess Slash.
Immediately after touching Xi Xi, the enormous ball of light instantly transformed into 108 blades of light, which crisscrossed as they struck her. Moreover, this skill had been strengthened by both the Haodong Power and the Golden Light. Once this attack had been released, he and Huo Yuhao fell to the ground, powerless.
These 108 blades of light weren't inferior to a powerful attack launched by a four-ringed Soul Ancestor. Even if Xi Xi was the quickest among everyone present, she was still flustered when she was struck by the attack. She'd never expected the three of them to be able to lay a trap for her with just their two and three-ringed cultivations.
She went all-out and released three consecutive soul skills before she was able to dissolve the might of the Butterfly Goddess Slash. However, she wasn't able to dodge the Shield of the Xuanwu Turtle that struck her from behind.
The other battles had already ended, and Xi Xi was sent flying by the Shield of the Xuanwu Turtle. Now that he'd taken a breather, Dai Yueheng struck out with his palms and caught Xi Xi, who continued to flicker with electricity. Despite his hair standing up from her electricity, she still gave up the moment he extended his claws.
The battle had ended, with the result of the battle still being a perfect victory. However, the victors were evidently different.
Dai Yueheng, Chen Zifeng, and Ling Luochen weren't joyous the moment the battle ended. Instead, they immediately turned towards Huo Yuhao, who was sitting on the ground.
Chen Zifeng had an astonished look on his face. "Twin martial souls? And you, you also have them?" The other person he was referring to was naturally Xiao Xiao. He finally understood, at least to some extent, why Elder Xuan wanted to make them members of the preparatory team, despite them being so young.
Ling Luochen's question was only targeted towards Huo Yuhao, "Ultimate Ice?"
What could Huo Yuhao do except nod?
Dai Yueheng took a few steps forwards and helped Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong stand up. A trace of a smile appeared on his face. "Welcome to the preparatory team of the Shrek's Seven Monsters. I know that you have a few conflicting views with my younger brother, but I'm not him. You don't have to mind me. In the future, we'll all be companions."
There was no doubt that Dai Yueheng's words were equivalent to acknowledging Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao as members of the preparatory team.
However, Huo Yuhao didn't feel happy in the least when he heard Dai Yueheng's words. On the contrary, he became extremely vigilant. Dai Yueheng's smile appeared to be genuine, but the more genuine it looked, the colder he felt in his heart. When he'd met the former earlier, the trace of killing intent that had flashed through his eyes hadn't escaped Huo Yuhao's keen Spirit Eyes.
Furthermore, Dai Yueheng was one of the sons of the White Tiger Duke, Huo Yuhao's greatest foe.
An enemy that could hide his feelings was undoubtedly much more dangerous than one who wore his feelings on his sleeve. As an upperclassman, Dai Yueheng was definitely more terrifying than Dai Huabin to Huo Yuhao. Moreover, he was also his elder brother! If it weren't for the fact that Huo Yuhao looked more like his mother, Dai Yueheng would've noticed that something was wrong.
"Thanks," replied Huo Yuhao with a smile. He was very clever; if Dai Yueheng could hide his emotions, why couldn't he? At the very least, Dai Yueheng wouldn't dare to make a move against him within the academy due to the lesson Dai Huabin had received.
"Have you felt it? A live battle is the best way to test everything out. Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao aren't strong enough by themselves, but they have a respectable amount of talent. Thus, I'm giving them this chance. Huo Yuhao, from now on, you're the main control-type soul master of the preparatory team. Bei Bei, you'll be its leader."
A team leader was the head of a team, while the main control-type soul master was the brains of a team. By relying on his performance in the previous two matches, Huo Yuhao was worthy of becoming the main control-type soul master in the preparatory team even with his two-ringed cultivation. Nobody objected to this.
At this moment, the frozen Ma Xiaotao and the rest finally broke free of their bindings. Shivering somewhat, Ma Xiaotao glared fiercely at Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao shrugged helplessly towards her. He didn't know why, but he preferred Ma Xiaotao's faux-anger over Dai Yueheng's smile.
Elder Xuan was very pleased with today's matches. He understood how strong each member of the official team was. After Ma Xiaotao returned, there were a few voices of dissent within the team. After today's matches, however, she had revealed a persuasive amount of power. Though they'd lost the second match, everybody could see that she was slightly stronger than Dai Yueheng overall. Naturally, the situation could be different in a life-and-death match. After all, this was just a mock battle. The members of the official team hadn't used any relatively brutal techniques.
However, Elder Xuan mainly wanted to test out the seven members of the preparatory team. Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, and He Caitou's performances conformed to his expectations. Jiang Nannan was an agility-type soul master, and she had been suppressed relatively heavily. Thus, one couldn't blame her for not being able to perform spectacularly. However, Elder Xuan was surprised by Huo Yuhao's trio.
They had the lowest cultivation levels within their team, but they were extremely well-coordinated with each other. Huo Yuhao was also able to strengthen the combat strength of his entire team by relying on his powerful Spiritual Detection. When he was teamed up with Ma Xiaotao, he was able to use the Golden Road at the right moment in order to settle the entire battle. Though their opponents had underestimated them due to unfamiliarity, the effectiveness of the Golden Road was evident.
Furthermore, the existence of Huo Yuhao was equivalent to an ice-type soul master who could restrict everything. Ling Luochen was already the most outstanding ice-type soul master within the inner courtyard, but she was completely suppressed in front of his Ultimate Ice. When she worked together with him, she had an all-around boost to her abilities. Evidently, they couldn't be allowed to become enemies before the tournament started. Once the two of them worked together, Ling Luochen could definitely become the main control-type soul master within the official team. The reason why Ma Xiaotao had lost was because she had been completely suppressed!
Huo Yuhao's only problem was his lack of cultivation. Otherwise, Elder Xuan would've even considered letting him try to become the main control-type soul master on the official team.
These two matches had solidified the confidence in Elder Xuan's heart. He'd secretly made a decision; within the preparatory team–which was the future generation of the Shrek's Seven Monsters–Huo Yuhao's position as the main control-type master would never change.
Chen Zifeng laughed mischievously. "A few people have to pay up their bets!"
After hearing his reminder, the newly crowned victors immediately looked towards Ma Xiaotao with a smile.
The saddest of the lot were undoubtedly Yao Haoxuan and Jiang Nannan. They'd lost two consecutive matches.
Ma Xiaotao glared at Huo Yuhao again, "You just wait for me. I'm a pig."
The others could only helplessly refer to themselves as a certain chubby animal. Elder Xuan laughed as he watched all this, feeling joyous inwardly. He believed that Huo Yuhao's generation of the Shrek's Seven Monsters would definitely be stronger than the current generation in five years' time.
"Okay, you can all go back. Pack up your things. Gather at the academy's entrance tomorrow morning. We're going to Star Luo City to take part in a competition."
"Star Luo City?" Huo Yuhao couldn't help but cry out after hearing these words.
Elder Xuan looked towards him with a somewhat puzzled look in his eyes. "Is there a problem? The Continental Advanced Academy Soul Duelling Tournament is held in a different country every year. This time around, it's the Star Luo Empire's turn. The next one, which is the one you'll be able to participate in as an official team member, will be held in the Sun Moon Empire. It'll be held in the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. Thus, you'll have to work even harder during these next five years."
How could Huo Yuhao not reveal a change in his emotions after hearing the words 'Star Luo City'? He'd never been to the capital of the Star Luo Empire, but Star Luo City was something he'd heard too many times during his youth. The Duke's Mansion he'd grown up in was only 25km south of Star Luo City! When the weather was good, he would be able to faintly see the silhouette of the imperial capital from the outskirts of the Duke's Mansion.
Huo Yuhao's heartbeat involuntarily sped up. He'd never thought that he would have to go back this quickly. Dai Yueheng was a member of the official team, and wouldn't he bring everyone to the Duke's Mansion?
Though the two brothers no longer recognised him, he was still someone who'd grown up in the Duke's Mansion. The servants there had seen him many times in the past. The moment he thought of returning to the place he'd grown up in, the place he resented and hated incomparably, Huo Yuhao's heart was immediately thrown into disorder.
Huo Yuhao lowered his head and replied, "It's nothing. I just didn't think that we'd have to go to the Star Luo Empire."
Elder Xuan didn't take it to heart. "Then you can all go back now."
Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong walked all the way back to the dormitories. Nobody else had noticed anything strange about Huo Yuhao, but Wang Dong's senses were very acute. After living with the former for more than a year, he was relatively familiar with him. Furthermore, he knew the hatred that existed in his heart.
"Yuhao, are you okay?" Wang Dong whispered.
Huo Yuhao shook his head. "I'm fine. I just can't adapt to suddenly going back. I can't let Dai Yueheng know of my true identity."
Wang Dong was silent for a moment, then whispered, "Yuhao, he should be your older brother. You…"
Stirred up, Huo Yuhao interrupted him, "I don't have an elder brother, nor do I have any relatives. My mom is dead, and I'm only an orphan."
"Fine, fine, an orphan it is." Wang Dong hurriedly parroted him.
"Sorry." Huo Yuhao nodded his head gloomily.
Wang Dong walked over to him and sat beside him, "Don't think too much about it. There'll always be a way to get over this. Furthermore, it's not guaranteed that someone will recognise you even if we go back. Haven't you felt that you've changed greatly during this past year? Even someone who previously recognised you might not be able to tell who you are now. I know that you're pained, but since you've chosen to face them and seek revenge, you have to be strong. The opponent you're going against is extremely strong!"
Huo Yuhao was stunned. "Have I changed a lot?"
Wang Dong knocked him on the head once, then passed him a mirror from his bedside.
"Take a look for yourself."
Right! Using the words 'heaven-shaking and earth-shattering' to describe Huo Yuhao's transformation over his past year at Shrek Academy wouldn't be inappropriate. In the beginning, he was only a bashful, ordinary youth who even seemed rustic. Over this past year, however, not only did he experience a tremendous growth in his strength, he even became a core disciple of the academy. At the same time, an enormous transformation had occurred to his outer appearance and his demeanor.
Strength would make a person confident. With his two intelligent soul rings, and especially the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion's soul bone, he'd grown much taller.
When he'd arrived at the academy, he looked somewhat thin and weak. However, he was now as strong as a calf. His originally unhealthy facial appearance now shone with a rosy gloss. Moreover, he was filled with the aura of the sun. Wang Dong was correct–during this past year, he'd turned over an entirely new leaf. He was no longer the servant-like Huo Yuhao who'd lived in the Duke's Mansion.
"Actually, you've already set a target for yourself. Since that's the case, if we do go there, so be it. Why think too much about it?" Wang Dong stood up and took the mirror back from Huo Yuhao. Then, he took the initiative to sit in a cross-legged position and extended his hands towards him. "Come, let's cultivate. We're still too far away from our seniors in terms of cultivation! We have to work hard."
Huo Yuhao finally revealed a smile after seeing Wang Dong's serious expression, "Since a lazy fella like you is actually asking me to cultivate, let's do it. I'm going to surpass you sooner or later."
Wang Dong feigned surprise as he looked towards the window. "Eeeeh, why are there cows flying in the sky? Ah, I know. It's because you're spouting bullshit."
"Don't you dare laugh at me. I'll show you how awesome I am." Huo Yuhao suddenly pounced towards Wang Dong. Defenseless, the latter let out an astonished cry as he immediately tumbled onto the bed.
Huo Yuhao held onto his hands evilly, then shouted, "Are you gonna submit?"
"No!" Wang Dong shouted provokingly.
"You���re really not gonna submit?" Huo Yuhao slowly pressed down on him, and the distance between his face and Wang Dong's began to decrease. He had a naughty smile on his face as he looked at the latter's pair of beautiful, round eyes.
As Huo Yuhao continued to get closer to him, Wang Dong could feel his breathing on his face. He was finally panicking, and hence shut his eyes subconsciously. But, he still forced out a few words, "No! I won't submit!"
Huo Yuhao was left in a daze as he looked at Wang Dong's long, trembling eyebrows. He was just a few inches away from him, and he could smell the faint fragrance coming from him. He didn't know why, but he shivered uncontrollably as he looked at Wang Dong, who was being forced down by him, so much so that he was completely helpless.
He hurriedly let go of Wang Dong's hands, then grabbed his pinkish face and squeezed it. Then, he laughed, "If you won't submit, I'll make you look like a pig. Hey, you look rather good even as a pig. Quickly, stick out your mouth so you'll look even more like one."
"Huo Yuhao, I'm gonna fight you!"