"Not good!"
The invigilator flashed into the arena, but it was too late. Xie Huan Yue was already injured and unconscious on the ground, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, indicating a serious injury.
On the observation platform, the teachers fell silent, completely disregarding the other ongoing or concluded matches.
Both the Huo Yuhao and Xie Huan Yue teams were not to be underestimated, as becoming a teacher at Shrek Academy required at least the strength of a Soul Emperor at the sixth rank.
However, what puzzled them was that they couldn't discern how Xie Huan Yue got injured.
Xie Huan Yue's limp body was lifted by a greasy hand, and to everyone's surprise, it was Xuanzi who appeared in the arena at an unknown time.
After inspecting Xie Huan Yue's condition, Xuanzi took a bite of the chicken leg in his hand and calmly remarked, "It's nothing serious. This kid showed restraint; Xie Huan Yue only suffered some internal injuries."
Handing Xie Huan Yue over to the homeroom teacher of Class Two, Master Xuan then glanced meaningfully at Huo Yuhao.
"Using concealed techniques and hidden force to win, not bad. This round goes to your team."
With that said, Xuanzi walked straight out of the assessment area.
Faintly, Huo Yuhao seemed to hear Xuanzi mutter two words.
"Too bad."
With Master Xuan's approval, even if Huo Yuhao violated the rules by injuring Xie Huan Yue, the referee still declared their team the winner of this match.
Meanwhile, on the observation platform, Du Weilun, the head of the Martial Soul Department of the Outer Court, approached a pleased Mu Jin beside him and said, "Teacher Mu Jin, your teaching results are excellent. Recommend those two to me; I believe they qualify as core disciples of the Outer Court."
Mu Jin was taken aback and hurriedly asked, "Director Du, why do you mention two? Could it be..."
Du Weilun looked down at Huo Yuhao below, shaking his head with some regret. "His combat power indeed exceeded my expectations, but his soul power cultivation is still too weak. He should be a rare mental attribute soul master, right? Have you considered how few mental attribute soul beasts there are? It will take considerable effort to develop him."
As the head of the Martial Soul Department, Du Weilun was not only powerful but also astute in his observations. Even though Huo Yuhao's close combat skills were commendable even to them, it wasn't enough to compensate for his poor talent in cultivation.
Moreover, mental attribute soul beasts were extremely rare, and powerful ones were even rarer. In this situation, the possibility of Huo Yuhao becoming a strong soul master in the future was naturally slim.
On Sea God Island, by the lake shore.
"Elder Xuan, how do you feel about Huo Yuhao's performance in today's match?" Wang Yan stood beside Xuanzi, asking softly.
Elder Xuanzi, true to his reputation as the number one foodie, seemed to have raided someone's chicken coop again, as he had finished off a chicken leg and was now nibbling on a chicken wing.
Hearing Wang Yan's question, Xuanzi pondered for a moment before shaking his head.
"The two kids from the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan are not bad. As for that kid with the body martial soul... I can't deny that his combat power did surprise me and even led to some errors in judgment on my part. However, it's a pity that his first soul ring is only at the ten-year level; this is an irreparable flaw."
Wang Yan was stunned, hastily saying, "But Elder Xuan, he has a body martial soul!"
Elder Xuan shook his head again and said lightly, "You should know what is most important for a body martial soul, it's mutation or, let's say, secondary awakening. However, during today's match, faced with a Soul Grandmaster far superior to himself, his martial soul did not exhibit any mutations. In other words, he lacks the advantage of a body martial soul."
"Moreover, he is relatively old for his age, and his soul power is insufficient, with only a ten-year first soul ring. Even though he has some insights into close combat, it's not what I'm looking for, do you understand?"
Wang Yan still felt somewhat unwilling and said, "But..."
"Enough. There's no need for 'buts'; my decision is made. The two kids from the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan can be considered as alternatives, but as for that Huo Yuhao, let it be. He doesn't have the value to be cultivated as a core disciple."
After saying this, Xuanzi stood up, wine in one hand, meat in the other, staggering slightly as he made his way towards the Inner Court.
Meanwhile, Wang Yan sighed where he stood. Although he also understood Huo Yuhao's shortcomings...
"I have a feeling that the Martial Soul Department's decision not to accept Huo Yuhao as a core disciple will ultimately be regretted."
Just on the first day of the competition, most of the freshmen were eliminated, and those who remained to continue the elimination matches on the second day were the sixteen strongest teams, totaling forty-eight freshmen.
It could be said that they were the cream of the crop among the freshmen, even among the most outstanding soul masters of their age on the entire continent.
Of course, this did not include the Sun Moon Empire.
The subsequent matches were all contests of pure strength.
Knowing that the Xie Huan Yue team from Class Two, which had a Soul Grandmaster, had been defeated by Huo Yuhao's team, it prompted other classes to analyze Huo Yuhao again yesterday.
But still, Huo Yuhao's team had only revealed three soul skills so far, and others didn't even know what the remaining two soul skills of her, Ning Tian's Seven Treasure Glass Tower martial soul were.
And Huo Yuhao, although his soul rings were shining brightly like large soul lamps in every match, no one knew what his soul skills' effects were. Even after facing Xie Huan Yue head-on, his true strength remained a mystery.
Today, there were many more people on the observation platform than yesterday, and even before the matches began, it was already packed. Xuanzi still came to watch today, and Wang Yan was also sitting beside him.
When Huo Yuhao's gaze swept over, Wang Yan waved at him, greeting him.
In the classic drawing lots segment, Huo Yuhao still personally took action. But for some reason, he felt that this time, he would draw a big fish.
"No way, buddy wants to compete with Dai Huabin in the finals. It's impossible to meet him in the semifinals, right?"
With a somewhat nervous mood, Huo Yuhao drew his team's lot from the container.
"Freshman Class Nine, Huo Yuhao's Team, draw number four."
Following closely, Wang Dong also stepped onto the stage. She reached into the container, took out the lot, and then looked at it. Her expression immediately became somewhat stiff.
"Freshman Class One, Wang Dong's Team, draw number four."
In the audience, Zhou Yi's face turned pale, and she staggered a bit, almost falling down. Although she knew that this battle would come eventually, she didn't expect it to happen so quickly.
Huo Yuhao's originally tense brows suddenly relaxed, and his whole mood improved significantly.
Settling scores, this freshman assessment, it seems he's going to go all out!
...
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