For Huo Yuhao, the next two days followed his usual routine. Each day was spent studying at the academy and training with his Flame Dissolution Wave in the simulated training area.
Of course, he also found time to visit the Treasured Gathering Pavilion, submitting the list of all the required medicinal ingredients.
As expected by Yao Lao, the cost of these ingredients amounted to over ten million gold soul coins, and even then, there was no guarantee that all of them could be procured, as some were extremely rare.
As for the ten-thousand-year-old water-attribute soul beast bone, Huo Yuhao had Old Mo find an ordinary person with no connection to him to purchase it. After all, soul bones attract far more attention from soul masters compared to herbs.
Huo Yuhao's own martial spirits were of the spiritual and fire attributes, with his second martial spirit being the Ultimate Ice, so he had no need for a water-attribute soul bone.
Since he wanted to buy a water-attribute soul bone, it would inevitably draw Shrek Academy's attention. Therefore, entrusting someone else to purchase it was the safest approach.
During these two days, the academy also decided on the handling of Dai Huabin and the White Tiger Clan. Unsurprisingly, Dai Huabin was expelled from Shrek Academy, and the entire continent was notified, recommending that no soul master academies admit him.
Of course, Dai Huabin's arms were beyond recovery. Even the Royal Hall of Worship's vice-chief, Super Douluo level healing soul master Doctor Douluo Wang Xian'er, was powerless against the damage caused by Huo Yuhao's ruthless attack.
Such a cripple would not be admitted by even the most basic elementary soul master academies, as these institutions train soul masters, not run welfare programs.
Shrek Academy also issued a strong condemnation to the Star Luo Empire regarding the White Tiger Duke's attempt to assassinate a Shrek Academy student in Shrek City. For the next hundred years, no member of the White Tiger Clan would be allowed to enroll in Shrek Academy. Anyone with White Tiger blood would not become a Shrek Academy disciple.
This leniency was due to the historical ties between Shrek Academy and the White Tiger Clan's ancestor, Evil Eye White Tiger Dai Mubai. Otherwise, Shrek Academy would have blacklisted the White Tiger Duke's family permanently.
The most innocent party in this incident was the Star Luo Royal Family. Unaware of the situation, Star Luo Emperor Xu Jiawei was berated by Shrek Academy's envoy. Acknowledging their fault, he could only offer apologies.
As compensation, the Star Luo Royal Family provided a considerable amount of resources and wealth to appease Shrek Academy's anger. After Huo Yuhao personally requested his share from the Sea God Pavilion, these compensations were split evenly between Shrek and Huo Yuhao, leaving both parties satisfied.
It's worth mentioning that Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie, upon learning of Dai Huabin's crippled state, approached Huo Yuhao to apologize after just a day and a half, declaring that they had cut ties with Dai Huabin.
This surprised Huo Yuhao, as Zhu Lu's affection for Dai Huabin was once evident. However, it turned out they admired Dai Huabin's talents rather than his personality.
Reflecting on the fickle nature of people, Huo Yuhao allowed them to continue studying at Shrek Academy without enforcing their bet. He knew that the higher Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie soared, the more it would aggravate Dai Huabin, a prospect Huo Yuhao welcomed.
"Ring-ring-ring!"
The bell signaling the end of the day's classes rang, and the relieved second-year Class 1 students relaxed.
In Shrek Academy, advancing from a freshman to the second year was a rigorous selection process, and those who remained were sufficiently talented and capable.
Having completed the first year, these students understood the effort needed to stay at Shrek. Surrounded by hard-working and exceptionally talented peers, not striving meant elimination.
Wang Yan tidied his lesson notes and looked up, saying, "Core disciples, stay behind. We'll head to the combat zone shortly. Oh, Yuhao, you join us too."
It's time!
All the core disciples perked up, aware that the selection for the tournament was about to begin. However, unlike their initial expectations, the selection did not take place during class but after school.
No one knew the exact format of the core disciple selection, but for every core disciple, it was an unavoidable hurdle. Fortunately, this assessment had no penalties.
As they exited the classroom, Huo Yuhao spotted familiar faces from Class 2, with Xie Huanyue and Zhu Lu also leaving under their homeroom teacher's guidance.
The eleven core disciples from the second year, plus Huo Yuhao, an ordinary disciple, followed their teachers to the combat zone.
After a brief wait, Huo Yuhao saw more familiar faces.
Tang Sect's eldest brother, Bei Bei, Mercury Record singer Xu Sanshi, and Mercury Record female lead Jiang Nannan appeared in view. They were core disciples of the fifth year.
The most eye-catching were still Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi, the twin stars. Although the fifth year had more core disciples, only these three were under fifteen years old.
Undoubtedly, they were the strongest among the outer court's core disciples, all being four-ring soul masters.
Three-ring cultivation was common in the outer court, but four-ring cultivation was rare among students below the fifth year.
The transition from three to four rings was significantly harder than from two to three rings. The soul master's cultivation journey became increasingly challenging, highlighting Dai Huabin's exceptional talent.
At just under thirteen years old, Dai Huabin had reached level thirty-nine soul power, a remarkable feat in Shrek Academy's history. Even without the cultivation boost from elixirs, he would have been guaranteed entry into the inner court.
But there are no "ifs" in life. Huo Yuhao's talent and strength surpassed Dai Huabin's, and crossing Huo Yuhao was akin to smashing an egg against a rock, reducing him to the very state he once despised.
Besides Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi, no other four-ring core disciples were present today. Core disciples from the third and fourth years arrived in succession, but only He Caitou came from the soul tool department, bringing the total to twenty-seven, with second-year core disciples making up nearly half.
Students from different classes stood quietly behind their teachers, waiting. Though the core disciple selection seemed sudden and had no penalties, they were all talented individuals. Their confidence and competitive spirit wouldn't allow them to lose even a casual game of cards in the dormitory.
Huo Yuhao's eyes flashed as he slightly turned his head, noticing He Caitou looking away at that moment. The intense gaze Huo Yuhao had felt earlier was likely from He Caitou.
At this moment, a wobbly figure approached from afar, seemingly on the verge of collapsing.
Upon seeing Huo Yuhao, the figure immediately shouted angrily, "Huo Yuhao, why haven't you been setting up your stall for days?!"