"Yuhao, you..."
Seeing Elder Xuan's face suddenly turn pale and then somewhat green, Wang Yan hurriedly pulled Huo Yuhao back. However, Huo Yuhao sneered continuously, standing his ground despite the surge of soul power around Elder Xuan.
"Huo Yuhao, how dare you question me, the old man! I..."
Elder Xuan's face changed drastically, and finally, he couldn't hold back and extended his hand. But just at that moment, a light cough and a cold snort came from the sky not far away, making Elder Xuan's body stiffen.
Returning to his usual lazy demeanor, Elder Xuan acted as if nothing had happened and resumed his propagandist-style speech to the surrounding Shrek students.
"Don't think that becoming a core disciple guarantees you a place in the inner court. Even if you do enter the inner court, it's not necessarily an honor but a step into the gate of life and death. Do you know the first thing a student has to do upon becoming an inner court disciple? Sign a life-and-death contract! To pursue the pinnacle of being a soul master, only by putting life and death aside can one achieve the impossible."
"No matter your background, once you enter the inner court of Shrek Academy, you become a true member of Shrek, carrying its mark for life. But likewise, you will face enormous dangers at all times, always at risk of losing your life. In the outer court, the academy will do its best to ensure your safety. However, in the inner court, you will face the most brutal trials."
"What makes Shrek Academy the number one academy on the continent for ten thousand years? It's the relentless struggle of the inner court disciples! I can tell you accurately that the number of inner court disciples rarely exceeds fifty because almost every year, inner court disciples die. Any questions?"
Elder Xuan's voice carried a faint wave of mental power. Though the Gluttonous Divine Ox martial soul wasn't known for mental power, even an old turtle can spout water. Elder Xuan's mental power, though not as strong as some peers, was enough to bully these soul master rookies.
Under Elder Xuan's mental influence, the students below were moved to tears, sitting on the ground and crying loudly like a bunch of weeping fools.
Seeing their pathetic state, one might think those deceased inner court disciples were their relatives or siblings. Huo Yuhao, however, actively released his mental power, blocking Elder Xuan's influence, ensuring that neither Ning Tian nor the others around him were bewitched.
At this moment, seeing their familiar classmates sitting on the ground crying and rubbing their feet, Huo Yuhao and his friends were a bit at a loss.
"Should we cry a bit too?" Wang Dong scratched his head and asked.
"Alright, everyone can leave now! Huo Yuhao, Ning Tian, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and Jiang Nannan, you seven stay behind!" Elder Xuan said in a deep voice, a trace of pride hidden in his words.
See? That's what a professional education master is!
The eliminated core disciples wiped their tears, sobbing as they left the battle zone.
Wu Feng looked back at Ning Tian and Huo Yuhao with some reluctance before leaving the battle zone. Ning Tian's eyes were also a bit red; Wu Feng had sacrificed her chance to save Huo Yuhao and their team, which was a huge loss for her personally.
Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and Jiang Nannan, without the protection of Huo Yuhao's mental power, were still like three pitiful little crying people.
"Uh, maybe I went a bit too far," Elder Xuan thought awkwardly to himself.
He knew very well who had just coughed and snorted; it was Dragon God Douluo Mu En and the Du Busi of the Body Sect. Although he didn't know why they were here, their actions had all been witnessed by them.
Using his mental power to "infect" the students, though seemingly effective, felt somewhat fake and like bullying the weak.
"Alright, alright, stop crying," Elder Xuan waved his hand. "You've all heard of the title 'Shrek Seven Devils,' right?"
The seven nodded in unison. At the gate of Shrek Academy stood statues of the academy's founders and the first generation of Shrek Seven Devils. Their theoretical classes were filled with stories about the academy and the first generation of Shrek Seven Devils, so they were not unfamiliar with this term.
"To honor the contributions of the first generation Shrek Seven Devils, the academy selects a new Shrek Seven Devils every five years to represent the academy in the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament."
"The Sun and Moon Empire aims to dominate the continent. Their first target isn't Satr, Heaven Dou, or Dou Spirit, but us, Shrek Academy. Because only we have the power to unite the three kingdoms against the Sun and Moon Empire, and only we have enough high-end strength to counter their top soul engineers."
"The Sun and Moon Empire doesn't dare to test our academy's strength with a large-scale war, so they test us through the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament. Therefore, in this tournament, our only opponent is the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy!"
Upon hearing the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy mentioned, Xu Sanshi, a noble from the Dou Spirit Empire, couldn't help but ask, "Elder Xuan, do you mean we will participate in the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament?"
Elder Xuan sneered, "With your limited skills, you think you can take on the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy? The age limit for the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament is under twenty. You, a bunch of teenagers, think you can compete with the elite soul engineers of the Sun and Moon Empire who are around twenty? Today's selection is for the reserve team. Each generation's reserve team is selected before the previous Shrek Seven Devils go to compete."
"Selecting you serves two purposes: to form a reserve team and to provide substitutes for the main team. Although the chance of you playing is slim, only as substitutes can you accompany the main team to observe the tournament, which will be extremely valuable experience for you. But today's selection doesn't decide everything; over the next five years, you will be constantly assessed. Only those with sufficient strength will ultimately represent the academy."
"And during this period, you will undergo multiple assessments. The first thing you must do is ensure you can enter the inner court."
At this point, Elder Xuan glanced at Huo Yuhao, who remained indifferent. A second awakening of his body martial soul, the ultimate ice martial soul—such a genius was what Shrek Academy truly desired. However, under the watchful eyes of Du Busi, even Elder Xuan dared not play any tricks.
Despite the many restrictions Elder Xuan mentioned, Wang Dong and the others were still overjoyed. Representing Shrek Academy and becoming the new generation of Shrek Seven Devils was undoubtedly the highest honor they could achieve in the academy!
Before today's selection began, none of them could have imagined that this seemingly simple selection would decide such a significant matter.
Elder Xuan said, "Your selection as the reserve team is a secret of the academy; no one is allowed to leak it, or you will be disqualified. Starting now, you will train with me one day a week. With one month left until the current All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, I will train you alongside the current Shrek Seven Devils. Take advantage of this precious opportunity to improve yourselves as much as possible. Dismissed, Huo Yuhao, stay behind!"