"Huo Yuhao, you rascal! You usually skip training, and now that we finally found you today, you still dare to be late!" Xuan Zi shouted angrily.
"Elder Xuan, I was out getting supplies for tonight's stall. Tonight's BBQ special is Earth Demon Bear paws, which I specially ordered from the Treasures Pavilion. Out of the two paws, I've already reserved one for you." Huo Yuhao grinned.
"Slurp."
Under the gaze of everyone present, a visible trail of saliva flowed from the corner of Xuan Zi's mouth. But soon, he used his soul power to evaporate it and returned to his usual stern expression.
"Well, given the special circumstances, a slight tardiness can be excused this time, but don't let it happen again!" Xuan Zi nodded.
Huo Yuhao smiled again, rejoining the group and standing at the forefront of the six members, including Bei Bei. Seeing that Bei Bei and the others had no objections, the few inner court disciples were somewhat surprised.
After all, Huo Yuhao looked young and should only be a lower-grade core disciple. But Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi were known to them as star students in the outer court, strong enough to enter the inner court. Yet, in this group of reserve members, Huo Yuhao seemed to take the lead, standing at the very front, implying he was the strongest among them.
"Ahem, let's continue. Sending you reserve members into the field is inevitable, but I have one demand: you must win!"
"If any of you accidentally lose the match and disgrace Shrek Academy, hehe, you know the consequences! As long as I'm alive, you can forget about entering the inner court!"
Upon hearing this, Huo Yuhao's eyes lit up. Oh? Such a good deal?
Should I act, or act, or act? Anyway, losing the match would disgrace Shrek, not me, Huo Yuhao. I'm just a simple outer court disciple!
Moreover, with his current strength, encountering an opponent above the Soul Emperor level would force him to use his trump cards, revealing his strength. Whether it's the Buddha's Warth Fire Lotus or his self-martial soul fusion technique, they all significantly deplete his soul power. At that time, Huo Yuhao might only manage to defeat the opponent briefly before being carried off the field himself.
Being labeled as someone who can't last long in a fight would be unbearable for Huo Yuhao. After all, men must be capable!
Scanning the group, Xuan Zi nodded and said, "Alright, you all introduce yourselves, starting with the reserve team."
Bei Bei looked around at his teammates and took the lead.
"I'm Bei Bei, fifth year in the outer court, level 42 assault-type battle soul master."
"Xu Sanshi, fifth year in the outer court, level 43 defense-type battle soul master."
"My name is Jiang Nannan, fifth year in the outer court, level 41 agility-type battle soul master."
Upon seeing Jiang Nannan, the eyes of several male inner court disciples lit up. Meanwhile, Xu Sanshi's face changed, looking a bit tense.
Pain, so much pain! Meeting so many rivals even during training is painful!
Next, it was the turn of the second-year students to introduce themselves.
"I'm Xiao Xiao, greetings, seniors. I'm a second-year outer court student, level 29 control-type battle soul master."
The inner court disciples, who had been captivated by Jiang Nannan's beauty, widened their eyes upon hearing "level 29."
Level 29? Did they hear it right? As a reserve member of Shrek's Seven Monsters, there's a second-year student? What was Xuan Zi thinking? Child labor is illegal, you know!
"Wang Dong, second year in the outer court, level 31 assault-type battle soul master." Wang Dong puffed out his chest, proudly announcing his soul master level.
At this point, Ning Tian also smiled at the inner court disciples and said, "Ning Tian, second year in the outer court, level 35 auxiliary-type tool soul master."
Finally, everyone's eyes focused on Huo Yuhao. Given that he stood at the forefront, it indicated his combat strength surpassed Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi.
Could it be that this year's second-year students have a Soul King?
Is Shrek this competitive now? That's crazy!
However, the idea was promising, but the reality was harsh. Huo Yuhao looked at everyone, smiled, and said, "Huo Yuhao, second year in the outer court, level 29 control-type battle soul master."
"Soul Grandmaster?" Except for Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng, the other five inner court disciples looked at each other in disbelief.
A Soul Grandmaster level individual could stand before Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi. Could this be a relative of a Sea God Pavilion elder?
Xuan Zi nodded and pointed to the inner court disciples, "Now it's your turn."
From the inner court, Ma Xiaotao was the first to step out, appearing much calmer than her usual fiery self.
"Inner court, Ma Xiaotao, level 67 assault-type battle soul emperor."
"Inner court, Dai Yueheng, level 64 assault-type battle soul emperor."
"Inner court, Gongyang Mo, level 59 auxiliary-type battle soul king."
"Inner court, Chen Zifeng, level 57 assault-type battle soul king."
"Inner court, Xixi, level 56 agility-type battle soul king."
"Inner court, Ling Luocheng, level 55 control-type battle soul king."
"Inner court, Yao Haoxuan, level 55 control auxiliary-type battle soul king."
Xuan Zi nodded slightly, "Alright, you all have introduced yourselves. To deepen your impressions of each other, today's training task is a friendly match. You'll get to know each other's abilities better in combat."
"You might not always be paired with your teammates; I may swap personnel during the match to ensure we achieve the ultimate championship. Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, each of you will lead a team. Ma Xiaotao, since your level is higher, you can only take two main team members, but you get to choose first among the main and reserve members. Dai Yueheng, you take three main team members before picking from the reserves."
The inner court members didn't find this strange, as they were accustomed to Xuan Zi's methods.
Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng stepped forward, maintaining some distance. Without hesitation, Ma Xiaotao extended her right hand.
"First reserve member, I choose Huo Yuhao! As for main team members, Huo Yuhao, any suggestions?"
Huo Yuhao was slightly stunned but quickly realized that Ma Xiaotao was flattering him again. After all, he recently helped her resolve her evil fire issue, and she knew she needed his support for her future cultivation.
After a moment of thought, Huo Yuhao smiled and approached the smallest male student at the back, the control auxiliary-type Yao Haoxuan.
Yao Haoxuan, about 1.6 meters tall, was slender and shorter than Ling Luocheng, but his eyes were bright.
"Senior Yao, I've heard a lot about you. Please, you must join my team!"
Yao Haoxuan was slightly taken aback, pointing to his nose, "You've heard my story?"
"No, but your face tells a story."