The red-clothed woman in the secret room was none other than the fire-attribute six-ringed Soul Emperor who had almost brought catastrophe upon Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong. If she were truly as young as she appeared, about twenty years old, then her talent would be beyond what could be described as simply "stunning."
A twenty-year-old Soul Emperor would rank among the top echelons throughout the entire history of Soul Masters in Soul Land, even comparable to the first generation of the Shrek Seven Monsters from Shrek Academy.
The elderly voice belonged to the white-robed elder who had brought her back here. After hearing his question, the red-clothed woman, called Xiao Tao, shook her head in some confusion, "I don't remember. All I remember is a sea of red, and then there seemed to be some deadly threat. I fought back, and after that, I found myself back here, just like now."
The white-robed elder frowned slightly as he approached her and said in a deep voice, "How could you not tell me when you couldn't suppress the evil fire within you? Do you not realize that you almost caused a huge disaster? Two external academy students nearly died because of your evil fire."
Xiao Tao was stunned, "I, I didn't realize it would be so serious. I thought I could control it. But..."
The white-robed elder sighed deeply and said, "The longer you suppress it, the more violent the outbreak will be. Xiao Tao, from now on, you should suspend your cultivation. Even though you are the most talented student Shrek Academy has seen in centuries, we cannot destroy you for the sake of the academy. If the evil fire erodes your sanity next time, I will regret it for the rest of my life."
Xiao Tao stubbornly said, "No, Teacher, I want to keep cultivating. I promise, it won't happen again. I can feel that the evil and scorching heat of the evil fire have been completely subdued. It definitely won't cause any problems in the short term. But what exactly is the power that can suppress my Phoenix Evil Fire?"
The white-robed elder pondered, "That is an extremely pure ice property power, the force of extreme cold. Its purity far surpasses that of your Phoenix Evil Fire, somewhat like the Absolute Chilling Breath of an ancient Ice Dragon. It completely suppressed the influence of the Phoenix Evil Fire on your body and was even better than any method we have used before."
Xiao Tao said in confusion, "But that's impossible! There are no ancient Ice Dragons, let alone ones appearing in our academy. Could someone have infiltrated the academy?"
The white-robed elder shook his head and said, "I've sent people to investigate. At first, I thought it might have been people sent by the families of those two students to protect them. But the investigation revealed that it was not possible. One of the students is named Wang Dong, and the other named Huo Yuhao. Huo Yuhao is a special recruit from the Tang Sect. I've asked Bei Bei about it. He and Tang Ya found Yuhao in the Xingdou Forest, and he's just an orphan with average talent. Surely there's no strong protector following him. That Wang Dong does have a significant background, but ice attribute martial spirits are not his family's forte. As for the academy, I've checked many times before—there are quite a few students and teachers with ice attribute martial spirits, but I've never seen such an extreme ice property martial spirit. It's strange."
Xiao Tao said, "Teacher, let it be. Don't bother investigating anymore."
The white-robed elder said, "This concerns your future, how can I not be anxious? If we can find a male owner of an extreme ice attribute martial spirit, and have him matched with you, it would resolve the negative impact brought by your martial soul of Phoenix Evil Fire. Only then can you truly soar in the future. But now, you're completely restrained. Not only has your cultivation speed decreased, but it can also endanger your life."
Xiao Tao's face flushed red, "I don't want to get married, especially not to someone I don't like just because of a martial soul."
The white-robed elder sighed, "The problem is, when the evil fire flares up, we can't suppress it!"
Xiao Tao humphed, "I will suppress it, I'm not getting married."
The white-robed elder angrily said, "Ma Xiaotao, if you keep being so willful, I will no longer recognize you as my disciple."
Seeing the white-robed elder get angry, Ma Xiaotao immediately became more compliant and said with a sense of grievance, "But, Teacher, I..."
The white-robed elder patted her head, "Silly girl, feelings can be cultivated, but you only have one life. And you are outstanding. No matter what, your teacher will find you a good match."
...
"Nannan, I bought you that grilled fish from yesterday. Don't worry, I didn't use any violent means; I waited in line to buy it." Xu Sanshi stood in front of Jiang Nannan, who was on her way to the cafeteria, and said eagerly.
Jiang Nannan shook her head, "No need, thank you."
Xu Sanshi tentatively asked, "Do you think I was too violent yesterday? Actually, I'm not usually like that. It's just because of you that I... Nannan, I know you have reservations because of what happened before. But isn't it fate that we meet again in Shrek Academy? I really have fallen for you, and I promise to be faithful to you."
Jiang Nannan spoke indifferently, "I remember telling you that after that encounter, we would each get what we needed and go our separate ways. There's no chance of any connection between us. Xu Sanshi, you're a high and mighty noble, so why bother with a mere girl like me? I have nothing to offer you. Please don't interfere with my life in the future, or I will report it to the academy. And please don't bully other students because of me."
After saying this, she turned to leave, but Xu Sanshi blocked her way with his body and said angrily, "Me, bullying other students? Didn't you know how miserably I was bullied by Bei Bei yesterday? His little junior brother got away with two of my Profound Water Pills by tricking me. Tang Ya even hit me with a Longxu needle; I still have a big bruise on my waist. What's wrong with me? You just won't give me a chance."
Jiang Nannan replied coldly, "You went to those kinds of places at such a young age. What's so good about you?" After saying this, she turned and left. This time, she leaped up, with three yellow soul rings flashing around her. It seemed as though her ears lengthened and stood erect, but her figure became more slender. With a slight push from her long legs, she flashed ten meters away, and without looking back, she quickly left.
Watching her retreating figure, Xu Sanshi spaced out for a while before biting into the grilled fish in his hand viciously, "Xu Sanshi, you really are good for nothing. What's so great about it? I'll just eat by myself. Huh, this grilled fish actually tastes pretty good."
...
"Huo Yuhao, I didn't expect your grilled fish to be so delicious. How's this - every evening after you treat me to dinner, I'll treat you to grilled fish, how about that?" Wang Dong, savoring the rich and savory taste of the grilled fish, excitedly proposed.
Huo Yuhao laughed and said, "You can't possibly eat grilled fish every night? Even the tastiest food will get tiring if you have too much of it."
Wang Dong said, "It doesn't matter. I'll enjoy it as much as I can for now. That's settled then, tomorrow night I want four, two just isn't satisfying! Besides, look at the queue today. I think you should add more. It won't take much longer anyway. Otherwise, they'll all be consumed internally before you even get to sell them."
By this time, after selling their grilled fish, the two had packed up and returned to their dormitory area, and after eating dinner in the cafeteria, they had gone back to their room.
"Eldest senior brother gave me another Profound Water Pill. Wang Dong, what do you think I should do, eat this first or the Soul Ascending Pill?" Huo Yuhao took out the Profound Water Pill and the Soul Ascending Pill, seeking Wang Dong's advice. Wang Dong was clearly more experienced and knowledgeable about elixirs than he was. With two more precious pills in hand, Huo Yuhao was eager to convert them into his own cultivation, so he wouldn't fall behind his classmates anymore.
Wang Dong thought for a moment and said, "If I were to give you advice, it's best not to rush into consuming either of them for now."
"Why?" Huo Yuhao asked with a puzzled face.
Wang Dong said, "Think about it. Just yesterday you took a Profound Water Pill and expelled a lot of impurities from your body. The medicinal power of the Profound Water Pill will stay in your system for a while, aiding in your digestion as you meditate. If you take another elixir now, while the effects will still be good, some of the potency will inevitably be wasted. Both Profound Water Pills and Soul Ascending Pills can be described as heavenly treasures. Such precious pills should be fully utilized. My suggestion is to cultivate for about ten days, let your body fully absorb the effects of the first Profound Water Pill, and then take the second one to further improve your constitution and enhance your Soul Power. Once the effects of both Profound Water Pills have been fully absorbed, your constitution and meridians will have greatly improved. With a clear body, taking the Soul Ascending Pill will naturally bring the greatest benefits."
After listening to Wang Dong's analysis, Huo Yuhao felt it made sense. "Thank you. It's lucky you told me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known how to take them properly. What about you? Are you eating it today?"
Wang Dong nodded and said, "I'm already at level 21, with my constitution and meridians in excellent shape. There's nothing more suitable than absorbing the Soul Ascending Pill. I will eat it now. One evening's time is enough to digest its potency. Hehe, tomorrow at the very least I'll be at level 22, or maybe even level 23. Didn't senior sister Tang Ya say that if I secured the first place in the first year's assessment, she would let me join the Tang Sect? With this Soul Ascending Pill, my chances are much greater. Alright, I'm going to start now. You go ahead and practice yourself."
As he spoke, he took out the walnut-sized Soul Ascending Pill and brought it to his lips, gently biting into it. Instantly, a rich and refreshing aroma burst forth from the pill, and with a gentle inhale, a stream of green liquid from the broken pill was sucked into his belly. He didn't even spare the shell of the pill, chewing it a few times before swallowing it.
At that moment, the dormitory was filled with a verdant fragrance, like a multitude of flowers in the wild. Huo Yuhao felt his mind clear, and all 36,000 pores in his body seemed to open up. An indescribable sense of exhilaration spread throughout his body. Not daring to delay, he quickly sat cross-legged and began to cultivate, taking advantage of the moment when his soul power was fully activated.
After being refined by the Profound Water Pill, Huo Yuhao felt that cultivation had become a pleasure for him! He quickly entered a meditative state. The Mystic Sky Method circulated freely within his body, nourishing it and steadily enhancing it.
A pale blue-green light began to emerge from Wang Dong's body; the rich refreshing aura lingered constantly in the room. Part of it was absorbed by Huo Yuhao, while more was inhaled by Wang Dong with each breath he took. Stimulated by the Soul Ascending Pill, his soul power was increasing at an astonishing rate.
After the twists and turns of the two days before school started, Huo Yuhao's academy life settled down and he gradually became somewhat famous. His fame, of course, did not come from his strength but from his skill in grilling fish. All the students and teachers who tried Huo Yuhao's grilled fish could not stop praising it.
Huo Yuhao's daily quota of grilled fish increased from the initial twenty to thirty, but it was still far from enough to satisfy the students and teachers. However, he refused to continue increasing the number because he needed to leave more time for his cultivation.
In order to get a grilled fish, many students would rush out to queue up as soon as school ended. And because of the scarcity, they had to restrict sales to one fish per person. Even so, Huo Yuhao had never raised the price, and he received unanimous praise from the students, also making many friends along the way.
Jiang Nannan, the first beauty of the outer court, finally got to taste the grilled fish, which she had lined up to buy on her own. What was more interesting was that while Xu Sanshi failed to impress Jiang Nannan with the grilled fish, he himself became fond of the dish and turned into one of Huo Yuhao's loyal customers.
In the blink of an eye, the first three months of the freshmen's studies passed. Under Zhou Yi's insanely strict guidance, Class One of the new students had completely changed. However, what shocked the academy's higher-ups was that after three months of Zhou Yi's baptism, Class One still had as many as sixty-seven students left, a far cry from the one-third remaining estimated by the academy.
If there was one student in Class One of the new students who had changed the most over these three months, it was undoubtedly Huo Yuhao.
When he first started school, his soul power was only Level Eleven, having just recently acquired his soul ring. His abilities were undoubtedly the last in the entire academy without question.
However, today, three months later, Huo Yuhao had completely transformed, and ever since he became the class president of the freshmen's Class One, no one had ever contested his position.
It wasn't because Huo Yuhao himself was so powerful that no one could defeat him, but because his spirit earned the heartfelt admiration of all the students in Class One. This was also an important reason why two-thirds of the students still remained after Zhou Yi's severe teaching.
Huo Yuhao was really too hardworking; almost every teacher who had taught Class One knew of the existence of such a student. No matter what time of day, morning or afternoon, no matter the subject, there was always a pair of eyes that stayed fixed on the teacher, listening intently to their lectures.
```
His talent was not outstanding, and his abilities weren't particularly strong. But he was always the most earnest one.
Teacher Zhou Yi's strictness was unparalleled across the entire academy, yet even she couldn't find any faults in Huo Yuhao. The cruel and long physical training sessions were torture for students his age. Nonetheless, Huo Yuhao was not only able to persist until the end every single time, he even practiced extra late into the night.
One night, Zhou Yi discovered this when she happened to go out and didn't return to the academy until it was late. As she passed by the Shrek Square in front of the teaching building, she was surprised to find a figure moving slowly on the running track in the square, and from afar, she could hear the faint sound of a metal chain clinking.
Upon closer inspection, she saw a figure with a bare upper body and sweat-soaked back. His metal shirt was already drenched with sweat, each step he took was so heavy, and Zhou Yi even saw that there was a trail of wet footprints left on the running track.
This not-very-tall but steady and determined figure was none other than Huo Yuhao. That time, Zhou Yi was deeply shaken. He was actually practicing extra in the middle of the night.
Zhou Yi stopped Huo Yuhao and asked him what he was doing. Huo Yuhao simply told her, "Teacher, I have less talent, so I just work a little harder than others. After physical training, meditating seems to help increase my Soul Power a bit faster."
At that moment, Zhou Yi even suspected Huo Yuhao was aware she had gone out that day and had deliberately performed for her to see. But soon after, she dismissed that thought. Because no matter whether the wind blew or rain fell, every night in the Shrek Academy's square, a silent figure would appear and would run for more than two hours. Moreover, the metal shirts on his body had gradually increased from one to two.
After all, this was within the academy, and although Huo Yuhao didn't tell anyone, his classmates still found out. Some had even attempted to join Huo Yuhao in his midnight runs, but not a single one could persist for more than three days. The day was already filled with intense study, and continuing with extra practice at midnight was not just regular physical training but a torture to the body!
Yet, it was this very torture Huo Yuhao endured. Doing what others couldn't, his spirit earned the recognition and admiration of all his classmates. And under Zhou Yi's strict demands, he managed to last three months, becoming one of the sixty-seven people who remained in the new student class.
"Diligence can make up for a lack of talent," a simple phrase, but how many can truly achieve it?
Huo Yuhao did, and thus, he reaped the benefits. Indeed, the two Profound Water Pills and one Soul Ascending Pill were important factors in his rapid improvement in skill within these short three months. But his improvement was not limited to just Soul Power; it was all-encompassing. Whether in knowledge or various skills, he had undergone a radical transformation three months later.
The once slightly shorter stature than Wang Dong had now almost matched him in height, and his body had clearly become much more robust — not overly muscular, but if he bared his upper body, one could see how proportionate his figure was, with each muscle seemingly containing ample explosive power.
```
What's more significant is that Huo Yuhao's constitution underwent a profound change in these three months, a transformation from the inside out, and it certainly wasn't simply due to the effects of the two Profound Water Pills.
After gaining a special insight into the Mystic Sky Method, Huo Yuhao shared his understanding with Tang Ya and Bei Bei, but after trying, neither of them could generate the power to moisten the meridians like he did.
The reason Huo Yuhao trained his physical strength every late night was because only when both his physical strength and Soul Power were completely exhausted would the Mystic Sky Method's moisturizing effect appear. With each subtle nourishment, his meridians would expand slightly, and this feeling had become increasingly faint over time. His cultivation speed had also increased dramatically.
After taking the second Profound Water Pill, Huo Yuhao's cultivation speed had improved to seven times what it was initially, further purging his body of impurities. And after three months of cultivation, his meridians had continuously expanded and become more resilient, now roughly ten times the original cultivation speed. What an astonishing enhancement!
The second Profound Water Pill took Huo Yuhao's Soul Power to a whole new level, from the peak of Level Twelve to the peak of Level Thirteen. After adjusting for a period, he then took the Soul Ascending Pill. Indeed, the Soul Ascending Pill had an even more significant effect on boosting Soul Power. Huo Yuhao's Soul Power broke through three levels and surged past another bottleneck, stabilizing at Level Seventeen.
At this point, Huo Yuhao's cultivation had reached the average level of the students in his class. More valuably, through his own cultivation, his Soul Power continued to increase, and now, three months later, he had reached the peak of Level Seventeen, on the verge of breaking through to Level Eighteen. This was after he needed to stabilize his foundation due to the rapid advancements from the medicinal pills. It could be said that his talent was no longer that of the good-for-nothing when he first arrived at Shrek Academy.
"Today's physical education class is suspended," Zhou Yi stood behind the podium, her aged face still bearing a lukewarm expression, but as long as it was her class, nearly all the students sat up straight, none daring to fidget.
"It has been three months since the semester started. You are about to face the first assessment since entering Shrek Academy. Passing the assessment allows you to officially become a first-year student and truly become a member of Shrek Academy, and unless something unexpected happens, you will be able to continue your cultivation here until at least the graduation exam. The assessment begins tomorrow, and today I will tell you the key points of the assessment."
Zhou Yi's voice was unusually gentle as her gaze swept over the sixty-seven students below, feeling quite satisfied inside. The quality of this batch of students might not be stronger than previous ones, but after three months of her training, their willpower was definitely superior to that of any class she had ever taught. For Zhou Yi, this was an unexpected joy, and Huo Yuhao, the class president, had played a crucial role in leading them.
"Huo Yuhao."
"Present," Huo Yuhao instantly stood up, responding respectfully.
Three months had passed, and Huo Yuhao's respect for Zhou Yi was genuinely heartfelt and not merely due to her authority. Her teaching methods were indeed strange at times, sometimes tormenting the students to the point of despair. However, it was undeniable that Zhou Yi's teaching capabilities were extremely strong, and those strange methods were much more effective than they had imagined. It was exactly because of this that Class One of the freshmen had not only radically changed in spirit but, after these three months, the sixty-seven remaining students all possessed an unshakable determination.
Huo Yuhao had observed students from other classes but hadn't seen the same qualities. As Bei Bei had said, though Zhou Yi was stern, as long as you could persevere under her guidance, you would undoubtedly become an excellent student, and even a true powerhouse in the future.
Teacher Zhou waved to Huo Yuhao, who hurriedly walked to the front of the classroom and took a stack of papers from her. Without waiting for Teacher Zhou to instruct him, he quickly handed them out to every student in class.
Teacher Zhou said, "After the new student assessment ends, we will tailor our teaching according to each student's potential. Write down the direction of your future cultivation and give it to me later."
The "direction of cultivation" she referred to included classifications such as offense, defense, control, and support for Soul Masters. For the first three months, everyone could study together, but when the real first-grade studies began, they would have to be differentiated. After all, the cultivation tendencies of different categories of Soul Masters varied greatly.
Huo Yuhao returned to his seat and was the last one to start writing his goals. Naturally, he wrote "control-class Battle Soul Master," and then signed his name below it. But he didn't notice that Wang Dong beside him glanced at what he had written before starting to write his own preferences.
Teacher Zhou said, "You are all students I have taught. Although classes will be reorganized after the new student assessment, I hope you all remember what I taught you. Hand in the papers you have after class. Now, I will talk to you about the key points of the new student assessment."
As she spoke, Teacher Zhou turned and walked to the blackboard, where she simply drew a few lines and wrote the word "battle" in the center.
"Battle. Yes, the new student assessment is all about battle. And it's a battle that every one of you must participate in. I know that among you, especially the support-class and food-class Tool Soul Masters, might be wondering why you also have to participate in battle. But I am not mistaken, you do have to appear on the battlefield, just like the Battle Soul Masters. Although Shrek Academy cultivates versatile talents, the most important thing is still one's ability on the battlefield. I mentioned on the first day of school that with the emergence of Soul Guidance Devices, the classification of Soul Masters has become blurred. Even if you are a support or food-class Tool Soul Master, you can still wield a Soul Guidance Device to unleash formidable combat power. But where does your combat instinct come from? Can just any Soul Master take a Soul Guidance Device and blindly enter the battlefield, expecting to survive? Of course not. Combat ability must come from battle itself. Therefore, each and every one of you must undergo the combat assessment."
"Of course, the academy will not make support-class Tool Masters compete against direct-attack class Battle Soul Masters. That would be unfair to you. Therefore, the new student assessment will be conducted as team battles. The teams won't be very large, with the decision made that this year's team battles will consist of three members per team. This is a relatively high standard that your age group can reach in terms of cooperation. When forming teams, the requirement is that there can be at most one direct-attack class Battle Soul Master. The other two members are up to you. Initially, we will consider students from the same dormitory as one team; others can form teams freely. If you cannot form a team on your own, then it will be decided by drawing lots. Later, I will give you a more reasonable plan for team formation."
"The new student assessment will be held across the entire grade. Since our academy now has a substantial number of students, there will be nearly three hundred teams participating in this assessment. However, only half will remain, meaning only the top-ranking one hundred and fifty teams. The ranking is based on the points earned from the combat competitions."
"The competition will involve drawing lots, and each team must fight in at least ten battles. The final ranking will be determined by the number of victories. Among them, the top sixty-four teams will enter the elimination round, and the top four teams in the elimination round will receive various rewards from the academy. The reward for the champion team will be very precious."
Every student was listening intently. To them, the new student assessment was critical for their ability to stay at the academy. If eliminated, they would have to return to a less prestigious institution, and they would likely never become top fighters on the Soul Land continent. They had all worked hard for three months, and no one wanted to be eliminated now.
Teacher Zhou said indifferently, "Our class currently has sixty-seven students, which can be divided into twenty-two teams, with one person left over. I have categorized each of you according to the characteristics of your Martial Spirits, and after careful analysis, I have completed the team formation for you. If anyone is dissatisfied, you can change it after you go back. However, if no one raises any objections by tomorrow morning when I finalize the registration, you must strictly follow my arrangements. Otherwise, you know the consequences."
"Song Qinghan." Teacher Zhou called out in a deep voice.
"Here," replied a small-framed student who quickly stood up. He was usually inconspicuous in class and was clearly surprised that Teacher Zhou would call on him first.
Teacher Zhou said, "Each new student class's homeroom teacher can nominate one student for direct admission through assessment. I have chosen you. After observing you, I believe you are more suited to continue your cultivation in the Soul Guidance Department. Do you have any objections? Now you have two choices, either go to the Soul Guidance Department or take your belongings and leave."
Her dominance was indeed overpowering. All the students' eyes involuntarily turned to Song Qinghan.
"I am willing, thank you Teacher Zhou," Song Qinghan said, showing no resistance to Teacher Zhou's assertiveness, and almost jumped for joy. He had come to Shrek Academy with the goal of entering the Soul Guidance Department!
Teacher Zhou gestured for him to sit down, "Let's start with the team formation. First team, Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao."
Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong almost stood up at the same time. They had planned to be in the same group, but upon hearing Teacher Zhou announce their team formation, they exchanged a glance and saw the surprise in each other's eyes.
Also standing up was a girl sitting in the front row. She was not very tall and looked quite petite. Like Song Qinghan before her, she wasn't particularly outstanding among the first-year students and seemed to be average in various capabilities.
The young girl was not remarkably beautiful, but she had a clear and delicate appearance that was very appealing. She had a slightly shy expression as she turned her head to look back, but her gaze passed over Huo Yuhao and directly focused on Wang Dong, whose looks were becoming increasingly handsome. Her face flushed red, and she turned around, lowering her head.
"Second team, Zi Hao, Ma QingShuang, Leng Leng."
"Third team…"
Though Teacher Zhou seemed very imposing, once she announced the groupings, each student seemed to feel a sense of relief.
Huo Yuhao observed quietly, his heart filled with admiration. Despite Teacher Zhou always being so stern and strict, she actually knew every student very well. Her arrangements for the groupings clearly had her thoughtful consideration.