A new day dawned, and it was another sunny morning.
Shrek Plaza.
All the students who had passed the freshman assessment had gathered here early, awaiting the upcoming class placement.
After the freshman assessment, students would be divided into new classes based on their type of soul power, officially forming the first-year class of Shrek Academy.
Du Weilun, Director of the Soul Tool Department, stood at the front of the gathered students with over a dozen teachers. A careful observer would notice that Du Weilun and the teachers were even more serious and solemn than the students.
That was because Yan Shaozhe, Qian Duoduo, and Elder Song were present, observing from the side—something that had never happened before.
But among the teacher ranks, there was still one standout — the homeroom teacher of Class Two, Huang Tao. While everyone else maintained serious expressions, only the corners of his mouth were twitching more uncontrollably than an AK rifle.
And Huang Tao was at the front of all the first-year homeroom teachers because the homeroom teacher of Class One, Zhou Yi, hadn't shown up.
Standing at the front of Class Two, Huo Yuhao noticed that Zhou Yi's absence made all the students of Class One visibly happy.
For a homeroom teacher to reach this point... Zhou Yi's reputation was clearly done for.
Du Weilun held a list in his hand and swept a smiling gaze over the students before slowly speaking:
"The freshman assessment has concluded. Congratulations to all who passed—you are now officially first-year students of Shrek Academy."
With his announcement, the students erupted in cheers and applause. Du Weilun didn't try to stop them and simply waited for the excitement to die down.
Huo Yuhao's expression subtly shifted—he had noticed something. The aura of fortune above his head was changing.
As he was officially recognized as a first-year student of Shrek Academy, the Shrek Auspicious Cloud above him grew larger and began to drizzle golden rain.
Huo Yuhao immediately gathered and absorbed this fortune energy to strengthen himself.
But then he noticed—it wasn't over.
This was just the beginning.
Once the cheers subsided, Du Weilun continued, "During the elimination rounds, the top three teams of the freshman assessment were determined. Now, I will officially announce the rewards for the top three teams."
"Third Place: Zhou Sichen's Team, step forward!"
The three members of Zhou Sichen's team stepped forward excitedly.
They had secured third place in the assessment.
Their rival for the third place, Wang Dong's team, had withdrawn due to Wang Dong's serious injuries, so the spot fell to Zhou Sichen's group.
Truth be told, Zhou Sichen's team wasn't strong enough to rank top three.
But teams like Huang Chutian's, who had a martial soul fusion skill, Ning Tian's, which had a Soul Elder, and Wang Dong's, with a thousand-year second soul ring—all lost their shot at the championship.
They were also thoroughly drained of luck by Huo Yuhao.
Zhou Sichen's team basically scooped up the leftovers.
Back in Class One, Xiao Xiao and Lan Yin were green with envy.
As for Wang Dong, he was still recovering and couldn't attend the ceremony.
The other students applauded Zhou Sichen's team.
"Second Place: Dai Huabin's Team, step forward!"
Dai Huabin's team stepped out as well.
However, Dai Huabin looked tired, and Zhu Lu appeared pale—it was obvious they were still recovering.
Cui Yajie, on the other hand, had a red nose and was sniffling, clearly still suffering from the cold she endured.
The students applauded again.
Du Weilun's voice suddenly rose in excitement:
"And finally, let us welcome our champions with the warmest applause — Huo Yuhao's Team!"
"Team members: Huo Yuhao, Xie Huanyue, Lulu!"
Since Yan Shaozhe had announced his intent to take Huo Yuhao as his disciple, the team had changed from Xie Huanyue's to Huo Yuhao's.
After all, in the final match, Huo Yuhao defeated the Nether White Tiger single-handedly. Naturally, Xie Huanyue handed over the captain's role and was even happy to stand behind him.
That's also why Huo Yuhao stood at the very front of Class Two today.
Xie Huanyue's thought: This guy's not to be messed with. Didn't you see Dai Huabin and Wang Dong both get beaten into fools?
Now, Xie Huanyue just wanted to say: "Thank you, Brother Hao, for not using soul skills!"
The crowd clapped and cheered enthusiastically.
Huo Yuhao calmly led Xie Huanyue and Lulu out from their lineup and squeezed between Zhou Sichen's and Dai Huabin's teams. The six from both teams moved aside in silence—none dared to say a word.
The phrase "Brother Hao's big centipede is huge and ferocious" had spread throughout the entire first-year class last night.
It was said that even someone as arrogant as Dai Huabin had been tamed and screamed like a girl.
Du Weilun smiled at them and declared loudly:
"Now I will announce the rewards for the top three teams. Each member will be allowed to request a soul ring from the Academy when they are ready for the next stage of cultivation. The Academy will assist them in obtaining the most suitable ring they can endure."
Truthfully, this reward didn't mean much to Huo Yuhao.
With the growth of his mutant Ice Jade Centipede martial soul, and his own training, he was already capable of acquiring his third soul ring on his own.
As for the hidden reward for first place—a soul bone—Du Weilun only vaguely mentioned it. Soul bones couldn't be openly discussed.
Then came the announcement of core disciple selections.
Unlike the original storyline, there were no dramas. Huo Yuhao's name was placed right at the top.
Huo Yuhao: Go ask around the Outer School. Who dares disrespect me now? Anyone? Huh?!
Du Weilun declared:
"Given the outstanding talents in this year's assessment, the Academy has specially approved the following students as core disciples of the Outer School. The names are:
Huo Yuhao, Xie Huanyue, Lulu, Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, Zhou Sichen, Cao Jinxuan, Lan Susu, Lan Luoluo, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, Ning Tian."
"Furthermore, a few students who showed promise despite lacking strong talents or abilities will be temporarily granted the benefits of core disciples until the end of the academic year. If they show progress during the upgrade exam next year, they may be officially promoted. These students are: Wu Feng, Nanmen Yuner, Cui Yajie, Huang Chutian, Long Xiangyue. That concludes the announcement."
Compared to the original story, since Huo Yuhao's team won the championship, Xie Huanyue and Lulu were also made core disciples. The rest remained mostly unchanged.
Wu Feng got only temporary benefits because Ning Tian's team was eliminated early.
The entire event proceeded without any unexpected twists. Huo Yuhao remained front and center throughout.
But what no one realized was—
As Du Weilun finished speaking, Huo Yuhao's fortune suddenly exploded!
Not just his—every student recognized as a core disciple, or granted temporary core disciple benefits, had the Shrek Auspicious Cloud above their heads begin to grow and shower golden droplets.
Huo Yuhao's eyes narrowed. He focused all his energy and activated the White Tiger Fortune Seizing Technique, wildly absorbing the golden fortune from everyone around him.
Teammates, rivals, core disciples, temp-core disciples, male, female, young, old, black stockings, white stockings…
As long as it was golden rain from the Shrek cloud, his White Tiger Visualization greedily stole it all.
Anything he couldn't absorb right away, he packed up to use later. What he couldn't carry, he consumed on the spot.
While it appeared that everyone shared in the fortune, the real benefits all flowed to Huo Yuhao.
"Sorry about this… but this won't be the last time!" Huo Yuhao said in his heart.
To the outside world, however, he looked completely unfazed by the rewards, unlike the others who were visibly excited.
This stoicism immediately drew attention.
"Is that the freshman champion Huo Yuhao? He's so cold and cool—I'm in love!"
"I declare: Huo Yuhao is now my goal!"
"Hmph! You vixen! You'll have to get past me first! Brother Yuhao is mine!"
"I just want to be rubbed by Brother Yuhao's big centipede!"
Ning Tian's eyes sparkled as she looked at him. Wu Feng clenched her teeth.
Xie Huanyue grinned like a 200-pound child.
Dai Huabin's smile froze—his eyes grew dark, but he didn't dare meet Huo Yuhao's gaze.
Meanwhile, Yan Shaozhe, Qian Duoduo, and Elder Song all showed expressions of satisfaction.
"Humble and not arrogant—very good, very good," praised Elder Song.
Yan Shaozhe put on a modest act, already assuming the role of Huo Yuhao's teacher. "Oh, not at all. Yuhao still has a long way to go."
Qian Duoduo remarked sarcastically, "Heh, don't celebrate too early. You want him as your disciple, but who says he'll accept?"
After Huo Yuhao's victory yesterday, Qian Duoduo had secretly gifted him a Grade 5 defensive soul tool. It wasn't as powerful as an invincible shield, but it was worth 80,000 gold soul coins and could withstand a full-force strike from a Soul Sage.
Through that battle, even someone as slow as Qian Duoduo realized—Huo Yuhao was an Ultimate Element Soul Master. He also realized the Academy wouldn't let Huo Yuhao focus on soul tools.
But even if Huo Yuhao couldn't study them, as long as he had goodwill toward the Soul Tool Department, they'd benefit in the future.
If he could really be won over and given custom-designed soul tools, the department would finally rise again.
It was a long shot—but without dreams, what's the difference between a man and a salted fish?
Yan Shaozhe glanced sideways at Qian Duoduo and smirked, "We'll see, won't we?"
He believed he'd already built enough favor with Huo Yuhao to take the next step.
Elder Song remained silent, lost in thought.
At that moment, a wave of soul power burst forth from the award platform.
The three of them turned sharply toward the source.
Everyone else did the same.
To their shock, it was Huo Yuhao radiating the soul power!
The plaza instantly fell silent as all eyes turned to him.
At that moment, Huo Yuhao stood in the spotlight.
The soul power around him grew stronger...
...and then, he broke through.
When the energy calmed, Huo Yuhao had reached Level 29.
"Yu-Yuhao, did you just break through?!" Xie Huanyue stammered.
Lulu clutched her mouth in disbelief.
This was the first time they had ever seen someone level up while just standing around!
No, not just the first time seeing—it was the first time they had even heard of such a thing!
And yet, faced with everyone's shock—
Huo Yuhao simply looked calmly at Xie Huanyue and replied softly:
"Yeah. I was in a good mood, so I broke through."
"!!!"
Huo Yuhao: My cultivation depends entirely on fortune! I eat fortune, I breathe fortune! I leapt into Shrek Academy like a spinning top, wiped out everyone's fortune in a 360° Thomas spin, KO'd my classmates, hunted down Wang Dong—no one escapes! I EAT, I DEVOUR, I GORGE!!
Huo Yuhao never expected that this wave of fate energy would yield such a massive harvest!
By visualizing the White Tiger with all his might, he had managed to gather a huge amount of fate energy.
Yet there was still quite a bit of scattered fate energy left over.
With no other choice, Huo Yuhao had to use the excess fate energy on the spot.
But he didn't use it on himself—he wasn't stupid. If he blatantly boosted his soul power in front of three Title Douluos, did he think they were blind?
So instead, he directed the fate energy into his mutant Frost Centipede martial soul to nourish it.
Fate energy was incredibly versatile. Using it to nourish a martial soul was effortless, though even Huo Yuhao didn't know exactly what effect it would have.
Still, his "generosity" moved the Skydream Iceworm to tears.
The stronger the Frost Centipede martial soul became, the more fun he could have playing around.
Then, as the Frost Centipede martial soul was being nourished, something unexpected happened—it suddenly underwent a mutation, as though some latent power in its bloodline had awakened.
And this time, the changes to the mutant Frost Centipede martial soul even affected Huo Yuhao's main body!
Huo Yuhao was utterly shocked. During cultivation, the two sides had never interfered with each other!
Due to this unexpected influence, the mutation of the mutant Frost Centipede martial soul also fed back a massive wave of soul power into Huo Yuhao.
He instantly gained a whole level of soul power!
Forget Yan Shaozhe and the others—even Huo Yuhao himself was nearly caught off guard by this.
The first-year students were dismissed.
Huo Yuhao was immediately dragged into a small room by Yan Shaozhe, Qian Duoduo, and Elder Song.
Thankfully, it wasn't a secret chamber.
The three of them stared at Huo Yuhao like they were conducting a tribunal.
Huo Yuhao, calm and composed, saluted them and said, "Greetings, Uncle Yan, Uncle Qian, and… senior."
"You're Huo Yuhao, right? Can I call you Little Yuhao? You can call me Grandma Song," Elder Song suddenly softened her attitude compared to how she spoke to Yan Shaozhe and Qian Duoduo. She smiled kindly at Huo Yuhao.
Naturally, Huo Yuhao went with the flow and said, "Grandma Song."
"Good child," Elder Song replied with a smile.
Qian Duoduo couldn't wait any longer and asked directly, "Yuhao, what happened just now when you broke through?"
He didn't notice that Elder Song, who had been interrupted, gave him a narrow glare from the side.
Still, this was important, so Elder Song also looked at Huo Yuhao, clearly curious about his sudden breakthrough.
Yan Shaozhe was just as eager. "Yuhao, what exactly happened?"
As a soul master with the Ultimate Ice martial soul, and the key figure in saving Ma Xiaotao, any unusual development with Huo Yuhao warranted close attention.
This time, Huo Yuhao, for once, told the truth.
"It was because of my martial soul. It suddenly mutated, which caused me to break through. Actually, I had sensed this earlier, but the change just completed now."
Yan Shaozhe's expression changed slightly, and he grew tense. "Yuhao, quickly release your martial soul so we can take a look! Also, don't let it grow too large."
He was worried the mutation might signal a defect in Huo Yuhao's martial soul, which could impact his future cultivation.
As for the soul growing in size, while a bit surprising, it wasn't unprecedented. Some tool-type or plant-type martial souls could grow bigger when infused with more soul power.
They all assumed that Huo Yuhao's mutated martial soul had a similar trait.
"Alright."
Huo Yuhao nodded, then raised his hand to summon his mutant Frost Centipede martial soul. He was curious to see how it had transformed.
The moment it appeared, the temperature in the room plummeted. But it didn't affect the three Title Douluos, who kept their eyes fixed on the martial soul without blinking.
"It grew wings!" Qian Duoduo exclaimed in surprise.
"A ten-thousand-year first soul ring!" Yan Shaozhe's eyes widened.
"The Ultimate Ice attribute seems stronger. The cold is even more intense now…" Elder Song murmured softly.
Huo Yuhao and the Skydream Iceworm also observed the current form of the Frost Centipede martial soul.
Its icy blue body was larger, its carapace more hardened, and its centipede legs sharper. It still had nineteen pairs of legs, twenty-one body segments, with no legs on the first and last segments. Two sharp spikes had grown from the tail.
Between the second and third segments, a pair of wings, thin as silkworm wings, had sprouted!
On its head, a pair of horns had grown—small, like those of a dragon-type soul beast!
This meant the dragon bloodline within the mutant Frost Centipede martial soul had begun to awaken!
Don't forget, the Frost Centipede martial soul originated from a mutant Frost Centipede, so it naturally carried a hidden dragon bloodline.
Now, the Frost Centipede martial soul's form looked almost exactly like the large mutant Frost Centipede Huo Yuhao had seen before.
"So that's it. The awakening of the dragon bloodline is what caused the wings to appear. But the Frost Centipede martial soul's dragon bloodline must be quite weak. After the wings grew out, I felt like it couldn't continue evolving unless the dragon bloodline becomes stronger."
Huo Yuhao now had a deeper connection to the Frost Centipede martial soul and could sense its condition more clearly.
The soul ring linked to the Frost Centipede martial soul had also evolved into a ten-thousand-year soul ring!
One black and one purple soul ring coiled around the martial soul's body, looking quite striking.
The Skydream Iceworm, who was possessed onto the martial soul, curiously examined its strengthened body. It looked a bit comical—like even the martial soul itself was shocked by its own evolution.
"Huo Yuhao, would you be willing to become my disciple?" Yan Shaozhe suddenly asked, with no warning.
Huo Yuhao blinked and thought, "Here it comes!"
What should he do next to maximize his benefits?
Should he shop around a little?
Anyone with eyes could see that the Frost Centipede martial soul had clearly evolved—it had grown stronger, not gone haywire.
This meant Huo Yuhao's potential was even greater than before!
Yan Shaozhe was no longer holding back. He wanted to claim Huo Yuhao immediately.
Qian Duoduo's expression shifted. He wanted to stop Huo Yuhao from accepting the offer.
But before he could speak, Elder Song beat him to it and said calmly, "Shaozhe, there's no need to rush Yuhao into choosing a master. He's a very rare Ultimate Ice soul master—his training needs to be approached with utmost care."
"Besides, your attribute is Light, which doesn't align well with Yuhao's Ice attribute. And his martial soul has just mutated—we haven't even studied it properly. This decision should be made cautiously."
Hearing Elder Song's words, Yan Shaozhe grew anxious. But he couldn't argue.
His martial soul was the Bright Phoenix, which had neither a matching attribute nor race with the Frost Centipede.
Qian Duoduo chuckled and nodded repeatedly. "Elder Song speaks the truth."
"In short, we should report this to Elder Mu first. Once we understand Yuhao's martial soul transformation more clearly, we can revisit the matter of taking him as a disciple," Elder Song concluded.
Yan Shaozhe had no choice but to nod in agreement. "Understood."
Huo Yuhao blinked.
So, Shrek Academy is now reassessing his value?
What, are you buying a pig at the market?
I'll remember this insult!
And so, Huo Yuhao was once again packaged and delivered to the Sea God's Pavilion.
Two months after joining Shrek Academy, and already making his second trip to the Sea God's Pavilion—no freshman in the history of Shrek had ever entered it so frequently.
The sacred place yearned for by countless Inner Court disciples had already been casually visited multiple times by Brother Hao.
Yan Shaozhe, along with Qian Duoduo and Elder Song, brought Huo Yuhao to see Mu En.
Mu En observed the evolved Variant Ice Jade Centipede martial soul and fell silent for a moment.
To be honest, he hadn't expected that a variant martial soul like this could still evolve.
"Though it's surprising, it doesn't seem entirely impossible."
Mu En finally spoke.
Facing the inquiring gazes of the others, Mu En explained, "Didn't little Yuhao say before that his ancestor's martial soul once evolved? He was able to awaken his martial soul again because it had regressed. Judging from this, the potential for evolution still exists, and as he continues to cultivate, the martial soul will keep evolving. It's similar to how it was for Beibei."
Huo Yuhao: Almost forgot that I made that story up!
Yan Shaozhe and the others suddenly had a revelation.
They knew that Beibei's martial soul, like Mu En's, was essentially the Radiant Holy Dragon. Though Beibei had only awakened the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, there was still potential for it to evolve into the Radiant Holy Dragon in the future.
At the same time, the three of them were quietly shocked.
If even a regressed martial soul was already at the level of an Ultimate Ice martial soul, just how powerful had Huo Yuhao's ancestor's martial soul been?
Could it have been a divine beast martial soul that surpassed ordinary beast souls?
After all, Xu Sanshi's martial soul was one of those so-called divine beast martial souls!
As they were still pondering, Mu En spoke again, "I can sense that little Yuhao's martial soul has awakened a draconic bloodline. Its true nature should be a dragon-type martial soul."
The three were stunned.
Dragon-type martial souls were universally acknowledged to be powerful.
Combining the Ultimate Ice element with a dragon-type martial soul… was this Variant Ice Jade Centipede martial soul about to ascend to the heavens?
Mu En looked at Huo Yuhao, and suddenly smiled as he said, "Little Yuhao, are you willing to take me as your master?"
"What?!"
Yan Shaozhe, Qian Duoduo, and Elder Song were all startled.
Qian Duoduo was the quickest to recover, since he already knew that Huo Yuhao wouldn't follow him into the study of soul tools, so his expectations were the lowest.
Next was Elder Song. She smiled bitterly in her heart—those who try to intercept others often end up intercepted themselves. But in Shrek Academy, who could match Mu En when it came to the cultivation of dragon-type martial souls? So she could accept this outcome.
The one who felt the worst was Yan Shaozhe. His disciple was about to become his junior brother. He felt like crying.
What's more, if Huo Yuhao was no longer his disciple but his junior brother, getting him to wholeheartedly save Ma Xiaotao would be a lot more difficult.
"Teacher, your health…" Yan Shaozhe still tried to argue.
No, it was just that as a dutiful disciple, he didn't want his teacher to be burdened.
If the teacher has matters to attend to, the disciple should take them on.
Mu En naturally understood Yan Shaozhe's thoughts. He chuckled without exposing him and simply said, "I know my own body well. Teaching one student is still within my ability."
Then Mu En turned to Huo Yuhao.
But before Mu En could even say anything, Huo Yuhao had already bowed deeply and respectfully said, "Disciple Huo Yuhao greets Master!"
On the Douluo Continent, there was no tradition of kneeling for a master.
"Good, good, good." Mu En's smile became even kinder.
"Congratulations, Elder Mu, on acquiring such an excellent disciple!" Qian Duoduo quickly flattered.
"Congratulations, Elder Mu," Elder Song also smiled slightly.
Only Yan Shaozhe had a complicated expression, half-heartedly saying, "Congratulations, Teacher."
He still looked at Huo Yuhao with reluctance.
Huo Yuhao looked back at Yan Shaozhe, and when their gazes met, he broke into a bright smile and called out, "Senior Brother!"
Yan Shaozhe: "…"
Why does this feel even worse now?!
Huo Yuhao hadn't expected Mu En to accept him as a disciple, just like in the original story, but it wasn't a problem—in fact, it suited his interests even more.
After officially becoming Mu En's disciple, the auspicious cloud of Shrek floating above Huo Yuhao's head nearly doubled in size. At the same time, a gentle golden rain began to fall from it, and it didn't seem like it would stop anytime soon.
This golden rain, as always, accelerated Huo Yuhao's soul power cultivation.
Each faction's auspicious cloud bestows a rain of blessings upon its disciples, and different factions have different rain effects.
If one wasn't familiar with the concept of fate, they might easily overlook the significance of the rain of blessings. But for someone like Huo Yuhao, who understood fate, he could make full use of it—perhaps even reap more than others.
The rain would subtly influence the disciples of a given faction. This was one of the reasons why disciples from major factions tended to have distinct characteristics.
"Brother Tianmeng, I have a master now…" Huo Yuhao couldn't help but sigh inwardly to the Skydream Iceworm.
"Huh? What's wrong with that?" The Skydream Iceworm didn't understand why Huo Yuhao was being sentimental.
"I mean, an evil cultivator who hasn't killed their master hasn't lived a complete cultivation life!"
Skydream Iceworm: "That's our Brother Hao, alright."
The master-disciple ceremony was simple.
Next, Mu En began arranging Huo Yuhao's future cultivation.
"Little Yuhao, from now on, you can come to the Sea God's Pavilion to cultivate one day each week. The rest of the time, continue training in the Outer Court. If you run into difficulties in cultivation, go find your Senior Brother Yan—he'll help you."
"Mm-hmm." Huo Yuhao nodded obediently.
Yan Shaozhe: Blue, thin, shroom… (a homophonic internet slang for "feeling sad and depressed")
"Little Yuhao, once you reach Rank 30, I'll have Beibei accompany you to obtain your third spirit ring. Consider that your test. If you can acquire the most suitable spirit ring for yourself using only your own power, I'll teach you a top-tier secret technique that I personally created!"
Mu En dangled a juicy reward in front of him.
Huo Yuhao put on an excited expression and nodded vigorously. "Yes! I won't disappoint you, Teacher!"
Mu En smiled contentedly and nodded. Then he waved a hand and said, "Duoduo, escort little Yuhao back to the Outer Court. Talk with him more—his martial soul is quite special, and he can't use martial soul possession. That means he lacks self-protection. Soul tools can make up for that."
"Little Yuhao, starting next week, someone will bring you to the Sea God's Pavilion for cultivation."
Hearing Mu En's arrangements, Qian Duoduo grinned so wide it nearly showed his gums. Now he had official permission to approach Huo Yuhao! Once he outfitted Huo Yuhao with soul tools, everyone would see how useful they were, and the Soul Tool Department would gain more support.
Yan Shaozhe looked like he wanted to say something, but when he noticed Mu En's eyes on him, he remained silent in the end.
Elder Song nodded slightly from the side.
As Qian Duoduo was about to take Huo Yuhao away, Elder Song also took the chance to bid farewell.
Only Mu En and Yan Shaozhe remained in the room.
Yan Shaozhe stayed silent.
Mu En sighed inwardly.
Stealing a disciple from your own disciple was, admittedly, a bit unseemly. But for an Ultimate Element martial soul, it was worth it.
This drastic step was also to prevent Yan Shaozhe from impatiently pushing Huo Yuhao to save Ma Xiaotao. Huo Yuhao's strength was still too low; rushing to heal her now could do more harm than good, possibly even crippling his future potential.
Of course, Mu En's willingness to accept Huo Yuhao as a disciple also came from observing his diligence in cultivation and seeing that his character seemed decent.
In terms of character, Huo Yuhao had passed Mu En's test.
The only lingering concern was Huo Yuhao's vague background—Shrek Academy hadn't been able to trace the origins of either Huo Yuhao or his martial soul.
But Mu En believed that as long as he kept Huo Yuhao close, he would remain loyal to the Academy.
Still, since Yan Shaozhe was his disciple too, Mu En needed to give him some reassurance to prevent resentment.
"Ahem, Shaozhe, I visited little Tao yesterday. She still hasn't woken up, but thankfully, her condition hasn't worsened significantly."
"I also infused a significant amount of light-attribute soul power into her. That should suppress the evil flame for at least half a year."
"After that, how much little Yuhao can help her will depend on how much he improves during that time."
Hearing this, Yan Shaozhe was stunned. Then emotion surged in his heart, and his eyes reddened.
How much soul power would it take to suppress Ma Xiaotao's evil fire for half a year? With Mu En's health, expending that much power was no different from shortening his own life!
His teacher had done so much for him, and he had actually dared to harbor resentment just now?
Yan Shaozhe wanted to slap himself.
He asked with a trembling voice, "Teacher, what about your health…"
"Don't worry, my body isn't as fragile as you think." Mu En moved his arm as if to prove his point.
But to Yan Shaozhe, it looked like Mu En was trying to put on a brave face for his sake.
"I'm sorry, Teacher. I… But rest assured, I'll definitely do my best to train our little junior brother! I won't let you down!"
"It's fine. Both little Yuhao and little Tao are successors of Shrek Academy. I'm doing all of this for the Academy's future."
"Yes, Teacher. I understand!"
Yan Shaozhe secretly swore to himself: for the glory of Shrek Academy, he would continue to give it his all and follow his teacher's example!
Mu En looked at the impassioned Yan Shaozhe and nodded with satisfaction.
After exchanging a few words with Huo Yuhao and urging him to continue cultivating diligently, Elder Song remained on Sea God Island.
Qian Duoduo, on the other hand, personally escorted Huo Yuhao back to the Outer Court. His attitude was very warm, and when it was time to part ways, he seemed a bit reluctant to let go. He even reminded Huo Yuhao not to forget to visit the Soul Tool Department, promising to personally help him configure soul tools.
Naturally, Huo Yuhao readily agreed. He had no intention of refusing.
Soul tools weren't his best option, but they could serve as transitional gear. Plus, soul tools could be broken down into materials.
Whether to sell them or use them—wasn't that up to Huo Yuhao to decide?
Huo Yuhao returned to class.
But not to Class 2 of the new students—he went to Class 1-A after the formal class divisions. It was the classroom of what used to be Class 1.
The entire first year was split into four classes:
Class 1: Assault and Control-type Battle Soul Masters
Class 2: Defense and Agility-type Battle Soul Masters
Class 3: Support-type Battle Soul Masters
Class 4: Soul Masters with special traits—such as Food, Healing, or Tool Souls
As a result, Huo Yuhao, Xie Huanyue, and Lulu were evenly distributed into Class 1, 2, and 3 respectively.
Of course, this division wasn't absolute. If one had a valid reason, even a Support-type could attend Class 1—for example, Ning Tian in the original story.
"Reporting!" Huo Yuhao stood at the door of Class 1 and shouted loudly.
The previously lively classroom fell silent immediately. Everyone turned to look at the door.
"Yuhao, you're back! Come in quickly," Huang Tao, standing on the podium, greeted him with a smile, as if seeing his own son return.
Because Xie Huanyue's team had won the freshman assessment championship, their teacher Huang Tao was promoted to the Class 1-A homeroom teacher as per tradition.
A promotion and pay raise were just around the corner.
Each official class had two homeroom teachers. The second was the same as in the original story—Wang Yan, a man who looked gentle and scholarly.
Wang Yan remained very interested in Huo Yuhao.
Whether it was the original story's body martial soul or the current mutated ultimate martial soul, both held significant research value.
But the difference in martial soul also meant a difference in treatment at Shrek Academy. The original Huo Yuhao was like a background character. The current Huo Yuhao? If he wanted to poop in the Outer Court, who would dare not hand him toilet paper?
At that moment, Wang Yan was also in the classroom, standing beside the podium, and smiled at Huo Yuhao.
As soon as Huo Yuhao stepped inside—
"Yuhao," Huang Tao announced, "After voting among the students, we've decided that you'll be the Control-type Class President."
"Huh?"
Not even present and already elected?
Am I that outstanding?
Huo Yuhao looked at the blackboard.
There was the voting list.
Under the Control-type section, Huo Yuhao's name was at the top, with a vote count far ahead of the other candidates.
This was because most students from the original Class 2 had passed the assessment and moved into Class 1, giving Huo Yuhao a strong support base.
Some students from the original Class 1 also voted for Huo Yuhao, thanks to his infamous "giant centipede" legend—testament to the prestige of the freshman assessment champion!
What really caught Huo Yuhao's eye was the Assault-type Class President.
At the top of that list was Dai Huabin, also with the highest number of votes. No surprise there.
"Is it really okay for me to be the Control-type Class President? I wasn't even in class earlier," Huo Yuhao said hesitantly, as if concerned. "Wouldn't some classmates object?"
Wang Yan chuckled, "Don't worry, Huo Yuhao. This is the result of your classmates' vote."
"And you are…?"
"I'm the other homeroom teacher of Class 1-A. My name is Wang Yan, assistant to Teacher Huang Tao."
"Hello, Teacher Wang. Thank you for the guidance—I understand now!"
Huo Yuhao made it clear he was a respectful and obedient student.
"Good." Wang Yan nodded with a smile. Then he asked, "As Class President, would you like to say something to your classmates?"
An inauguration speech?
Huo Yuhao: I got this!
He scanned the room.
And immediately spotted many familiar faces:
Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, Cui Yajie, Huang Chutian, Lan Luoluo, Lan Susu were all there. Wu Feng and Ning Tian too. As well as Xiao Xiao and Lan Yin.
There was an empty seat next to Xiao Xiao and Lan Yin—not reserved for Huo Yuhao, but for Wang Dong.
Wang Dong was only temporarily "offscreen," not dead.
All of these students had one thing in common: they had all been defeated by Huo Yuhao's team.
Huo Yuhao smiled and said:
"Alright, since everyone's so enthusiastic, I'll accept the position of Control-type Class President. If anyone's unhappy with me, feel free to challenge me to a duel. Or even form a team and challenge me together. I won't refuse."
As soon as he finished—
BANG!
A desk was slammed hard.
The one most annoyed by Huo Yuhao, Wu Feng, jumped to her feet and shouted, "Huo Yuhao, don't be so arrogant! I've never seen anyone as smug as you!"
"Well, now you have. Want to challenge me?"
"I swear—!"
Ning Tian quickly pulled her back down, with Nanmen Yun'er helping to subdue her.
"Feng-jie, don't! Even all of us together can't beat him!"
"Yeah, yeah, calm down, girl!"
Word of Huo Yuhao's solo takedown of the Nether White Tiger had spread through the entire first year. Blame Xie Huanyue—he wasn't exactly the quiet type.
No doubt about it—Huo Yuhao's combat power was out of this world.
In the end, Wu Feng had no choice but to sit down, still fuming. She couldn't beat him, but she refused to accept him.
"Seems like Wu Feng has no objections," Huo Yuhao nodded in satisfaction and led the class in applause.
The other students quickly clapped along, as if welcoming a "popularly elected" class president—but more likely afraid to defy his authority.
In truth, Huo Yuhao was a bit disappointed. He'd hoped someone would challenge him so he could milk some more luck and fortune.
And to Huo Yuhao, fortune was like troops to Han Xin—the more, the better.
"Alright, Yuhao, return to your seat," Huang Tao said with a smile. He wasn't at all displeased by Huo Yuhao's attitude.
Since Huo Yuhao was now Class President, it was only right that he establish his authority. And clearly, he had succeeded. That would make it much easier to manage the class moving forward.
In the original story, Huo Yuhao had to duel Wu Feng to earn reluctant recognition. Even then, Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu switched classes and never accepted him.
Now? Who would dare say they didn't accept him?
If someone did, Huo Yuhao could just grab them by the neck and ask if they wanted to join the "Western Paradise Group."
"Yes, Teacher," Huo Yuhao replied obediently.
His assigned seat was in the back of the classroom.
But Huo Yuhao took a little detour, passing by Dai Huabin, and stopped right beside him.
He extended his hand and smiled:
"Dai Huabin, you must be the Assault-type Class President, right? Let's work together and serve our classmates well."
Looking at the outstretched hand, Dai Huabin instinctively didn't want to take it. But his pride wouldn't let him back down. He'd already embarrassed himself once by screaming in fear. If he retreated again, how would he show his face at Shrek?
So, Dai Huabin stood up and gave Huo Yuhao's hand a firm shake, forcing out a stiff, "Looking forward to working with you."
Though his face was unreadable, Huo Yuhao could see the fear and gloom in his eyes.
Huo Yuhao's smile brightened even more.
That mental attack he'd used when defeating Dai Huabin? Totally worth it.
Even now, its aftereffects remained.
All Huo Yuhao had to do was keep applying pressure now and then.
Soon enough, he would become Dai Huabin's worst nightmare.
And eventually, that nightmare would haunt the entire White Tiger Duke's household!
Being in the new class felt… pretty good.
All the students spoke kindly and seemed talented.
After class, Ning Tian and some others approached Huo Yuhao.
Their purpose was simple—to build a good relationship with him. Even if they couldn't become close, they didn't want to be on his bad side. After all, Huo Yuhao wasn't just the Class President—he also had connections to the upper echelons of Shrek Academy.
They could all sense that beneath his polite appearance, Huo Yuhao wasn't as mild or obedient as he seemed.
In short, they were paying tribute to the new boss.
Frankly, if Huo Yuhao demanded protection money, they'd probably hand it over without complaint.
The girls from the original Class 2 all tried to get close to him again, hoping to reclaim their spots at his side.
But unexpectedly, Huang Tao beat them to the punch.
"Yuhao," Huang Tao said after class, "Go see Director Du later. He has something for you."
He added with a smile, "Don't worry—it's good news."
A sharp light flashed in Huo Yuhao's eyes.
Soul bone incoming!
Huo Yuhao: "In Class 1-A, who dares to disrespect me?"