This time, Zhou Yi took the three youngsters directly back to her office.
As the head teacher of the freshman class, her office is located in the north of the dormitory area, within the teacher's office zone behind the black and purple external courtyard senior teaching buildings. The office is on the first floor, and she is the only one working there.
When Wang Dong and the other two followed Zhou Yi into the office, they were surprised.
They never expected that the office of the cold and strict Teacher Zhou would be so elegant, even a little girlish, despite her stern demeanor.
The walls of the office were painted a light pink, the desk was made of a special light red wood, and there were bright red sofas for guests, along with other decorations. At the back of the office, there was even a lounge area.
It must be said that Shrek Academy treats its teachers very well. Even the head teacher of the freshman class has her own independent office.
Wang Dong carefully closed the door. Zhou Yi was already seated on the large red sofa, her arms crossed, her voice cold as she spoke:
"You seem quite pleased to have lost to Freshman Class Nine?"
The three of them replied in unison: "Sorry, Teacher Zhou, we were wrong."
Admitting defeat, bowing, and apologizing—all in one go.
Over the past three months, they had become well-acquainted with Zhou Yi's temper.
There was no benefit in being stubborn; it would only anger her further. Whether they were truly at fault or not, admitting their mistakes first was always the best course of action.
The better their attitude, the lighter the punishment would be.
Zhou Yi's expression remained stern, her eyebrows raised. "Do you think a simple apology is enough? Do you even know where you went wrong?"
Wang Dong stepped forward, taking the lead as the team captain. "We failed to guard against the opponent's spiritual attack, which led to our immediate defeat without warning."
'If we had been prepared, maybe we would have lost more gracefully?' Wang Dong thought to herself, though she kept the latter part of her complaint to herself.
"Hmm? A spiritual attack? Explain," Zhou Yi demanded.
Bai Yan carefully recalled the situation and spoke slowly, "When the class monitor used the Light of the Butterfly Goddess, it felt like a massive hammer struck my head, and then I lost consciousness."
Xiao Xiao nodded in agreement. "It was the same for me. It felt like countless steel needles pierced my head, and then I passed out."
Wang Dong added, "At the moment my Light of the Butterfly Goddess was defeated, I saw a flash of purple-gold light, and then my head was struck. I had to raise my soul power to resist Huo Yuhao's soul pressure."
Wang Dong then explained the reason for his surrender: "I saw that Xiao Xiao and Bai Yan were already out, and there was no chance of winning, so I admitted defeat. I thought it would be better to save my strength for the third-place match in the afternoon."
After hearing their explanations, Zhou Yi realized the key to their defeat. It was a spiritual soul skill!
'What a body martial soul, the Spirit Eye, hidden so deeply!'
When Zhou Yi had been watching the match from the high platform, she could see the overall situation but not the specific details.
After Wang Dong used the Light of the Butterfly Goddess, the arena was engulfed in golden light. From a distance, Zhou Yi could only sense an overwhelming momentum, and then she saw Wang Dong and the others lose the match.
She had initially thought that the three of them had been intimidated by Huo Yuhao's aura and had surrendered without a fight. How could the students she had trained be so easily humiliated?
Thus, Zhou Yi had planned to criticize them and temper their attitudes. She hadn't expected the situation to be like this.
However, since they were already here...
After a round of criticism, Zhou Yi concluded:
"Losing is losing, but you must learn from this experience. You've passed the freshman assessment, and you will undoubtedly face other freshmen in future competitions. Do you know what you lack the most right now?"
"Soul power!" the three of them answered in unison.
After their defeat, Wang Dong and the others had reflected on their performance. They realized that the gap between Soul Elders and Soul Grandmasters was significant.
Among Soul Elders, the influence of soul power was particularly crucial.
Apart from anything else, if they could reach the level of a three-ring Soul Grandmaster, a single new thousand-year soul ring would give their combat power a qualitative leap.
"You've been paying attention in class. There's another match this afternoon. Don't tell me you can't beat Freshman Class Four, who are also Soul Grandmasters. Win steadily for me, or you know the consequences!"
"Understood, we'll do our best and won't let you down."
"I'll also give it my all."
"Just watch our performance."
Zhou Yi waved her hand dismissively. "Alright, go back and rest for now."
"Goodbye, Teacher!" the three of them chorused before slipping away.
…
"Wei Lun, who do you think will win the final this afternoon?" Yan Shaozhe asked with a smile.
Yan Shaozhe had great confidence in Du Weilun. As the dean of outer courtyard, Du Weilun had a keen eye and was fair and just. He had made significant contributions to cultivating outstanding talents for Shrek Academy.
After listening to Du Weilun's report and considering what he had observed, Yan Shaozhe concluded that this year's freshman class had the most exceptional initial talent since the founding of Shrek Academy.
Among this year's freshmen, there was not only the monstrously talented Huo Yuhao but also several other geniuses. There were four Soul Elder freshmen, a rarity in previous classes, and several promising Soul Grandmasters as well.
Particularly noteworthy were Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao, both of whom possessed twin martial souls like Huo Yuhao and had immense potential for growth.
It was worth noting that Shrek Academy, the world's top academy, had only two students with twin martial souls before this year's freshmen. Both of those students were already inner courtyard disciples and ranked among the top ten.
Du Weilun answered without hesitation, "I believe it will be Huo Yuhao. Even though he's alone, his strength is overwhelming. He reached the finals without even using his soul skills. I have full confidence in him."
As Yan Shaozhe's right-hand man, Du Weilun naturally tried to gauge his superior's intentions.
The privileges Huo Yuhao enjoyed were enough to show how much Dean Yan valued him.
Combined with Huo Yuhao's dominant performance in the recent matches, Du Weilun, despite not knowing much about Huo Yuhao's martial soul and soul skills, was able to make a clear judgment.
Yan Shaozhe nodded, his gaze lingering on Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu in the arena.'I hope the martial soul fusion skills of these two can put more pressure on Yuhao.'
At that moment, a powerful voice suddenly rang out.
"Old Yan, I heard this year's freshmen have performed exceptionally well."
Yan Shaozhe didn't turn around, but the smile on his face froze.
"Qian Duoduo, what brings you here?"
The man who spoke was a robust figure in his fifties, with a face free of wrinkles and a head of white hair as sharp as steel needles.
He stood at an impressive height of over two meters, with broad shoulders and a muscular build that seemed carved from granite.
His bronze skin gleamed with a metallic sheen under the sunlight, and he exuded a strong metallic aura.
Following him was Zhou Yi's husband, the eighth-level soul engineer Fan Yu.
Yan Shaozhe didn't turn around, but Du Weilun immediately stood up, a flash of surprise in his eyes as he bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, Vice Dean Qian. What brings you here?"
Vice Dean Qian Duoduo, who oversaw the daily affairs of the Soul Guidance Department, held a high status within the department.
Qian Duoduo laughed heartily. "I was just passing by and thought I'd take a look at the freshmen's performance. Old Yan, you're as stingy as ever."
Yan Shaozhe turned around and smiled. "Well, you're welcome to watch, but don't get any ideas. These freshmen belong to our Martial Soul Department."
Qian Duoduo walked over and sat down beside Yan Shaozhe. "What do you mean, your Martial Soul Department? They're just freshmen and haven't officially chosen a department yet. Besides, they won't decide on their specialization until their third year."
Du Weilun had already stepped aside to greet Fan Yu. The two found seats behind the two deans and vice deans.
In truth, Qian Duoduo had come merely to observe.
At this moment, he was filled with regret.
Since the last Sea God Pavilion meeting, Qian Duoduo had been closely following Huo Yuhao's performance and soul power progress. He had always been envious of this student with a spiritual attribute body martial soul.
However, because Huo Yuhao's second martial soul was the Ultimate Ice, Mu En had specifically claimed him, leaving Qian Duoduo with no chance to recruit him.
It wasn't until this morning, through Fan Yu, that he learned about Huo Yuhao's spiritual attribute body martial soul.
Now, it was too late for regret.
He didn't even have the right to regret.
A spiritual attribute body martial soul, a Soul Elder under twelve years old, with twin martial souls—his talent, physical strength, and martial soul perfectly matched the requirements of their plan.
The Extreme Single Soldier Plan...
If only he had known earlier, he would have swallowed his pride and fought for Huo Yuhao.
'I wonder if Huo Yuhao, the little guy who was exceptionally admitted to the inner courtyard, would be interested in soul guides?' Qian Duoduo glanced secretly at Yan Shaozhe.
Through conventional means, there was no hope now. But if he could cater to Huo Yuhao's interests, perhaps it wouldn't be too much to have him practice soul guide skills alongside his martial soul training?
After all, soul masters couldn't train all the time. Their meridians had limits, especially when their soul power level wasn't high. Over-practicing could be counterproductive.
For soul masters with exceptional talent, their meridians were extremely smooth, and their soul power generation was rapid. They might only need four or five hours of practice a day to reach saturation. Continuing to meditate beyond that would be futile.
So, what should they do with the rest of their time?
Naturally, they should study. That was the purpose of Shrek Academy's existence.
Thus, it was reasonable for Huo Yuhao to practice soul guides alongside his martial soul training.
If Huo Yuhao knew what Qian Duoduo was thinking, he would only shake his head.'Let's talk about soul guides later.'
After all, soul guides hadn't yet reached a stage where they could compete for the top spot, so they weren't particularly meaningful to Huo Yuhao. Moreover, he wasn't in the Sun Moon Empire, and here in Shrek, he could focus solely on soul power training without distractions.
Of course, Huo Yuhao was unaware of the intrigues unfolding in the stands.
In the assessment area, the finals were about to begin.
…
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