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Chapter 81 – Junior Sister, Can There Be Reconciliation?
Suppressing the thoughts swirling in her mind, Xian Lin'er chose not to press further about Huo Yuhao's spirit skill. Instead, she smiled gently and spoke.
"I can tell you with complete certainty that your spirit skill is exceptionally suited for combat in conjunction with a spirit tool. Joining the Spirit Guidance Department would allow you to maximize the potential of your innate talent."
"Uh…"
Huo Yuhao blinked, momentarily at a loss for words.
He certainly couldn't say that the reason he joined this assessment was just for the three-month advance free meals, could he?
As for choosing between the Spirit Guidance Department and the Battle Spirit Department, it didn't matter to him. After all, he didn't need anyone to teach him cultivation, nor to guide him in using spirit tools.
Still, if he had to choose, Huo Yuhao leaned slightly toward the Spirit Guidance Department.
Joining the Battle Spirit Department would only grant him the perks promised by Yan Shaozhe in his past life—fully upgraded spirit bones, among which might be a hundred-thousand-year-old one.
In his previous life, such things would have left him speechless with excitement. In this life, however, he regarded them as inferior to the rare metals that the Spirit Guidance Department could provide.
Fortunately, he didn't need to make a decision immediately. Zhang Lexuan had already arrived at his side.
She shot him a meaningful glance, indicating that he should let her speak, and then turned to Xian Lin'er with a smile.
"Dean Xian, it's only the first day of the academy. Yuhao hasn't even grasped the difference between the Battle Spirit Department and the Spirit Guidance Department yet. How could he possibly make a decision? Why don't we wait a couple of days? I'll give him a detailed introduction to both departments first, then he can decide."
Since Xian Lin'er had already recognized Huo Yuhao's talent, she knew she would have to compete with Yan Shaozhe once he returned.
With Xian Lin'er alone for now and no rivals present, she wouldn't offer him too generous a deal. If Huo Yuhao joined the Spirit Guidance Department too easily, the resources he gained would inevitably be diminished.
"You little girl, you're trying to make our Spirit Guidance Department bleed dry, aren't you?"
Xian Lin'er was not oblivious to Zhang Lexuan's meaning.
Yet instead of anger, she fixed her gaze on Huo Yuhao and teased him with a meaningful smile.
"Honestly, your newly appointed homeroom teacher really cares about you. Even I am a little envious. Alright, since Lexuan insists, I'll wait until that Yan Shaozhe fellow returns before making another visit."
Regarding Huo Yuhao, she was determined to recruit him.
After all, the Spirit Guidance Department was wealthy and influential, and Huo Yuhao's talent justified paying a little extra.
Most importantly, Yan Shaozhe might not even compete with her for Huo Yuhao.
Especially after witnessing Huo Yuhao's spirit skill, she was almost certain Yan Shaozhe wouldn't treat him as seriously as she did. Spirit detection and simulations were powerful, but they provided a qualitative leap only for spirit tools users. For the Battle Spirit Department, such skills were merely an enhancement, not indispensable.
Plus, with Gu Yuena and Tang San present, would Yan Shaozhe really challenge the Spirit Guidance Department for three talents at once?
Even if he intended to, the Battle Spirit Department lacked the resources.
Thinking this through, she patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder and then looked to Du Weilun.
"Director Du, we can start the next round."
Du Weilun wiped the sweat from his brow, his expression bitter, and nodded.
"Everything is arranged as per Dean Xian's instructions."
At this rate, even if the Battle Spirit Department retained these few prodigies, it would come at a considerable cost.
Originally, two prized treasures could have been picked up for free, but now they had to compete for them—it stung!
With Huo Yuhao, Zhang Lexuan, and others who were not involved stepping out, the second assessment was about to begin. The students' excitement was palpable as they stared intently toward the rest area.
When a silver-haired girl stepped out slowly, their eyes immediately lit up.
"First a handsome guy, now an even more beautiful girl… these freshmen are amazing…"
Ignoring the gazes upon her, Gu Yuena strode to the center of the arena and stood her ground.
Before the audience could fully recover from her stunning appearance, three purple spirit rings suddenly emerged beneath her feet. The deep, purple radiance startled Xu Sanshi, causing him to stumble and nearly fall.
"What the… what kind of monsters is the academy recruiting this year?"
Every new student seemed to start with a thousand-year spirit rings—he was beginning to feel out of step with the times.
Faced with a freshman seemingly stronger than Huo Yuhao, Xu Sanshi could no longer afford even a trace of underestimation. He immediately unleashed his Martial Spirit.
As his two yellow and one purple spirit rings slowly ascended, his already muscular frame expanded further. His black academy uniform stretched tight across his robust muscles.
"Huh? Black Tortoise Shield?"
Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow at the dark green snake with blood-red eyes on the surface of Xu Sanshi's shield.
He remembered that in his previous life, Xu Sanshi's Black Tortoise bloodline hadn't fully awakened at this stage, so he only had the Mystic Deep Tortoise.
He hadn't expected him to awaken the Black Tortoise Shield directly this time.
Huo Yuhao's curiosity drew Bei Bei's glance.
"Junior Brother Huo, you actually recognize it?"
"I've heard of it before, but this is the first time I've seen it in person."
Bei Bei smiled, ignoring whether Huo Yuhao's words were true.
"Since you've already passed the assessment, I can tell you. Before your freshman group arrived, Xu Sanshi's talent was considered the best in the outer academy. Even I could only match him at full power."
Huo Yuhao nodded lightly. In their previous life, the pair were called the "Outer Academy Twin Star," and it wasn't just due to their cultivation speed. More importantly, their Martial Spirits were far from simple.
One carried the Black Tortoise bloodline, the other the top-tier Bright Holy Dragon bloodline. Their gifts were truly extraordinary.
Though he didn't know how Xu Sanshi had achieved this in this life, he seemed to have full mastery of his Martial Spirit, likely surpassing Bei Bei's level as an Outer Academy Twin Star.
After explaining, Bei Bei's curiosity flared.
"By the way, Junior Brother Huo, do you feel confident if you were to face Xu Sanshi?"
"That's hard to say," Huo Yuhao replied with a smile. "Senior Xu's defensive abilities really counter mine."
Relying solely on the methods he had just used against Bei Bei, defeating Xu Sanshi would be nearly impossible. Among the interrelations of spirit master types, defensive system spirit masters were least afraid of control-system spirit masters with weaker offensive power.
Without activating Pride Original Sin, even his physical strength alone might not break the Black Tortoise Shield.
Of course, a spiritual shock changes that—Xu Sanshi, only a Spirit Elder, could be knocked down with a single blow.
"Seems like Junior Brother Huo still has plenty of tricks up his sleeve!"
Bei Bei laughed and teased herself. "It's not easy for the Outer Academy to find a strong opponent. Let's spar more when we have the chance."
"Absolutely."
Huo Yuhao nodded with a smile. Meanwhile, the battle on the Spirit Arena seemed ready to begin.
"Come—"
Xu Sanshi, finally faced with a worthy opponent, retracted the playful smile that had been on his face, his battle intent blazing as he regarded Gu Yuena, calm as ever.
"Let me see just how formidable this year's freshmen are!"
The moment he spoke, the dark green energy around him surged violently, the terrifying aura of the divine beast exploding without restraint.
Intimidation before battle was not in his nature. Though Gu Yuena's spirit rings far outclassed his, his spirit skills bore the mark of a divine beast. Who would win remained uncertain.
"Prepare—begin!"
At Xian Lin'er's command, everyone—including Xu Sanshi—froze, as if witnessing some terrifying phenomenon.
Gu Yuena's first two purple spirit rings ignited, her silver hair radiating a faint glow. A dazzling silver staff materialized in her hand.
With a swing of her staff, nearly ten fiery, orange-red orbs appeared, scorching heat sweeping the arena in an instant. Even spectators felt the waves of heat crashing against them.
Xu Sanshi's gaze reflected the flames, but his battle intent had vanished. He swallowed and asked in despair:
"Junior sister… can there be reconciliation?"
The next second, with a terrible scream, the fireballs surged forward.
"Aaah—!!!"
The agonized screams reverberated through the Spirit Arena for several minutes before finally fading.
The violence of the scene and the blood-curdling cries caused many spectators to cover their eyes, unable to watch this one-sided battle.
It wasn't just fireballs—various elemental attacks rained upon Xu Sanshi relentlessly. At first, he barely resisted, but eventually, only his screams remained.
After suffering a beating like none he had ever experienced, hair scorched and body battered, Xu Sanshi raised his hands, trembling, shouting mournfully:
"I surrender! I surrender!"
Seeing the battle end, Gu Yuena quietly withdrew her staff and Martial Spirit, and spoke softly to the shocked Xian Lin'er.
"I've won."
Xian Lin'er, noticing Gu Yuena's clean uniform and unflustered appearance despite the battle, nodded with realization.
"The victor—Gu Yuena."
A brief silence was followed by deafening cheers across the arena.
Compared to the previous battle, Gu Yuena's display had been far more spectacular. With a beauty that made even Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan pale in comparison, the combination of genius and beauty skyrocketed her popularity.
Yet Gu Yuena seemed indifferent to the cheers. After Xian Lin'er announced the result, she strode toward the rest area without lingering for a moment.
In a shadowed corner of the spectator stands, Tang San, clad in iron armor and soaked in sweat from a run, stared fixedly at Gu Yuena's back, frowning.
If he could understand Huo Yuhao's strength, this silver-haired girl was completely beyond his comprehension.
(End of Chapter)