The Golden Path VS Netherworld White Tiger

However, Dai Huabin's third soul skill was still extremely powerful. Even though he'd been attacked in a situation like this, he still hadn't suffered any serious injuries.

Wang Dong had flown into the air, but Huo Yuhao was still on the ground! Huo Yuhao didn't retreat like Wang Dong had. Instead, he immediately charged forwards. As he moved forwards with the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Tracks, his hands turned jade-white. This was the Tang Sect's Mysterious Jade Hands. He took advantage of Dai Huabin's half-kneeling position to rush forwards, then brought his palms backwards. Just as Dai Huabin was about to stand up, Huo Yuhao slammed his palms into Dai Huabin's chest.

Huo Yuhao had put everything he had into this attack. He knew that he wouldn't be able to kill Dai Huabin with it, but this attack could be said to contain all the grievances he'd experienced during the eleven years he'd spent within the White Tiger Duke's Mansion. As he struck Dai Huabin's chest, his eyes even turned somewhat red.

His three months of bitter training hadn't been for naught. Not only had Huo Yuhao's soul power and various skills grown in strength, the quality of his physique had improved as well. This attack, boosted by the Mysterious Jade Hands and Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon, was the most powerful physical attack he could release at his current level. Furthermore, Dai Huabin's White Tiger's Vajra Transformation was in a slightly weakened state due to Wang Dong's Light of the Butterfly Goddess. Huo Yuhao had gone all-out in this attack, and despite there being an enormous gap between their soul power rank, he was still able to depress Dai Huabin's stomach and shove his body into the ground a little, while nearly causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood.

Even though Huo Yuhao's emotions were surging, he was still a spiritual-type soul master. His spiritual power—which was much stronger than that of an ordinary soul master's—allowed him to remain clear-headed at all times. He swiftly retreated as soon as his attack landed. The instant after he had, Dai Huabin shot right back up, his claws cutting through the air where Huo Yuhao had just been. With his attack power, Huo Yuhao's muscles and bones both would've been broken if Dai Huabin's attack had landed

Wang Dong slowly descended, landing back on Huo Yuhao's shoulders. Although Huo Yuhao wasn't able to truly injure Dai Huabin, he still felt a sense of catharsis in his heart.

Mom, did you see that? Your Little Yuhao has already begun to obtain his revenge for you. This palm strike is only the beginning; there will be a day when I have enough strength to get revenge for you, and cleanse the pain and humiliation that we've suffered these past ten years.

An angry light filled Dai Huabin's eyes when he missed Huo Yuhao. He didn't think that he'd actually be unable to obtain an advantage against him, even at such a close range. There was a distinct gap between their strengths, yet Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong were able to rely on their astonishing synergy and timing to suppress his strength. Although the White Tiger's Vajra Transformation was a powerful skill, its soul power consumption was extremely large. If it was used for a prolonged period of time, he'd be fully exhausted.

Without any hesitation or pause at all, Dai Huabin rushed straight towards Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong again.

The battle had reached its most climactic stage.

—-

On the other side of the arena, Xiao Xiao had completely entered the zone. Her cultivation rank wasn't any weaker than Zhu Lu's, and even though Zhu Lu's Netherworld Civet was a peak-level existence amongst agility system martial souls, Xiao Xiao had twin martial souls! In terms of attributes, she even had a slight edge over Zhu Lu, as the speed-reducing effect of her Ninephoenix Worshipping Flute was able to reduce her opponent's speed.

In a situation like this, where Xiao Xiao also had the assistance of Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection, she might as well screw off if she wasn't able to block Zhu Lu.

Xiao Xiao's three large black cauldrons rotated around in midair, interrupting Zhu Lu's every move by utilising Huo Yuhao's foresight. Even though Zhu Lu was extremely quick, it was as if she'd fallen into a cage created by Xiao Xiao's Threelives Soulcrush Cauldrons. No matter how hard she tried to escape from it, she wasn't able to.

She'd tried to use brute force to break out of the prison, but even though she wasn't weak, breaking a top-ranked Tool Soul like the Threelives Soulcrush Cauldron wasn't something that she could achieve.

Contrarily, Xiao Xiao wasn't good at attacking, which meant that defeating Zhu Lu would be a difficult task to pull off. As such, their battle had turned into a closely-fought one.

In the eyes of the spectating teachers, this was already Xiao Xiao's win. In the world of soul masters, the agility system would normally be able to subdue the control system. However, Xiao Xiao had been able to rely on her twin martial souls to control Zhu Lu, allowing her to gain the upper hand. At the very least, Zhu Lu wasn't able to help Dai Huabin. On the other hand, Cui Yajie had been dispatched early, due to Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong's clever machinations. Because of this, the comprehensive strength of both teams were now much closer to each other's.

"How about it? Old Yan, it seems that my foresight was better than yours. Haha." Qian Duoduo spoke with a pleased voice.

Yan Shaozhe merely smiled. "You shouldn't speak so early. Those three fellas haven't won yet."

Qian Duoduo laughed. "From what I've seen, even though there's a gap between them in terms of strength, they're still not at a disadvantage as long as they rely on their synergy. Once this match has been drawn out, which side do you think will win?"

Yan Shaozhe indifferently said, "I know what you're about to say. That flute-playing girl who also uses cauldrons has been minimizing the consumption of her soul power since the beginning of the match; she's only been using her flute's soul skill. If this continues, the match will tilt in their favour once that little black cat runs out of soul power."

Qian Duoduo smiled cunningly. "I knew that you'd realise it. If that's the case, why don't you quickly surrender?"

Yan Shaozhe glanced at him. "Old Qian, you've been playing with your metals for too long. You've already forgotten one of the traditions of the world of soul masters. What relationship does the White Tiger Duke's Mansion have with the Star Luo Empire's Zhu Family?"

Once he heard Yan Shaozhe's words, the smile on Qian Duoduo's face instantly stiffened. "No way. The Zhu and Dai Family only have a single pair in each generation, two at most. How old is that kid? Don't tell me that the White Tiger Dukedom plans to let him inherit the position of Grand Duke?"

Yan Shaozhe smiled. "Why would that be impossible? He's already managed to gather three soul rings before the age of twelve. With this, he's already exceeded the ancestor of the Dai Family—the leader of the Shrek's Seven Monsters whose statue currently sits at the Academy's entrance. The Dai Family has always allowed the strong to inherit the position of Grand Duke. Didn't the White Tiger Duke send his kid to Shrek Academy for him to pursue his studies, and to see how much potential we can unlock within him? The Zhu Family has many internal factions, and this girl should be an investment that a certain faction from the Zhu Family has made in Dai Huabin. If they were winning this match, my speculation might have remained simply a speculation. However, they're losing now. We'll soon be able to see whether or not my guess was correct."

As the Dean of Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department, Yan Shaozhe didn't just have an extremely high cultivation rank; he also had control over the various secrets and resources that Shrek Academy had accumulated over the past ten thousand years. It wouldn't be incorrect to call him the encyclopedia of the Douluo Continent.

After hearing Yan Shaozhe's words, the smile on Qian Duoduo's face vanished completely. A pained look appeared on his face. "I just knew that a crafty old fox like you wouldn't let me take even a small advantage from you. You were just waiting for this to happen. Is it fine if we reduce our bet? Look, I know the match hasn't ended yet, but can I just give you 30 shells if I give up right now? We've been brothers for so many years, and you also know about the bad habit I have. You're just torturing me now!"

Du Weilun's facial muscles twitched as he resisted laughing out loud. Fan Yu, on the other hand, had covered his face with his hands and buried his head in his lap, acting as if he didn't recognise Qian Duoduo.

Dean Qian was an extremely outstanding person in many aspects, but he had a single shortcoming—his stinginess. Because of that, he was given the extremely long nickname of 'lots of money, small hands, cheapskate, porcelain quail, glass rat, glazed cat' in the Academy. The meaning of this nickname was that, even though he had a lot of money and resources, it'd be an extremely difficult task to take anything from him. He was the very definition of the word stingy!

It was true that Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong had a slight edge in the match. Strength-wise, they were inferior to Dai Huabin, even if they worked together. However, Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection played a decisive role in their current situation. By relying on its powerful prediction abilities, they were able to fight with Dai Huabin without meeting him head on; all of their attacks were strategic in that they forced Dai Huabin to act defensively. Wang Dong's wings were fully unfurled under the strengthening effect of the Haodong Power, while Huo Yuhao moved around using the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Tracks, making it seem as if the two were acting as one. As Wang Dong's dazzling blue wings soared about the sky, Dai Huabin could only cry out to no avail, no matter how fiercely he attacked.

It wasn't as if he hadn't taken any risks; the problem was that his opponents seemed to be able to see through all of his plans. In the end, the only things he had to show for it were the wounds on his body. However, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong were still able to ingeniously evade all of his attacks.

Dai Huabin had also been paying attention to Zhu Lu's situation. At the beginning of the battle, Zhu Lu had already gone all-out, bringing her speed to the limit in an attempt to break through Xiao Xiao's wall. Because of that, her soul power consumption had been extremely large. On the other hand, Xiao Xiao, who'd already formed a strategy to counter her, had consumed much less soul power than Zhu Lu. Even though she'd released both of her martial souls, she was only using the first soul skill of her Ninephoenix Worshipping Flute.

Zhu Lu's speed had clearly decreased, and due to the Ninephoenix Worshipping Flute's speed-inhibiting soul skill, her exhaustion was now beginning to show.

Dai Huabin had continuously used his White Tiger's Vajra Transformation for the sake of maintaining his absolute advantage in attack power, but he was starting to find it difficult to manage its enormous consumption of soul power. From his point of view, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong should've consumed a similarly enormous amount of soul power. However, they were both seemingly still filled with energy. If the battle continued like this, he could actually lose the match.

"If you have any ability, meet me head on!" Dai Huabin roared angrily. He wasn't able to hold back his rage any longer.

A trace of disdain appeared on Huo Yuhao's lips. "Don't you know what strategy is? You're the son of the White Tiger Duke, yet you don't even know what strategy is. What a piece of rubbish."

A savage light flashed through Dai Huabin's eyes. Suddenly, to Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong's astonishment, he cancelled his White Tiger's Vajra Transformation.

Although they had the assistance of Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection, the two of them had always avoided a direct confrontation with Dai Huabin; they'd always maintained a fixed distance between them. Even though Huo Yuhao was aware of Dai Huabin's actions, their movements had slowed due to their bewilderment.

Dai Huabin didn't advance, but instead wildly retreated. The sudden change in his movements sent Huo Yuhao's trio into a daze. Furthermore, Huo Yuhao was able to tell from the circulation of Dai Huabin's soul power that his actions weren't a trap, but a genuine retreat.

The instant Dai Huabin turned back, Zhu Lu made a move as well. After using a Netherworld Stab on Xiao Xiao, she instantly retreated towards Dai Huabin.

What are they doing? Are they trying to recover their soul power?

Wang Dong jumped off Huo Yuhao's shoulder, while Xiao Xiao hurriedly rushed back to their side. The three of them all had puzzled looks in their eyes.

Suddenly, inexplicably, Huo Yuhao's heart began to palpitate intensely. This feeling wasn't new to him; when he'd entered the Great Star Dou Forest before entering Shrek Academy, he'd felt this exact feeling when he met his first soul beast. It was a mysterious premonition that came from his Spirit Eyes.

They were in a match right now, and their strange actions along with the palpitations in his heart shook Huo Yuhao's heart. He cried out involuntarily, "Are they trying to release a fusion skill?"

At that exact moment, Dai Huabin let out a tiger-like roar. This was followed by his body immediately expanding once again, along with white fur and black stripes frantically surging out.

Zhu Lu softly bit her teeth together, followed by her body being covered in a faint black light. Her body then floated into the air, and even seemed to have become transparent. Afterwards, she spread her arms towards Dai Huabin.

The current Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu could only see each other. Dai Huabin's twin pupils had fused into a single pupil, but the grimness in his eyes still remained. Contrarily, Zhu Lu's gaze had become as tranquil as water, making it seem as if she were going to melt into him.

In that instant, the auras of the White Tiger and the Netherworld Civet had fused completely, giving off an extremely mysterious feeling. The white tiger seemed to have devoured the black cat, and an intense undulation of soul power erupted from their fused body like a geyser. The two lights fused into a single entity within the golden halo, giving off a transcendent feeling.

A martial soul fusion wasn't as simple as '1+1=2'. Even two identical martial souls might not possess a fusion skill, because the act of the fusion itself required the two souls to both complement each other and have perfect compatibility. When a fusion skill was released, its incarnation was definitely not just at the level of two soul masters; it was a transcendent existence.

Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu's bodies vanished in the instant that the fusion occurred, leaving only an enormous White Tiger in the Assessment Area. The White Tiger's body was transparent, while its fur was lined with black stripes. Its purple eyes gazed coldly at Huo Yuhao's trio.

Yes, this was the secret that belonged to the bloodline of the White Tiger Dukedom and the Zhu Family, which was also a top-ranked noble family within the Star Luo Empire; the secret of a martial soul fusion.

Almost all White Tiger Duke's were wed to a woman from the Zhu Family. This was also the case for the Duke's wife who'd persecuted Huo Yuhao's mother. The reason that she was able to cover the heavens within the White Tiger Duke's Mansion wasn't just due to her own authority. It was also due to the strength of her family, as well as the large amount of strength she herself possessed!

The martial soul that belonged to the White Tiger Dukedom had a more accurate name—the Evil Eyed White Tiger. Moreover, the most distinct trait of a person who possessed the Evil Eyed White Tiger would be the two pupils in his eyes. On the other hand, there was an extremely high chance that the Evil Eyed White Tiger would have a high enough compatibility rate to perform a martial soul fusion with the Zhu Family's Netherworld Civet.

The bloodline of the White Tiger Duke had maintained a close relationship with the Zhu Family since ancient times. In the past, when the bloodline of the White Tiger Duke was still the royal family of the Star Luo Empire, the Zhu Family had inherited the position of prime ministers. Although the two families no longer held their past glory, these enormous, deeply-rooted powers still held important positions within the Star Luo Empire. Furthermore, the best tie and bridge between the Duke's Mansion and the Zhu Family were the marriages that had occurred in the past.

Naturally, not all Evil Eyed White Tigers could fuse with a Netherworld Civet. However, since ancient times, there would always be a pair, or even two, appear within each generation. Furthermore, one of the most important prerequisites for a descendant to assume the position of the White Tiger Duke was for said descendant to successfully marry a woman from the Zhu Family. Currently, Dai Huabin was the only son of the White Tiger Duke's first wife within his generation that could perform a martial soul fusion with a daughter of the Zhu Family.

The fusion of the Evil Eyed White Tiger and Netherworld Civet would create the enormous, eight-meter long, two meter tall figure that had just appeared in the Assessment Arena. It was Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu's fusion skill—the Netherworld White Tiger!

The enormous white tiger appeared somewhat transparent, and gave off the impression that it was a completely illusory existence. However, Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu's figures had already disappeared. The White Tiger's huge body squatted slightly, then immediately used its terrifying speed to pounce towards Huo Yuhao's trio, transparent ripples trailing behind it.

As it leapt into the air, it raised its head haughtily. Its gaze that overlooked the entire world was filled with arrogance as it revealed its bearing as both the tyrant of the world, and the king among beasts.

"Xiao Xiao, let's begin!" Huo Yuhao shouted, turning around and spreading his arms towards Wang Dong.

They hadn't originally planned to go this far, as Huo Yuhao had been determined to wait patiently for the sake of his future. However, when their opponents had activated their fusion skill, they'd been left with no other choice. Huo Yuhao didn't want to lose this match; he wanted to let his mother's spirit in heaven see his diligence and strength, and let her see that he had a chance at avenging her.

Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu had their last resort, so why couldn't Huo Yuhao's trio have one as well?

Wang Dong had already spread his arms wide, and a strange light appeared in his eyes as he looked at Huo Yuhao. There was a gentle look in his eyes, yet it also seemed both encouraging and consoling. This strange light caused Huo Yuhao's heart to beat fiercely, and his gaze to become even more determined. However, a faint smile also appeared on his face; a smile that only Wang Dong could see.

Right. Just before the match started, they had tried activating their fusion skill, and had succeeded in doing so; they'd actually regained the ability to unleash their mysterious fusion skill after only three days.

Up on the tall stage, the teachers were all holding their breaths. However, the most nervous person on-site was the referee; he was already prepared to intervene at any time.

Aside from an extremely small number of teachers, an overwhelming majority of them had never expected a spectacular scene like this in a match between freshmen. A fusion skill—that was a martial soul fusion skill!

The referee was already preparing to stop the Netherworld White Tiger. Although a fusion skill was extremely strong, the users were still far off from his cultivation rank. He was confident that he could save Huo Yuhao's trio in the instant that the Netherworld White Tiger launched an attack. However, he hadn't made a move due to Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong's movements, as well as Xiao Xiao's actions.

A dark light simultaneously erupted from the three large cauldrons beside Xiao Xiao as they instantly shot towards the middle of the Assessment Arena. At the same time, both of her soul rings for her Threelives Soulcrush Cauldron simultaneously lit up.

Halos of black light emerged from Xiao Xiao's body, but they didn't simply stop like they had last time. Instead, they poured into the Threelives Soulcrush Cauldrons.

The three cauldrons then fused into one, causing a violent boom to ring out. Following that, an enormous cauldron that was double the size of her normal fused cauldron filled the sky. There were strange runes faintly discernible on the surface of the enormous cauldron, which caused an indescribable pressure to surge forward from it.

Xiao Xiao's face instantly paled, but she closed her eyes and pointed forward with her right hand. The enormous cauldron flickered, then immediately appeared in front of the Netherworld White Tiger, letting out an ear-deafening boom.

"National Treasure, Cauldron's Quaking Tremble." This was Xiao Xiao's most powerful control technique.

This time, she didn't attempt to use its suction ability. Xiao Xiao knew that her strongest skill—which was borne from the fusion between two of her soul skills—wouldn't be able to stop the Netherworld White Tiger. She activated it as a single-use skill, allowing its power to explode outwards. Although its cost was high, to the point where her soul power was almost entirely drained in an instant, she wouldn't suffer a backlash like she had previously.

Xiao Xiao's Cauldron's Quaking Tremble violently distorted the air surrounding her to the point where even the naked eye could see it, and its tyrannical vibrations filled the ten-meter area surrounding it. Due to the accurate guidance of Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection, it had been able to perfectly block the advance of the Netherworld White Tiger.

After taking on the distorting ripples from Xiao Xiao's skill, the enormous Netherworld White Tiger lit up with white light. After that, it turned sluggish for a brief moment. It had taken on the violent vibrations from Xiao Xiao's skill, but its enormous body had barely been affected at all.

Xiao Xiao's face was filled with shock. She'd never expected the enormous White Tiger to only pause for a brief moment after taking on her Cauldron's Quaking Tremble.

However, an even more astonishing scene occurred in the next instant, as a strange golden column of light shot up from beside her. The only thing left in her eyes after seeing that enormous golden pillar was an image of resplendence—a resplendence that came from Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong!

On one side was Huo Yuhao, whose eyes were releasing a pale golden light.

On the other side was Wang Dong, whose dazzling wings were unfurled as he released his Radiant Butterfly Goddess.

The instant they released their martial souls after hugging each other, the surrounding ten meter area instantly lit up. An unusual light then surged from their bodies.

That light was very peculiar. It was a peculiar radiance that alternated between blue, purple, and gold. A dense, radiant aura served as the trunk of the light, but there were mysterious soul power undulations mixed within it as well.

An enormous figure had appeared behind Wang Dong. It was a complete, magnificent figure of the Radiant Butterfly Goddess.

On the other hand, an enormous yet illusory eye with a vertical pupil had appeared behind Huo Yuhao. This eye was pale gold, but there was a faint hint of purple within its pupil.

The two enormous figures slowly approached each other in midair, and transformations began to occur as they got closer and closer to one another. The figure of Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eye gradually became even more arcane, and its entire body turned purplish-blue; the gold colour in it had completely vanishedw.

As Wang Dong's Radiant Butterfly Goddess approached Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eye, it violently combusted into a bluish-golden flame.

The instant the Netherworld White Tiger neared them, the two enormous figures had already merged into a single entity above their heads.

The instant that Xiao Xiao's Cauldron's Quaking Tremble unleashed its powerful restrictive abilities on the Netherworld White Tiger was also the instant that the combusting Radiant Butterfly Goddess spread its dazzling wings, slowly hugging the figure of the Spirit Eye.

In the blink of an eye, the figure of the Radiant Butterfly Goddess had vanished, leaving only the bluish-purple Spirit Eye, which released a brilliant ray of light.

A dazzling bluish-golden flame instantly erupted from the figure of the Spirit Eye, then slowly descended towards the hugging figures of Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, shielding them.

The enormous Spirit Eye seemed extremely arcane, and it seemed as if there were a boundless world within it if one were to look at it carefully. Immediately afterwards, a terrifying tri-colored laser shot out from it.

The illusory ray of light shot straight out, and a resplendence that seemed to last forever covered anything the light touched. The only thing left behind was a blurry, distorted brilliance.

The previously fully-confident Dean Yan Shaozhe had suddenly stood up the instant that he saw Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong hug each other, his eyes filled with an inconceivable look. At the same time, the miserly Dean Qian had stood up alongside him.

The shock in Qian Duoduo's eyes was no less than that of Yan Shaozhe's. Neither he nor Yan Shaozhe had known that the two of them had a trump card like this! Furthermore, they'd never expected the occurrence of such an astonishing scene within the freshmen tournament's final round. This was a fusion skill pitted against another fusion skill! This was an extremely rare sight, even amongst the upperclassmen of the outer courtyard, or even the inner courtyard! However, they were currently watching the tri-colored laser from the enormous vertical eye head towards the enormous Netherworld White Tiger.

Even the extremely experienced referee had been left flabbergasted at this moment. He didn't know if he should stop the collision between the two attacks, as both parties were using fusion skills. However, how could the victor be decided if they weren't allowed to forcefully clash against each other?

Although the referee didn't know what to do, that didn't mean that nobody knew what to do. The instant the two attacks were about to collide, a white figure appeared out of nowhere in the Assessment Arena. The figure appeared right in-between the two fusion skills, and used its back to take on the Netherworld White Tiger's palm, while it blocked the resplendent tri-colored beam of light head-on.

A dense white light soared straight into the heavens, forming an illusory yet incomparably sturdy barrier that simultaneously blocked the two fusion skills.

The extremely-strong looking Netherworld White Tiger instantly collapsed as soon as it hit the white barrier, causing Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu's bodies to reappear on the ground with pale expressions on their faces. They didn't even have the energy to stand up.

On the other side, the enormous Spirit Eye had appeared yet again after the resplendent tri-colored beam of light dissipated. Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong were still hugging each other, but they hadn't collapsed this time around. Instead, they looked towards the figure who'd blocked their Golden Path with an expressionless look in their eyes.

The person who'd appeared out of thin air and used his body to block the two fusion skills without suffering any negative repercussions was none other than the Director of Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department, Du Weilun.

The white light coming from his body was formed purely of soul power. In that instant, eight soul rings had emerged from his body.

There were two yellow, two purple, and four black soul rings, the most optimum combination of soul rings. This was the domineering strength of an eight-ringed Soul Douluo!

How could one neutralise such an intense collision? Du Weilun had answered that question—by using his body to simultaneously block both attacks! By using his body, Du Weilun could also tell which attack was stronger, and thereby determine the victor of the match.

The two attacks were fusion skills, and they were both each team's last resort. By taking on both attacks, Du Weilun could undoubtedly tell which attack was stronger with a single glance.

The other teachers on the tall stage had ordinary reactions to this, but a look of shock flashed through the eyes of Yan Shaozhe and Qian Duoduo. Du Weilun's body had turned golden, which made the current him look like an upright-standing statue that had been carved from gold. However, the back of his clothes had been torn apart by the Netherworld White Tiger's palm, exposing his sturdy back. In addition to that, there were even five bloody streaks on his back.

An eight-ringed Soul Douluo had actually been injured? Injured by a bunch of students led by someone merely at the three-ringed rank?

This was simply inconceivable. Gradually, the other teachers started to realise the gravity of the situation, and each and every one of them was flabbergasted.

Naturally, Zhou Yi was one of the many spectators to the battle. Her eyes instantly darkened as she watched this scene unfold. Although she couldn't believe that something like this had occurred, the Netherworld White Tiger had truly wounded Du Weilun! She was aware of Du Weilun's cultivation, and she was entirely confident that Du Weilun wouldn't want to lose face in a situation like this. Therefore, the wounds on his back must be real.

Yan Shaozhe's current expression was extremely ugly. He turned towards Qian Duoduo, but was met by an innocent-looking Qian Duoduo staring back at him.

"Did you know about this?" Yan Shaozhe lowered his voice, yet spoke with a fierce tone.

Qian Duoduo smiled bitterly. "Do I look like I knew about it? These are students from your Martial Soul Department; how the hell would I know about them!? Old Yan, you're not trying to renege on your promise, are you?"

Yan Shaozhe snorted and left the tall stage with a flash. His body flashed yet again, and he vanished as everyone looked on.

As he watched Yan Shaozhe leave, Qian Duoduo smiled. He didn't let out a laugh, but the pleased look on his face revealed how happy he currently felt.

"Dean Qian, Dean Yan…?" Fan Yu had a doubtful look on his face as he walked towards Qian Duoduo, puzzled. From what had happened in the arena, Dean Qian should've lost! But it seemed as if…

Qian Duoduo smiled cunningly. "Let's go. I'm a man of high moral standards, so we can't neglect our appearances even when we're proud of ourselves. However, I have to say, Fan Yu! You've really found a good seedling this time. We'll have to rely on this brat for our plan. I don't care what you do, you can't let that brat become a core disciple of the Martial Soul Department. You heard the bet that I had with Old Yan, right?"

Fan Yu whispered, "Dean Qian, you're saying that we won?"

Qian Duoduo smiled mischievously, "Obviously. Let's go." With that, he left the tall stage in a flash, rapidly vanishing from sight.

Within the Assessment Arena, Du Weilun's golden body had already returned to normal. However, the current him had a look of astonishment and disbelief on his face. A light flickered through his eyes as he turned to look at Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, who were struggling to escape from each other's embrace. Even he didn't dare to believe that this was real! However, the scorching pain from his back reminded him that everything in front of him was real.

Struggling, Dai Huabin rose to his feet and helped Zhu Lu up. Cui Yajie had already run excitedly to their side, cheering exuberantly.

Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong currently had downcast expressions on their faces. They hadn't seen Du Weilun's wounds, but they could tell that they'd lost from their opponent's happy faces. They were unable to tell what their 'Golden Path Amidst Withering Resplendence' had done, but this loss was truly somewhat baffling to them. Huo Yuhao was disappointed, as he hadn't been able to forcefully clash against Dai Huabin's attack in the end. He truly wished to see whether his and Wang Dong's all-out attack could defeat their opponents!

Du Weilun was still the Director of Studies for Shrek Academy; after blanking out for a brief moment, he quickly came back to his senses. A bitter smile appeared on his face as he inwardly thought, This is truly embarrassing!

"Very good. You all have done extremely well." Du Weilun's voice rang out, causing both teams to calm down and turn their gazes towards him.

Du Weilun spoke dully, "I'm very surprised your cultivation ranks were able to reach this level as freshmen. Moreover, both of your teams were able to unleash fusion skills. I've personally felt the strength of your fusion skills."

While he spoke, he glanced coldly at the not-too-distant referee. Were it not for his malfeasance, would he have had to have his back exposed for the crowd to see? The referee had already lowered his head ashamedly, not daring to meet Du Weilun's gaze.

Du Weilun spoke with a deep voice. "Now then, I will announce the final champions of the freshmen assessment's knock-out tournament. They are…" With that, he paused. Afterwards, he suddenly raised his right hand and pointed towards Huo Yuhao's trio, speaking loudly, "Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, and Huo Yuhao!"

"Boom—" The entire crowd went into an uproar.

Dai Huabin's team weren't the only ones who didn't dare to believe their own ears; even the teachers on the tall stage had shocked expressions on their faces. From what they'd seen, the winning team definitely should've been Dai Huabin's team, as they'd managed to injure Du Weilun! There were immediately people who thought, Was Director Du using his position to take revenge for the embarrassment he'd suffered?No, that wasn't possible! The two other Deans had also been watching the match earlier, so how could Director Du abuse his position for his own private benefits? Furthermore, Du Weilun was always known for how just he was. After serving as the Director of Studies for the outer courtyard for so many years, he'd never made a mistake.

Even Huo Yuhao's trio were somewhat uncertain. The three of them glanced at each other, and Xiao Xiao looked towards Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong as she whispered, "We won?"

Wang Dong replied, unconvinced, "Did Director Du announce the champions or the runner-ups?"

Huo Yuhao smiled and gave the final word, "It seems like we've actually won!"

As Huo Yuhao's trio gradually accepted the fact that they'd won, Dai Huabin's trio were still unwilling to accept it. Ignoring how weak her body was, Zhu Lu didn't want to give in. "Director Du, why did they win? We're the ones who should've won."

Du Weilun turned around and swept his glance over them, saying indifferently, "Are you questioning my judgement?"

Zhu Lu immediately paused as she faced his powerful aura. However, the unconvinced look in her eyes was obvious to any onlooker. Although Dai Huabin didn't utter any words, he pursed his lips tightly and stared straight at Du Weilun without any intention of giving up.

Du Weilun forcefully suppressed the indignation in his heart as he inwardly thought to himself, I've already embarrassed myself; do I also have to explain the process of how I was embarrassed!? These brats!