Chapter 156: End of Assessment and Rewards (2500 Words)

From start to finish, it took only a few seconds.

The onlookers widened their eyes, their gazes already dulled by the sheer horror of the scene before them.

Those who could enter Shrek Academy and make it this far were essentially geniuses from all over the world.

They naturally understood the difficulties of improving one's cultivation, yet Huo Yuhao's rapid progress seemed almost unreasonable, leaving them utterly astounded.

Such a young soul master! It was truly astonishing!

If it were just this, they might have consoled themselves by thinking that Huo Yuhao must have relied on pills to reach such a level, that his soul power was weak, and his strength likely subpar.

However, whether it was his fourth soul ring being ten thousand years old or his record of instantly almost killing a ten-thousand-year soul beast, they were once again proven wrong.

These people were left breathless and bewildered.

Just moments ago, they had all felt the intense heat and terrifying soul power fluctuations from the Phoenix Meteor Shower not far away.

As the meteors rained down, golden-red flames erupted instantly, causing a devastating explosion. The Silverbrave Beast let out continuous screams, and a loud phoenix cry echoed through the air.

In the end, it was Du Weilun who acted swiftly to rescue the Silverbrave Beast.

It was a clean and decisive battle!

However, what puzzled everyone was the nature of this meteor shower. Since when did a spirit attribute martial soul possess a soul skill capable of triggering natural disasters?

Some knowledgeable students recognized the phantom behind Huo Yuhao—it was the Fire Phoenix! A top-tier beast martial spirit!

Although they didn't understand how Huo Yuhao had unleashed such a soul skill, at that moment, they truly realized the gap between themselves and him. Like fireflies compared to the bright moon, in front of Huo Yuhao, the sun, they, the fireflies, were utterly dim.

The male students looked at Huo Yuhao with a mix of awe and fear, while the female students gazed at him with affection, their eyes like rippling autumn water.

Du Weilun, who had timely rescued the Silverbrave Beast, also wore a strange expression.

While Huo Yuhao's victory over the Silverbrave Beast was within his expectations, wasn't Huo Yuhao's second martial soul the Ultimate Ice, the Ice Jade Scorpion Empress? Moreover, wasn't this Ma Xiaotao's fifth soul skill, the Phoenix Meteor Shower?

After personally neutralizing Huo Yuhao's attack, Du Weilun gained a deeper understanding of Huo Yuhao's combat power, which was undoubtedly at the Soul Emperor level!

It was even comparable to Ma Xiaotao's strength before.

The lethality of a replicated soul skill was almost on par with the original? Wasn't that just outrageous?

Yan Shaozhe laughed heartily in his mind: 'Excellent, excellent! At Huo Yuhao's age, he could still participate in the next Continental Elite Young Soul Master Tournament. The championship for the next two sessions is already in the bag for Shrek Academy, hahahaha!'

Yan Shaozhe was naturally aware of Huo Yuhao's fourth soul skill, Spiritual Engraving. He knew that Huo Yuhao and his team had encountered a high-aged Silverbrave Beast during their last trip to the Star Dou Forest and successfully absorbed its soul ring.

Although the Silverbrave Beast's imprint might have various limitations, there was no doubt that this soul skill was highly suitable for Huo Yuhao. It reinforced his abilities and greatly compensated for his current shortcomings in attack methods and range.

Sometimes, a single key soul skill could turn the tide of an entire battle.

After his initial surprise, Yan Shaozhe's face returned to its usual gentle smile. He took a few steps forward and announced loudly, "Huo Yuhao has scored full marks in this upgrade assessment! Weilun, you take the students and continue with the assessment."

With that, Yan Shaozhe floated to the ground, took the composed Huo Yuhao with him, and flew away from the Colosseum.

The silence that had enveloped the audience dissipated after Yan Shaozhe's departure. The students watching from a distance erupted into an uproar, their exclamations coming one after another.

"Amazing! Too fierce! A perfect score!"

Wang Donger: "Isn't that soul skill from Senior sister Xiaotao?"

Xiao Xiao: "The class monitor is so handsome!"

Dai Huabin opened his mouth and stretched out his hand, but in the end, he simply felt a deep sense of powerlessness. The gap was too vast.

Wu Feng: "What a terrifying soul skill. The quality of those flames is even stronger than my dragon fire. How did he do it?"

A group of fervent fans were also excited by the turn of events today, "I've also decided ….."

When Du Weilun brought the ten-thousand-year spirit beast back to the beast enclosure and handed it over to the person in charge, he returned to the stands.

"The assessment continues."

The assessment for the second-grade classes one and two continued, and then Xie Huanyue appeared. His Rubber Elephant martial spirit was a top-tier defensive martial spirit. With the cultivation of a Soul Elder, he easily passed the test.

His opponent was an eight-hundred-year Wind Wolf.

The Wind Wolf, known for its speed, was like a scholar meeting a soldier when facing Xie Huanyue. Its sharp claws couldn't even scratch Xie Huanyue's skin, and it was eventually knocked away by a single blow.

In the end, Xie Huanyue scored 110 points.

The four class leaders set an excellent example for all the students. Having endured the pressure of the ten-thousand-year soul beast earlier, the subsequent students were calmer and less nervous when taking on their challenges. After choosing the right soul beast, they all passed smoothly.

It's worth mentioning that Wang Donger, with her formidable strength that rivaled Dai Huabin's, also scored 140 points after skillfully maneuvering with her martial soul advantage.

With Huo Yuhao, the monster, in front of her, Wang Donger's yellow, purple, and purple soul rings seemed slightly dim in comparison, but they were still impressive, surprising even many of the teachers.

When the dazzling blue light shone and Wang Donger's Light Goddess Butterfly martial soul bloomed, many male students were moved.

'Was it the wind? Or was it the wings of the Light Goddess Butterfly?'

'No, it's must be my hearts beating!'

Of course, there were also heartbroken girls who finally saw Wang Donger's true face.

Especially the students from Class 2, who had only learned at noon that Wang Dong was actually a girl, were in disbelief.

"Are you kidding? Couldn't they tell whether Wang Dong was a girl or not?"

At that moment, the men were silent, and the women were in tears.

"Can't tell, really can't tell!"

And so, the upgrade assessment continued.

After all, it was only a second-year upgrade assessment, and the difficulty wasn't excessively high. Only 30 points were needed to pass.

Setting aside the skill points, one only needed to defeat a three-hundred-year soul beast.

As long as one hadn't slacked off during the previous semester, had been practicing diligently, and had the cultivation level of a Soul Grandmaster, overcoming the psychological barriers, one could basically pass the assessment smoothly.

However, not everyone was as relaxed as Huo Yuhao. Most students were as steady as Xiao Xiao during their challenges, taking a long time. As a result, only a few dozen students managed to complete the challenge by the afternoon.

By dusk, with the end of the last beast fight of the day, a total of 51 students had successfully completed the challenge and all received a passing score of 30 points, officially becoming second-year students.

Du Weilun announced that the students who hadn't yet fought their beast would continue the assessment the next morning, while those who had completed the challenge would have the day off.

...

Yan Shaozhe's Office

Huo Yuhao looked at the reward given by Yan Shaozhe and fell silent.

'Was this all?'

Sensing Huo Yuhao's doubtful gaze, Yan Shaozhe cleared his throat and explained, "Ahem, don't underestimate this. It's an invitation to the Treasure Appreciation Auction."

"I remember that core disciples of the outer courtyard also receive such invitation letters?" Huo Yuhao thought.

If he recalled correctly, the Treasure Appreciation Auction was also a place to acquire equipment. In the original story, Wang Donger had obtained a Golden Light Left Arm Soul Bone at this meeting, and Huo Yuhao had picked up a ten-thousand-year Whale Glue.

But as early as last semester, the ten-thousand-year Whale Glue had already ended up in his pocket, becoming one of his physical cultivation resources.

Huo Yuhao continued, "Last semester, Sister Xiaotao took me to a Treasure Appreciation Auction in the outer courtyard. It seemed like that was all."

Yan Shaozhe shook his head, "This is an invitation to the inner courtyard's Treasure Appreciation Auction. The outer courtyard's meeting is only open to core disciples, but most of the items there are leftovers after the inner courtyard has made its selections. The inner courtyard's Treasure Appreciation Auction is all-encompassing and has everything."

'But it must be expensive, right?'

Before Huo Yuhao could say anything, Yan Shaozhe anticipated his thoughts and added, "Moreover, this invitation is exclusive to you. It comes with a top-tier red VIP card, which offers many benefits. You'll understand once you attend."

"Alright," Huo Yuhao accepted the invitation and VIP card.

"Don't underestimate the red-level authority. Based on age, martial soul, and cultivation level, Shrek students are divided into five VIP levels: white, yellow, purple, black, and red. Even the Shrek Seven Monsters are usually only black-level VIPs."

"As a red-level VIP, you can enjoy a 40% discount on any item purchased at the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, and you can select one item from the Treasure Appreciation Auction each year, with Shrek Academy covering the cost."

Yan Shaozhe smiled slightly and continued, "There's a treasure at this Treasure Appreciation Auction that's particularly suitable for you. If you find it fitting, just take it directly."

"But what if two red-level VIPs want the same treasure? How would it be decided?" Huo Yuhao suddenly spotted a potential issue.

He remembered that Sister Xiaotao was also a red-level VIP.

Yan Shaozhe: "..."

"How could such a coincidence happen? Right now, only you, Xiaotao, and Lexuan have this authority."

"I understand," Huo Yuhao replied immediately.

"The event is tonight. Xiaotao will take you there to have a look."

"Understood, Dean!"

"One more thing. The day after tomorrow, the Shrek inner courtyard team will be finalized. Make sure you secure a spot."

"Understood, Dean."

"One more thing!"

Huo Yuhao: "?"

Yan Shaozhe laughed heartily, "It's about Tang Ya, whom you and Bei Bei recommended. Her Blue Silver Grass's devouring talent is incredibly strong. Fortunately, you discovered it in time; otherwise, she might have truly embarked on the path of an evil soul master."

"It's just my duty, but what about Sister Xiao Ya's status as a core disciple?" Huo Yuhao asked.

Yan Shaozhe replied seriously, "Of course, it's been settled. Xiao Ya will also become my disciple in the future. You don't need to worry about it."

In all of Shrek, aside from Mu En, no one was more suited to teach Tang Ya than him, the master of the Bright Phoenix.

With Ma Xiaotao's experience as the Evil Fire Phoenix, Yan Shaozhe was more than capable.

Huo Yuhao nodded.

It had to be said, it was fate.

Yan Shaozhe was the descendant of Dragon Emperor Douluo Long Xiaoyao and Death God Douluo Ye Xishui.

And who was Ye Xishui?

The Supreme Elder of the Holy Spirit Church!

As the descendant of the Supreme Elder's son, it was only natural for Yan Shaozhe to train two Holy Spirit Church saints.

…

Evening.

Huo Yuhao followed Ma Xiaotao to the Treasure Pavilion to acquire treasures for free.

Although it's said that debts of gratitude are the hardest to repay, getting treasures for free was a mutually agreed-upon trap. In the original novel, Huo Yuhao gradually fell under Shrek's various favors until he eventually prioritized Shrek above all else.

Once Huo Yuhao accepted Shrek Academy's favors, he would be completely tied to them, boarding this pirate ship.

'But I am not original was Huo Yuhao.'

'As the owner of the Great Love Immortal Venerable Achievement System, my motto is to remain flexible and adaptable, never easily bound by morality.'

'As the future leader of the Sea God Pavilion, what's wrong with acquiring a treasure each year?'

As for protecting Shrek, it was naturally to protect his Shrek.

"I don't eat shit!"

"Hehehe!"

It just so happened that he could use this Treasure Appreciation Auction to sell some of the items he no longer needed. The spoils from his last trip to the Extreme North, where he had engaged in some killing and looting, were still unsold.

After all, they were two Titled Douluo. Though they were relatively poor, they still had some savings.

For example, among the valuable items:

From the Class 8 soul engineer, there was the Class 9 soul guide God-Conferring Platform, the class 8 soul guide Breath Barrier, and the class 8 soul guide Shield (broken).

From the other Titled Douluo, there was a 40,000-year Diamond Baboon Right Arm Bone.

There were also several thousand-year soul bones from the two, which we won't delve into.

That's right, before leaving, Huo Yuhao had looted their belongings.

The Ice Bear King's generous gift mainly included the 40,000-year Diamond Baboon Right Arm Bone, which granted a skill called Berserk.

Berserk only affected the body, not soul power, but the enhancement was incredibly powerful, increasing all physical abilities by a significant percentage.

Although it wasn't suitable for Huo Yuhao, it was still an excellent soul bone.

In addition, Huo Yuhao still had some other treasures:

A 7,000-year Ice Wolf Left Leg Bone (gifted by Mu Jin), three 10,000-year Wolf Ape Left Leg Bones with teleportation soul skills (Sansheng Wolf Ape), a 50,000-year Dread Dragon King Skull (extra reward from the freshman assessment), and three 10,000-year Ice Snow Lotuses (gifted by the Snow Empress, unused).

It felt quite substantial.

"Does Treasure Pavilion buy treasures?"

The counter girl, stunned by Huo Yuhao's appearance, nodded timidly, "Yes, yes, please come this way..."

Huo Yuhao's pocket money from Shrek this year, combined with his soul hunting income, totaled 5 million gold soul coins (the majority of which came from Shrek).

The unknown Titled Douluo who had been killed by the Ice Bear King had a net worth of 10 million.

The unknown Class 8 soul engineer had little money. After selling the scattered soul guides (below class 8) and the thousand-year soul bones from the two, the total came to just 10 million.

In other words, excluding those precious treasures, Huo Yuhao's current net worth was only 25 million.

That was only enough for two and a half Golden Light Left Arm Soul Bone.

How poor!

He wondered what treasure Yan Shaozhe had mentioned that was suitable for him.

But Huo Yuhao had a hunch that it might be something he couldn't afford at this stage.

…

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