The Elder of the Holy Spirit Sect Stationed at Shrek Academy

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"What's with this guy? A loss is a loss. Why can't he just admit it?" Xiao Xiao shot an irritated glance at Wang Dong.

Earlier, she had thought highly of Wang Dong because of his good looks, assuming he was as admirable as Yuwen Tuo.

But now, she was thoroughly disappointed.

"Alright, let's take a break for now. We've got another battle this afternoon. There aren't many teams left, but there are still two Soul Elder-level teams remaining. The chances of us facing one of them are pretty high. We need to recover our soul power properly and not underestimate our opponents," Yuwen Tuo said, ruffling Xiao Xiao's hair affectionately.

Lately, he'd developed a new habit—ruffling Xiao Xiao's head. The height difference between them was adorable, and it seemed to delight him.

"Mm!" Xiao Xiao nodded. Her beloved Tuo-tuo was always confident but never arrogant, and that was the key to his undefeated streak.

Lian Yue watched the two of them with an amused smile. Whether they were like a couple or like siblings, their interactions were undeniably heartwarming.

"Ah, we lost after all!" Zhou Yi sighed in frustration. She knew that the academy's principal would be watching today's matches and had hoped that Huo Yuhao would catch the principal's attention.

After all, Huo Yuhao's cultivation level was too low. If things went normally, it would be nearly impossible for him to gain the status of a core disciple.

The only way would be through the principal's special approval.

Unfortunately, while Zhou Yi knew the principal would be watching, she didn't know that Elder Xuan Zi was also present.

And Xuan Zi had already passed judgment on Huo Yuhao—"No potential worth cultivating."

"Huo Yuhao has no value for further training," Xuan Zi stated flatly.

Yan Shaozhe blinked, feeling like he'd heard those words before. Oh, right—he had used almost the same words to evaluate Yuwen Tuo.

Seeing Yan Shaozhe's questioning gaze, Xuan Zi felt a bit awkward. "I admit I misjudged Yuwen Tuo. Now I suspect his spirit isn't just pure fire energy. If it were, after all these years of being eroded by Xiaotao's demonic flames, he should've been ruined long ago. Instead, his spirit refined the demonic flames, making him even stronger."

"But Huo Yuhao is different. Though he has a body-origin spirit, he has far too many flaws. His body is frail, his soul power is weak, and his first soul ring is only a ten-year one. These are glaring weaknesses."

"Moreover, he has two other major drawbacks. First, his spirit is a mental-type spirit. You know how rare mental-type spirit beasts are. If Huo Yuhao can't absorb suitable soul rings in the future, half of his potential will be wasted. Second, his spiritual power isn't strong. During the earlier match, he clashed mentally with Yuwen Tuo—and ended up fainting despite having a mental-type spirit. It was downright embarrassing."

Yan Shaozhe cautiously asked, "Could it be… Elder Xuan, I mean, is it possible that it's not that Huo Yuhao's spiritual power is weak, but rather that Yuwen Tuo's spiritual power is exceptionally strong?"

"Impossible… absolutely impossible." Xuan Zi answered firmly. "Yuwen Tuo doesn't have a mental-type spirit. You know what his two soul rings are. Even if his spiritual power isn't weak, it couldn't surpass the typical limits of a high-level soul master too much. His combat style is purely physical attacks. Can't you tell from the matches so far? Where could he possibly have trained to develop such powerful mental strength?"

Yan Shaozhe pondered this for a moment and realized it made sense. From this perspective, Huo Yuhao truly didn't seem to hold much potential for cultivation.

What a pity for someone with a body-origin spirit.

As expected of Xuan Zi.

One dual-spirit wielder—Xuanyuan Sword and Fire Element.

One triple-spirit wielder—Spirit Eye, nascent Absolute Ice, and Death God Saint Mage.

These individuals had both been labeled by him as unworthy of cultivation.

No wonder so many people jokingly referred to Xuan Zi as the Supreme Elder secretly planted in Shrek Academy by the Holy Spirit Sect. The rumors weren't entirely baseless. Aside from his tendency to lead his team into death traps, his judgment was indeed unparalleled.

Later, Yan Shaozhe sent word to Zhou Yi about this matter, stating that Huo Yuhao wouldn't be accepted as a core disciple in the Soul Martial Department due to the reasons given by Xuan Zi.

Zhou Yi was deeply disappointed, though she had mentally prepared herself for this outcome.

After all, Huo Yuhao had only made it to the top sixteen and possessed only a single ten-year soul ring. It was normal for him to receive little attention.

But she truly liked this hardworking student.

At this moment, a handsome man approached Zhou Yi and patted her shoulder.

"Don't worry. If the Soul Martial Department doesn't want Huo Yuhao, our Spirit Tool Department does."

This man was none other than Zhou Yi's husband, Fan Yu, the future vice dean of the Spirit Tool Department. His eyes gleamed with interest. "Powerful mental-type spirit beasts may be rare, but weaker ones aren't impossible to find. Moreover, as long as his soul power is sufficient, even with just his first soul skill, he has the potential to become an excellent spirit tool master. This core disciple—I'll take him."

In front of Fan Yu, Zhou Yi shed her usual icy demeanor and spoke softly, "Thank you, Fan Yu!"

Fan Yu smiled gently. "Between us, there's no need for thanks. I can see how much you like this child. To be honest, so do I. After the freshmen assessment ends, bring him to see me. Let him study part-time in the Spirit Tool Department, and I'll assess his talent in this field."

"Mm." Zhou Yi nodded. "I'll go check on Yuhao and Wang Dong. Fan Yu, the fact that the Soul Martial Department won't accept Yuhao as a core disciple—they'll regret it someday."

Fan Yu chuckled. "I'll wait and see."

Meanwhile, although Huo Yuhao's body remained unconscious, his spiritual sea had already awakened.

Having learned about what happened, Huo Yuhao officially met Illekses.

"Yuhao, you were too reckless. I told you that Yuwen Tuo's spiritual power is incredibly strong. Why did you expose your spiritual sea in front of him? Were you asking to die?" Tianmeng Ice Silkworm scolded.

"I know, but in that situation, I couldn't think of any other way to win." Huo Yuhao clenched his fists tightly. "I couldn't lose no matter what. I can't leave Shrek. I have my own reasons to grow stronger. I want every single person from that place to kneel before my mother's grave and apologize."

"Alas, child, your heart is filled with too much hatred. Such deep resentment will only harm you. In fact, the youth you faced today carries a hatred far greater than yours. I can sense the immense rage buried deep within him. When it erupts one day, it will plunge many into endless hell," Illekses said.

"Hatred? Yuwen Tuo has hatred? I didn't notice anything," Huo Yuhao replied, stunned.

Everyone in the school knew what kind of person Yuwen Tuo was.

Quiet and laid-back during class, cheerful and bright after class, and approachable to everyone.

He seemed to be bathed in sunlight, without a trace of hatred.

"That's what makes it terrifying. This young man's mental fortitude is astonishing. He harbors hatred but controls it, using it as motivation to grow stronger. Unlike you, who are constantly consumed by hatred and sink into self-pity, you should learn from him. Try living a life beyond hatred—one that brings peace to your mind," Illekses advised.

A person controlled by hatred would never live freely.

It was better to be like Yuwen Tuo—only unleashing all his pent-up hatred in the moment of revenge.

"Not being controlled by hatred…" Huo Yuhao fell into deep thought as he listened to Illekses' words.

At the same time, on the Soul Battle Arena.

The quarterfinals for the afternoon had begun.

Yuwen Tuo's team once again faced bad luck, drawing yet another Soul Elder-level team.