Douluo Continent: The Peerless Hunting Heavenly Lord, Huo Yuhao!

There was no deafening roar, only utter silence.

Wherever the arrow passed, the air was completely annihilated, leaving three pitch-black rifts in space, even swallowing up light.

The platinum-gold arrow was faster than thought; one second it was still on the bowstring, and the next it was already in front of the Netherworld White Tiger.

Hoo!

The Netherworld White Tiger instinctively sensed the deadly danger and let out a roar that shook the entire area.

It held nothing back, its soul power burning to its limit, charging fiercely towards Di Shi like a ferocious tiger pouncing on its prey.

"Huo Yuhao! I am the champion! I am the legitimate son of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion! I will never lose!!"

From within the head of the Netherworld White Tiger, came Dai Huabin's frenzied and venomous roar. He had staked all his pride, soul power, and future on this one move.

Huo Yuhao did not respond. At this moment, his spiritual energy was almost completely depleted, and his face was as pale as paper. He could only stand up by Ning Tian supporting him.

Looking at the fearless Netherworld White Tiger charging forward, he could only think one thing to himself: "Brother, you're really brave."

The last one who dared to act like this towards Lan was the immortal, monstrous creature.

As for the outcome...

"not good!"

Du Weiren's expression changed drastically on the high platform. As a Soul Douluo, he knew the power of these three arrows better than anyone else.

Let alone Dai Huabin's Netherworld White Tiger, which is at the Soul Venerable level, even a Soul King would die if he took it head-on!

If the Duke's eldest son were to die in the freshman finals, no one could bear the responsibility!

His figure flashed and disappeared from the stands in an instant, appearing almost teleported to the center of the arena, blocking between Di Shi and Youming Baihu.

Boom! ...

A deafening roar finally erupted, and a wave of platinum-gold light swept across the entire arena. The hard black rock arena surface cracked instantly, and dust billowed into the sky.

The teachers outside the protective shield all stood up, staring in horror at the center of the arena.

As the smoke and dust slowly dissipated, the scene in the arena made everyone gasp in shock.

Du Weilun stood in the center of the field, with Huo Yuhao and Dai Huabin on his left and right sides, respectively.

The robes on the left side of his body were completely reduced to dust, and the skin and muscles on half of his body showed a faint sense of shattering. Blood dripped down the robes, and his soul power was so disordered that it almost overflowed.

It was obvious that they took all three arrows head-on and paid a heavy price.

There was a clearly visible bloodstain on the right side of his chest.

The Netherworld White Tiger behind him had already been shattered. Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu collapsed to the ground, their faces ashen, their soul power completely exhausted, unable to even stand up, their eyes filled with disbelief and resentment.

"Huo Yuhao's team wins the freshman assessment final!"

Du Weilun took a deep breath, suppressed the surging soul power within him, glanced at Huo Yuhao beside him with a complicated look, and announced the result in a deep voice.

In that glance, there was apprehension, shock, and a barely perceptible hint of approval.

"Why?! Why did I lose?!"

A low, venomous roar rang out. Dai Huabin tried to get up by bracing himself on the ground, but fell back down hard.

He stared intently at Huo Yuhao, whose face was also pale, all arrogance vanished from his eyes, leaving only a bone-deep hatred and resentment.

"Why? Humph!"

Du Weilun's gaze towards Dai Huabin instantly lost its respect for the dean, replaced by the arrogance and indifference of the head of the Martial Soul Department, as if he were looking at an ignorant and incompetent good-for-nothing: "Based on those three arrows just now, if I hadn't blocked them, you would already be a corpse! You're just not as skilled as me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Du Weilin's figure flashed again and disappeared from the field.

He needed to heal his wounds immediately, as the annihilating power of that arrow was still eroding his meridians.

Yan Shaozhe slowly walked off the stage, his face still bearing a refined and proper smile, as if the duel that had just alarmed the Sea God Pavilion was nothing more than an ordinary exchange of skills.

He raised his hand to suppress the gasps of the teachers around the arena and announced loudly, "Let us congratulate the champion of this year's Freshman Competition—Huo Yuhao's team!"

"The academy will hold a formal awards ceremony tomorrow morning. Class advisors are requested to make appropriate arrangements for students to attend."

……

The following day, Shrek's outer courtyard plaza.

Yesterday's assessment venue has been transformed into a solemn and dignified awards podium.

The square was packed with students from the Foreign Languages ​​Department. Even those who couldn't watch the finals had already heard the details from their teachers throughout the entire college.

In the opening second, he instantly killed the Nine-Tailed Fox's control position; he physically confronted the agility-based Soul Master; he forced the Soul Douluo Dean of Studies to be seriously injured and forced to leave the field with one arrow; he withstood the Netherworld White Tiger and turned the tables to win the championship. Each and every one of these feats made Huo Yuhao a legend in the hearts of all the freshmen.

A murmur of discussion rose and fell among the audience, all eyes fixed on the entrance to the awards stage.

Before long, Yan Shaozhe slowly walked onto the stage, his face still bearing a gentle smile, but a faint shadow lurked deep in his eyes.

He cleared his throat, his voice carrying his soul power throughout the entire square: "I know all the teachers and students are curious as to why Director Du is not attending today's ceremony. I can tell you clearly that Director Du caught a cold after yesterday's assessment and is not feeling well. Today's ceremony will be presided over by me personally, to present awards to you, the future of Shrek Academy!"

The audience fell silent instantly, but many teachers exchanged knowing glances. —Feeling a slight cold?

If a "cold" could keep a Contra-level player like Du Weilin bedridden, then that "cold" must be incredibly potent.

"Now, I announce the top three winners of this year's freshman competition!"

"Third place, Wang Dong's team!"

"Second place, Dai Huabin's team!"

"First place – Huo Yuhao's team!"

Chapter 22 The Lion's Heart Roars, Schemes

When the last name was called, the entire audience erupted in thunderous cheers and applause.

Huo Yuhao, Gu Yue, and Ning Tian walked side by side onto the awards stage. The young man was tall and straight, and the young woman was stunningly beautiful. Even though Huo Yuhao's face still had a trace of paleness, it could not hide the sharp light in his eyes.

"Congratulations." Yan Shaozhe smiled and handed over the championship trophy, his gaze lingering on Huo Yuhao for a long time, his eyes full of a determined smile.

"Next, I will announce the list of core disciples of this year's Martial Soul Department: Huo Yuhao, Gu Yue, Ning Tian, ​​Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, Cao Jinxuan, Long Xiangyue, Lan Luoluo, and Lan Susu! Tentative core disciples: Cui Yajie, Yang Wusi, Wu Feng, Xie Huanyue, Zhou Sichen, and Nanmen Yun'er!"

The list was read out, and the audience erupted in uproar once again!

Core disciple!

This means that you have directly secured a spot in the inner academy and will enjoy the highest level of resource allocation from the academy, an honor that all Shrek students dream of!

"Those whose names have been called, please step forward!" Yan Shaozhe looked at Huo Yuhao, who was standing at the front, a triumphant smile flashing in his eyes, and spoke authoritatively, "May you accept this honor, never forget your original aspirations, and bring glory to the academy!"

Just when everyone thought Huo Yuhao would bow in gratitude, he suddenly stepped forward, bowed slightly to Yan Shaozhe, and said in a gentle but firm tone: "Dean Yan, I'm sorry. I, Huo Yuhao, refuse to become a core disciple of the Martial Soul Department. I have already made this clear before."

One sentence instantly silenced the entire square!

Everyone was stunned, including the other core disciples on the stage.

Refusing a spot as a core disciple in the Martial Soul system?

This is the first time in Shrek's ten thousand-year history!

"What did you say?"

Yan Shaozhe's smile froze instantly, his eyes flashing with blankness and confusion, which was then replaced by overwhelming anger, along with a faint hint of killing intent.

The pressure of the Title Douluo was released without reservation, pressing down on Huo Yuhao like a mountain. The students in the square found it difficult to even breathe, but Huo Yuhao, who stood at the very center of the pressure, stood straight without bending in the slightest.

Yan Shaozhe's voice turned icy cold as he said, enunciating each word clearly, "Huo Yuhao, are you sure?"

"The student is confirmed." Huo Yuhao met his gaze and spoke, enunciating each word clearly and without wavering.

"Student Gu Yue refuses to become a core disciple of the Martial Soul Department." A clear, cold female voice rang out, and Gu Yue stepped forward, standing beside Huo Yuhao.

“Student Ning Tian refuses to become a core disciple of the Martial Soul Department.” Ning Tian also stepped forward.

"you!!"

Yan Shaozhe was completely dumbfounded when he saw the three people standing side by side.

He had accurately predicted Huo Yuhao's talent and the allure of the core disciple position, but he hadn't anticipated that these three children would dare to collectively refuse!

He could even hear the gasps of the students below the stage. His refined face instantly turned red and then blue with anger.

"Old Yan, don't get so angry."

Just then, a cheerful voice came from the side of the stage.

With her round belly bulging, Qian Duoduo strode onto the stage and stood directly in front of Huo Yuhao and the other two. She winked at Yan Shaozhe and announced, "Today I'm announcing something—Huo Yuhao, Gu Yue, and Ning Tian, ​​from this day forward, you are officially core disciples of my Soul Guidance Department, enjoying the highest level of resource allocation from the Soul Guidance Department!"

He had arrived long ago, just waiting for Yan Shaozhe to suffer a setback.

With Mu En's tacit approval and Xian Lin'er's support, he was going to openly and legitimately steal the prize today!

"Qian Duoduo! You're very good!"

Yan Shaozhe looked at Qian Duoduo, who had a smug look on his face, and gritted his teeth, almost squeezing out the words from between his teeth.

He only just realized that agreeing to Ning Tian's request to establish a club was a trap he had dug for himself!

But in front of the entire academy's faculty and students, he couldn't lose his temper. He could only snort coldly, turn around angrily, and leave the stage, not even bothering with the subsequent procedures.

The homeroom teachers below the stage looked at each other, none of them daring to speak.

The age-old conflict between the Martial Soul System and the Soul Guidance System has finally been brought to the forefront today.