Chapter 58: Unexpected Twist!

Du Weilun held a folder in his hand, smiling as he scanned the group of students before him.

"I believe everyone is aware that the freshman assessment elimination round has ended, and the top three have been decided. Now, I will formally announce it and also reveal the rewards they will receive."

"Third place in the freshman assessment, Team Huang Chutian, come forward!"

The Huang Chutian team, who had been defeated by Huo Yuhao's group before, achieved a good result by securing third place. They lost to Dai Huabin's team in the semifinals but managed to defeat Huo Yuhao's previously victorious Zhou Sichen team in the battle for third place.

After all, among the entire freshman assessment, only three teams had Soul Eldwr-level powerhouses. Furthermore, during the semifinals, Xie Huan Yue was seriously injured by Huo Yuhao's Octagonal Collapse, experiencing some internal organ shock, which caused him to miss the rest of the matches. This made the Huang Chutian team lose their only worthy opponent.

The applause thundered through the room. After the elimination round, there were approximately four hundred remaining freshmen, almost half of the number at the beginning of the school year.

"Second place, Team Dai Huabin, come forward!"

Applause erupted once again, but Dai Huabin's expression was as if he had lost his father. There was no trace of excitement on his face. He kept his head slightly lowered, and there were even some bloodshot eyes, evidently, the defeat had robbed him of a good night's sleep.

Then, Du Weilun paused for a moment and raised his voice slightly.

"Now, please warmly welcome the champions of the freshman assessment! They are Team Ning Tian, consisting of Ning Tian, Wu Feng, and Huo Yuhao!"

Suddenly, the hall was filled with enthusiastic cheers. However, when Ning Tian and Wu Feng heard Du Weilun's announcement, they both paused for a moment.

According to the names submitted by Class Nine at the beginning, their team should be called the Huo Yuhao Team, and that's how it had been announced throughout the previous matches.

Moreover, in the previous matches, even a fool could see that Huo Yuhao was the absolute core of the trio!

Single-handedly breaking the Martial Soul Fusion Skill of the Lan sisters, instantly defeating Xie Huan Yue, who had the cultivation of a Soul Grandmaster, and even turning the freshman assessment into a speed race, directly winning the semifinals within three seconds!

Most importantly, Huo Yuhao, with his own strength, shattered the renowned Martial Soul Fusion Skill, the Hell White Tiger, of the White Tiger Family! The Red-Black Fire Lotus he released even left marks on Du Weilun, a Soul Douluo, which was explosive in the entire outer court!

"What are you staring at? Hurry up and go." Huo Yuhao patted Ning Tian and Wu Feng on the shoulder, smiling. "Not being proactive when receiving awards? Do you two have a problem with your brains, were you stunned by the Hell White Tiger yesterday?"

Teased by Huo Yuhao, Ning Tian and Wu Feng regained their composure. The two women looked at Huo Yuhao, but they didn't notice any displeasure on his face. He still wore the same faint smile as usual.

"Yuhao, you..." Ning Tian started with some concern but was interrupted by Huo Yuhao waving his hand.

"Hurry up, everyone is watching."

Amidst the cheers and applause of the freshmen, Ning Tian and Wu Feng didn't dare to delay and quickly stepped forward. As they moved towards the front, Huo Yuhao deliberately lagged behind, letting his two companions walk ahead.

Seeing this scene, Du Weilun's eyes flashed with surprise. He waved his hand, gesturing for them to stand in the center.

Huo Yuhao felt a gaze on him and turned to see Dai Huabin. Dai Huabin's eyes were filled with unwillingness and resentment. He had forgotten Huo Yuhao's grace in saving his mother. Now, all he felt was resentment for being "robbed" of the first place in the freshman assessment by Huo Yuhao.

With a cold smile, a flash of black and golden light shimmered in Huo Yuhao's eyes. Seeing Huo Yuhao's Martial Soul, Dai Huabin instinctively withdrew his gaze, no longer daring to meet his eyes.

Du Weilun sensed the subtle relationship between the few of them, shook his head with a smile, and then loudly announced, "Now, I declare the rewards for the top three teams of the freshman assessment. Each of the top three teams will receive a unified reward from the academy. Every individual can request a soul ring from the academy when needed, and the academy will assist them in obtaining the most suitable one for themselves, within their capacity to bear."

Huo Yuhao: "Report, I would like to request the soul ring of the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King Emperor Tian!"

Subsequently, Huo Yuhao's whimsical request received merciless criticism from the senior elders of the Sea God Pavilion.

Of course, all of this only happened in Huo Yuhao's imagination. For these Shrek Academy students with deep family backgrounds, the soul rings from the Limit Year could easily be obtained through hunting with the assistance of their family's strong individuals. The so-called rewards from Shrek Academy were rather inconsequential.

Du Weilun continued, "In recognition of the outstanding performance and undefeated record of the champion Ning Tian team throughout the entire competition, the academy has decided to award them a special prize. The details of this prize will be kept confidential by the academy. You can come with me to collect it after the class allocation is over. Alright, you can return to your teams now."

Once everyone had returned to their original positions and stood still, Du Weilun spoke again.

"In recognition of some outstanding freshmen emerging in this year's competition, the academy has approved a portion of them to become core disciples of the outer court. Now, I will announce the list."

"Their names are: Ning Tian, Wu Feng, Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, Lan Susu, Lan Luoluo, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, and Xie Huan Yue."

Sure enough, a glint flashed in Huo Yuhao's eyes. Unless there was a problem with the core disciple positions, Jin Mu and Wang Yan would not have reacted like that just now.

Ning Tian and Wu Feng's names appeared at the beginning, and both of them seemed visibly excited. However, as he continued to read, and Xie Huan Yue's name appeared last, Huo Yuhao's name was conspicuously absent from the list, instantly changing the expressions of the two women.

"Why? Huo Yuhao's strength is evident to all, why can't he uh uh uh, Huo Yuhao, let go of me!"

Wu Feng had a fiery temper and directly questioned Du Weilun angrily. However, halfway through her words, her red lips were covered by a warm palm, belonging to Huo Yuhao.

"Wu Feng, the academy has its reasons for doing this. How can you speak to Director Du like that?" Huo Yuhao smiled and nodded at Du Weilun. "Sorry, Director Du, I apologize on behalf of Wu Feng. She's young and doesn't know any better. Please don't take it to heart."

Du Weilun looked at Huo Yuhao with a complex expression and couldn't help but sigh softly.

In fact, with Huo Yuhao's performance in the final match, he was already qualified to enjoy the treatment of a core disciple of the Martial Soul department.

However, because of what happened with Zhou Yi previously, in order to not antagonize the future head of the Soul Guidance department, Du Weilun, after consulting with Yan Shaozhe, revoked Huo Yuhao's position as a core disciple.

There were reasons for Yan Shaozhe's actions as well. Not long ago, the head of the Soul Guidance department, Xian Lin'er, had personally come to ask Yan Shaozhe for someone.

Although Huo Yuhao had demonstrated some strength in the final match, it was still with Wu Feng's assistance, sacrificing all of her soul power to create flames. This allowed him to release a technique similar to a Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

Excluding this Red-Black Fire Lotus, based solely on the talent Huo Yuhao had demonstrated so far, both Yan Shaozhe and Xuan Lao's judgment was the same: Huo Yuhao was not yet qualified to be nurtured as a core disciple of the Martial Soul department.

Moreover, considering Xian Lin'er's personal request, Yan Shaozhe felt a sense of indebtedness towards this Martial Spirit Douluo. So, he reluctantly pushed Huo Yuhao into the Soul Guidance department to be a core disciple.

Du Weilun's gaze shifted, and a tall figure approached from afar. He was a middle-aged man, about 1.8 meters tall, with broad shoulders and wearing simple cloth clothes. His strong and sturdy arms were even exposed, revealing muscles like granite.

His face was chiseled, with a deep and contemplative gaze. Standing there, he exuded a towering presence like a mountain.

"Teacher Fan Yu, you're here," Du Weilun greeted politely with a smile.

Fan Yu held a high position in the Soul Guidance department. Although he currently held a lower rank than Du Weilun, it was clear to Du Weilun that Fan Yu would inevitably become the vice dean or even the successor to the dean of the Soul Guidance department in the future. As for his position as an educational director, it was likely the end of the road for him.

"Yes, the dean and vice dean are conducting a very important research on soul devices, so they entrusted me to bring these students who are transferring to the Soul Guidance department to the teaching area," Fan Yu nodded and said.

Du Weilun's gaze slightly narrowed, and he tentatively asked, "What about Huo Yuhao?"

"Sorry, our Soul Guidance department will not accept Huo Yuhao as a core disciple," Fan Yu said indifferently.

...