“Thanks,” replied Huo Yuhao with a smile. He was very clever; if Dai Yueheng could hide his emotions, why couldn’t he? At the very least, Dai Yueheng wouldn’t dare to make a move against him within the academy due to the lesson Dai Huabin had received.

“Have you felt it? A live battle is the best way to test everything out. Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao aren’t strong enough by themselves, but they have a respectable amount of talent. Thus, I’m giving them this chance. Huo Yuhao, from now on, you’re the main control-type soul master of the preparatory team. Bei Bei, you’ll be its leader.”

A team leader was the head of a team, while the main control-type soul master was the brains of a team. By relying on his performance in the previous two matches, Huo Yuhao was worthy of becoming the main control-type soul master in the preparatory team even with his two-ringed cultivation. Nobody objected to this.

At this moment, the frozen Ma Xiaotao and the rest finally broke free of their bindings. Shivering somewhat, Ma Xiaotao glared fiercely at Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao shrugged helplessly towards her. He didn’t know why, but he preferred Ma Xiaotao’s faux-anger over Dai Yueheng’s smile.

Elder Xuan was very pleased with today’s matches. He understood how strong each member of the official team was. After Ma Xiaotao returned, there were a few voices of dissent within the team. After today’s matches, however, she had revealed a persuasive amount of power. Though they’d lost the second match, everybody could see that she was slightly stronger than Dai Yueheng overall. Naturally, the situation could be different in a life-and-death match. After all, this was just a mock battle. The members of the official team hadn’t used any relatively brutal techniques.

However, Elder Xuan mainly wanted to test out the seven members of the preparatory team. Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, and He Caitou’s performances conformed to his expectations. Jiang Nannan was an agility-type soul master, and she had been suppressed relatively heavily. Thus, one couldn’t blame her for not being able to perform spectacularly. However, Elder Xuan was surprised by Huo Yuhao’s trio.

They had the lowest cultivation levels within their team, but they were extremely well-coordinated with each other. Huo Yuhao was also able to strengthen the combat strength of his entire team by relying on his powerful Spiritual Detection. When he was teamed up with Ma Xiaotao, he was able to use the Golden Road at the right moment in order to settle the entire battle. Though their opponents had underestimated them due to unfamiliarity, the effectiveness of the Golden Road was evident.

Furthermore, the existence of Huo Yuhao was equivalent to an ice-type soul master who could restrict everything. Ling Luochen was already the most outstanding ice-type soul master within the inner courtyard, but she was completely suppressed in front of his Ultimate Ice. When she worked together with him, she had an all-around boost to her abilities. Evidently, they couldn’t be allowed to become enemies before the tournament started. Once the two of them worked together, Ling Luochen could definitely become the main control-type soul master within the official team. The reason why Ma Xiaotao had lost was because she had been completely suppressed!

Huo Yuhao’s only problem was his lack of cultivation. Otherwise, Elder Xuan would’ve even considered letting him try to become the main control-type soul master on the official team.

These two matches had solidified the confidence in Elder Xuan’s heart. He’d secretly made a decision; within the preparatory team–which was the future generation of the Shrek’s Seven Monsters–Huo Yuhao’s position as the main control-type master would never change.

Chen Zifeng laughed mischievously. “A few people have to pay up their bets!”

After hearing his reminder, the newly crowned victors immediately looked towards Ma Xiaotao with a smile.

The saddest of the lot were undoubtedly Yao Haoxuan and Jiang Nannan. They’d lost two consecutive matches.

Ma Xiaotao glared at Huo Yuhao again, “You just wait for me. I’m a pig.”

The others could only helplessly refer to themselves as a certain chubby animal. Elder Xuan laughed as he watched all this, feeling joyous inwardly. He believed that Huo Yuhao’s generation of the Shrek’s Seven Monsters would definitely be stronger than the current generation in five years’ time.

“Okay, you can all go back. Pack up your things. Gather at the academy’s entrance tomorrow morning. We’re going to Star Luo City to take part in a competition.”

“Star Luo City?” Huo Yuhao couldn’t help but cry out after hearing these words.

Elder Xuan looked towards him with a somewhat puzzled look in his eyes. “Is there a problem? The Continental Advanced Academy Soul Duelling Tournament is held in a different country every year. This time around, it’s the Star Luo Empire’s turn. The next one, which is the one you’ll be able to participate in as an official team member, will be held in the Sun Moon Empire. It’ll be held in the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. Thus, you’ll have to work even harder during these next five years.”

How could Huo Yuhao not reveal a change in his emotions after hearing the words ‘Star Luo City’? He’d never been to the capital of the Star Luo Empire, but Star Luo City was something he’d heard too many times during his youth. The Duke’s Mansion he’d grown up in was only 25km south of Star Luo City! When the weather was good, he would be able to faintly see the silhouette of the imperial capital from the outskirts of the Duke’s Mansion.

Huo Yuhao’s heartbeat involuntarily sped up. He’d never thought that he would have to go back this quickly. Dai Yueheng was a member of the official team, and wouldn’t he bring everyone to the Duke’s Mansion?

Though the two brothers no longer recognised him, he was still someone who’d grown up in the Duke’s Mansion. The servants there had seen him many times in the past. The moment he thought of returning to the place he’d grown up in, the place he resented and hated incomparably, Huo Yuhao’s heart was immediately thrown into disorder.

Huo Yuhao lowered his head and replied, “It’s nothing. I just didn’t think that we’d have to go to the Star Luo Empire.”

Elder Xuan didn’t take it to heart. “Then you can all go back now.”

Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong walked all the way back to the dormitories. Nobody else had noticed anything strange about Huo Yuhao, but Wang Dong’s senses were very acute. After living with the former for more than a year, he was relatively familiar with him. Furthermore, he knew the hatred that existed in his heart.

“Yuhao, are you okay?” Wang Dong whispered.

Huo Yuhao shook his head. “I’m fine. I just can’t adapt to suddenly going back. I can’t let Dai Yueheng know of my true identity.”

Wang Dong was silent for a moment, then whispered, “Yuhao, he should be your older brother. You..”

Stirred up, Huo Yuhao interrupted him, “I don’t have an elder brother, nor do I have any relatives. My mom is dead, and I’m only an orphan.”

“Fine, fine, an orphan it is.” Wang Dong hurriedly parroted him.

“Sorry.” Huo Yuhao nodded his head gloomily.

Wang Dong walked over to him and sat beside him, “Don’t think too much about it. There’ll always be a way to get over this. Furthermore, it’s not guaranteed that someone will recognise you even if we go back. Haven’t you felt that you’ve changed greatly during this past year? Even someone who previously recognised you might not be able to tell who you are now. I know that you’re pained, but since you’ve chosen to face them and seek revenge, you have to be strong. The opponent you’re going against is extremely strong!”

Huo Yuhao was stunned. “Have I changed a lot?”

Wang Dong knocked him on the head once, then passed him a mirror from his bedside.

“Take a look for yourself.”

Right! Using the words ‘heaven-shaking and earth-shattering’ to describe Huo Yuhao’s transformation over his past year at Shrek Academy wouldn’t be inappropriate. In the beginning, he was only a bashful, ordinary youth who even seemed rustic. Over this past year, however, not only did he experience a tremendous growth in his strength, he even became a core disciple of the academy. At the same time, an enormous transformation had occurred to his outer appearance and his demeanor.

Strength would make a person confident. With his two intelligent soul rings, and especially the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion’s soul bone, he’d grown much taller.

When he’d arrived at the academy, he looked somewhat thin and weak. However, he was now as strong as a calf. His originally unhealthy facial appearance now shone with a rosy gloss. Moreover, he was filled with the aura of the sun. Wang Dong was correct–during this past year, he’d turned over an entirely new leaf. He was no longer the servant-like Huo Yuhao who’d lived in the Duke’s Mansion.

“Actually, you’ve already set a target for yourself. Since that’s the case, if we do go there, so be it. Why think too much about it?” Wang Dong stood up and took the mirror back from Huo Yuhao. Then, he took the initiative to sit in a cross-legged position and extended his hands towards him. “Come, let’s cultivate. We’re still too far away from our seniors in terms of cultivation! We have to work hard.”

Huo Yuhao finally revealed a smile after seeing Wang Dong’s serious expression, “Since a lazy fella like you is actually asking me to cultivate, let’s do it. I’m going to surpass you sooner or later.”

Wang Dong feigned surprise as he looked towards the window. “Eeeeh, why are there cows flying in the sky? Ah, I know. It’s because you’re spouting bullshit.”

“Don’t you dare laugh at me. I’ll show you how awesome I am.” Huo Yuhao suddenly pounced towards Wang Dong. Defenseless, the latter let out an astonished cry as he immediately tumbled onto the bed.

Huo Yuhao held onto his hands evilly, then shouted, “Are you gonna submit?”

“No!” Wang Dong shouted provokingly.

“You’re really not gonna submit?” Huo Yuhao slowly pressed down on him, and the distance between his face and Wang Dong’s began to decrease. He had a naughty smile on his face as he looked at the latter’s pair of beautiful, round eyes.

As Huo Yuhao continued to get closer to him, Wang Dong could feel his breathing on his face. He was finally panicking, and hence shut his eyes subconsciously. But, he still forced out a few words, “No! I won’t submit!”

Huo Yuhao was left in a daze as he looked at Wang Dong’s long, trembling eyebrows. He was just a few inches away from him, and he could smell the faint fragrance coming from him. He didn’t know why, but he shivered uncontrollably as he looked at Wang Dong, who was being forced down by him, so much so that he was completely helpless.

He hurriedly let go of Wang Dong’s hands, then grabbed his pinkish face and squeezed it. Then, he laughed, “If you won’t submit, I’ll make you look like a pig. Hey, you look rather good even as a pig. Quickly, stick out your mouth so you’ll look even more like one.”

“Huo Yuhao, I’m gonna fight you!”