Yali quietly departed with the dejected Shrek group, and silence returned to the corridor, leaving only the teacher and students of Class Zero with Leng Yaozhu. The heavy atmosphere from the previous confrontation finally began to lift, replaced by a sense of calm.
Leng Yaozhu turned around, her gaze falling on Huo Yuhao. The sharpness and dominance she had shown toward Shrek quietly faded, replaced by the gentleness unique to a mentor and a trace of imperceptible pride. She looked at her disciple with a warmth that she reserved only for those closest to her.
"Yuhao, since matters here are settled, come back to the Spirit Pagoda with me."
"Your next spirit soul is already prepared for you."
The next... spirit soul?!
This sentence instantly stirred up huge waves in the hearts of the Class Zero members! They stood frozen, their minds racing to process the implications of her words.
Except for Gu Yue, who already knew the inside story and whose eyes flickered slightly, everyone else's gaze swish-ed and focused firmly on Huo Yuhao once again, filled with unbelievable shock! Their eyes were wide, reflecting a mix of envy and pure astonishment.
They knew all too well what this meant! It was a milestone that many spirit masters spent years struggling to reach.
Huo Yuhao was originally a three-ring Spirit Elder; if he's fusing a new spirit soul, doesn't that mean... "Yuhao, you... you..."
Xie Xie was the first to lose his cool, his voice stuttering from excessive surprise, his eyes wide: "You're at Rank 40?!"
Huo Yuhao met his companions' burning and suspicious gazes and nodded slightly, a calm smile on his face as always. He seemed entirely unfazed by the monumental nature of his own progress.
"Yeah, I just broke through not long ago."
Despite their guesses, hearing Huo Yuhao's confirmation with their own ears caused a wave of undeniable shock to flicker through the eyes of Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, Xu Xiaoyan, and even the cold Wu Changkong! Even the experienced teacher found it difficult to maintain his usual stoic mask.
Not even eleven years old... Rank 40 spirit power?!
What kind of concept was this? It was a feat that shattered all known conventions of cultivation speed.
Ordinary Spirit Masters at this age who can reach Rank 20 are already called geniuses, and Rank 30 is as rare as phoenix feathers! Most children his age were still struggling to master their first spirit rings.
But Huo Yuhao was already touching the edge of a Spirit Ancestor! He was stepping into a realm of power usually reserved for those twice his age.
This cultivation speed was simply like a myth or legend, making it hard for others to even think of catching up or comparing; only deep shock and admiration remained. They felt as though they were witnessing history being written in real time.
However, this intense shock didn't last long. They had grown accustomed to his brilliance, even if it still managed to take their breath away.
After all, for the partners of Class Zero, Huo Yuhao had subverted their expectations too many times. He was a constant source of wonder in their daily lives.
A ten-year-old Spirit Elder, all three rings at ten thousand years, unfathomable mental force... his image had long been closely linked with the word "Genius." To them, he was a monster among monsters.
Now this Rank 40 Breakthrough, though shocking, seemed... somewhat "natural" when it came to Huo Yuhao? It was as if his destiny was simply to be better than everyone else.
Huo Yuhao didn't pay much attention to his companions' shock; his attention had returned to his teacher, Leng Yaozhu. His internal thoughts remained focused on his own growth and the path ahead.
He looked up into those smiling phoenix eyes, his clear gaze revealing a rare trace of a young boy's curiosity and anticipation. For a moment, the cold calculator was replaced by an eager student.
The next spirit soul... what would Aunt Leng have prepared for him? He knew her standards were high, and his expectations were even higher.
...In the timeline ten thousand years later, Huo Yuhao would wait until he was twelve before entering Shrek Academy. That was the path he had walked once before, under the heavy hand of fate.
But ten thousand years ago, at only eleven years old, Huo Yuhao was already prepared to join Shrek. This time, he was coming from a position of strength, not desperation.
Shrek Academy is located in the eastern part of Shrek City, with two gates: East and West. The city itself was a sprawling monument to the academy's historical significance.
The West Gate leads directly into the city and is only for academy staff and students; outsiders are forbidden. It was a boundary that separated the elite from the common world.
Therefore, if Huo Yuhao wanted to register as a freshman, he had to detour outside the city and enter through the East Gate. He walked the long path with a steady, unhurried pace.
Early this morning, Huo Yuhao left after greeting his mother, Huo Yuner. Her gentle smile was the only thing that brought a true sense of warmth to his cold heart.
The closer he got to the East Gate, the more bustling the surroundings became, as the wide road was gradually filled with a constant stream of people and carriages. The air was thick with the scent of horses and the sound of excited chatter.
Huo Yuhao walked calmly among them, his mental perception quietly spreading out to observe everything around him. He noted the nervous energy of the other applicants with a sense of detached amusement.
Most of the scenes he saw were families of several people traveling together, parents and relatives accompanying their children to register. It was a high-stakes event for every family present.
There were very few his age who came alone, and he drew many slightly surprised looks along the way. His solitary figure stood out amidst the colorful crowds and noisy groups.
Even though there were many with strong spirit power fluctuations in the crowd, no one dared to be noisy or unruly here, under the invisible majesty of Shrek Academy. The very air seemed to command respect.
Everyone honestly lined up in the winding queue, orderly and showing a heartfelt awe for the continent's number one institution. It was a sea of people sharing a single, desperate hope.
Huo Yuhao silently walked to the end of the line, moving slowly forward with the crowd. He kept his head down, blending in as much as a boy of his presence could.
His Mental Detection extended forward silently, passing over the bobbing heads to see the specific details of the assessment ahead. He mapped out the obstacles before he even reached them.
The assessment content was simple: first, age; second, spirit power. These were the basic filters used to weed out the mediocre.
As long as the age did not exceed twelve and spirit power was over Rank 15, one met the basic requirements to enter Shrek Academy's Outer Court. It was a low bar for someone like him.
To be fair, this requirement was indeed not harsh. It was designed to cast a wide net for talent across the entire continent.
As long as Innate spirit power exceeded Rank 5 and one cultivated with a bit of diligence, reaching Rank 15 before age twelve was not difficult. Yet many still failed to meet even this standard.
However, Huo Yuhao soon discovered that besides the age and spirit power requirements, every student who passed presented a letter, which caused him to fall into deep thought. He realized he had overlooked a piece of the puzzle.
The queue moved forward slowly, and before long, it was Huo Yuhao's turn. He stepped up to the desk, his expression neutral and unreadable.
Those responsible for checking at the academy gate were not the academy's teachers, but some teenagers around thirteen or fourteen wearing uniform Yellow Martial Arts Suits, clearly students of the Outer Court. They carried themselves with an air of superior authority.
In front of Huo Yuhao was a tall, thin male student sitting behind a desk. He lifted his eyelids and glanced at the boy who had come alone, his face expressionless as he officially held out his hand, palm up.
A few seconds passed, and seeing that Huo Yuhao just stood there quietly without any other movement, the male student's brow furrowed imperceptibly. He was used to instant compliance.
A hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes, and his voice became a bit colder and harsher as he directly reminded: "Recommendation Letter."
Huo Yuhao naturally understood what he meant, but he really didn't have one. The thought of needing a bureaucrat's permission had never crossed his mind.
With his current talent and strength, which top power on the continent wouldn't open its doors and let him choose? He was a prize that any organization would kill to possess.
Therefore, he hadn't specifically looked into Shrek's detailed enrollment process and unwritten rules before. He had assumed his power would be the only credentials he needed.
It wasn't until he arrived at the scene today that he learned that in this era, the first "stepping stone" to knock on Shrek's door wasn't just age and spirit power, but a handwritten Recommendation Letter from any City Lord of a major city in the Three Great Empires.
In his view, this rule itself carried a certain barrier of class and geography. It was a way for the academy to maintain its ties to the established nobility.
Those who could get a City Lord's Recommendation Letter were either descendants of nobility or disciples specially cultivated by prominent local families or powers. It was a system rigged in favor of the wealthy.
Civilian geniuses, without a special Opportunity, would probably find it difficult even to access the channels to obtain a recommendation. They were often filtered out before they could even prove their worth.
Huo Yuhao met the male student's urging gaze and said calmly, "I don't have a Recommendation Letter."
Hearing this, the male student's impatience grew stronger, as if he felt his time was being wasted, and he immediately waved his hand to make him leave. He didn't have time for outliers.
"However..."
Huo Yuhao continued, trying to explain the situation. He remained polite on the outside, though he found the boy's arrogance irritating.
"If you don't have a Recommendation Letter, go back quickly!" The male student impatiently raised his hand to interrupt him, his tone carrying a sense of expulsion that brooked no argument: "There are many people waiting behind you!"
Huo Yuhao's brow furrowed slightly as he asked, "Aren't you going to test my age and spirit power first?"
"Test what?"
The male student looked as if he had heard a joke, looking Huo Yuhao up and down, his tone adding a bit more of a condescending, lecturing flavor. He saw only a plain boy with no backing.
"Rules are rules! Without a Recommendation Letter from any City Lord of the Three Great Empires, you aren't qualified to participate in the subsequent assessments; this is a tradition Shrek has maintained for many years!"
"No matter how high your spirit power or how suitable your age, without that Recommendation Letter, everything is off the table!"
He pointed to a side passage where several other rejected, dejected-looking teenagers were leaving with their heads down. They were the ones the system had decided weren't worth the effort.
"Hurry up and leave; don't just stand here and delay the people behind you."
He stopped looking at Huo Yuhao, his gaze already turning toward the back of the line, preparing to receive the next applicant. He dismissed the greatest genius of the era without a second thought.
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