Huo Yuhao stepped toward the edge of the arena, leaving behind a Dai Huabin who had yet to recover from his defeat. His steps were steady and his expression calm, as if the clash that had just occurred was nothing more than an ordinary sparring match.
Just as he was about to step off the final stair of the arena, he turned his head slightly. His voice was neither loud nor soft, yet perfectly audible to the person behind him: "Once, in your eyes, I was no different from a dog."
He paused, his gaze landing on a distant point, his tone as if he were stating a matter from a past that had long since been turned over.
"Now, in my eyes... aren't you just a stray dog?"
Dai Huabin lay prostrate on the ground, his fists suddenly clenching so hard that his knuckles turned white.
"If you want to challenge me, I'm available anytime." Huo Yuhao did not look back, his voice remaining calm. "However, first you must change your personality and attitude. Otherwise, you won't win against me once in this lifetime."
As the words fell, he stopped lingering and walked off the arena side by side with Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao, entering the applause and cheers that belonged to them.
On the arena, Zhu Lu forced herself to help Dai Huabin up. His chest rose and fell violently, his eyes swirling with anger and resentment.
He had lost completely and utterly, without even a shred of dignity left.
Change his personality and attitude...
The thought only flickered through his mind for a brief moment, like a shooting star that extinguished before it could be caught.
He took a deep breath and shouted toward the retreating back, his voice hoarse yet forceful: "Lord Huo Yuhao, goodbye!"
He was the son of the Duke of White Tiger; he would be a man of his word no matter what.
Huo Yuhao did not look back, only nodding slightly as if he hadn't heard anything.
Furina, who was nearby, took in the entire scene and couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
I was lying to you; even if you change, you still won't win. Who is Huo Yuhao? He's the child of destiny, the protagonist of this era, and he's used so many cheat codes it's impossible to count. How can you compare? Unless you're also possessed by a System, or Tang San personally descends to give you a cheat.
But how could that be? Giving cheats to the Holy Spirit Cult would be more realistic than giving them to you. After all, they even know Ring Explosion, which is the exclusive secret technique of the Clear Sky Sect; if someone said Tang San arranged it himself, she'd believe it.
Not long after she met up with Huo Yuhao and the others, a familiar sound of talking and laughing came from not far away.
Bei Bei, Tang Ya, and Jiang Nannan arrived upon hearing the news.
"Congratulations, congratulations!" Tang Ya waved from a distance, her eyes curved into crescents with her smile. "Furina, you guys are just too amazing, sweeping both the third place and the championship!"
Bei Bei also nodded with a smile: "If you hadn't voluntarily surrendered in the semifinals, I'm afraid both the champion and runner-up spots would have been taken by your Axis Cult."
However, he also understood that Furina didn't care about the championship at all. Her surrender was merely to give Huo Yuhao a chance to take revenge personally. Furthermore, the Axis Cult now had such a deep foundation; why would she care about the rewards of a mere New Student Assessment? Winning or losing was simply not worth mentioning to her. Thus, he did not say much more.
Jiang Nannan also offered her congratulations sincerely: "Congratulations. To be honest, it's hard to believe you've reached a Breakthrough to Spirit King so quickly, especially as a Food-type Support Soul Master. Your Spirit Abilitys are strong and your talent is high; you're truly incredible."
Furina's eyes curved into crescents, her smile bright yet without a hint of arrogance, as if she were merely stating a common fact: "Naturally—I am the Pope of the Axis Cult, the Water God herself. If I were to capsize in a smurfing match like this, that would be the real joke."
Tang Ya nodded repeatedly: "Exactly, exactly! Having you as our Pope is truly a blessing for our Axis Cult that took lifetimes to earn."
Xiao Xiao also hurriedly chimed in: "That's right, that's right, it's our blessing too."
Jiang Nannan added softly: "Thanks to your help and the Cultivation Technique, my cultivation speed has also increased significantly lately."
Furina waved her hand, her demeanor relaxed: "It's a small matter. Since you could enter Shrek, your talent isn't inferior to anyone else's, not to mention you're now part of my Axis Cult. As long as you Cultivate diligently, becoming a Titled Douluo is just a matter of time."
She blinked, her tone turning a bit playful: "However, instead of just aiming for Titled Douluo, why not think about achieving godhood directly—just like the Original Shrek Seven Devils?"
Upon hearing this, Bei Bei let out a soft sigh: "Becoming a god... is easier said than done."
What he didn't say was that his Profound Ancestor, the world's strongest expert, the Dragon God Douluo Profound Ancestor, had spent his entire life without receiving the favor of the God Realm, never even touching the qualifications for a God Trial. What right did he have to hope to go further than his Profound Ancestor?
Tang Ya seemed to read his unspoken words and wiped the smile from her face, saying softly: "Yes... in these ten thousand years, besides the Original Shrek Seven Devils, no one else on the Douluo Continent has become a god. Let alone becoming a god, no one has even obtained a God Trial."
Furina did not respond.
She knew exactly who the 'culprit' behind this was.
Tang San.
Who else could it be but him?
Ten thousand years ago, he and the Shrek Seven Devils ascended from this continent to the God Realm, and from then on, this land seemed to be shrouded by an invisible barrier. The subsequent prodigies all stopped at the limit, and not a single one could knock on that door again.
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