Volume 36, Chapter 510.3: You Still Have to Go Through My Father

“Ah?” Huo Yuhao almost vomited blood. This is a conspiracy! This is such a devious plot!

He could clearly smell a conspiracy, and it was a conspiracy indeed. He had just found Dong’er, Tang Wutong, yesterday, and today’s test was so incredibly difficult. They were even using Tang Wutong to threaten him. So treacherous! This is just too treacherous!

“Elder Xuan, are you sure that’s right? Teacher Wang Yan and senior sister Han Ruoruo…” Huo Yuhao tried to talk back.

Elder Xuan said casually, “After they got together, Han Ruoruo immediately took her graduation test and passed it. She’s now a teacher in the academy, so there’s no problem with her status. You can do the same if you pass the graduation test!”

Huo Yuhao was as gloomy as ever. “Then is my test the same as senior sister Han?”

Elder Xuan maintained his casual tone as he said, “Why do you keep asking such foolish questions, child? What is our academy’s mission? To nurture monsters, not normal people, right? Since that’s the case, won’t our students receive different graduation tests? Graduation tests for the inner courtyard’s students are different for every person, don’t you know that? Therefore, your test is definitely different from Han Ruoruo’s test.”

Zhang Lexuan nodded and said, “Know how to be content, Yuhao. The academy is already being very lenient towards you. You have a long time limit for this assessment, so you don’t have to be too greedy. You can just complete this test within three years.”

The corner of Huo Yuhao’s mouth twitched. “Eldest senior sister, have the contents of my graduation test been reviewed and changed impromptu? Why don’t I just take the original seven assignments?”

Zhang Lexuan replied grandly, “Yes, the test has been changed! We reviewed and changed the test last night. You have already displayed the strength of an eight-ringed soul master, and your eight rings are extraordinary. How can a normal assessment satisfy our requirements for this test?”

“I…” Huo Yuhao was full of regret, and his regret was already turning his insides green. Why did I flex? Now, my test is truly very difficult.

Huo Yuhao laughed bitterly and said, “But there’s no way I can complete this test! You know how difficult it is to craft a Class 9 stationary soul cannon shell, Dean Xian, so how can you give me such a difficult task? That’s just too difficult. And, Dean Yan, you’re a Rank 97 Transcendent Douluo, and I’ve just passed Rank 80. There’s still an insurmountable gap between the two of us. I don’t think I can reach your rank even after thirty years, not to mention three!”

Yan Shaozhe smiled faintly and said, “That’s enough, stop trying to undervalue yourself. How can I not know your abilities? You’re most adept at creating miracles, and as for reaching rank 97 after thirty years, I don’t think you’ll need that long. Alright, why don’t I give you some leeway? Don’t you have martial soul fusion skills with Tang Wutong? My test shall allow you two to team up in battle. Consider your task completed if the two of you can team up and defeat me together.”

Xian Lin’er nodded and said, “Then I shall give you some leeway as well. Don’t you have Xuan Ziwen, that Class 9 soul engineer in the Tang Sect? Why don’t we do it this way: you can team up with him, and he’s allowed to help you. The two of you shall craft two Class 9 stationary soul cannon shells for the academy, and then you can consider your task completed.”

That’s extortion! That’s just pure extortion of labor! Huo Yuhao wanted to cry and break down. But he had just found Tang Wutong again, and his mood was just too good. He wanted to cry, but no tears came out.

Elder Xuan pulled a generous face and said, “Since everyone has decided to be lenient, then I shall as well. Before you complete your test within three years, I shall allow you to be together with Tang Wutong temporarily. But if you can’t complete your tasks within three years, don’t blame me for breaking you two apart.”

Huo Yuhao’s face turned black. Is there much of a difference between you being lenient or not? Is there? Is there?!

Yan Shaozhe grinned and said, “Youngsters have to be confident in themselves. This is considered both pressure and motivation for you. Originally, we didn’t intend to give you so much pressure, but now that you’ve gotten together with Wutong, you must be in a very good mood, so that pressure must be liberated quite a bit. We can’t progress without no pressure at all. Since your original pressure has been lifted, then we will naturally give you pressure again so that we can avoid you not being focused or not putting in effort.”

Brutal!

Huo Yuhao couldn’t say anything to argue. The academy had been teaching and helping him over so many years so that he could gradually become one of the elites of the younger generation. Now, the academy wanted to give him trouble for his graduation assessment and give him pressure. What could he say?

Huo Yuhao’s face was as black as could be, and his expression was full of helplessness.

Tang Wutong squeezed his hand.

Huo Yuhao turned to Tang Wutong as she smiled and said, “Dean Yan is right, having pressure isn’t a bad thing. You’re not the only one who needs to work hard. I have to as well. We can work hard together. Three years isn’t considered a long time, but it isn’t too short.”

Tang Wutong’s encouragement was much more effective for Huo Yuhao than any mystical pill. He took a deep breath and turned back to his various Elders as he nodded and replied, “Alright, I will definitely give my all to pass this graduation test.”

Elder Xuan grinned and said, “That’s right. Don’t worry, during the time that you’re cultivating, the academy won’t assign any extra tasks to you. As for your final assessment, we will determine that according to your circumstance and the situation on the Continent. You just have to work hard on cultivating when you go back. Your trip to the Heavenly Soul Empire’s frontlines has dealt a heavy blow to the Sun Moon Empire. You’ve ruined one of their soul engineer legions, and killed an evil Titled Douluo. That must be quite a blow to them. The Sun Moon Empire shouldn’t make any large movements for a while. News from the frontlines has told us that the Sun Moon Empire’s empress, who’s known as the Sun Moon Valkyrie, is pregnant, and she shouldn’t be placing herself at the frontlines for a while. That should give us enough time to prepare and gather ourselves.”

The Sun Moon Valkyrie is pregnant?

Huo Yuhao trembled a little as he heard those words. Of course, he knew who the Sun Moon Valkyrie was referring to.

A feeling that was hard to describe rose from his heart. His relationship with Ju Zi was vague and difficult to understand, but they were definitely not enemies.

Back then, when he and her were together at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, he still didn’t know that Dong’er was a girl. Ju Zi could be said to be the first girl that had touched his heart. Afterwards, because of their respective identities and statuses, and also because of the target that Ju Zi had set for herself, they slowly drifted apart until they met again on the battlefield.

Ju Zi remarked that Huo Yuhao was soft-hearted, but the truth was, how could she not be soft-hearted when facing him? Huo Yuhao couldn’t develop any kind of belligerence or unfriendliness towards her.

Ju Zi is pregnant? The Sun Moon Empire’s emperor, Xu Tianran’s child. Even though Huo Yuhao knew that they didn’t share that kind of sentiment or relationship anymore, he still couldn’t help but feel a little sour and bitter inside. Perhaps it was normal for a guy to feel like that.

“Elders, since the graduation test is like that, then I’m going to hurry back and work hard.” Huo Yuhao laughed helplessly as he turned to leave.

“Don’t be in such a hurry,” Elder Xuan stopped him.

“Eh?” Huo Yuhao glanced at Elder Xuan confusedly.

Elder Xuan continued, “Look, us elderly men have gathered for you. That’s not easy! Furthermore, we can’t let you make this trip for nothing. As the saying goes, if you know yourself and you know your enemy, then you will always emerge victorious. I’m afraid you don’t really understand Shaozhe’s abilities. Why don’t the two of you have a practice battle with Shaozhe? First, so that we can see exactly how powerful the two of you are, and second, this will be a good chance for you to understand Shaozhe’s abilities. In that case, you will have a target or guidelines for your subsequent cultivation.”

A practice battle with our Dean, Yan Shaozhe?

Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong exchanged a look. Who was Yan Shaozhe? He was the Dean of Shrek Academy’s Martial Soul Department, and he was the previous Master of the Sea God’s Pavilion, Mu En’s eldest disciple. In some sense, he was still Huo Yuhao’s senior brother, and he was also a Rank 97 Transcendent Douluo. Yan Shaozhe’s strength could be ranked within the top five in Shrek Academy, and his Radiant Phoenix also possessed some extremely mystical abilities.

Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong had just recently attained their eighth soul rings, and in terms of strength, perhaps not even ten of them could match Yan Shaozhe. However, that was before considering their martial soul fusion skills.

The truth was, the Elders of the Sea God’s Pavilion had opened a conference overnight yesterday so that they could talk about Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong’s martial soul fusion skills. Of course, these Elders wouldn’t give Huo Yuhao trouble just because they had nothing better to do. The reason why they had decided on these three incredibly difficult assessments was after they considered things in the long-term. These graduation assessments were meant to be difficult not because they wanted to give him trouble, but because they wanted him to spend more time cultivating hard in the academy and at the Tang Sect.

The Elders could see Shrek Academy’s immensely glorious future from Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong’s four martial soul fusion skills. These two soul masters were both considered top-tier soul masters, and they could unleash four different martial soul fusion skills. That meant that once they became Titled Douluo, they might be able to fight against an Ultimate Douluo!

Shrek Academy was still weaker in terms of overall strength compared to the Holy Ghost Church, and the only thing they could rely on was the academy’s foundations accumulated over ten thousand years, in addition to the complicated relationships between the Dragon Emperor Douluo, Long Xiaoyao, the Death God Douluo, Ye Xishui, and the Dragon God Douluo, Mu En.

But if the Sun Moon Empire wanted to conquer the entire continent in the future, they couldn’t possibly wrap around Shrek Academy. They would meet on the battlefield at some point. The academy was definitely at a disadvantage in terms of fighting strength at the highest level.

Even though Shrek Academy and the Great Star Dou Forest’s soul beasts had an intimate relationship, when push came to shove, the Beast God Di Tian would never make a move for Shrek Academy.

Not to mention the fact that Shrek Academy had dealt severe losses to the soul beasts during that beast invasion, huge losses to both human parties were beneficial for the world of soul beasts. That meant the soul beasts couldn’t possibly help Shrek Academy in any way.