After gaining a general understanding of Huo Yuhao's situation, the teachers were still left confused about Wang Dong.They could not explain why such a powerful force had suddenly erupted from his spiritual sea, dispelling Huo Yuhao's mental attack and even causing Yuhao himself to suffer a severe backlash.
Wang Dong remained silent, unwilling to reveal his secrets.In the end, Yan Shaozhe and the others could only leave, their curiosity piqued but unanswered.
Huo Yuhao, however, lay on his bed dejectedly. Losing to Dai Huabin's team made him feel miserable, as though he had let his mother down.
"Don't be sad. We didn't lose to Dai Huabin—we lost to Shi Yu," Wang Dong comforted him, trying to prevent Yuhao from falling into despair.
Xiao Xiao stayed with him as well, along with Bei Bei and Tang Ya, all of them offering words of comfort.Gradually, Huo Yuhao's mood improved. He reluctantly admitted that they were right—he hadn't really lost to Dai Huabin, but to Shi Yu.
If he thought about it carefully, he had actually defeated Dai Huabin. What was there to be so crushed about?
"Next time, I'll defeat not only Dai Huabin, but Shi Yu as well," Yuhao declared firmly, setting a new goal for himself.
Deep in his spiritual sea, the Tianmeng Iceworm spoke with confidence:"Don't worry. Once you reach rank twenty, I'll help you obtain your second Spirit. When that time comes, defeating Shi Yu will be no problem at all."
Yuhao's confidence returned, and the heavy gloom of defeat dispersed.
The next morning, all students who had passed the freshman assessment gathered in the square, awaiting a speech and class assignments from the Director of the Dean's Office.
Those who passed would now be reassigned to classes based on their cultivation paths.At the same time, a few students would receive special treatment due to their outstanding performance—these were the core disciples.
The term "core" reflected their status: they were considered the key talents to be nurtured in Shrek Academy's Outer Courtyard, and the privileges they received far surpassed those of ordinary students.
Du Weilun, Director of the Dean's Office, first gave a concluding speech on the freshman assessment. Then, he began announcing the list of students selected as core disciples.
"The first name—Shi Yu."
Everyone's gaze immediately turned toward Shi Yu.None were surprised; with his performance, anything less would have been absurd.
"If Shi Yu can't become a core disciple, then who possibly could?" some whispered.
"Dai Huabin. Zhu Lu. Wang Dong. Xiao Xiao. Huo Yuhao…"
The last name startled Shi Yu."Huo Yuhao? In the original story, he wasn't chosen as a Martial Soul Department core disciple," he thought in surprise.
Something had clearly changed.He didn't realize that he himself had caused this deviation.
Before yesterday's match, the Martial Soul Department hadn't paid Yuhao much attention. They thought he only rode on the efforts of Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao.But Yuhao's sudden spiritual eruption yesterday forced them to reevaluate.
His Spirit showed clear signs of a second awakening. Once fully awakened, it would be immensely valuable for cultivation.
A self-completed second awakening of a Body Spirit—especially something as special as the eyes—was on par with top-tier spirits.In their assessment of future growth, Huo Yuhao was no weaker than Zhu Lu.
If Zhu Lu could become a core disciple, then so could Yuhao.
In the original timeline, Yuhao never had such an independent eruption in combat. But due to Shi Yu's unexpected influence, the course of his destiny had shifted.
Of course, this might also change Yuhao's future path in the Soul Tool Department.Now that the Martial Soul Department valued him, would he still dedicate himself to spirit tools?This small twist might ripple into great consequences.
In the end, more than forty students became core disciples—mostly members of the top sixteen teams. Still, a few individuals were excluded due to poor personal performance.
After the announcements came the class assignments.
Du Weilun explained the rules:
Class One: Attack-type and control-type Spirit Masters.
Class Two: Defense-type and agility-attack-type Spirit Masters.
Class Three: Support system Battle Spirit Masters.
Class Four: Mixed specializations, such as food system, healing system, and other rare categories.
By these standards, Shi Yu should have been assigned to Class Two as an agility-attack specialist. His Continuous Teleportation was essentially unmatched speed—the very peak of agility.
But Class One had the strongest teachers and most powerful students. The academy forcibly placed him there instead.
In truth, Shi Yu's classification was difficult. He could be considered agility-attack, attack, or even a bit of control thanks to his spatial manipulation abilities.
Later, Shi Yu, Dai Huabin, and Zhu Lu were summoned by Du Weilun to receive their championship rewards.
Inside the office, with the door tightly shut, Du Weilun handed a small pouch to Dai Huabin, the registered captain.
The instant Huabin touched it, he sensed the faint texture of a bone.The pouch itself was a basic Storage Soul Tool with spatial attributes—nothing high-grade, but practical.
Huabin quickly drew out the item inside.
A left leg bone radiating a peculiar yellow glow appeared before them.
Both he and Zhu Lu gasped in shock.
"A Spirit Bone!"
Even though they came from prestigious families, this was their first time truly receiving one. Spirit Bones were exceedingly rare—priceless treasures no one treated lightly.
Neither of them had absorbed a Spirit Bone before.
Shi Yu, meanwhile, watched calmly. His gaze carried curiosity but not much desire.
He had long known about this Spirit Bone. Its main effect was boosting speed, but for him, speed beyond Teleportation was meaningless.
Though valuable, it wasn't useful to him.
Instead, he thought: Better to let Huabin take it and compensate me with gold coins.
In this era, money was incredibly valuable. And in the far future, ten thousand years later, a single gold coin might be worth tens of millions of federal credits. The profit would only grow with time.