Yan Shaozhe's gaze fell upon Huo Yuhao, his eyes flashing with undisguised curiosity and anticipation as he asked, "Ultimate Ice?"
Huo Yuhao met his gaze with a calm expression, yet he did not directly answer the question. He maintained a stoic facade, refusing to let the powerful dean read his true intentions.
He knew that the person who could truly make the decisions had finally appeared. This was the moment where he would either enter the academy on his own terms or force his way through.
With a slight thought, the two Soul-shaking blood-red spirit rings on his body quietly withdrew, ending his Spirit Body Enhancement state. The oppressive crimson light faded, but the weight of his presence remained.
However, the Domain of Eternal Frost that had spread out with him as the center did not immediately disappear upon the release of his Spirit Body Enhancement. The environmental damage was already done.
The crystalline ice layers remained, and the bone-chilling cold continued to permeate the air. It was only because they lost the supply of Huo Yuhao's spirit power that their expansion halted and their power began to slowly diminish.
The frozen Shrek students heard faint cracking sounds from the thick ice covering them, which then gradually peeled away. Pieces of frozen moisture fell to the ground like broken glass.
They stumbled out, their faces pale and teeth chattering. Their limbs were stiff, and their breath came in ragged, visible clouds of frost. The way they looked at Huo Yuhao was now worlds apart from just a moment ago.
The pride and sense of superiority they held as Shrek students had long since been crushed to dust. They felt small and insignificant in the wake of such overwhelming force.
In its place was deep reverence, the heart palpitations of surviving a disaster, and an even more primal fear of that absolute power! They realized that the boy before them lived in a different world than they did.
They huddled to one side, not even daring to breathe loudly, looking like completely different people compared to their aggressive posturing during the siege earlier. Their arrogance had been replaced by a desperate desire for safety.
Huo Yuhao's gaze swept over these pathetic students before finally landing back on Yan Shaozhe. He felt no pity for them; they had brought this upon themselves through their own bigotry.
This time, he finally had the Opportunity to state the purpose of his trip in full. He spoke clearly, his voice carrying over the silent crowd.
"My original intention was simply to register and join Shrek Academy to study."
"I didn't expect that your academy had a regulation requiring a letter of recommendation from a City Lord of the three great Empires' capital cities to be eligible for the examination."
He paused, the corner of his mouth seemingly curling into a very faint arc. It was a cold, mocking smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Now it seems..."
"I am afraid I am destined to have no fate with Shrek Academy."
After speaking, Huo Yuhao turned around decisively and began walking back the way he came. He didn't look back, confident that the dean would not let a talent like his walk away.
Huo Yuhao had only taken a few steps when Yan Shaozhe's figure appeared like a Teleportation, steadily blocking his path. The dean moved with a speed that blurred the senses.
With a smile he considered sufficiently friendly, he said, "A letter of recommendation is indeed one of the enrollment requirements the academy has maintained for many years. It is mainly for preliminary screening to ensure the quality of students and a certain level of standardization."
Then his tone shifted as he looked at Huo Yuhao with burning eyes. He saw a gold mine of potential standing right in front of him.
"However, rules are dead while people are alive."
"For special talents, the academy naturally has special policies for exceptional admission."
"I am Yan Shaozhe, the Outer Court Dean of Shrek Academy's Spirit Department."
"Now, I can represent the academy to make a decision and agree to let you enter Shrek Academy to study!"
"Furthermore, in view of the... talent and strength you have displayed, you can be exempted from all assessments and directly enter the Inner Court to cultivate!"
"The academy's top-tier resources and best teachers will all be tilted in your favor!"
As soon as these words were spoken, countless gazes swiveled toward Huo Yuhao, filled with envy and jealousy that was almost overflowing. The crowd was stunned by the magnitude of the offer.
Entering the Inner Court directly!
That was something many Shrek Outer Court Disciples might not achieve even after suffering for years through countless competitions and trials! It was a shortcut to the peak of the continent.
However, when they recalled those two blood-red spirit rings and that terrifying Domain that had frozen dozens of students in an instant, they had to admit that Huo Yuhao was qualified. His strength spoke louder than any exam could.
Huo Yuhao knew that Dean Yan had clearly taken an interest in the talent he had displayed. In the Spirit Master's world, true Geniuses are always a scarce resource, and no discerning power would easily let one go. He had successfully manipulated the situation to his advantage.
Since his goal had been achieved, Huo Yuhao had no intention of putting on an act or engaging in pointless back-and-forth. He knew exactly what he wanted from this institution.
"I can join Shrek Academy."
He accepted straightforwardly, but then his tone shifted as he rejected the generous conditions. He had no interest in being isolated in the Inner Court just yet.
"However, there is no need to enter the Inner Court directly."
"I... hope to start normal study and life from the Outer Court, just like all the other new students."
His goal was to 'find a wife,' and he wouldn't be able to find her if he went to the Inner Court, so it was better to start from the Outer Court. He needed to be where the action was.
Hearing that Huo Yuhao had actually rejected the invitation to enter the Inner Court directly, a flash of obvious surprise crossed Yan Shaozhe's eyes. He had expected the boy to jump at the chance for status.
But in order to keep Huo Yuhao, he agreed without hesitation. He was willing to be flexible as long as the boy remained under Shrek's banner.
"Good! Then we shall do as you wish and start from the Outer Court."
"In a moment, I will have Director Du Weilun personally take you to handle all the enrollment registration matters."
Then Yan Shaozhe's eyes flickered slightly as he looked at Huo Yuhao, finally unable to resist asking the question that everyone present wanted to ask. The mystery of the rings was burning in his mind.
"I wonder... if it is convenient to tell me exactly what is going on with those two hundred-thousand-year-level spirit rings you just displayed?"
The Ice Jade Empress Scorpion Spirit could not be easily shown ten thousand years later, but there were no such taboos ten thousand years ago. The era was different, and he was a different person.
Since he had decided to reveal this power, Huo Yuhao had already prepared a corresponding explanation in his heart. He knew exactly how to satisfy their curiosity without revealing his system or past.
Facing Yan Shaozhe's gaze, Huo Yuhao's expression was composed as he slowly spoke, "The Dean should have heard of... Sacrifice, right?"
Sacrifice?!
These words were like a clap of thunder, exploding violently in Yan Shaozhe's mind! He reeled back mentally, the implications of the word hitting him with full force.
The word 'Sacrifice' represented the most extreme and rarest Opportunity in the history of Spirit Masters! It was a legend told to children and scholars alike.
A Spirit Beast voluntarily burns its life and Soul to bestow all its essence, spirit rings, and even its Spirit Bone to a Spirit Master without reservation! It was an act of total devotion that bypassed the laws of nature.
This process has almost no requirements for the Spirit Master's own Physique and spirit power Rank. Theoretically, even if one is only a one-ring Spirit Master, if they can obtain the Sacrifice of a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beast, their first spirit ring can naturally be a hundred-thousand-year one.
It was just... this was truly too rare! No beast would willingly give up its life for a human without an incredible reason.
In Yan Shaozhe's memory, the last clearly recorded Spirit Beast Sacrifice could be traced back ten thousand years to the Shrek ancestor who founded the Tang Sect and left behind countless legends—Tang San! The founder himself had benefited from such a miracle.
And Huo Yuhao had two hundred-thousand-year spirit rings. Could it be... that the youth before him had actually encountered two Sacrifices? He struggled to comprehend such luck.
This was too 'lucky', wasn't it?! It defied all probability.
Even if he were raised by Di Tian, he might not necessarily have such an Opportunity! The dean's mind was racing with theories and questions.
Yan Shaozhe was shaken, but he did not continue to ask for details. He saw the wall of indifference in the boy's eyes.
Because looking at Huo Yuhao's expression, he knew that even if he asked, the other party probably wouldn't say. The boy held his secrets close.
Too much probing might instead cause resentment in this peerless Genius, which would be more trouble than it was worth. He didn't want to drive the treasure away before it was even registered.
Yan Shaozhe quickly suppressed the stormy waves in his eyes. He turned his head and instructed Du Weilun, who was still in a state of shock beside him, "Director Du, I'll leave him to you."
Du Weilun snapped back to his senses and quickly replied, "Yes! Please rest assured, Dean!"
He offered Huo Yuhao a smile that was as kind as possible. "Please follow me."
Huo Yuhao followed behind Du Weilun, and the two of them passed through the academy gates one after the other. He felt the heavy gates closing behind him, the first step into his new life.
Not until their figures had completely disappeared did the crowd outside the East Gate slowly withdraw their almost frozen gazes. The silence that followed was heavy with the weight of what they had witnessed.
However, the Soul-shaking scene from just now had been etched deep into everyone's minds. It was a story that would be told for generations.
It was likely that for a very, very long time, what they had seen and heard today would not fade from their memories. The legend of the red rings had begun.
The Spirit King girl clenched her fists, walked up to Yan Shaozhe, and called out, "Dean."
Yan Shaozhe nodded. Seeing the girl's pale face and suspicious expression, he slowly spoke, "Luochen, don't think too much."
Ling Luochen couldn't help but glance toward the academy entrance again and asked, "Dean, was it Spirit suppression?"
Yan Shaozhe nodded, a shimmer of excitement in his eyes. "That's right. It is very likely Ultimate Ice."
Hearing this, Ling Luochen took a deep breath, and her gaze gradually returned to its usual calm. She felt a strange mix of dread and competition.
Being at Shrek, she had long known that she had to accept the existence of people even more talented than herself. It was the culture of the institution.
It was just that today was the first time she had felt that Soul-shaking sense of invincibility from such a young child! She knew the world had just changed.
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