The following morning, as soon as the bell rang for the start of class, Huo Yuhao handed over the team registration list he had compiled the previous day to their teacher, Zhang Lexuan. Zhang Lexuan accepted the document with a calm expression, scanning the names briefly without making any immediate comments. She simply offered a few standard words of encouragement to the students before moving on with the lesson. She did not interfere with the groups the students had formed on their own, nor did she place any specific pressure on them to achieve certain rankings.
Once class concluded, Wang Dong took the lead, guiding Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao toward a quiet, secluded grove located just outside the academy grounds. The area was peaceful, filled only with the soft sounds of birds chirping in the trees, which created a sense of absolute stillness. Wang Dong eventually came to a halt, turning around to face his two teammates. His delicate, handsome face was now masked with a look of extreme focus and seriousness. When he spoke, his voice was low but carried a weight of absolute conviction. "For this upcoming Freshman Assessment, we are going to focus on only one objective," he stated firmly. He paused for a second to let the tension build before finishing his thought. "And that objective is to take the championship."
Huo Yuhao had initially decided to participate in this assessment primarily to keep an eye on Dai Huabin and find an opening for his revenge. To him, the title of champion was a trivial matter that held very little personal value. As for Xiao Xiao, she was currently distracted, her large eyes fixed intently on Wang Dong while her mind seemed to be wandering. She wasn't particularly worried about the final results of the competition either. She simply found herself thinking about how attractive Wang Dong looked when he was being so intense and serious. Because of this, Wang Dong was clearly the most competitive person in their small group. Having been raised as the precious prodigy of the Clear Sky Sect, he had grown up with constant praise and had never known the feeling of losing to anyone his own age. It wasn't until he crossed paths with a monster like Huo Yuhao that he experienced his first taste of true defeat. Because of that loss, he was now more determined than ever to claim the top spot in this assessment.
"Don't worry so much about it, Wang Dong!" Xiao Xiao said as she snapped out of her daze and stepped forward with a bright smile. "With our Class Monitor on the team, there is no way we can lose the championship!"
Wang Dong did not smile back; instead, his expression became even more solemn as he looked at her. "The Freshman Assessment is designed as a team-based competition. Even though Yuhao is incredibly powerful, we cannot simply lean on him for everything." He shifted his gaze to Huo Yuhao for a moment before looking back at Xiao Xiao to explain his strategy. "My plan is for you and me to handle the fighting during the initial matches. If we ever run into an opponent that we truly cannot handle, then that is when Yuhao will step in to finish things."
Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao both nodded their heads in agreement, having no issues with this arrangement. Seeing that they were both on board, the stiff tension in Wang Dong's face finally relaxed, and a small smile touched his lips. "Now, let's take some time to discuss our individual abilities," he suggested, looking between his two partners. "We need to fully understand how each other's Spirit Abilities work so that we can coordinate our moves effectively during the heat of battle." To lead by example, he began his own introduction immediately. "My Spirit is the Light Goddess Butterfly, which is an attack system Spirit with the light attribute. I am currently a Rank 26 Spirit Grandmaster, and my first Spirit Ability is..."
Once Wang Dong finished explaining his power, Huo Yuhao took his turn. "My Spirit is the Spirit Eyes, a mental control system Spirit. I am currently at Rank 45, making me a Spirit Ancestor." When he finished speaking, both Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao stood there with their mouths hanging open, completely paralyzed by the sheer gap in their power levels. It took a long time for Xiao Xiao to recover from the shock. She blinked several times to clear her head before she finally started her own introduction. "My Spirit is the Thrice-Life Soul-Stabilizing Cauldron," she said, her voice still trembling slightly from the surprise of Yuhao's rank. "It is a power-oriented control system Spirit. I am a Rank 22 Spirit Grandmaster, and my first ability is Cauldron's Stability."
After she finished explaining how her two main abilities functioned, a slight blush crept onto Xiao Xiao's cheeks. she stole a quick glance at Wang Dong and then lowered her voice to a whisper. "Actually... I have a second Spirit." This revelation caused Wang Dong's eyes to widen in genuine surprise. "You have twin spirits?" Xiao Xiao nodded her head quickly, a small spark of pride showing in her eyes. "Yes. My second Spirit is the Phoenix's Arrival Flute, which belongs to the support system."
Huo Yuhao watched Xiao Xiao with a faint, knowing smile on his face. He found it quite amusing that by pure coincidence, every single person on this team actually possessed twin spirits, even though Xiao Xiao was the only one who had openly admitted it so far. Wang Dong also took a moment to look at Huo Yuhao, remembering the incident at Sea God Lake where he had realized that Yuhao was hiding a second power as well. A moment later, Wang Dong spoke up again. "Now that we have the basic information down, it is time for some practical combat drills!"
Xiao Xiao looked at him with a confused expression. "How exactly are we supposed to practice?" Wang Dong let out a mischievous grin, his eyes sparkling with a bit of playfulness. "It's simple. You and I are going to team up and fight against Huo Yuhao!" Before he had even finished the sentence, a brilliant flash of golden light erupted from his body. The Light Goddess Butterfly Spirit possessed him instantly, and a pair of stunning, multicolored wings spread out from his back. With a single flap, he took to the sky and hovered above them. He looked down at Huo Yuhao with a challenging smirk. "Yuhao, do you think you can handle a two-on-one fight against us if you don't use any Spirit Abilities?"
Huo Yuhao looked up at the golden figure in the sky, a calm smile reflecting in his eyes. With a quick flick of his wrist, a soul tool longsword materialized in his hand, its slender blade shimmering with a sharp, cold light. "Come at me." Xiao Xiao stood there watching the two of them, feeling a bit overwhelmed by how quickly the atmosphere had shifted. Is the training session really starting just like that?
As the assessment began, it became clear that Wang Dong's reputation as the top talent of the Clear Sky Sect was well-earned. Even without relying on his Clear Sky Hammer, his Light Goddess Butterfly was an incredibly dominant Spirit on the battlefield. With the help of Huo Yuhao's Mental Detection Sharing providing them with perfect battlefield awareness, Xiao Xiao providing crowd control, and Wang Dong handling the offense, they cruised through the first few rounds. Huo Yuhao never had to lift a finger.
Because Huo Yuhao had already gained a fearsome reputation for defeating a Spirit Emperor and scaring off their previous teacher on the first day, the other students were terrified of him. When the other teams saw his name on the bracket, many of them felt like giving up immediately, believing the championship was already decided. However, after watching several matches where Huo Yuhao simply stood in the back and let his teammates do the work, some of the other students began to regain their courage, thinking they might actually have a chance.
That changed during the morning match when Huo Yuhao was finally forced to take action. Their opponents were the twin sisters they had encountered before, Lan Luoluo and Lan Susu. While the sisters were polite and grateful to Yuhao for his past help before the match began, they fought with everything they had once the bell rang. Using their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Heavenly Net, they created a defense that Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao simply could not break through on their own.
Seeing his teammates struggling, Huo Yuhao decided to end the stalemate. His Spirit Eyes glowed with a sudden, piercing light as he launched two invisible Spiritual Impacts across the arena. The attacks hit the twin sisters simultaneously. Since a Martial Soul Fusion Skill requires the two users to be in perfect mental harmony, Yuhao's mental strike easily shattered that connection. The blue light surrounding the sisters broke apart, and the Heavenly Net dissolved into nothingness. The match ended in an instant victory for Huo Yuhao's team.
As they walked off the field, Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao both looked down at their feet, their faces flushed with embarrassment. They had grown a bit too confident after their long winning streak, but this fight had served as a harsh reminder of their limitations. That evening, after returning to the dormitory, Wang Dong sat on his bed in total silence. The usual pride and energy he displayed were gone, replaced by a quiet, brooding atmosphere. He stared at the floor, lost in his own thoughts.
Huo Yuhao noticed his teammate's dejected mood and walked over, sitting down on the edge of his own bed to face him. "Don't let it get to you," Yuhao said in a calm, soothing voice. "At the end of the day, we still won the match." Wang Dong looked up, his pinkish-blue eyes filled with a complicated mix of frustration and doubt. He quickly looked back down at the floor. "We only won because you stepped in to save us," he muttered quietly. "If it had just been Xiao Xiao and me, we would have lost that fight for sure."
Huo Yuhao couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at how seriously Wang Dong was taking this. "I am a member of this team too. Just because I happen to be strong doesn't mean you should try to act like I'm not here." Wang Dong couldn't find a way to argue with that logic, especially since it was the simple truth. Huo Yuhao was indeed on another level. Seeing that Wang Dong was still struggling, Yuhao continued. "A Martial Soul Fusion Skill is designed to multiply power. Even though the Lan sisters aren't at the top level, their combined strength is something that almost anyone below the Spirit Ancestor rank would struggle to overcome."
Wang Dong knew that Yuhao was right, but his competitive nature still made it hard for him to accept the situation. After a long silence, he suddenly snapped his head up. His eyes were now burning with a new, intense light. He stared directly at Huo Yuhao and spoke with total determination. "Yuhao, let's give it a try!"
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