Huo Yuhao had not even summoned his spirit rings yet.
This display of power left every spectator in a state of complete shock.
Even Yan Shaozhe, a powerful Super Douluo, narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched. His gaze stayed fixed on Huo Yuhao, his mind filled with deep contemplation.
He did not understand the nature of this ability, and Dai Huabin, standing in the center of the ring, understood it even less.
Dai Huabin stood frozen, his eyes wide with gravity and disbelief. His breathing turned heavy and ragged, and his chest heaved with every gasping breath, yet he made no move to attack again.
It was not because he lacked the will, but because he lacked the courage.
That single previous exchange had forced him to realize a cold truth. The gap between himself and Huo Yuhao was a vast, unimaginable chasm.
In that tense silence, Huo Yuhao took another step forward.
One step, two steps, three steps...
He moved slowly toward Dai Huabin, his voice calm yet piercing as it echoed across the arena.
"It seems you still haven't recognized me."
Confusion flickered within Dai Huabin's eyes.
Did they actually know each other?
He frantically searched through his memories, trying to find a face that matched the one before him.
But no matter how hard he searched, he could not remember ever meeting this person.
That refined face, those icy and calm eyes, that unshakable composure... everything about the boy was a total blank in his mind.
While Dai Huabin remained stunned, Huo Yuhao continued his approach until he was only a few meters away.
Dai Huabin forced himself to be ruthless.
He decided to stop thinking!
A savage light erupted in his eyes as he exploded with power, lunging at Huo Yuhao like a heavy shell fired from a cannon.
The tiger claws on his right hand whistled through the air, aimed directly at Huo Yuhao's chest with lethal intent.
The strike was as fast as a bolt of lightning.
As a Spirit Elder, Dai Huabin possessed impressive speed for his age.
To most of the regular students watching, his movement was nothing more than a blur that was impossible to track.
However, in the vision of Huo Yuhao, the attack looked like it was moving in slow motion.
He did not activate a single Spirit Ability. He simply shifted his body slightly to the side.
The sharp tiger claws grazed harmlessly past his clothes.
Dai Huabin's pupils shrank in terror. He tried to pull back his hand and change his stance, but he was far too slow.
Huo Yuhao's right leg lashed out like a heavy whip.
Bang!
The kick connected solidly with Dai Huabin's stomach.
The defense provided by the White Tiger Barrier offered no resistance, shattering like thin paper under the impact.
The massive force surged through his body, causing Dai Huabin to curl up like a shrimp. His eyes nearly popped out of his head as he sprayed a mouthful of blood into the air.
Then, he was sent flying.
Boom!
His body hit the edge of the ring like a heavy sack of grain before rolling across the hard ground.
Huo Yuhao had been training in the secret techniques of the Body Sect since he was a child. His spirit power was incredibly dense and far superior to anyone of his rank.
Because of this, his physical strength was already on par with a Spirit Emperor who possessed a Beast Spirit.
A casual kick from him was a burden that few could actually survive.
Dai Huabin lay on the floor, gasping for air as blood from his mouth stained the ring. It was a gruesome sight.
The sudden turn of events left the crowd breathless.
They were terrified by Huo Yuhao's raw strength, seeing him defeat a Spirit Elder with one hit without even using his Spirit.
They were also surprised that Huo Yuhao had chosen to attack first. In every other match, he had played defensively and never dealt such brutal blows to his fellow students.
Today, he looked like a completely different person.
Their teacher, Zhang Lexuan, sat in the stands and watched the cold expression on Huo Yuhao's face. She knit her eyebrows in thought.
She had suspected for a long time that Huo Yuhao entered this assessment specifically to face Dai Huabin.
Now, his ruthless behavior proved that her instincts were correct.
There was clearly a deep, personal grudge between these two boys.
On the ring, Dai Huabin struggled to push himself up. He used a shaky hand to wipe the blood from his chin.
He stared at Huo Yuhao with a look of pure confusion and fear.
A sense of total helplessness washed over him as he realized he could not win this fight.
"Did we know each other before? Is there a grudge?"
His voice was low and hoarse, searching for any kind of answer.
Huo Yuhao did not say a word.
He blurred across the ring, covering ten meters in an instant to appear right in front of Dai Huabin.
Then, he delivered another merciless kick.
Bang!
Dai Huabin was sent tumbling backward again, slamming hard into the metal railing on the opposite side of the arena.
The railing shook violently and let out a loud, groaning sound.
Puff!
Another spray of blood hit the floor, coating the ground in red.
Dai Huabin collapsed at the edge of the ring, fighting just to lift his heavy head.
His face was twisted with hatred and a refusal to give up as he glared at Huo Yuhao.
"Huabin!"
Across the ring, Zhu Lu had been dodging the relentless attacks of Wang Dong. She screamed out when she saw what was happening.
She was filled with panic and tried to run toward Dai Huabin immediately.
Wang Dong was hovering in the air. Seeing her move, he flapped his wings to cut off her path.
He had promised Huo Yuhao that he would make sure no one interfered with his business.
But then, Huo Yuhao spoke up.
"Wang Dong, let her come over."
Wang Dong paused for a moment. He stayed in the air and watched as Zhu Lu rushed to reach Dai Huabin.
Zhu Lu knelt by Dai Huabin's side. When she saw his pale face and the blood on the floor, her eyes filled with tears.
"How are you?"
Her voice was shaking with fear.
Dai Huabin shook his head but couldn't find the strength to speak.
He leaned on Zhu Lu to pull himself up. Even though his legs were trembling, he forced himself to stand straight and tall.
He knew he was outmatched and beaten, but he still looked at Huo Yuhao with nothing but pure resentment.
This was the pride of a true son of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion. It was his final bit of stubbornness.
Elsewhere, the fight between Xiao Xiao and Cui Yajie came to a halt.
It wasn't because one of them had won. The match had only just started, and they hadn't used their real power yet.
They stopped because they realized they were not the focus of this battle.
Every person in the stadium was watching the two boys.
Huo Yuhao walked forward again, his eyes locked on Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu.
"Don't you have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill? Use it."
He stopped walking, and a small, cold smile appeared on his face.
"If I don't let you use it, you'll never accept your defeat, will you?"
Near the edge of the ring, Director Du Weilin leaned over to speak to Yan Shaozhe. "Dean..."
He looked hesitant as he watched the two boys on the arena floor.
Yan Shaozhe knew exactly what he was worried about.
He shook his head, his face as calm as a still lake.
"Nobody is going to die yet. Do not interfere."
Director Du Weilin started to argue, but he quickly changed his mind and kept quiet.
Yan Shaozhe was a very calculating man. He could see the obvious hatred between Huo Yuhao and Dai Huabin.
Huo Yuhao was the savior of his personal student, Ma Xiaotao.
He had the power of Ultimate Ice, making him the only person capable of stopping Ma Xiaotao's evil fire.
For that reason alone, Yan Shaozhe would not stop him from taking his revenge.
Besides, Huo Yuhao was the most promising genius in the entire academy.
For a student like that, why would the Dean ever get in his way?
As long as he didn't kill the boy, it was perfectly fine.
As for Dai Huabin being from the White Tiger Duke's Mansion.
Yan Shaozhe did not care about that at all.
The White Tiger Duke might control the military of the Star Luo Empire, but that meant nothing here.
Dai Hao was only a Spirit Douluo at this time.
Shrek Academy had existed for ten thousand years. They were not afraid of anyone.
A simple duke was not worth his concern.
Beyond that, even if Dai Hao was angry, he wouldn't dare move against a top genius from Shrek Academy.
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