8 Chapter 8 - The Examination Area (1)

The trio approached the outskirts of Shrek City, and Bei Bei and Tang Ya came to a stop.

"Well, Brother Huo Yuhao, this is where we part ways," Bei Bei said, his gaze at the entrance of the Shrek City.

Tang Ya nodded, "Brother Huo Yuhao. Good luck in the examinations, there's no doubt you'll enter Shrek Academy with flying colors. If you ever need help or guidance, don't hesitate to ask."

"I will see you two later." I waved my hands.

With farewells exchanged, Bei Bei and Tang Ya headed in the opposite direction, leaving me to navigate the bustling streets of Shrek City alone.

Following the signs directing me to the examination area, I wasn't nervous whatsoever, the feeling of childishness and lack of self-esteem had long since faded.

There was a man with a twig on his teeth as he lazily sat at the entrance of the examination area, he murmured with an exhausted look.

"Just write your name here."

With the memories of Huo Yuhao, the language from the Douluo Continent was easily ingrained within my mind. It allowed me to have a sufficient level of writing and reading skills.

Entering the examination grounds, I noticed a man observing the students with a keen eye.

Wang Yan, one of the academy's instructors, stood tall, his presence commanding attention.

"Shrek Academy doesn't accept weak spirit masters," he declared, his voice carrying a weight of expectation.

"You are here to prove your worth, and only the strongest will earn a place within these hallowed walls."

The atmosphere tensed, and the examinees exchanged nervous glances.

Wang Yan continued, "We will assess you through three trials. First, the demonstration of your martial soul. Second, the evaluation of your spirit rank. And lastly, a test of strength as you face one of our instructors in combat."

"Fighting an instructor?!"

"What? This is ridiculous!"

"We didn't know about this!"

The shock on the faces of the examinees was palpable.

The magnitude of the trials surpassed their expectations, and whispers of uncertainty and complaints rippled through the crowd.

Wang Yan's voice cut through the dissatisfaction, "This is not just to gauge your abilities. With the increasing number of spirit masters seeking entry, we must ensure that only the most qualified join our ranks. The trials will eliminate those who do not meet our standards."

"Let's begin!"

Many spirit masters were failed from the examination, as they tried to go out, but decided to stay to watch the examination to see whether anyone would be able to enter the Academy.

As my turn for the martial soul testing approached, I stood before Wang Yan, feeling the weight of his scrutinizing gaze. It was far from his usual kind demeanor.

His keen eyes bore into mine as he asked, "Huo Yuhao correct?"

"Yes." I nodded as he glimpsed at the paper. It was where I wrote my name before the examination started.

'His body is well-built. He might be an attack-type spirit master.'

With a stern demeanor, Wang Yan replied, "Start! Demonstrate your martial soul."

My eyes gleamed with a crimson light as Wang Yan entered my perspective.

Shock sparked in Wang Yan's eyes. What he witnessed left him visibly stunned.

My vision, the extraordinary power of the Almighty, unfolded before him.

'Does a martial soul like this exist? It's like the eyes of God.'

The ability to glimpse both past and future events seemed to defy the conventional understanding of martial souls.

'I can't comprehend this at all.'

Wang Yan, recovering from his initial shock, asked, "What is the name of your martial soul?"

With a confident smile, I declared, "Almighty."

The revelation echoed through the crowd, leaving mouths agape and eyebrows raised.

The sheer audacity of such a name, coupled with the unprecedented power displayed, left both examinees and spectators in awe.

"Uhm, let's start with the next trial." Wang Yan shook his head. He was going to invest on this boy from now on, even if his spirit rank was quite low.

I nodded nonchalantly as I placed my hand on the orb, the orb glowed radiantly and cracks formed from the glass.

'There's too much...' I knew that my spirit energy wasn't normal, so I tried to lower the output.

But, even that wasn't enough to stop the overflow of spirit energy from breaking the glass, I continued to lower the output. When the orb stopped cracking, the numbers stopped at 20.

"This!" Wang Yan's mouth was agape.

A spirit rank of 20 was a rarity among examinees, and the unexpected result further fueled the intrigue surrounding my mysterious abilities.

Wang Yan quickly addressed the crowd, "It seems we have an extraordinary talent among us. A spirit rank of 20 is a testament to the strength and potential of this young spirit master."

A murmur of excitement and disbelief rippled through the onlookers.

The anticipation of the third trial hung in the air, but Wang Yan, recognizing the exceptional circumstances, turned to me.

"Would you like to skip the third trial?" he asked, already anticipating the potential uproar from the crowd.

Contrary to expectations, I shook my head.

"No, I will complete all three trials."

The response elicited a collective gasp from the spectators.

The notion of voluntarily undergoing the final trial, especially after such exceptional performances, defied conventional expectations.

Wang Yan, while surprised, respected my decision.

The crowd, however, voiced their interest, expressing their desire to witness the unfolding spectacle of the third trial.

The atmosphere in the examination grounds crackled with anticipation as I prepared for the third trial.

Across from me stood an instructor, a formidable spirit master with a rank of 50. The air around him exuded power, and his eyes reflected years of experience.

Wang Yan announced, "For the final trial, Huo Yuhao will face Instructor Wu. Instructor Wu will fight at the same spirit rank as the examinee, demonstrating control and skill. Examinee, prepare yourself."

Instructor Wu, with a confident smirk, cracked his knuckles and said, "Don't worry, young one. I won't beat you up too hard."

"Hmph."

I rushed towards the Instructor with my barehands, I unfolded the boxing technique with fluid movements, causing everyone to be mesmerized by the foreign martial art.

The initial exchange was a dance of martial prowess. As the instructor blocked numerous of my strikes. He felt the power of the punches.

Even though the instructor tried to look for openings, but he never managed to hit Huo Yuhao despite his experiences.

I moved with a grace that defied my spirit rank, my martial movements enabling me to evade the instructor's attacks effortlessly. 

"Whoa! Not bad, kid!"

The Instructor applauded as he walked towards me to prepare to attack once again with even more force.

He used his first spirit ring, water needles to limit my area of activity, but I gracefully dodged the punches of the instructor and the water needles with relative ease despite the disadvantage.

The crowd watched in awe as I maneuvered with a level of skill that seemed impossible for someone with a spirit rank of 20.

I sped up my punches to a level enough to injure the Corrupted Marionette from the previous battle.

Even Bei Bei would've been sent flying. But, I knew the Instructor was stronger than Bei Bei as his body was filled with martial bones and spirit energy.

Instructor Wu, initially unimpressed, soon found himself struggling to keep up with my movements.

A light chuckle escaped me as I threw a fist towards his face.

The instructor caught off guard, managed to block the strike, but the force knocked him backward, surprising both him and the spectators.

"What?!"

"He actually landed a hit!"

Instructor Wu, now irritated, rose to his feet.

"You little brat, you dare mock me?"

His demeanor shifted, and he released his third spirit ring.

Water serpents materialized, circling around the stage. The crowd watched with bated breath as the water serpents lunged towards me.

"Instructor Wu! Stop!-" Wang Yan tried to intervene, but a white-bearded old man grabbed his shoulder.

"S-senior Xuan Lao!"

"Don't interfere. I want to see what this brat is capable of."

With a burst of speed, I activated the Divine Step, dodging the serpentine ambush.

I closed the distance between Instructor Wu and me in an instant, materializing the Dark Gauntlets.

The instructor, now alarmed, summoned his fourth spirit ring.

A massive water sphere formed, attempting to block my impending attack. However, the unexpected happened.

The force of my punch shattered the water sphere, and the Dark Gauntlet connected with the instructor's face.

He was sent flying outside the ring, crashing into a nearby building. The impact echoed through the surroundings, leaving a stunned silence in its wake.

Wang Yan's eyes widened, witnessing the unexpected turn of events.

The crowd erupted into a mixture of gasps and applause, unable to process the ridiculous feat.

A spirit master at the spirit rank 20 managed to effortlessly defeat a Spirit Leader. How ridiculous was that?

'Damn, I was too excited. I used all of my physical strength in that fight.' I shook my head disappointedly.

Xuan Lao raised his eyebrow at the ridiculous display of disappointment of Huo Yuhao was enough to make him laugh aloud.

Wang Yan stood still as if he just witnessed something ridiculous.

"You damn smelly kid! I am not done yet!" Suddenly an explosive force of spirit energy resonated throughout the place from the building where the instructor crashed.