"Dai Huabin, if hateful gazes could kill, you and your mother would have died countless times by now."
Huo Yuhao spoke with an expressionless face, showing neither joy nor sorrow.
At the mention of the Duchess of the White Tiger, Dai Huabin's eyes widened, and he stared fiercely at Huo Yuhao.
Yes, he could disregard Zhu Lu, and he could disregard his elder brother and the other illegitimate children.
But he was a filial son, and he cared deeply for his mother!
As the youngest son of the Duchess, Dai Huabin knew very well how much his mother doted on him.
Despite knowing that his elder brother excelled in every aspect, she still instilled in him the belief that the position of the White Tiger Duke belonged to him!
The Duchess of the White Tiger had played a significant role in Dai Huabin's twisted upbringing.
With Duke Dai Hao often away from home and his eldest son having gone to Shrek Academy early, what else could she do but dote on her youngest son and suppress those women who tried to seduce the White Tiger Duke?
As a princess of the royal family, her jealousy and insecurity were also related to Dai Hao.
Their marriage was a political alliance, and Dai Hao always avoided her, unwilling to see her. How could the Duchess not resent him?
She was a tool of political marriage, helpless in her situation.
But her status was still there, yet Dai Hao sought other women!
Huo Yuhao glanced at Dai Huabin, seemingly understanding his thoughts, and sneered, "My mother is dead, killed by you."
"I no longer care about right or wrong."
"I will make sure all of you die a miserable death!"
Before Dai Huabin could react, Huo Yuhao raised his left hand and slapped Dai Huabin hard on the right cheek.
With a loud smack, Dai Huabin's head jerked to the side, and several teeth flew out of his mouth.
Without pause, Huo Yuhao backhanded him, striking Dai Huabin's left cheek, and more teeth fell out.
For the final slap, Huo Yuhao released Dai Huabin, swung his right hand, and struck Dai Huabin's left cheek, sending him spinning through the air before he crashed heavily to the ground.
"Dai Huabin, you better live well. Killing you outright would be too merciful!"
Huo Yuhao spoke bluntly in front of everyone, making no attempt to hide his intentions.
"Good! That's what it means to be a man who repays his debts!"
"'I no longer care about right or wrong'—what a line!"
The elders of the Sea God Pavilion, witnessing this, did not frown but instead showed their support.
Why?
The more Huo Yuhao hated the White Tiger Duke's family, the more likely he would stay at Shrek Academy in the future!
He didn't treat others this way; it was only Dai Huabin, with whom he had a personal grudge, that he acted so harshly.
A child who could say, "Better for two to become dragons than for everyone to become dragons," how bad could his heart truly be?
They knew Huo Yuhao's background and the suffering he endured in his childhood. If he harbored no hatred for the White Tiger Duke's family, that would be cause for suspicion!
Too terrifying, too calculating!
Huo Yuhao's direct declaration of vengeance actually put everyone at ease.
After all, a barking dog doesn't bite; the ones to fear are the silent ones that strike without warning.
A child like Huo Yuhao, who seeks revenge openly without scheming or hidden motives, is a good child!
"The Duchess of the White Tiger has disgraced her title as a princess. This has gone too far!"
"Huo Yuhao didn't even inherit the White Tiger Spirit, yet he was treated this way. The Duchess has indeed gone too far."
Shrek Academy was well aware of the White Tiger Duke's family's inheritance system.
A child like Huo Yuhao, a mere illegitimate son, could have been easily won over with some small benefits and made to serve the main family.
But the Duchess's actions had completely pushed Huo Yuhao into opposition.
What else could this be but sheer stupidity?
A princess, how could she stoop so low?
"Hua Huo Team versus Dai Huabin's team, Hua Huo Team wins!"
The referee finally snapped out of it and announced the result of the match.
Both sides had already settled their bet on the stage, but the match result hadn't been declared yet.
They hadn't even considered the referee's presence!
Glancing at Huo Yuhao, the referee shook his head, thinking to himself, "Forget it, it's better if they don't pay attention to me…"
He was too old to withstand the fists and feet of these young boys.
The youth of today were truly formidable.
"The second half: Ning Tian's team versus Huang Chutian's team!"
"Referee, we forfeit!"
"We've decided to compete for third place against Dai Huabin's team!"
As soon as the referee finished speaking, Huang Chutian quickly declared.
Although their team had a spirit fusion skill, they had lost one match earlier.
It was against Ning Tian's team!
With Ning Tian's support, Wu Feng was simply too much of a counter for the two sisters.
Now, competing for third place against the heavily injured Dai Huabin's team was the wise choice.
Hearing this, everyone's eyes twitched.
Dai Huabin was severely injured and unconscious, and although Zhu Lu had regained consciousness, she was in no condition to fight.
Three against one, could Huang Chutian be any more shameless?
Sometimes, luck was also part of one's strength, and this was a perfect example.
"Wonderful!"
Mu Jin clasped her hands together, elated.
Her class had taken the top two spots!
If not for the abundance of prodigies this year, with the quality of her students, they could have easily taken the top five!
After all, they had all taken three Soul Ascension Pills!
"Ning Tian's team versus Huang Chutian's team, Ning Tian's team wins!"
Ning Tian and the others were also delighted. They hadn't expected to take second place.
They had thought they'd end up at the bottom or maybe take third, but they had managed to climb even higher!
As for why they didn't aim for first…
Huo Yuhao, who had single-handedly defeated the Hell White Tiger, stood like an insurmountable mountain before them.
They couldn't win; there was no chance!
As expected, Ning Tian decisively forfeited, securing the title of runner-up.
Cui Yajie, alone, clearly couldn't defeat Huang Chutian's team of three, so she also chose to forfeit, settling for fourth place.
"If the matchups had been better, we could have taken second."
Cui Yajie thought with a sense of loss.
This damned matching system, why did they have to face Hua Huo Team?
With their spirit fusion skill, even two against one was hopeless. How could they compete?
If she had stepped in to help, she might have ended up getting slapped too.
"The rankings are set. Return here tomorrow, and the academy will announce the core disciple selections!"
"Yes!"
No one had any objections to this and quickly nodded in agreement.
After everyone left, Dai Huabin, who had been forgotten, was finally taken to the infirmary with the help of his homeroom teacher.
"Little Blackie, you're at it again, shaping your image. Those old folks are completely fooled."
On the field, Hua Huo and Huo Yuhao walked side by side, the former tilting his head and smiling.
"Wife Hua, I'm not shaping any image. This is just how Huo Yuhao should be."
"Then you…"
"I'm Little Blackie. What does that have to do with Huo Yuhao?"
"Impressive!"