At this moment, everyone finally remembered.
Although Huo Yuhao's strength was terrifying, he was only a one-ring quasi-Great Soul Master!
Good heavens, a quasi-Great Soul Master defeating the Hell White Tiger with bare hands, was this really something a quasi-Great Soul Master could achieve?
"My purpose for coming here is indeed to obtain a soul ring," Huo Yuhao stated bluntly on the topic.
The level of a soul master didn't matter; strength was what truly counted.
Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up, and they suddenly understood!
"Congratulations, Vice Monitor! Congratulations!"
The crowd quickly joined in the celebration. As students of Shrek Academy, they naturally knew how difficult it was to find a suitable spirit-type soul beast.
Given that Huo Yuhao had taken leave from Shrek Academy, it was likely that he had obtained information about a suitable soul beast.
At this moment, Du Weilun appeared on the stage with a complex expression. He had actually arrived earlier but hadn't revealed himself.
He never expected that Huo Yuhao was not only incredibly powerful but also a born leader!
In their generation, Yan Shaoze had been the leader because he excelled in all aspects and was the head of their generation's Shrek Seven Monsters.
Yet, compared to Huo Yuhao's brilliance, Yan Shaoze was like a firefly next to the moon!
Yan Shaoze had become the leader of their generation, but he couldn't stand out alone or dominate the scene.
But Huo Yuhao could do all of that!
This child's brilliance was truly too dazzling!
As Du Weilun appeared, the audience fell silent in perfect coordination, their gazes toward him filled with fervor.
Was it finally about to begin?
For these children, the freshman assessment was not just an evaluation but also a competition, a matter of pride.
Honor and belief drove them forward.
It was important to know that, for most soul masters, their entire lives were spent in competitions. Honor was something more important than life itself.
After awakening their martial souls and possessing innate soul power, they could enroll in a primary soul master academy.
Then came intermediate and advanced academies.
Shrek Academy was a rather special institution, encompassing intermediate, advanced, and some special students.
During their time at the academy, they would inevitably participate in various competitions. Upon reaching a certain age, they could graduate and remain as teachers.
As teachers, they would still be involved in competitions… gradually, even as they rose to become academy leaders, competitions would still be a part of their lives…
The Douluo Continent was not only a continent of romance but also a continent of competitions.
Even if the world was about to be destroyed, it could be decided through a competition!
On the stage, Du Weilun calmed his emotions slightly before speaking, "Let me introduce myself. I am Du Weilun, the director of the Academic Affairs Office. Many of you may know me, while some may not, but that doesn't matter."
"Today's protagonists are not me, but all of you!"
"Congratulations! You have passed the freshman assessment and officially become members of Shrek Academy!"
Upon hearing this, the audience erupted into enthusiastic applause, and the freshmen's faces lit up with excitement.
Those who hadn't met the standards had left Shrek Academy the previous night, so the freshmen present here were those who had passed the assessment.
"Since you're all so excited, I'll get straight to the point!"
"Next, I will announce the rankings and the list of core disciples!"
Amidst the enthusiastic applause, Du Weilun pulled out a small notebook and began to announce.
"Third place in the freshman assessment: Huang Chutian's team!"
Even though they already knew the result, Huang Chutian and his team were still thrilled when Du Weilun announced it.
This was the freshman competition of Shrek Academy. Securing third place already made them among the top talents on the Douluo Continent.
"Second place in the freshman assessment: Ning Tian's team!"
"First place in the freshman assessment: Hua Huo's team!"
"It's worth mentioning that both the first and second place teams are from Freshman Class Nine. Let's congratulate them!"
"Clap clap clap…"
Another round of enthusiastic applause broke out. The outcome of the first place had been known even before the assessment began.
This wasn't surprising at all.
If Hua Huo's team hadn't won, that would have been the real surprise.
Was there still a stronger team?
"Next, I will announce the list of core disciples. This list will also be posted on the bulletin board later. If any of you didn't hear clearly, you can check it there."
Du Weilun was simply following procedure; this wasn't unnecessary chatter.
He had already cut down a lot of the usual fluff!
As a high-ranking member of the academy, he should have spoken for at least half an hour during such an award ceremony!
But he didn't do that!
"Hua Huo, Huo Yuhao…"
The list was similar to the original timeline, but this time, Hua Huo was ranked first, and Huo Yuhao second.
As for Dai Huabin, he was at the very end of the list, even behind Zhu Lu!
Fortunately, Dai Huabin was lying in the infirmary and had no idea about this. Otherwise, he might have accused Du Weilun of having a death wish!
After announcing the core disciple list, rankings, and rewards, Du Weilun finally said to Huo Yuhao and the others, "Team Hua Huo, please follow me to the Academic Affairs Office to receive your exclusive rewards."
Huo Yuhao and Hua Huo weren't surprised by Du Weilun's words, as if they had already known about this.
As for Nanmen Yun'er, she was filled with anticipation!
She had essentially ridden on the coattails of her teammates to secure first place. What kind of special reward would the academy give her?
Soon, the group arrived at the Academic Affairs Office.
"Hua Huo, Huo Yuhao, um…"
Du Weilun hesitated slightly as he glanced at Nanmen Yun'er. It suddenly dawned on him that the freshman assessment required teams of three.
Nanmen Yun'er: "???"
Wait a minute!
It was true that the Monitor and Vice Monitor were incredibly talented, but Nanmen Yun'er wasn't bad either!
Was it necessary to treat her so differently?
"Um, and Nanmen Yun'er, your performance was excellent, securing first place. Therefore, the academy has decided to give you the basic rewards as well as a special reward."
After saying this, Du Weilun took out a thousand-year soul bone from his storage soul tool. The soul bone was fiery red, clearly prepared for Nanmen Yun'er.
"Nanmen Yun'er, this is a thousand-year soul bone. It's your reward. Take it and then you may leave."
Nanmen Yun'er: "???"
A thousand-year soul bone was indeed a surprise, but Du Weilun's blatant attempt to send her away left her speechless!
Handing out a thousand-year soul bone to get rid of her showed that the rewards for the Monitor and Vice Monitor were top-secret and couldn't be overheard by others!
Nanmen Yun'er accepted the soul bone, thanked Du Weilun, and left.
Being able to win a soul bone by riding on her teammates' success was already a great outcome for her. One must know when to be content.
"Hehe, I'm sure you've already guessed it. That's right, your rewards are classified. The fewer people who know, the better!"
Du Weilun's serious expression melted into a sly smile.
"Director Du, what's the reward?" Hua Huo asked in a hushed voice, as if afraid a fourth person might overhear.