Born into a military family, Dai Huabin's ruthlessness far exceeded that of his peers.
Even though the person responsible for the death of his birth mother—the one who had humiliated him many times—was standing right before him, Huo Yuhao's eyes remained calm and expressionless. He had never considered Dai Huabin a true opponent. He wasn't qualified. Compared to this minor character, the person Huo Yuhao truly hated was the one who manipulated his fate from behind the scenes.
Of course, if an opportunity arose, he wouldn't mind killing Dai Huabin. But for now, that was impossible. Shrek Academy explicitly forbade private fighting among students—never mind that what Huo Yuhao wanted was Dai Huabin's life. And Dai Huabin, being gifted, was surely under the academy's strict watch. In such a situation, acting rashly was not an option.
"Both sides, move to the edge of the field. Begin on my command," the bald referee said in a muffled voice.
Dai Huabin gave a faint glance across at the other side, then calmly walked backward to his position. He had no idea that the boy standing across from him had already harbored murderous intent toward him—and that this person was actually his own younger half-brother.
Just then, on a tall platform, an elderly man in white appeared. His features were plain, but he exuded an innate authority, clearly someone long accustomed to power.
The moment the old man appeared, Du Weilun, the Dean of the Teaching Department, floated down and landed respectfully before him.
"Dean."Du Weilun bowed deeply, his expression reverent.
This white-robed elder was none other than Yan Shaozhe, the current head of the Martial Soul Department at Shrek Academy. The academy was divided into two departments: Martial Soul and Soul Tool. Each had a dean, and while the two were technically equal in status, the resources they received were vastly different. The reason was simple—the disparity in student numbers. For this year's enrollment, the Martial Soul Department admitted over 900 students, while the Soul Tool Department had just a handful.
Dean Yan's personal attendance at the matches showed how much importance he placed on this year's freshmen.
"Begin the match." The bald referee's deep voice echoed.
Noticing that Dean Yan's attention had been caught by something, Du Weilun followed his gaze—and immediately understood. Dai Huabin, with three soul rings, had already reached the threshold for fourth-year students, and yet he was only twelve or thirteen. No wonder the dean was intrigued.
Then, Du Weilun turned his gaze toward Huo Yuhao, who stood opposite Dai Huabin, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes. Among the freshmen, this child was undoubtedly among the top five. His strength alone allowed him to momentarily resist a three-ring Soul Elder—and he seemed to have self-created combat techniques. Just recently, he had broken through to level twenty-nine; it likely wouldn't take him more than a few months to reach thirty.
While Du Weilun was lost in thought, he was not as shocked as others by Huo Yuhao's second thousand-year soul ring. He had already guessed the reason behind it. Instead, he sighed regretfully over Huo Yuhao's premature use of his second martial soul—a foolish decision in his eyes.
While Du Weilun was still caught up in regret, Dai Huabin and Huo Yuhao had already clashed. Huo Yuhao had taken the initiative to engage, not because he specifically targeted Dai Huabin, but because Dai Huabin had three soul rings and a high-quality Evil-Eyed White Tiger martial soul. It wouldn't make sense to have Xiao Xiao face someone like him—what kind of teammate would that make him?
After his martial soul possessed his body, Dai Huabin was covered in thick white fur. His hands had transformed into tiger claws, and a large "王" (king) character appeared on his forehead. His once-handsome face became fierce and terrifying in an instant.
"White Tiger Light Wave!" At the referee's command, Dai Huabin's second soul ring lit up with a tiger's roar. He opened his mouth and fired a thick white beam of light, surging with power, straight at Huo Yuhao. As a Soul Elder, Dai Huabin had his own pride. To him, this match was just a solo performance—a show of dominance. Three opponents with only two rings? Two of them had pitiful soul power. Only Huo Yuhao was worth taking seriously.
In truth, his combat style leaned more toward close-range fighting; long-range energy attacks were not his forte. Still, it depended on the opponent. Against another three-ring soul master, Dai Huabin would usually prepare defensive measures before engaging in melee. But this match didn't require such caution. If even he didn't dare get close, would they?
Although he hadn't done any deep digging on Huo Yuhao, he'd overheard some chatter from other students.
Even when facing a Soul Elder's second skill, Huo Yuhao felt little pressure. But he was good at hiding his emotions. On the surface, he looked solemn and focused. Though he hadn't activated any soul skills, his fluttering sleeves showed he was clearly channeling his soul power for something big.
Then, the crowd saw Huo Yuhao stretch out his right hand. White soul power began to swirl and rotate in a precise pattern on his palm. In the next instant, a white ball of light—about the size of a fist—formed. It shone brightly, its energy chaotic and wild.
It was the Spiral Bullet—Huo Yuhao's signature kill move. Simple in form, deadly in effect.
He flung the glowing orb like a snowball straight at Dai Huabin, and it collided midway with the white beam fired from Dai Huabin's mouth. The White Tiger Light Wave was halted. At the same time, the Spiral Bullet exploded on impact. In an instant, the entire arena was engulfed in dazzling white light.
The two attacks were equally powerful and canceled each other out. After about ten seconds, the resulting energy dissipated completely.
Huo Yuhao furrowed his brow slightly. The Dai family's White Tiger martial soul was even stronger than he'd expected.
Little did he know, Dai Huabin was just as surprised."A self-created soul skill?"
As the son of a duke, raised with meticulous care, Dai Huabin had sharp eyes despite his young age. When Huo Yuhao launched his attack, his soul rings hadn't reacted. That instantly led Dai Huabin to suspect a self-created soul technique.
Self-created soul skills had existed since ancient times. They were unique techniques invented based on one's own abilities. Compared to soul ring skills, each had its pros and cons. Soul ring skills were quick and powerful, triggered almost instantly with just a thought and some soul power.
Self-created techniques were different. They required deep control over soul power and energy flow—an enormous mental burden.
Moreover, they usually took longer to prepare, which left the user vulnerable to interruption or injury. Only a rare few could execute them quickly—and that required incredible control.
Despite these drawbacks, self-created skills had their strengths. Tailored to the soul master's own abilities, they maximized personal advantage. A soul master with one of these could easily overpower someone of the same level—and even beat stronger opponents wasn't unheard of.
[Author's note: Taking the day off to go out and play. Only two chapters today. I'll owe you the rest for later!]
(End of Chapter)