Douluo Continent: The Eye of Truth

Chapter 38, "A Heart-Touching Story"

At this moment, among the Soul Masters on the field, apart from Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi, the others were taken off the field before they suffered serious injuries because of Xuan Zi.

Due to the immense pressure of this battle, both Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi were bruised and battered, with numerous wounds inflicted by various offensive soul skills.

However, most of Beibei's injuries were just superficial wounds; she just looked a bit pitiful.

Xu Sanshi was rather unlucky. Facing the Netherworld White Tiger's attack, even though he was a powerful defensive Soul Master, he was already on the verge of serious injury.

"Hiss hiss hiss." At Xuanzi's prompting, a Soul Emperor teacher specializing in healing began to treat Xu Sanshi.

Xu Sanshi grimaced and twitched, but his seemingly serious injuries were quickly stabilized, and he only needed to recuperate a little after returning home.

Xuanzi glanced at everyone present. Although in his opinion, Huo Yuhao and the others could be considered complete slackers in this selection competition, he was not prepared to go back on his word.

After taking a bite of the chicken leg and a sip of wine from the gourd, Xuanzi said, "Except for the last seven who remained, everyone else has been eliminated. Go back on your own later."

The students who were rescued fell silent for a moment, while Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu also regained consciousness with the help of their teacher.

Dai Huabin gritted his teeth. This selection competition should have been a great opportunity for him and Zhu Lu to show their strength, but it was all his fault, all that hateful Huo Yuhao's fault.

Dai Huabin stared intently at Huo Yuhao, while Xuanzi glanced around at the silent crowd before continuing, "Perhaps some of you feel this is unfair, or even resentful."

"You may think that such a free-for-all is a bit childish. The free-for-all puts more pressure on the stronger ones among you, and may even cause them to be eliminated and disqualified in advance."

"But I'm telling you, you're wrong. Your mistake is that you actually believe all battles must be fair and just, and that victory is what Soul Masters pursue."

"A battle is a battle. You must understand that on a real battlefield, battle is not like playing house in the academy. You cannot decide the number of enemies or the situation you will face."

"Therefore, the choice you make, or how you leverage your strengths, is the true embodiment of a Soul Master's combat prowess. You can only decide for yourselves."

"Regardless of the outcome or the difference in strength, in the end, it was Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, Wang Dong, Ning Tian, ​​Xiao Xiao, and Huo Yuhao who stood out from the crowd, so they are undoubtedly the victors."

"In this chaotic battle, all of your combat skills, individual strength, and even your ability to make decisions about the situation have been fully displayed before my eyes."

"I only hope that you can all remember this. If anyone still feels that this battle is not fair to you, then I can only say that your mentality is not suitable for the inner court and you are not qualified to become an inner court disciple."

Xuanzi's calm voice, imbued with powerful spiritual energy, clearly reached everyone's ears.

At the same time, his spiritual power also influenced the emotions of the crowd, gradually calming them down and beginning to affect their thoughts.

Although Xuanzi's martial soul is unrelated to mental attributes, he is still a Super Douluo approaching the limit. For Xuanzi, guiding these junior students with his mental power is not a problem.

However, with two powerful figures guarding Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea, the situation is naturally different.

"What you need to know is that this kind of chaotic assessment is commonplace in the inner academy, because if you don't even have the ability to cope with this, you are not qualified to become an inner academy disciple."

Then, Xuanzi finally got back to the main topic and began to proclaim his glorious deeds once again.

"Do you know what kind of situation the inner court disciples have faced in their most critical moments?"

"On that occasion, twelve inner court disciples, separated from their teachers, faced a 100,000-year-old soul beast. After that battle, eight of the twelve inner court disciples were killed."

"But the four who survived have become the pillars of the inner academy. One of them even obtained the soul ring and soul bone of that 100,000-year-old soul beast, laying the foundation for his future cultivation path."

Huo Yuhao listened to Xuanzi's glorious deeds and was speechless. To be honest, he really couldn't understand it. With Zhang Lexuan's talent, she could have been the most important pillar of Shrek Academy.

The group of students who followed her were fully qualified to be her core group, but it was truly outrageous that such a group could still be killed by a 100,000-year-old soul beast when they went out hunting.

As the story of Xuanzi's glorious deeds was recounted, the expressions of the others also turned sorrowful, clearly influenced by Xuanzi's spiritual power.

Huo Yuhao quickly lowered his head, pretending to be touched.

"So don't think that everything will be fine once you start studying at the academy. Even while you're at the academy, you must be prepared to face life-or-death crises at any time."

"Becoming an inner court disciple is not just an honor, but also a starting point, a door to facing life and death. After becoming inner court disciples, you will be branded with the mark of Shrek Academy."

"As inner court disciples, as true members of Shrek Academy, the first thing all students have to do after entering the inner court is to sign a life-or-death agreement."

"In order to pursue the ultimate level of a Soul Master, only by disregarding life and death can one achieve what others cannot."

What followed was a "heartwarming" PUA (Pick-Up Artist) segment, where Xuanzi distorted the fact that the inner court disciples were used as tools for Shrek Academy to solidify its position into a supreme honor.

In an instant, a seed was planted in the hearts of these teenagers under the age of fifteen, whose thinking and logic were still incomplete, by Xuanzi's spiritual power—a seed of glory for Shrek Academy and longing for the inner courtyard of Shrek Academy.

This seed will have an irreversible impact on students with ordinary personalities and weak willpower. As this seed takes root and sprouts under Shrek Academy's distorted educational model, it will greatly influence their future paths.

Even without joining the inner academy, they would stop at nothing for the so-called "Shrek Academy" and dedicate everything for the so-called "glory" regardless of the consequences.

As Xuanzi finished speaking, he took a sip of wine, and a faint tear appeared in the corner of his eye.

Through the analysis of the Eye of Truth, Huo Yuhao was certain that although Xuanzi was interfering with other students through mental power, his own ideas were also deeply rooted. Xuanzi had also been quite moved by what he had just said.

"How terrifying," Huo Yuhao thought to himself.

Soon, the other teachers and students left the Soul Fighting Zone with a faint sense of sadness in their hearts.

In the end, only Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, Ning Tian, ​​Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, and Xuan Zi remained in the Soul Battle Zone.

Xuanzi looked at the seven people who remained. By now, he had regained his composure and calmly said, "You all know the title 'Shrek Seven Devils,' right?"

"Inside the gates of our academy stand statues of the academy's founder and the first generation of the Shrek Seven Devils."

Although everyone was already aware of this history, no one interrupted Xuanzi's recollection.

And so, after a series of long, tedious stories, embellished over countless generations and now unrecognizable, Xuanzi finally got back to the point.

"Every five years, the academy selects a new Shrek Seven Devils, who will represent the academy in the five-yearly Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament."

Upon hearing this, everyone except Huo Yuhao felt a surge of excitement. Huo Yuhao, however, was pondering a question: should they rescue a few more inner court disciples from the Grim Reaper?

After all, with their current strength, it's not exactly a pipe dream to win this year's Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament, but they'll definitely have to use a lot of their trump cards, otherwise their strength simply won't be enough.

If they lose, the resources they can obtain from Shrek Academy in the future will undoubtedly be greatly reduced, and it will also interfere with the delicate balance of the entire continent.

In that case, should he slightly change the situation and guide a few inner court disciples who should have died or left the field to survive? This might be more suitable for Huo Yuhao's strategy of keeping a low profile.

"Today's selection competition is to select the reserve team members for the next Shrek Seven Devils. The reserve team members will serve as substitutes for the main participants. Although your chances of playing are extremely slim, you will be able to go and watch the competition together."

"Very slim, maybe 90% chance, right?"

"This will be an extremely valuable experience for you. However, the spots in the reserve team are not fixed. Over the next five years, you will be subject to review at any time. Only those with sufficient strength will be able to represent the academy in the final battle. During this period, you will also undergo multiple assessments."

"If you want to truly represent the academy in the competition, the first thing you need to do is make sure you can enter the inner academy."

"Will you take me down in one fell swoop again?" Huo Yuhao thought to himself.

Xuanzi concluded, "Alright, your selection as reserve team members is an academy secret. No one is allowed to disclose it, or they will be disqualified."

"From now on, you will all train with me for one day every week. There is still one month until the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Student Soul Battle Tournament. I will train with you and the Seven Devils of this year."

"I hope you will seize this hard-won opportunity and improve yourselves as much as possible."

"Alright, that's enough for now, everyone disperse." Xuanzi's gaze finally settled on Huo Yuhao, though he still treated Huo Yuhao differently because of Mu En.

However, he didn't like Huo Yuhao's fighting style, and since the Body Sect was the strongest force with the Body Martial Soul, it was also Shrek Academy's rival. In reality, he didn't approve of Huo Yuhao.

"Yes, Elder Xuan," everyone said respectfully before leaving the Soul Battle Zone.

Stepping out of the Soul Battle Zone, Bei Bei smiled slightly at everyone and said, "Gentlemen, since we are all selected as the Shrek Seven Devils reserve team, as the new generation of Shrek Seven Devils, we should have a ranking order, right?"

"How about we rank them by age, just like the first generation of the Shrek Seven Devils?"

Everyone nodded in agreement. Huo Yuhao said that it didn't matter at all; it was just a title. He just wanted to finish it quickly so that he could go back and study his soul skills as soon as possible.

They were quickly sorted by age. The oldest was Bei Bei, followed by Xu Sanshi and Jiang Nannan, while Ning Tian was a few months older than Xiao Xiao, Huo Yuhao, and Wang Dong.

"Senior Brother, if there's nothing else, I'll head back now."

Beibei nodded, while Xu Sanshi, whose eyes were now black and blue from being beaten, was still giving Beibei meaningful glances at Jiang Nannan.

As for what happened next, Huo Yuhao didn't bother to care and quickly left. Xiao Xiao didn't follow, seemingly having developed some interest in the Tang Sect, while Ning Tian and Wang Dong caught up with Huo Yuhao.

"Thank you for this selection competition." After walking for a while, Ning Tian said softly.

"Let's keep things separate; it's just a transaction," Huo Yuhao replied calmly. "If you're truly grateful, how about investing more in me?"

"After all, as someone from the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School, you probably already anticipated this selection competition. Your attempt to win me over during the Treasure Appreciation Event was likely to create more opportunities for us now."

Ning Tian smiled slightly and did not deny it, but handed Huo Yuhao a black card: "This is a black card from our Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School. It can be used in banks all over the continent."

"Among them are 130,000 gold soul coins, which is the cash I can currently offer. I hope you can help me out for the next five years, Sixth Junior Brother."

Ning Tian winked at Huo Yuhao, looking quite charming and cute, before turning away with her hands behind her back and parting ways with Huo Yuhao and the others.

"Wow, what an evil rich woman." Wang Dong curled her lip. She hadn't interrupted Huo Yuhao and Ning Tian's conversation until now, but she said with a hint of sourness, "It's just a black card, I have one too!"

Keep this black card safe. With the money Huo Yuhao had left behind, he now has about 250,000 in cash flow, which is more than enough to buy the Soul Devouring Blade.

Moreover, the remaining money could be used to purchase some combat-use soul tools to enhance combat strength and for research, or to buy some medicinal herbs and soul beast body tissues, which would be quite good.

"Ahem, alright, that's enough. I'm in a good mood today, how about I treat you to a meal at the cafeteria?" Huo Yuhao interrupted Wang Dong.

Upon hearing this, Wang Dong quickly pulled Huo Yuhao towards the cafeteria, saying, "Come on, come on, I want to eat!"

(End of this chapter)