Shrek City, Inner Court.
Xuan Zi watched the images on the sky screen, his expression somewhat stiff.
Yan Shaozhe said cautiously, "Elder Xuan, back then..."
"I know." Xuan Zi interrupted him, his voice somewhat dry.
He remembered this matter.
Or rather, he had originally forgotten it.
But at this moment, as the sky screen brought this past event back up, he finally realized—
When that thin, small child stood there, head lowered, saying "It's fine," what was he thinking in his heart?
He had felt at the time that Innate Rank 1 truly had no potential.
Giving him core student treatment for one year was already out of consideration for Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao.
But now, the Huo Yuhao of the other World, also Innate Rank 1, had already become a God King.
And the Huo Yuhao before him, although only eight-ring, was a student of his Shrek Academy and had rendered countless services to the academy.
"I misjudged," he said suddenly.
Yan Shaozhe was stunned: "Elder Xuan?"
Xuan Zi did not explain, merely gazing at the young man with his head lowered on the sky screen, silent for a long time.
...
Shrek City, Tang Sect.
The Black World Huo Yuhao stood alone in the shadows, watching his own reflection on the sky screen with his head similarly lowered, the corners of his mouth pulling into a bitter arc.
"Enjoying one year of core student treatment..."
He murmured.
He remembered that day.
He remembered Wang Dong wanting to speak up for him, only to be held back by him.
He remembered Xiao Xiao being at a loss on the side.
He remembered the gazes all around—pity, confusion, schadenfreude.
He also remembered the seed that had been buried in his heart.
That seed later sprouted, grew leaves, and was forcibly suppressed by his countless battles, countless victories, and his unwavering loyalty to Shrek.
He had always told himself that Shrek was right. Innate Rank 1 truly had no potential. Being able to give him one year of treatment was already an act of mercy.
But now, looking at his other-World self—
He was suddenly unsure.
"If back then..."
He did not continue.
He only sighed deeply, very deeply.
...
Black World, Heaven Dou Empire, Body Sect.
Du Busi watched Huo Yuhao's experiences on the sky screen, his heart filled with anger.
"Hmph! I knew it, this Xuan Zi is short-sighted, obsessed with innate aptitude."
"That is the eyes! The more precious a Body Spirit is on the body, the stronger the potential; this Xuan Zi understands nothing at all!"
"Back then at the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, if not for Xuan Zi's interference, Huo Yuhao would have already come to our Body Sect."
"In that case, his talent would have been developed more comprehensively!"
"For ten thousand years, Shrek Academy has gathered countless geniuses, but compared to the number of those geniuses, the ones truly cultivated are few and far between."
"Now that Shrek Academy is in his hands, I fear it is at risk of decline!"
"Abominable! Truly abominable!"
...
White World · Sun Moon Empire
Bright Capital, in a tavern.
The commoners watched the images on the sky screen, laughing until they were bent over.
"Hahahaha! First place in the freshman assessment, and they don't give him core student status?"
"Enjoying one year of treatment? What kind of god-tier move is this?"
"What did that Xuan Zi say? Limited potential? Innate Rank 1 is no good?"
Someone slapped the table and laughed loudly: "Come, come, look at our Venerable Ming! Innate Rank 1, a First-Class Soul Engineer in two months, and now he has already started learning Necromancy! This is what you call limited potential?"
"Are the eyes of those people at Shrek growing on the back of their heads?"
"No wonder the gap between the two Worlds is so large. With this kind of vision, what kind of talent can they cultivate?"
In the crowd, an old man said leisurely:
"I, this old man, actually think Shrek is not wrong."
Everyone was stunned and looked at him.
The old man stroked his beard and said unhurriedly: "They judged Huo Yuhao as inadequate according to their own standards. That's not the problem—the problem is that their standards themselves are flawed."
"They only see spirit power and nothing else. The mental force advantage of the Spirit Eyes Martial Soul, they can't see; the potential of spirit tool technology, they can't see; the boy's desperate drive, they also can't see."
"What they see is only the four words 'Innate Rank 1'."
The old man shook his head: "Therefore, it's not that Shrek is wrong; it's that their horizons are too narrow."
The crowd was silent.
Then, someone murmured: "Then our Venerable Ming, in that World... how stifled must he have been?"
...
White World, Reincarnation God Realm.
Gu Yuena gazed at the sky screen, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly.
"Now, they know where the gap lies."
Wang Qiuer frowned: "Just because of a core student status?"
"It's not a question of core student status." Gu Yuena shook her head, "It's a question of attitude."
She paused, then slowly said: "The Yuhao of that World, from the first day he entered Shrek, was told 'You are not good enough.' Zhou Yi let him be the class monitor to motivate others, not to cultivate him. Xuan Zi said he had no potential because he only looked at spirit power and Spirit, not anything else. First place in the freshman assessment, and not giving him core student status, was because they felt he didn't deserve it."
"And what about our Yuhao here?"
She looked at the young man in the right-side screen who was focused on crafting a spirit tool in the laboratory.
"From the first day he entered the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, what he encountered was Wang Qian's patient questioning, Lin Jiayi's personal assessment, and the encouragement and guidance of the teachers. Becoming a First-Class Soul Engineer in three months, what he received was applause and recognition."
"One environment tells you 'You are not good enough, but you must fight to prove yourself'."
"One environment tells you 'You can do it, as long as you work hard'."
"This is the gap."
Wang Qiuer was thoughtful.
Snow Empress gazed at the head-lowered Black World Huo Yuhao and suddenly asked: "Will he regret it?"
Gu Yuena was silent for a moment, then said softly:
"I don't know."
"But I know that he in that World has always been convincing himself that Shrek is right."
"And today, the sky screen tells him—Shrek might be wrong."
...
Meanwhile, on the right-side sky screen, the image also changed.
[White World, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy also ushered in its freshman assessment, which mainly relied on basic knowledge of spirit tools, spirit tool crafting, spirit tool usage, actual combat, etc.]
[And these assessments were obviously not difficult for Huo Yuhao; whether it was the corresponding spirit tool knowledge or crafting skills, Huo Yuhao had them all in his grasp, passing the freshman assessment with a perfect performance and winning first place.]
[And the reward given by the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy to the freshman first-place winner was not something Shrek Academy could compare with.]
[In addition to the corresponding points, there were also medicinal pills/heavenly treasures for consolidating one's foundation, spirit tool blueprints, etc.]
[The biggest reward among them was that Huo Yuhao could choose a teacher himself to follow and learn from in the future, rather than learning in a large class.]
[And the teacher Huo Yuhao chose was none other than Xuan Ziwen.]