Huo Yuhao, on the other hand, was caught in the middle of Skydream Ice Worm's schadenfreude: "Pfft... Hahaha! I usually don't laugh unless I can't help it, especially after seeing you two swallowing each other's vomit. It's a good thing I don't have anything to throw up, or else I'd have laughed myself sick."
"Brother Skydream, I'm already in this state and you're still making fun of me," Huo Yuhao grumbled internally with great dissatisfaction.
Skydream Ice Worm struggled to suppress its laughter. "Haha, take note for next time, take note for next time. But the reason I'm laughing isn't entirely out of spite. From now on, you must remember every word I say."
"I never imagined that someone whose Martial Soul is a perfect match for yours could actually appear in this world. I thought it was almost impossible, yet you found one. For you, this is a massive opportunity. If you seize it, it will be of immense help to your future."
"A perfect Martial Soul match? For real?"
Since Dai Huabin had previously educated Huo Yuhao on the subject of Martial Soul Fusion techniques, he wasn't entirely ignorant. Generally speaking, a compatibility of over fifty percent was required to even attempt a fusion. A perfect match—reaching one hundred percent compatibility—was difficult to even fathom.
Skydream Ice Worm continued, "It's true. Not only your Spirit Eyes Martial Soul, but even the still-unformed second Ice-attribute Martial Soul I bestowed upon you is a perfect match for this Dai Huabin's White Tiger Martial Soul. This is quite literally a miracle."
Huo Yuhao never expected that both of his Martial Souls could fully fuse with Dai Huabin's.
While this filled him with great joy, he couldn't help but feel puzzled. "Could it be because we share the same bloodline?"
"I'm not sure either, but regardless, it's a good thing for you."
"As long as the two of you input Soul Power into each other and circulate it through your bodies during cultivation, it will drastically increase your cultivation speed. It might even allow you to raise your Soul Power level by three or four ranks before the end of the first year."
"If you can get that kid Dai Huabin to practice the Mysterious Heaven Skill as well, your cultivation speed should increase even further."
The thought of Huo Yuhao being able to change his "tortoise-speed" cultivation state sent Skydream Ice Worm into a fit of excitement. Perhaps choosing Huo Yuhao over Feng Piaoling back then wasn't an act of idiocy or a momentary lapse in judgment, but rather something predestined by fate.
Huo Yuhao nodded. According to Brother Skydream's original estimates, he would raise his Soul Power by at least two levels a year. Now, he could potentially gain three or four levels, and if Dai Huabin practiced the Mysterious Heaven Skill, it would increase even more. This cultivation speed was effectively doubled.
Compared to that, the socially mortifying method of their Martial Soul Fusion didn't seem like such a big deal anymore.
Just then, a fierce and stern female voice drifted over, catching the attention of Wang Dong, Huo Yuhao, and Dai Huabin.
Zhou Yi, wearing her half-rimmed glasses and elderly mask, walked over with her arms crossed and a menacing expression. "What are you doing here?"
Upon seeing Zhou Yi, Wang Dong'er let out a cold snort and turned her head away, refusing to answer. Zhou Yi didn't care; as long as the girl could integrate into the small group of Huo Yuhao and Dai Huabin and participate in the freshman assessment with them, it was fine.
Huo Yuhao and Dai Huabin exchanged a look. Dai Huabin said haltingly, "Teacher Zhou, we were practicing a Martial Soul Fusion technique!"
"Martial Soul Fusion technique?" Zhou Yi only then noticed the rectangular trench—tens of meters long—behind them. Her eyes lit up instantly. "Huo Yuhao, did you two do this?"
"Yes, Teacher Zhou," Huo Yuhao answered, stealing another glance at Dai Huabin with some embarrassment. For some reason, he felt his heart skip a beat when he looked at him.
Zhou Yi scrutinized the destruction caused by their fusion technique once more and nodded inwardly. She had originally worried that even with the combined strength of Dai Huabin, Wang Dong, and Huo Yuhao, the hope of defeating Feng Piaoling would remain slim. After all, Mu Jin was no fool and would surely pair him with two powerful teammates.
Now, with the Martial Soul Fusion technique between Huo Yuhao and Dai Huabin, things were different. Such terrifying destructive power... forget Feng Piaoling, even she might suffer if she took a direct hit.
"Since you've successfully cultivated a Martial Soul Fusion technique, have you thought of a name?"
Huo Yuhao scratched the back of his head mindlessly. "Not yet..."
Perhaps because of the "brotherly bond" that had just been established between them, his mind was filled with thoughts of Dai Huabin, leaving no room to think of a name for their technique.
Dai Huabin, however, spoke up at that moment. He raised his hand and suggested, "How about calling it 'Resilience Within Strength · Tiger's Roar at the Spirit Gate'?"
Pfft— Hearing this, Wang Dong'er, who had witnessed the process of their fusion earlier, could no longer hold back and let out a snort of laughter. "I have to say, that name is actually quite good. But in my opinion, it needs a shorthand. How about we just call it 'The Power of Hao-Bin'?"
Resilience Within Strength · Tiger's Roar at the Spirit Gate? The Power of Hao-Bin?
Surprisingly, these two names received unanimous approval from Zhou Yi, Huo Yuhao, and Dai Huabin.
Zhou Yi nodded. "Then we shall call it that. Additionally, I need to remind you of a serious matter. Yesterday, a teacher from our Outer Court was assassinated. The killer has yet to be caught. During this time, you had best stay away from such secluded places."
Upon hearing this, the expressions of Wang Dong, Huo Yuhao, and Dai Huabin all turned solemn.
Inexplicably, Wang Dong recalled a scene from over two months ago when she and Xiao Xiao were chased by an Inner Court student suspected of being an Evil Soul Master, only to be saved by Feng Piaoling. Could this dead Outer Court teacher have been killed by that same Evil Soul Master?
Was Shrek Academy truly a place that "hid filth and harbored evil," as Feng Piaoling had claimed? Wang Dong couldn't help but feel a flicker of doubt in her heart.
—
Shrek Academy's assessment area was much larger than the Soul Dueling Arena. It was oval-shaped, with a low wall around the perimeter and the interior divided into sections by partitions. Each area was four hundred square meters, totaling fifty sections. This was enough for a hundred groups of students to compete simultaneously. Three hundred groups meant three rounds of matches.
Following the morning's grouping, the assessment officially began in the afternoon. Feng Piaoling's trio was assigned to Area 48. Coincidentally, their first opponent in the round-robin tournament was none other than Class 1.
There was even a familiar face: Xiao Xiao. As for her two teammates, they weren't Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, but two Battle Soul Masters with Soul Power around level eighteen or nineteen. Their Martial Souls were the Explosive Ape and the Cloud-Winged Bird, which were considered close to top-tier among beast Martial Souls.
When the two saw that their opponent was Feng Piaoling—the man rumored to be the number one talent of the Outer Court—their faces turned deathly pale.
Xiao Xiao, however, looked at Zhu Lu and Feng Piaoling with a bit of embarrassment. "Um, Lulu... and Benefactor?"
"Just call me by my name," Feng Piaoling replied, somewhat exasperated.
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