Huo Yuhao followed Gu Yue all the way to her room.
Just like Huo Yuhao's room, it was located on the same floor as Leng Yaozhu's residence.
The layout inside was identical to his own room, but Gu Yue's decorations were clearly more feminine.
A faint, refreshing fragrance wafted through the air.
Huo Yuhao withdrew his gaze, but his heart grew increasingly curious. What exactly did Gu Yue want by bringing him to her room?
Gu Yue turned around and gently closed the door.
She looked at Huo Yuhao, a faint smile playing in her deep black eyes.
"Congratulations on your Breakthrough to Spirit King and condensing your first Soul Core."
"I've prepared a gift for you."
After speaking, she took a step forward, took Huo Yuhao's right hand, and placed an object in his palm. It felt slightly cool, smooth, and hard to the touch. Huo Yuhao looked down and saw a palm-sized, fan-shaped object. It looked somewhat like a seashell, with an elegant shape and rounded edges.
However, with his powerful vision, he could naturally tell that this was not a shell at all; it looked more like some kind of scale.
The scale was silvery-white throughout, but under the illumination of the room's soul tool lights, a seven-colored luster actually flowed over that silver-white base, as brilliant as a rainbow.
Huo Yuhao looked up at Gu Yue, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
Before he could speak, Gu Yue said, "Drip a drop of blood onto it."
Huo Yuhao didn't doubt her. He immediately pricked his finger and let a drop of bright red blood fall onto the scale in his palm. When the blood hit the scale, it didn't flow across the smooth surface; instead, it vanished instantly, absorbed completely by the scale. Subsequently, the scale in Huo Yuhao's palm also vanished instantly. In his perception, it hadn't disappeared, but rather merged into his body!
"This..."
Huo Yuhao looked at Gu Yue again, his gaze filled with questions and surprise. Clearly, this scale was anything but simple.
Seeing his expression, Gu Yue couldn't help but smile.
"This is a true dragon inverse scale passed down through my Clan. Think of it as an amulet that can save your life in a moment of crisis."
Now that the inverse scale had merged with his Bloodline, Huo Yuhao could also clearly perceive a subtle yet powerful energy contained within it. Huo Yuhao secretly judged that it should be able to withstand even an attack from a Titled Douluo level.
This Inverse Scale was a true life-saving treasure.
Receiving such a precious gift so suddenly, alongside his excitement and joy, Huo Yuhao felt a surge of self-reproach. Because he realized that he seemed to have never given Gu Yue a decent gift before.
Seeing that Huo Yuhao's expression was a bit off, Gu Yue tilted her head slightly and asked, "What's wrong?"
Huo Yuhao pursed his lips, his eyes carrying a bit of complexity.
"Thank you for the gift," his voice was sincere yet tinged with guilt, "It's just... I haven't prepared anything to give to you."
Hearing this, Gu Yue couldn't help but burst into a giggle. Her dark eyes curved into crescent moons, filled with mirth. She had thought it was something major, but it turned out he was thinking about this.
She then said, "Then you should prepare well."
She paused, a flash of mischief in her eyes.
"How about giving it to me when I Breakthrough to Spirit King?"
Listening to Gu Yue's relaxed tone and seeing her teasing expression, Huo Yuhao knew she didn't blame him. He immediately nodded solemnly.
"Okay."
"When you Breakthrough to Spirit King, I will definitely prepare a very good gift for you."
...
In the blink of an eye, several months passed.
The vacation ended, the new semester began, and another three months had already gone by.
Shrek Academy, Soul Fighting Arena. The Core Students of the Outer Court, twenty-four in total, were all gathered here at this moment.
Some had confused expressions, looking around, still unsure of what was happening.
Others had determined gazes, their eyes full of anticipation, clearly having received some information in advance.
"Elder Xuan!"
"I'm not convinced!"
A voice rang out from the crowd. The speaker wore a black school uniform, was tall, had thick eyebrows and large eyes, and could be considered handsome.
At this moment, his face clearly bore a hint of indignation, his brow furrowed as he looked straight at Xuan Zi, who was standing on a high platform.
He raised his right hand and pointed at someone in the crowd.
"On what basis does he not have to participate in the selection?"
The figure he was pointing at stood there quietly, his expression as calm as ever. Just now, the Inner Court Elder Xuan Zi announced that these Core Students of the Outer Court would undergo a battle royale selection.
The final six remaining would be the winners. But at the same time, Xuan Zi announced that among the twenty-four Core Students of the Outer Court, one person did not need to participate in this selection and would "advance" directly!
And this person was naturally Huo Yuhao.
The one speaking now was precisely a sixth-year Student of the Outer Court—Xu Sanshi.
Clearly, he felt that such an arrangement was unfair!
Faced with Xu Sanshi's "interrogation," Xuan Zi was in no hurry to answer.
He stood on high, still holding a chicken leg he had half-eaten, no expression visible on his greasy face.
As an Academy Elder, he usually couldn't be bothered to answer such questions. Did the questioning of a junior deserve an explanation from him? But since this was a public selection, the situation naturally had to be made clear.
He swallowed the remaining chicken leg in one bite, chewing it along with the bone in his mouth, making "crunching" sounds.
Finally, with a "gulp," he swallowed it all.
He picked up his wine gourd again, tilted his head back for a large gulp, then smacked his lips and spoke slowly.
"This is the Academy's decision."
His voice was raspy and casual, as if he were speaking about a trivial matter.
"Huo Yuhao's strength far exceeds yours, so there is no need for him to undergo the assessment."
If it were an ordinary person, they might have backed down immediately upon hearing such words from an Elder.
But Xu Sanshi was different. He came from the Xuanming Sect. Although he wasn't as arrogant and domineering as Dai Huabin, pride was also etched into his bones.
That kind of pride wasn't an outward wildness, but an inward self-confidence; he never believed he was inferior to anyone.
He snorted, his gaze moving past Xuan Zi to land on Huo Yuhao in the crowd.
"How strong he really is, we'll only know after a fight!"
His voice was loud, carrying a hint of provocation.
Huo Yuhao's reputation in the Outer Court was indeed not small.
He had defeated a Spirit Emperor teacher on the first day of school; this was something everyone in the Outer Court knew.
However, many people still held a skeptical attitude toward this matter; after all, it was simply too hard to believe.
Huo Yuhao hadn't taken action many times in the Academy. The only time he had publicly acted was during the Freshman Assessment, when he defeated the Martial Soul Fusion Skill of Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu, the Hell White Tiger.
That time was indeed stunning.
Xu Sanshi admitted Huo Yuhao was strong, but he believed he wasn't weak either. He possessed a top-tier Spirit and had few rivals among his peers.
If Huo Yuhao were allowed to advance directly, he simply felt it was unfair.
Hearing this, Xuan Zi's brow furrowed slightly.
A flash of impatience crossed his cloudy old eyes as he asked, "Then what do you want?"
Xu Sanshi raised his hand and pointed at Huo Yuhao.
"Let me have a match with him. If I lose, then I'll be convinced." He paused, his gaze landing on Huo Yuhao, the corners of his mouth curling slightly. "After all, he's just a Spirit Ancestor."
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A/N:
5 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
2 Reviews = 1 Extra Chapter
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.