Chapter 176: Extortion and Sparring

Huo Yuhao looked at him out of the corner of his eyes, which were brimming with rage, and said angrily, “Does this mean you don’t trust me?”

Lin Jiayi spread his hands open and made a helpless gesture. He said, “It’s not that I don’t trust you. However, reality states otherwise, and that is what we must deal with. Don’t worry, I will inform Teacher Fan Yu. However, you must explain yourself clearly right now.”

Huo Yuhao nodded coldly and said, “Right, since you don’t want ‘face’, there’s no need for me to cover up for you. Let’s go. Bring me to the Hallmaster, and I shall explain it in front of him.”

Lin Jiayi was helpless before Huo Yuhao. Jing Hongchen had told him of his importance many times. Furthermore, Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen were still at Shrek Academy. While he already had Hongchen’s Blessing as evidence, he could not truly lose his temper at Huo Yuhao or do anything drastic to him! All he suspected was a possible connection between Huo Yuhao and the surprise attack by the Body Sect.

“Alright, I shall bring you to the Hallmaster.” In the end, Lin Jiayi decided to let Jing Hongchen take care of Huo Yuhao.

First, this was because his status was too sensitive. Second, Jing Hongchen had been in a foul mood recently. He had been heavily punished by the imperial family, and that was before news of the loss of Test Subject 1 leaked out.

Right now, in Lab No. 1, some of Jing Hongchen’s confidantes were trying to rebuild Test Subject 1. With their experience, their progress was rather quick. However, the once-vast resources of Illustrious Virtue Hall had been greatly reduced.

In cuffs, Huo Yuhao walked out of the infirmary with his back straight and head held high. A cold smile was plastered on his face. His self-righteous appearance made Lin Jiayi’s heart pound. However, the Rank 9 soul tool, Hongchen’s Blessing, was not something that Shrek Academy could have produced. Furthermore, there were still traces of Jing Hongchen’s aura on it. Those traces could not be faked. Lin Jiayi would never believe that Jing Hongchen would gift a Rank 9 soul tool to an outsider!

He also could not imagine that the revolutionary Test Subject 1 of the Illustrious Virtue Hall was currently located in the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges around Huo Yuhao’s waist. Right now, the teenager’s face was both relaxed and infuriated.

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Jing Hongchen’s office was no longer in Virtuous Illustrious Hall out of safety considerations, since the underground facility had not yet been fully reinforced. While the new location was not suited for work, Jing Hongchen had no mood to carry out research on soul tools at the moment.

When Huo Yuhao followed Lin Jiayi into Jing Hongchen’s office, he was resting with his eyes closed. In just the span of a few days, the Hallmaster, who previously looked impeccable, appeared to have aged ten years. His face appeared much colder, too.

“What happened?” When he saw Lin Jiayi bringing Huo Yuhao into his office in handcuffs, a suspicious look crossed Jing Hongchen’s face.

Lin Jiayi said respectfully, “Hallmaster, this was what happened. Today, Huo Yuhao woke up in the infirmary and per regulations, we interrogated him and searched him. While nothing appeared to be amiss, we found a Rank 9 soul tool on him that belonged to you. Hence, our suspicions were aroused, and we decided to let you decide his fate.”

“A Rank 9 soul tool that belonged to me?” Jing Hongchen paused momentarily. Then, his eyes fell on the Hongchen’s Blessing that Lin Jiayi passed him.

When he saw the round soul tool, along with Huo Yuhao smiling coldly, Jing Hongchen felt as if he had been slapped before a crowd by one of his own people.

“Did he not tell you how this Rank 9 soul tool came about?” Jing Hongchen asked in a voice that was a few octaves higher than his normal one, glaring at Lin Jiayi.

When Lin Jiayi saw his face, he knew that something was amiss. He said apologetically, “Yuhao did not want to say, but instead demanded that we bring him to you for interrogation.”

Jing Hongchen slammed his table and cursed, “Bastard, what did I tell you? Not only is he an exchange student from Shrek Academy, but he is also a closed door disciple of the Master of the Sea God’s Pavilion, the Dragon God Douluo, Elder Mu! Elder Mu is a senior whom I respect. This Hongchen’s Blessing was something I personally passed to him when I was still with him. How can you interrogate Huo Yuhao like any other person?! Is your brain damaged?!”

Lin Jiayi was stunned by the scolding. The Hallmaster had given it away, a Rank 9 soul tool!

However, as a confidante of Jing Hongchen, he understood what was going on from his tone when he mentioned Elder Mu, the Dragon God Douluo. The last time he met Elder Mu, it was in the Sea God’s Pavilion in Shrek Academy. Could it be…

“Heh… so that’s the case. It’s all my fault. Hallmaster, I am wrong. I was too brash, but there are really too many things going around recently. Furthermore, I did not dare to act rashly since it was so important! Yuhao, it’s all my fault, please forgive me, please forgive me!”

As he said that, Lin Jiayi walked in front of Huo Yuhao to apologize.

Huo Yuhao stared at him coldly and said, “Director Lin, what mistake did you make? You were doing it for the good of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy.

“After all, this is not the first time I’ve had to wear these handcuffs. What a pity Shrek Academy does not have them!”

An ugly looked crossed Jing Hongchen’s face. The last time, he was forced by Huo Yuhao to grant him permission to study in Illustrious Virtue Hall. Over the past few months, he’d heard that Huo Yuhao had used up all of the rare metals that were allocated to him. This time, as Huo Yuhao had been treated unfairly, he would have to make it up to him again.

However, there was really not much he could do. After all, his precious granddaughter and grandson were exchange students at Shrek Academy. A smile crossed his face as he walked in front of Huo Yuhao and said, “This is a mistake they committed in the line of duty, and it is a mistake on my part, too. I will personally un-cuff you. How about this? I shall double your allotment of precious metals every month from now on. What do you think?”

Huo Yuhao did not dare to continue maintaining this façade. Who knew what high-level soul tools capable of detecting the contents of storage-type soul tools the Hallmaster possessed? If his secret was discovered, he had too much to lose.

Immediately, his face softened as he said, “Please, Hallmaster.” As he said that, he extended his arms.

Jing Hongchen took the key from Lin Jiayi and personally un-cuffed him while saying, “Jiayi, please remember that you must give Yuhao special treatment. If a problem like this emerges again, you can forget about being a teaching director.”

“Yes, yes.” Lin Jiayi could only chuckle bitterly in his heart. Why was it so difficult to deal with this rascal? He really had to be more careful next time.

Huo Yuhao said, “If there’s no other matter, Hallmaster, I shall head back. Today is the last day of the month, so there’s no need for you to double my allotment for this month.” In the outside world, the monthly allotment of the Illustrious Virtue Hall was no small sum. Some of the materials could not even be sold on the market.

Jing Hongchen’s facial muscles twitched as he said, “It has to be counted.”

With that, Huo Yuhao nodded in satisfaction and said, “Then I shall leave.” As he said that, he turned to walk out, his tension finally starting to relax. Just because he could control his heartbeat did not mean that he was relaxed! Instead, he was worried sick. If he could not pass this round, he would be in deep trouble.

He made it to the door of the office and was just about to leave when he heard Jing Hongchen say suddenly, “Wait a moment.”

Oh, no. Huo Yuhao felt his pores constricting. He was struck by fear! He almost dropped everything and ran.

Fortunately, he was very mature for his age, probably more mature than some adults. Could he actually run away? Not only was Jing Hongchen a Rank 9 soul engineer, but he was also a Titled Douluo. How could he escape?

All he could do was turn around and ask, “Do you have a request, Hallmaster?”

Jing Hongchen fell silent for a while, and then said, “Yuhao, if I remember correctly, you were part of the main team in the last Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, right?”

Huo Yuhao shook his head and said, “Not the main team. I was only a stand-in.”

The corners of Jing Hongchen’s eyes twitched. A stand-in? A stand-in beat my grandson and granddaughter? Was this not a slap on his face? However, he could not react. He coughed and said, “It’s like this. The incidents a few days ago have affected me greatly. The reason our facility was invaded and we suffered such heavy losses was that our soul engineers did not have a lot of battle experience against soul masters. Normally, they are surrounded by other soul engineers, and hence they will only battle other soul engineers. So I’ve had an idea.”

When he heard that, Huo Yuhao calmed down, thinking, Whatever you say, it’s fine. Just don’t search me.

He walked back into Jing Hongchen’s office and asked obligingly, “What idea did you have, Hallmaster?”

Jing Hongchen said, “Shrek Academy is the premier academy on the continent, particularly for soul masters. Our Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy is the best school on the continent in terms of soul engineering. You were able to represent Shrek Academy previously, which demonstrates your ability in battling other soul masters. Hence, with you as the lead, I want to let the soul masters and soul engineers in our school spar. This will let our students understand how soul masters fight. Don’t worry, I will only pick opponents whose ages are similar to yours. At best, they would be Rank 5 soul engineers. What do you think?”

Huo Yuhao shook his head and said, “No, I am not interested.”

“Why not?” Jing Hongchen asked, curious. “This is a good chance to increase your combat experience!”

Huo Yuhao smiled slightly and said, “I have enough combat experience, and I don’t need anymore. Hallmaster, please ask someone else. I’m here to study, not to fight.”

Jing Hongchen’s face instantly turned foul as he said, “Fine, state your conditions.”

Huo Yuhao chuckled and said, “You understand me so well.”

Jing Hongchen looked at Huo Yuhao’s change in attitude, and didn’t know if he should cry or laugh. However, he could not deny that this young man was exceptional indeed. Compared to his grandson and granddaughter, he did not think that Huo Yuhao was better than them in terms of battling abilities. However, his people skills surpassed theirs completely.

“Just state your conditions, but you can’t ask for more allotments. Our school’s budget is rather tight,” Jing Hongchen forewarned Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao said, “Hallmaster, is this acceptable to you? You aren’t a stingy person, and I can assure you that in these spars, I will neither severely injure nor kill anyone. If I win, all I want is a prize. I am willing to take on challengers who are Class 6 and below. If I win, you must give me a kilogram of precious metal. I choose the type. What do you think?”

A kilogram of precious metal for a single victory? This condition was indeed not harsh. After all, many precious metals had high densities, and a small chunk would easily weight one kilogram.

After some thought, Jing Hongchen said, “Okay, we shall proceed as you wish. If you lose, I don’t want anything from you. Just don’t ask me for anything.”

Huo Yuhao puffed up his chest and said, “Of course, of course. As long as you keep your promise, I am willing to battle as many rounds as you want. I am very poor, and can only become rich through this. Oh right, I almost forgot. Shouldn’t you return the Hongchen’s Blessing to me?” As he said that, he extended a hand to Jing Hongchen.

Jing Hongchen really did not want to give it to him. However, when he looked at the greedy and uncompromising young boy before him, he found it hard to reject him. After all, he did not bring up that embarrassing incident. Furthermore, as a Titled Douluo and the Hallmaster of the Illustrious Virtue Hall, how could he take back something he had already given out? Elder Mu was generous indeed. He had given Huo Yuhao Shrek Academy’s only Class 9 soul tool.

Jing Hongchen returned the Hongchen’s Blessing to Huo Yuhao. He had a new level of understanding of Huo Yuhao’s position in Shrek Academy. If they could afford to give him a Class 9 soul tool, his importance could not be understated!

“Thank you, Hallmaster. Let me know after you setup the location for the spar. If you decide to sell tickets to outsiders, you don’t need to worry about me asking for a cut.”

Jing Hongchen almost kicked him out of his office as he chided, “Get out!”

Huo Yuhao laughed as he walked out.

“Wait.” Just when he reached the exit, he was called back by Jing Hongchen again.

Huo Yuhao stopped, turned his head and asked, “Hallmaster, didn’t you ask me to get out? Is there something else?” In his heart, he thought, “Are you trying to scare me to death? There’s no end to this!”

Jing Hongchen said seriously, “Yuhao, if you are willing to come over, the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy will double whatever Shrek Academy offers you. Think about it.”

Huo Yuhao was stunned. He could see the sincerity in Jing Hongchen’s eyes. However, they had different aims, and there was no chance this could work! He shook his head gently and said, “Thank you for this recognition. However, I can’t.” Right after he said that, he finally managed to leave Jing Hongchen’s office. This time, a look of disappointment crossed Jing Hongchen’s face, but he did not hold him back.

“Hallmaster, I think it’s a good idea to sell tickets. In our school, no one actually lacks money. Recently, not only has Huo Yuhao been extorting us, but our expenditures have gone up too. Do you…?” Lin Jiayi asked probingly.

Jing Hongchen’s eyes shone as he nodded and said, “You make the arrangements.”

“Yes.” Lin Jiayi was full of admiration for Jing Hongchen. This time, despite the incident and the fact that Jing Hongchen was forced by circumstances, he still had the future development of the school in his mind. By allowing Huo Yuhao to compete with their students, it superficially seemed to be giving in to Huo Yuhao’s demands. However, in reality, if the spar was properly organized, they could divert the students’ attention and increase their understanding of soul masters. Not only could it increase their experience against soul masters, but they could further understand Huo Yuhao’s abilities and prepare for the next Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, which would be held in the Sun Moon Empire. There were many benefits to this arrangement, and making money was just one of them.

After Huo Yuhao returned to his dormitory, he plonked down on his bed immediately. The psychological pressure was too much to bear. Even then, his heart continued to thump loudly against his chest, as if it wanted to break out from his chest.

Right after he woke up from his sleep, he was faced with an immense challenge. In the end, he was able to turn the situation around. He could more or less guess the reason why Jing Hongchen wanted him to spar with soul engineers from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, but he still agreed to it. He needed to obtain more precious metals, and he needed a chance to release his pent-up emotions.

Ever since he had entered the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, he had been in a state of constant alertness. Regardless of whether it was in his studies or his secret drawing of the map, he was under immense pressure, further exacerbated by this incident.

The Ultimate Soldier Plan had special psychology lessons. His teacher taught him that once his mental pressure reached a certain level, he would need to find a suitable location to vent. If not, it would create psychological problems, especially for someone of his age.

“Knock, knock, knock.” Someone was knocking on his door.

Huo Yuhao stretched out on his bed. In doing so, he allowed himself to calm down. Only then did he walk to his door to open it. Just as he expected, Fan Yu and He Caitou were outside.

When they noticed that he was fine, they evidently became calmer. Quickly, they entered his room. He Caitou closed the door behind him.

“Little Junior, you almost scared teacher and me to death! I heard from other members of our academy that the situation that day was extremely dangerous. You were out for a few days. While the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy allowed us to pay you a visit, we could not tell what was wrong. Luckily, you are fine.” While the Shrek’s Seven Monsters were all ranked, He Caitou was still willing to call Huo Yuhao ‘Little Junior’. After all, only the two of them were soul engineers.

Huo Yuhao shook his head and said, “I don’t know how I was knocked unconscious. It was really dangerous that day. The Body Sect was too powerful, and they appeared to be very familiar with the interior of the Illustrious Virtue Hall. As the attack came too suddenly, the Illustrious Virtue Hall suffered heavy casualties.”

Then, he recounted the incident of that day simply. However, he did not talk about him entering the interiors of the Illustrious Virtue Hall through the tunnel.

Huo Yuhao had his considerations too. The metal man was extremely important, and it was best for as few people as possible to know about it. It might not be a good idea to tell Teacher Fan Yu and Second Senior. Furthermore, he was also afraid that it would expose his connection to the Snow Lady. All he said was that the Snow Lady blew up and nothing else. As for the metal man, he decided to tell no one before he returned to Shrek Academy. He would say everything back at Shrek Academy.

After he heard Huo Yuhao’s recounting of the events, Fan Yu frowned and said, “Something is wrong here. The price of a hundred thousand year soul beast embryo rivals that of entire cities, but one could only benefit two soul masters at most, and that’s under the condition that the soul ring and the soul bone are separated. This attack by the Body Sect was almost lethal to the Illustrious Virtue Hall, and their losses cannot be calculated. At the same time, they now have a vendetta against the Illustrious Virtue Hall. Is it really worth sacrificing so much for this treasure? After all, the Body Sect does not need money. I don’t think they are doing it for the 100 million golden soul coins.”

He Caitou said, “Teacher, regardless of what their reasons were, it doesn’t hurt us. The more the Illustrious Virtue Hall loses, the more the Sun Moon Empire loses. Perhaps it’ll delay the onset of war.” When He Caitou talked about the future war, an odd light shone in his eyes. When he mentioned the Sun Moon Empire, it was as if it did not concern him.

Huo Yuhao sighed in his heart. Did Second Senior really manage to emerge from the shadow of hate? Or was the hate buried in an even deeper place? He did not want anything back, all he wanted was to destroy! Ever since he met Ju Zi, Huo Yuhao’s understanding of the hatred in humans’ hearts had increased.

From Ke Ke, he occasionally heard some news about Ju Zi. She seemed to have joined the military, but he did not know what her role was. All he knew was that she went with the military to West Sea of the Sun Moon Empire, where she battled against oceanic soul beasts. Since then, she had not returned.

Fan Yu nodded and said, “That’s right, but as students of Shrek we are in a precarious position. It’s best for us to understand the ties between the two sides. Yuhao, with your analysis, what do you think is going on?”

Huo Yuhao knew that his teacher was testing him by asking this question. He replied after a moment of silence, “The Body Sect attacked suddenly, but they came entirely in black and their faces were masked. They did not reveal their identities. By doing so, while the Illustrious Virtue Hall could guess who did it, the Body Sect could deny their allegations, as they had no solid proof. After keeping silent for so many years, the Body Sect’s sudden action could only have a few objectives.”

“First, many might have forgotten the Body Sect because they’ve remained low-profile for too long. They’re trying to enhance their reputation. The Sun Moon Empire and Illustrious Virtue Hall will try to keep their true losses a secret after this incident, but things will always leak out. Once the truth is known, it will be very beneficial for the Body Sect’s reputation. At the very least, they have shown how powerful they can be.

“Secondly, Elder Mu once mentioned that the Body Sect’s priority is always profit, they aren’t really concerned about good or evil. They were extremely invested and meticulous in this ambush, so there must have been huge profits involved. On the surface, it seems like it might be because of the hundred-thousand year soul beast embryo and the hundred-million gold soul coin reward. But those who are sharp know that the huge reward has something to do with the Star Luo Empire. Everyone, including the Sun Moon Empire, might focus on the Star Luo Empire. But in truth, the Body Sect might have other areas of interest, just like you mentioned. It might not be the Star Luo Empire behind it all. After all, the Star Luo Empire has sacrificed too much in this matter, and it would be too obvious. I don’t think that the Star Luo Empire is ready to engage the Sun Moon Empire in a war.”

Elder Mu and Fan Yu were both his teachers. He spoke of Elder Mu this way to prevent confusion.

“The Star Luo Empire is under the greatest immediate threat from the Sun Moon Empire among the three empires on the continent. But they aren’t the only ones in conflict with the Sun Moon Empire. The Heaven Dou Empire also faces threats from the Sun Moon Empire.”

Fan Yu listened to Huo Yuhao’s analysis carefully. He revealed a slight smile on his face as he heard all this, and nodded agreement. But he didn’t appraise Huo Yuhao’s analysis. He instead nodded and said, “What do you think about Jing Hongchen’s proposition for you to spar with the academy’s soul engineers?”

Huo Yuhao answered honestly, “I admire him for maintaining his cool in such a messy situation. He’s able to kill many birds with one stone by asking me to spar with his students. First, he can turn the academy’s attention to something beside their losses, and allow himself more time to rebuild Illustrious Virtue Hall’s underground base. In addition, he must have realized that the academy’s students lack any real experience against soul masters. Many of them don’t even know the fighting styles of soul masters with a powerful martial soul.

“Illustrious Virtue Hall isn’t inferior to the Body Sect in terms of overall ability. They might even be better. But aside from the fact that their truly powerful soul tools couldn’t be used in an underground base, the soul engineers from the Illustrious Virtue Hall are indeed disappointing in terms of their adaptability, coordination, fighting spirit, and performance in many areas. This might have to do with the fact that they place most of their focus on soul tool research. The Hallmaster might be using me to wake them up. At the same time, he wants to let them witness a soul master with a powerful martial soul, and his fighting style.”

Fan Yu chortled and told him, “You’re not humble at all.”

Huo Yuhao chuckled and replied, “Teacher, didn’t you say that being overly modest is very hypocritical?”

Fan Yu agreed. “You’re right. After some observation, their academy’s soul engineers are much more advanced in terms of soul tools compared to us, but their focus on live experience is greatly inferior to our academy. The Hallmaster evidently recognizes this point. Illustrious Virtue Hall can have a huge impact in a war, but when it comes to a battle between elites within a restricted area, Illustrious Virtue Hall doesn’t have the confidence to defeat Shrek Academy or the Body Sect. What’re you planning to do for this sparring competition?”

Hearing this question, He Caitou was also interested. He watched Huo Yuhao alertly, waiting for his reply.

A light flashed in Huo Yuhao’s eyes. “Teacher, I’m representing Shrek and the Tang Sect! I can’t lose on purpose. I shall let them witness Shrek’s abilities if they want to. I’ll leave a deep impression on all of them this time! They’ll never forget who I am!”

He Caitou laughed loudly and commented happily, “Little junior, you’re awesome!”

Huo Yuhao smiled in reply and said, “Since the Hallmaster promised me a kilogram of rare metal for every round I win, I can’t disappoint him, can I?”

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The Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy’s Teaching Director Lin Jiayi was very efficient. This was especially so after a major incident just happened in Illustrious Virtue Hall, and the entire academy was engulfed in a tense atmosphere.

Jing Hongchen’s instructions were quickly carried out. News of Huo Yuhao’s sparring competition with the academy’s soul engineers quickly reached the entire academy.

The doors of every teaching block and dormitory room were pasted with posters of this latest announcement.

The sparring competition was to be conducted in the academy’s Soul Tool Experimentation Area. The academy demanded that all its students watch the competition unless they had something special going on. Those with four rings of cultivation and above could sign up to compete. The limit was a Class 6 soul engineer or a six-ringed Soul Emperor. Every competing student had to purchase a ticket to watch the competition. If the competing students could defeat Huo Yuhao, they were qualified to enter Illustrious Virtue Hall, and would also be rewarded with a hundred-thousand gold soul coins. In addition, Jing Hongchen would personally make a soul tool for them. But if they lost, they wouldn’t be given materials to create soul tools for a month.

It was pertinent to note that those materials were actually paid for by the students. The forfeit was literally a fine of their own money!

The rules for the sparring competition were very simple. Beating Huo Yuhao was the only goal. After each round, Huo Yuhao would be given sufficient time to rest based on his physical condition. The entire sparring competition would be held over three days.

Once the announcement was made, there were more students who signed up to compete than expected. Everyone was young, and no one lacked passion. The Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy lost to Shrek Academy in practically every meeting of the Elite Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament. For most of the students, this was a fantastic opportunity to regain glory for their academy!

But not everyone was qualified to represent the academy in tournaments. They also wanted to know how capable Huo Yuhao was, since he had represented Shrek Academy before. Furthermore, the omnipresent conflict between soul masters and soul engineers, as well as the rewards for victory, were also contributing factors to the large turnout.

More than three hundred students had signed up in less than a day. Lin Jiayi and his teachers were kept busy. After reporting the situation to Jing Hongchen, they made a decision to increase the requirement to Soul Kings and above. This way, the number of students signing up to compete dropped drastically.

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This matter also garnered a huge reaction from the Shrek exchange students. They only found out about it as the announcement was made. The youngest and seemingly weakest exchange student, Huo Yuhao, had represented the academy in the previous Elite Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament.

As Shrek Academy had always been the winners of the tournament, the academy didn’t publicize their victory too much. They only made one announcement after they became champions, but they didn’t reveal the students who had participated. This was to keep unneeded fame from influencing their studies and cultivation. Very few people from Shrek actually knew who had participated in the tournament.

After learning that Huo Yuhao was going to spar with the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy’s soul engineers without using soul tools, the rest of the exchange students offered to help him. They even told him that they were willing to join in the sparring.

Huo Yuhao accepted their help, but they couldn’t spar, because they were all soul engineers.

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Two days later, at dawn...

Ye Xiaosheng came to fetch Huo Yuhao at his door. “Yuhao, how're your preparations going? Brother Sheng supports you. This is a huge matter. You must do your best for Shrek’s glory!”

Huo Yuhao chortled and replied, “Thanks, Brother Sheng. I’ll do my best.”

Ye Xiaosheng laughed and said, “I’ve prepared the stuff. They’ll be shocked today. You don’t know how arrogant they are. They claim that they won’t even let you win one round. They even say they’ll step on Shrek.

“They say that you’re here to deliver presents to them, and asked the academy to prepare more rewards. It’s a pity that I can’t compete. Otherwise, I’d teach them a good lesson.”

Huo Yuhao smiled as he said, “Brother Sheng, don’t worry. I’ll help you teach them a lesson. Oh right, how’s the situation regarding that matter?” As he spoke, he lifted his right hand and rubbed a few of his fingers together.

Ye Xiaosheng immediately understood what he meant. He replied with a grin, “Many started wagering after we opened the plate. I have to admit that these students are very confident in their own people. More than half of them bet that you won’t last ten rounds... I wonder if their brains are empty.

“Only a quarter of them bet that you can’t last more than twenty rounds. The rest bet than you can’t win fifty rounds in three days, they just did it for the odds. Based on what we’ve discussed, rare metals can be used as stakes. We’ve received more than two thousand kilos of rare metals, and five hundred-thousand gold soul coins. These students sure are wealthy!”

Huo Yuhao furrowed his brow and said, “That is indeed quite a lot of rare metals, but not that many gold soul coins. But it’s okay. I believe more and more people will bet after today.”

As the two of them were talking, Fan Yu, He Caitou, and the rest of Shrek’s students also arrived.

Fan Yu looked at Huo Yuhao and asked directly, “Are you ready?”