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A total of 930 students were participating in the freshman assessment, divided into 310 groups. Out of these 900-plus participants, fewer than 500 would ultimately remain as official first-year students at Shrek Academy. The rest would be eliminated.
The competition at Shrek Academy had always been intense and merciless. Though the decision to enroll was made by the students themselves—aside from Yuwen Tuo—perhaps the academy hadn't intended to accept so many applicants in the first place. Their goal was to cultivate monsters, not mediocrity. Eliminating half of the participants still seemed lenient to them; ideally, they'd prefer to cut three-quarters. After all, tuition fees wouldn't need to be refunded.
There were 50 designated areas for the freshman assessment, with each area hosting six to seven teams. Yuwen Tuo's group was assigned to Area 21, which was easy to locate due to prominent numerical markers. They quickly found their designated zone.
Other students from different classes who were participating in the matches had also arrived. Some looked nervous, while others appeared eager to fight. All were children between the ages of ten and twelve, their emotions plainly visible. When they exchanged glances, there was no hiding the hostility in their eyes.
After all, the competition was fierce. Everyone except their teammates was an enemy, and every match could determine their future.
"All new students, please note: the assessment is about to begin. Please enter your respective testing zones and prepare. You have ten minutes to arrive; failure to do so will result in disqualification."
The announcement echoed throughout the outer courtyard, reaching every corner. The faces of the freshmen grew serious. The first round of assessments was imminent, and it was impossible not to feel tense.
Even Xiao Xiao's arms tensed slightly.
Yuwen Tuo placed his left hand on her shoulder and gently reassured her, "Don't worry, Xiao Xiao. This is nothing."
Xiao Xiao nodded firmly. "Yeah, I'm not afraid as long as you're here. We'll be champions."
"For the first round of the first match: Freshman Class One—Lian Yue, Yuwen Tuo, Xiao Xiao—versus Freshman Class Three—Ling Fei, Ouyang Jie, Song Tong. Please enter the arena and take your positions in separate corners. Only after I announce the start of the match may you activate your martial souls. Enter the field now," the referee announced.
Yuwen Tuo hadn't expected to be among the first to compete, but he didn't mind. Better to finish early and move on.
The trio stepped onto the platform and quickly took their positions in the western corner.
Their formation was traditional: Yuwen Tuo, responsible for frontal assault, stood at the front; Xiao Xiao, versatile and capable in multiple roles, stood behind him; and Lian Yue, the auxiliary soul master, positioned herself in the farthest corner.
As for their opponents, all three were male, with unremarkable appearances and bland auras.
This was typical of background characters in a fantasy world.
While looks weren't everything, they often revealed whether someone was notable. Take, for example, Wang Dong, whose beauty was otherworldly, or Ma Xiaotao and Ling Luochen, whose striking features hinted at their extraordinary abilities.
Once both sides were in position, the referee nodded and declared, "Assessment begins. Activate your martial souls."
At his command, all six participants simultaneously unleashed their martial souls.
Yuwen Tuo's Fire Element manifested as a flame cradled in his palm, indistinguishable from the elemental fire souls of this world. It was no wonder that Yan Shaozhe had once mistaken it for a pure fire element soul.
Xiao Xiao's Three Lives Soul-Sealing Cauldron loomed five times taller than her, landing with a resounding "thud" that commanded attention.
Finally, Lian Yue's Wish Disk appeared—a simple wheel adorned with a single yellow spirit ring.
On their side, the team consisted of one elemental soul and two equipment-type souls, with no beast-type souls. In contrast, their opponents wielded exclusively beast-type souls: Ouyang Jie's saber-toothed tiger, Song Tong's ostrich, and Ling Fei's bloated water buffalo.
Aside from Ouyang Jie, who was a two-ring Great Soul Master, the other two opponents only possessed one ring each. Given their age (under twelve), it was uncommon for students to surpass level 20.
It was only during the elimination rounds that participants tended to reach levels above 20, with some even achieving level 30.
"This guy… his second spirit ring is actually a thousand-year one!"
When everyone revealed their spirit rings, murmurs of astonishment spread through the crowd. Even those from Freshman Class One, who knew Yuwen Tuo had recently obtained his second spirit ring, were shocked to see it was a purple thousand-year ring.
"Wang Dong, this person's spirit ring configuration is identical to yours. No wonder you two are considered the twin stars of our freshman class!" Huo Yuhao remarked.
"Heh, indeed impressive, but compared to me, there's still a gap!" Wang Dong acknowledged Yuwen Tuo's strength but didn't believe he could truly rival him.
After all, she possessed two martial souls, one of which was the legendary Heavenly Jade Hammer, the foremost equipment-type soul in existence.
What her second martial soul was, she didn't know—it seemed to protect her spiritual sea but remained unusable.
"Battle begins!"
Once the referee gave the signal, one of the opponents charged forward—Song Tong, whose martial soul was the ostrich.
Though ostriches couldn't fly, they were exceptionally fast runners and could develop into agility-focused attackers.
According to the rules, only one member of the opposing team was classified as a power attacker—the saber-toothed tiger wielder, Ouyang Jie. Thus, Song Tong was likely an agility-based attacker, while Ling Fei's bloated water buffalo leaned toward defense.
The fascinating aspect of martial souls lay in their versatility. Even martial souls of the same type could evolve in different directions based on their inherent characteristics.
Of course, some martial souls offered no choice—for instance, the Wish Disk, Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda, or Nine-Heart Begonia, which were inherently auxiliary-type souls. However, focusing entirely on one role allowed them to excel in that area.
"Wish Disk, unleash the attack aura!" Lian Yue acted first, releasing a red glow that enveloped Yuwen Tuo and Xiao Xiao.
In team battles, targeting the auxiliary soul master was common sense. Song Tong's objective was clear: a surprise attack on Lian Yue.
"First soul skill, Leap Strike!" Song Tong suddenly leaped high into the air.
Though his ostrich couldn't fly, it excelled at jumping. This first soul skill involved launching himself into the air before initiating a surprise attack.
"You won't succeed. Primal Law Mantra!" Xiao Xiao silently activated her technique.
Her Three Lives Soul-Sealing Cauldron vanished, flickering intermittently across the battlefield. At its center was Lian Yue, whom the cauldron protected. Song Tong's surprise attack collided with the cauldron, rebounding him backward. Worse yet, he became trapped within the cauldron's fluctuating trajectory, unable to break free and continuously battered by its strikes.
"Song Tong!"
Ouyang Jie and Ling Fei, alarmed, immediately charged toward Yuwen Tuo. Their plan was to break through the frontline defender, rescue Song Tong, and turn the tide.
However, Yuwen Tuo merely smiled. As the two rushed toward him, he dodged their charge effortlessly, deliberately allowing them to pass. Against these three opponents, Xiao Xiao alone was more than capable of handling them all.
She had just mastered the Primal Law Mantra and lacked practical combat experience. This match provided the perfect opportunity for her to familiarize herself with its application.
"What? What's he…"
Just as Ouyang Jie and Ling Fei hesitated in confusion, Xiao Xiao grinned. "Oh, so you've all come? Then allow me to welcome you into the encirclement of my Primal Law Mantra. Hey!"
Xiao Xiao expanded the flickering trajectory of the soul-sealing cauldron. To those on the field, the pattern seemed chaotic, but spectators outside scratched their heads. Something about the trajectory felt strangely familiar.