The Assessment Begins

The next day, after washing up, Zhou You arrived at the assessment venue under the guidance of his lackey, Yan.

"Teacher Liu?" Zhou You spotted Liu Suxin, who had brought him inside the day before, and went over to greet her.

"You're here. We're giving you an entrance assessment today. Yan should have told you about it already, right?"

Zhou You nodded and turned his gaze to another group of people.

Whoa, a lot of people showed up this time. Men and women, and most of them have pretty youthful faces. They're clearly a bunch of students.

Liu Suxin said helplessly, "These children all heard about you and wanted to come take a look."

Zhou You asked in confusion, "Heard about me? What did they hear?"

Innate Full Soul Power? Didn't they all know about that yesterday? And every last one of them acted like they didn't care.

"That you beat Yan's face into a pig's head. The whole academy knows about it by now!"

At those words, Zhou You himself didn't think much of it, but Yan, standing beside him, blew up first.

"Who! Who the fuck went and..." He turned his head, saw who had spoken, and fell silent at once.

"Uh, Nana..."

The speaker was none other than Hu Liena. She smiled at Yan and pointed a finger at his face.

"Actually, nobody needed to spread the word. Your face is proof enough that it's true."

Yan grew terribly embarrassed and awkwardly covered his face. The last thing he wanted right now was for Hu Liena to see him like this.

Fortunately, at that critical moment, Xie Yue stepped forward.

"Nana, that's enough." As soon as he spoke, Hu Liena stopped teasing Yan.

Xie Yue then looked at Zhou You. "My name is Xie Yue. I'll be in charge of your assessment today!"

Zhou You turned to Liu Suxin, who nodded. "That's right. Your opponent today is Xie Yue, and the requirement is... to delay your defeat as long as possible."

She then stressed, "Zhou You, Xie Yue will be fighting fairly seriously this time, so you need to be mentally prepared. You'd better treat this assessment as actual combat."

Actual combat?

Zhou You glanced at Yan. Little bro, your intel was wrong!

Yet Yan looked somewhat surprised too. Did that mean he hadn't known the assessment had been changed either?

Still... it makes no difference.

"I understand."

Zhou You's composure surprised Liu Suxin somewhat. She had expected he might object; after all, the gap between their levels was fairly large.

If Zhou You objected, she could use her authority as the chief examiner to change the assessment back.

She hadn't expected him to accept it so calmly.

Liu Suxin suddenly regretted agreeing to Xie Yue's request. Perhaps she shouldn't have let her feelings sway her into favoring the child.

But things had come to this, and all she could do was continue with the proceedings.

"Since neither of you has any objections to the assessment, get up on the stage!"

The students who had come to watch immediately cleared a path and watched Zhou You and Xie Yue step onto the arena.

Most of the students who had come to watch were Soul Grandmasters, with a handful of Soul Elders scattered among them. They were all keenly interested in this fight between geniuses.

Spirit Hall Academy had always had a tradition of using combat in place of practice, though most students didn't begin actual combat training until they reached the Soul Grandmaster level.

But Xie Yue, Hu Liena, Yan, and the others in their group were exceptions. They had already taken courses in that area while they were still Soul Masters.

Thanks to the strength of their Martial Souls, their actual combat abilities were by no means weak.

Yan's Martial Soul in particular gave many Battle Soul Masters a level above him trouble. Yet even Yan had been beaten black and blue by the newcomer, Zhou You.

Naturally, everyone wanted to see for themselves what this "Innate Full Soul Power," who was rumored to have a boundless future even before enrolling, was made of.

What had allowed him to beat Yan into wholehearted submission?

Xie Yue immediately manifested his Martial Soul, gripping a curved blade with an exaggerated arc in each hand. They looked just like two crescent moons.

"Xie Yue, Martial Soul Moon Blade, level twenty-one Agility Attack and Power Attack System Battle Soul Master."

Seeing this, Zhou You reached into empty space with his right hand and somehow pulled out a black umbrella seventy-eight centimeters long.

Following local custom, he said, "Zhou You, Martial Soul Heaven- and Earth-Harmonizing Umbrella, level eleven Battle Soul Master, system unknown."

He didn't really understand why Soul Masters had to confine themselves to a system. Could Support System Soul Masters only provide support, and Defense System Soul Masters only defend?

Even if a Martial Soul's abilities naturally favored one thing over another, they still shouldn't say so.

Xie Yue barely listened to Zhou You. He had entered a state of absolute concentration, his eyes fixed intently on his target.

The spectators seemed to sense his imposing presence as well, and their chatter immediately quieted considerably.

Xie Yue, he's going all out! The Soul Elders felt it most clearly and immediately perked up.

Suddenly, Xie Yue struck first, opening with his ultimate move!

Two Yellow Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet. Xie Yue crossed his arms, holding the Moon Blades in reverse grips. The backs of the two blades crossed behind him and curved around his neck, making it look as though he were slitting his own throat.

Then he slashed sharply, the blades cutting through the air in front of him.

In an instant, two streaks of blade Qi flew from the edges, speeding toward Zhou You like the wind and lightning!

At the side of the arena, Yan's expression changed slightly, and he felt a lingering dread.

He had faced this move of Xie Yue's more than once. The blade Qi was as fast as a ghost, leaving him no time to dodge.

The Flame Lord gave Yan formidable offensive and defensive abilities, but it also left him with neither speed nor agility.

Zhou You, however, wasn't as ungainly as him. He stayed where he was, standing perfectly straight, and merely raised the Heaven- and Earth-Harmonizing Umbrella with one hand and swung it twice through the air, shattering the blade Qi outright.

"Huh?" Yan stared, dumbfounded.

Wait, what? That easy?

The spectators also froze for a moment, finding it hard to believe.

That was no ordinary blade Qi. It was Xie Yue's first Soul Skill! And it had been scattered so easily?

What the hell kind of Martial Soul is that? How strong is it?

Everyone's gaze immediately fell on the unremarkable black umbrella in Zhou You's hand.

The smile had vanished from Hu Liena's face. Her delicate brows were slightly knitted, all ten fingers clenched tightly into fists, and she had a bad feeling.

But Xie Yue hadn't been caught off guard. The instant he slashed out the two streaks of blade Qi, he had lunged forward, and now he was already in front of Zhou You!

Zhou You had just shattered the second streak of blade Qi, and his hand was still in the air. Xie Yue lowered his upper body, his gaze sharpened, and both Moon Blades slashed at Zhou You's waist!

Oh?

Zhou You's gaze changed. From his current position, he only had to swing the Heaven- and Earth-Harmonizing Umbrella down to smash Xie Yue's skull on the spot.

But at the same time, Xie Yue's Moon Blades would cut him in half at the waist.

Do kids these days all play this dangerously?

Is this kind of mutually assured destruction part of the entrance assessment too?

My apologies for the disrespect.

Xie Yue's move surprised not only Zhou You, but also the spectators outside the arena. Liu Suxin's brows knitted slightly as she stood ready.

Yet at that critical instant, Zhou You made a move no one had expected.

The Heaven- and Earth-Harmonizing Umbrella in his hand suddenly came apart without warning. His freed hand came down, pressing its palm against the crown of Xie Yue's head.

Immediately afterward, he used that hand for support and sprang up. His entire body vaulted over Xie Yue's head.

Xie Yue's two blades swept through, but struck nothing but air.

Zhou You, meanwhile, flipped lightly and landed behind him. Before Xie Yue could turn around, the Heaven- and Earth-Harmonizing Umbrella had somehow reappeared in Zhou You's hand.

He thrust forward with the umbrella, striking Xie Yue squarely in the middle of the back. Ghost Gate Needle activated without a sound, and Xie Yue immediately went rigid.

Zhou You then opened the umbrella and pushed its canopy forward, shield-bashing Xie Yue in the back. The force was gentle, yet it sent his body irresistibly through the air, flying out of the arena!