Shrek Academy's assessment area was unlike the grand battle stage of the Douluo Zone. It was an enormous open space, surrounded by a relatively low wall, with towering walls inside serving as partitions.
Much like a mechanism, the high walls could be dismantled and moved to alter the size and shape of the venue.
The entire assessment area covered roughly twenty thousand square meters and was currently divided into fifty sections. There were three hundred groups of new students in total, averaging six groups per section.
Each section would first hold a round-robin tournament. Once every team had faced the other five groups in its section, the top sixty-four would advance to the elimination rounds.
Huo Yuxi's group of three had been assigned to Section Twenty-One, while Huo Yuhao's group was in Section Thirty-Three.
With ten minutes left before the assessment, Huo Yuxi and the other two followed the area markers to their assigned assessment zone.
A poised woman stood at the front. Once she saw that everyone had arrived, she said, "Hello, everyone. I will be your proctor for the next two days."
"Hello, Teacher." The students formally bowed.
The woman nodded and continued, "There are six groups and eighteen people in Section Twenty-One, and everyone is here now. Let me explain the rules."
"The assessment will be conducted in teams of three, with groups competing in a round robin. During the matches, Soul Tools are prohibited, but there are no restrictions on other weapons."
"You are expected to give it your all, but you must never deliberately injure anyone. Even if you win, you will be judged the loser if you do so. In serious cases, you may even face punishment from the academy. So do not try any tricks. Is that clear?"
Although they were only eleven or twelve years old, none of them was foolish. They naturally understood the stakes and hurriedly nodded in response.
"Very well. Everyone only has one match today, so let's begin quickly. The sooner we finish, the sooner you can return and rest, replenishing your energy for tomorrow."
The proctor opened the booklet in her hand. "First round, first match: New Student Class One—Huo Yuxi, Lu Wanwan, Luo Ling—versus New Student Class Six—Su Boren, Chen Jiaojiao, Chi Shaoxuan."
Being the first group to take the field had both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage was that, as the teacher had said, they could return early to rest. The disadvantage was that everyone was a new student with little preparation, so going first made it harder to fight without restraint.
Huo Yuxi did not care much. They had to take the field sooner or later, and since their opponents were also competing for the first time today, they would probably conserve their strength as well. There would be little to observe anyway, so it was better to go up early and finish quickly.
She exchanged glances with Lu Wanwan and Luo Ling, then took the lead in stepping forward with the Soul Devouring Spider in her arms. She stopped in the southeast corner, with Lu Wanwan behind her and Luo Ling level with Huo Yuxi, forming a right triangle.
The Class Six students followed closely behind. Su Boren, wearing black-framed glasses, stood at the rear. Chi Shaoxuan stood in the middle, while Chen Jiaojiao was at the front, forming a snake-shaped formation.
Once both sides were ready, the proctor announced the start of the assessment and withdrew from the field.
Both sides unleashed their martial souls. As expected, the instant Huo Yuxi's soul rings appeared, everyone was stunned.
She looked like the youngest person on the entire field. Before she unleashed her martial soul, no one had taken her group seriously. Who would have thought their lineup would be so impressive—two two-ring Soul Masters and one three-ring Soul Master?
After seeing the three girls' martial souls, the students across from them immediately focused. The highest Soul Power Level in their group belonged to Chi Shaoxuan, at level 25. Chen Jiaojiao was level 23, while Su Boren was level 19.
They had originally been one of Class Six's seeded teams, but compared to Huo Yuxi's group, they seemed lacking. Still, Huo Yuxi and the others did not lower their guard. Even a lion used its full strength when hunting a rabbit.
"First soul skill, Wolf Tooth Hammer."
Chen Jiaojiao looked small and delicate, but her martial soul was unexpectedly a spiked mace. Her yellow soul ring lit up as she gripped the handle with both hands and sprang into the air.
Her target was Lu Wanwan. The Radiant Cloud Spirit Deer was a classic support-type beast martial soul. Eliminating the enemy's support Soul Master first was an unwritten rule on the field.
Of course, Huo Yuxi's group understood that as well. But Lu Wanwan was no ordinary support Soul Master. If their levels had been higher, they might have stood a chance of winning, but most of them only had one or two soul rings now. There was simply no need to worry.
Before the first match, the three of them had discussed their strategy. If there was a large gap in levels, Luo Ling would serve as the main attacker while Huo Yuxi conserved as much strength as possible.
The later matches would only become more difficult. They had to keep their trump cards hidden if they could. Otherwise, once those cards were exposed, their opponents could devise targeted strategies, and defeat would be inevitable.
As Chen Jiaojiao activated her soul skill, Lu Wanwan moved as well. "First soul skill, Step by Step Bloom."
The spirit deer began running around Lu Wanwan. Pure white lotuses appeared beneath its hooves, rising into the air and arranging themselves irregularly in front of Chen Jiaojiao.
Chen Jiaojiao felt her speed slow slightly, but she did not care much. Her Soul Power Level had reached 23, and she was a Power-Attack Soul Master. Lu Wanwan was a support Soul Master two levels below her; that little attack was nothing more than an egg striking a rock.
At eleven or twelve years old, she had no complicated thoughts. She only knew that she wanted to win, wanted to become champion, and was filled with fighting spirit.
With a slight twist of her wrist, Chen Jiaojiao swung her spiked mace at the lotuses.
"Bang! Bang, bang!"
Explosions rang out one after another. Chen Jiaojiao was caught off guard by the blasts. Su Boren, who had been controlling the field from the rear, narrowed his eyes and stepped forward to catch her.
A page flew out, blocking the other attacks before drifting toward Huo Yuxi.
Chen Jiaojiao's group was among the top talents in Class Six. Of the six seeded teams, they occupied one spot, which was enough to prove their strength.
Huo Yuxi did not know what the page's skill was, so she hurriedly dodged. Yet it clung to her like a stubborn plaster, impossible to shake off, sticking tightly to her and giving her no chance to use a soul skill.
On Luo Ling's side, Chi Shaoxuan's martial soul was a short blade. He followed the agility-attack path and excelled at close combat, while she was a long-range Battle Soul Master. Letting him get close was not good for her.
Unfortunately, Chi Shaoxuan was too fast, forcing her to engage him. Fortunately, to make up for her weakness in close combat, her family had given her specialized training.
Moreover, the gap between them was not too great below level 30, so neither could gain the upper hand for the time being.
Taking advantage of the fact that no one was near Lu Wanwan, Chen Jiaojiao intensified her assault, intending to eliminate Lu Wanwan first.
The watching students observed the match with exceptional focus. After all, they would have to face these girls later. The more they discovered now, the better prepared they would be with countermeasures.
"That three-ring Soul Master still hasn't used a soul skill. Is their group really that strong?"
"This is only the first match. Everyone will definitely hold back some strength. Besides, their lineup is so strong that they're probably Class One's seeded team. How could they go all out from the start?"
Time slowly passed. Chen Jiaojiao tightened her grip on the Wolf Tooth Hammer, flames blazing in her eyes. After all this time, she still had not defeated a support Soul Master.
Since childhood, she had always been praised as a genius. This was the first time she had fought so frustratingly.
Huo Yuxi noticed that Lu Wanwan would not be able to hold on much longer. She quickly turned and ran toward the outer edge. After putting some distance between herself and the page, she swiftly unleashed her soul skill.
"Second soul skill, Wrath of the Stranglehold."
The moment her soul skill was activated, Su Boren and the other two clearly felt their Soul Power consumption double, while their speed also slowed.
"Second Soul Skill, Drowning Water."
Luo Ling seized the chance to unleash an area-of-effect attack as well. Seawater carrying waves of pressure flowed quietly across the stage, and the proctor promptly activated the protective device, sealing all attacks within the barrier.
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