Mechanism Monster and Stat Monster

Shrek Academy had over a thousand new students, divided into roughly three hundred teams. Every six teams were assigned to one area, where teams from the same area faced off in pairs, with their results ultimately determined by the number of wins. Wang Nan's group was assigned to the Ninth District.

By the time the three arrived at the testing grounds, the students from the other teams had already gathered. After all, no one wanted to be late for this assessment. Not long after, a proctor in his thirties approached. He was not particularly tall and held a list of the competing teams in his hand.

"I won't repeat the assessment rules. Shall we begin?"

The proctor glanced around. Seeing that no one had any questions, he began reading from the list.

"First round, first match: Freshman Class Nine—Chen Zifeng, Wen Mozhu, Qu Sheng. Freshman Class One—Wang Nan, Ling Luochen, Gongyang Mo."

After stepping onto the arena, Wang Nan stood at the front and studied his opponents.

The most eye-catching of the three was the student named Qu Sheng. Four gourds—two large and two small—hung from his waist, and Wang Nan had no idea what medicine they held.

As for Chen Zifeng... Wang Nan pondered the name. After becoming roommates with Gongyang Mo, he had considered that he might encounter figures from his Past Life Memories. Still, he had not expected to run into one in the very first match. Since Chen Zifeng could become one of the Shrek Seven Monsters in the future, he was surely no simple opponent.

"Assessment—begin!"

"I have a ladle of wine, enough to comfort one through life's dust and wind."

The instant the proctor finished speaking, Qu Sheng gave a low shout and raised one of the gourds at his waist. As his Soul Ring flashed, a stream of clear brew appeared out of thin air and steadily flowed into the gourd. He then hurled it forcefully. The gourd traced an arc through the air before being caught by Chen Zifeng, who stood at the front.

A Food Type Soul Master? Wang Nan immediately understood the gourds' purpose.

Without further hesitation, he gripped the Coiling Dragon Staff. Azure Light flowed around him as he shot forward like a gust of wind. The arena for the New Student Assessment was not large to begin with, and in nearly an instant, he had arrived before Chen Zifeng.

Wang Nan swung his staff, only to be met by a slender sword roughly three feet six inches long, engraved with three blood grooves. It was Chen Zifeng's Martial Soul—the Soul Chasing Sword.

Chen Zifeng held his sword in one hand and raised the gourd with the other, pouring its wine into his mouth. When Wang Nan's staff came down, it struck the Soul Chasing Sword, but Wang Nan could clearly feel the force of the blow being redirected elsewhere. It caused no substantial damage.

On the other side, Wen Mozhu also summoned his Martial Soul. With a wave of his right hand, a black dot suddenly appeared beneath Wang Nan's feet. It was initially only the size of a fist, but rapidly spread outward, enveloping Wang Nan.

Wang Nan did not dare lower his guard. He took two quick steps back and retreated beyond the black dot's range. Yet under Wen Mozhu's control, the black dot continued advancing, and it was actually several degrees faster than Wang Nan.

This was Wen Mozhu's First Soul Skill—Ink Splash.

However, Wang Nan had teammates as well. Just as the ink dots drew closer and closer, Ling Luochen, standing in the distance, waved her ice staff. The ink dots clinging to Wang Nan immediately froze in place, then turned into chunks of Ice Crystal that scattered across the ground.

After that brief exchange, Wang Nan had a rough grasp of his opponents' abilities. Qu Sheng was a Food Type Soul Master, and his First Soul Skill was likely either damage absorption or a defensive enhancement. Wen Mozhu specialized in control. Together with Chen Zifeng, they formed a team of assault, control, and support.

All three of them have two Soul Rings, and the two Soul Skills they've shown are both quite effective. They must be Freshman Class Nine's Seed Team, Wang Nan thought.

Every class had one or two teams made up of freshmen with relatively greater strength and better coordination. Their overall power far surpassed that of the other teams. Such teams were called Seed Teams, prepared for the later Elimination Round.

Wang Nan roughly assessed his opponents' strength, then looked back at Gongyang Mo.

Gongyang Mo understood immediately. Having yet to make a move, he finally revealed his Martial Soul. A pair of Wings unfurled behind his back, and their dazzling colors, along with three Soul Rings—yellow, yellow, and purple—instantly drew everyone on the opposing side's attention.

Wang Nan had expected this. Among all Martial Souls, the Rainbow Dragon Martial Soul was renowned for its splendor. Coupled with the pressure brought by a Soul Elder, it was inevitable that some of their attention would be diverted.

And this was precisely the opportunity Wang Nan had been waiting for. His First Soul Ring flashed, and with the boost of Wind Control, he charged toward the enemy's backline.

At the same time, Gongyang Mo released a Soul Skill. A yellow halo descended upon Wang Nan, making him even faster. When the Rainbow Dragon Martial Soul used Soul Skills, it released halos according to the colors of the rainbow. The yellow halo was Gongyang Mo's Third Soul Skill.

The flash of the Purple Soul Ring jolted Chen Zifeng's group back to their senses. Yet in those mere two breaths, Wang Nan had crossed half the arena under the enhancement of two Soul Skills and arrived beside Qu Sheng.

Chen Zifeng quickly moved to defend, but Ling Luochen's Ice Element interfered with him. It was already too late for him to rescue Qu Sheng immediately.

"Enjoy the thing in the cup—who speaks of worldly fame?"

Though Qu Sheng panicked, he still recited the second line of his Soul Incantation. As his Second Soul Ring flashed, a vast splash of wine sprayed toward Wang Nan.

Wang Nan did his best to evade, but a few drops still splashed onto him. The moment the wine touched him, a rich fragrance rushed into his nostrils. For an instant, he truly wanted to put down his weapon and have a good drink.

Wang Nan had held something back, but so had his opponents. Who would have thought that a Food Type Soul Master would possess a Control Soul Skill? If Wang Nan had not used his speed under the enhancement of two major Soul Skills to dodge most of it, Qu Sheng might really have succeeded.

When Qu Sheng saw Wang Nan break free of the control almost instantly, he shouted his surrender and jumped off the arena. With their plan exposed, he had no desire to face an Assault Type Soul Master alone.

Seeing his side lose a member, Chen Zifeng instead calmed down. Though Qu Sheng had stepped down, his Soul Skill remained in effect. Wang Nan was now on their side of the field—wasn't this an opportunity for him as well?

With that thought, Chen Zifeng slid his left hand across the blade, leaving a wound. A drop of blood fell into the Soul Chasing Sword's blood groove. Then, with his right hand, he tossed the sword upward. The Soul Chasing Sword actually hovered steadily in midair.

His First and Second Soul Rings lit up simultaneously. The Soul Chasing Sword trembled slightly, its tip extending three inches of light before it flew toward Gongyang Mo.

Since Wang Nan had thought of breaking into the enemy formation, he had naturally guarded against the other side trying the same thing. The instant Qu Sheng stepped down, Wang Nan had already begun rushing back. He was now right beside Chen Zifeng.

"Mozhu!" Chen Zifeng shouted.

"Second Soul Skill, Leaving Blank!" Wen Mozhu answered with his Second Soul Skill. Along with his voice, Chen Zifeng's entire body turned into a white outline. His limbs and facial features could no longer be distinguished, as though a Blurry White Shadow had been left standing where he was.

Wang Nan was puzzled, but his movements did not stop. He swung his staff and scattered the shadow before him. When he looked around again, Chen Zifeng was nowhere to be seen.

Ling Luochen had been watching this side of the arena all along. Seeing Chen Zifeng vanish, she swept her gaze around before quickly waving her ice staff. Tiny Ice Crystals fell like raindrops. Though they had no offensive power, they revealed Chen Zifeng's location.

Nice! Wang Nan praised inwardly, then swiftly locked onto his target.

As Gongyang Mo moved away from Chen Zifeng, he released his First Soul Skill. A red halo descended upon Wang Nan, and Wang Nan's Second Soul Ring lit up at the same time.

Bang—

Wang Nan's Coiling Dragon Staff did not strike Chen Zifeng. Instead, it was intercepted by the proctor standing nearby.

"Chen Zifeng is eliminated."

Compared to Chen Zifeng's team, Wang Nan's Soul Skill was far simpler, but the strength it provided was real. Even the proctor grimaced almost imperceptibly after catching that staff strike.

"I surrender." Seeing both of his teammates leave the arena, Wen Mozhu stopped insisting. There were still matches to come, so there was no need to waste Soul Power.

"The winners of this match: Freshman Class One, Wang Nan's Team."