First Clash with the Protagonist Trio

Today was the second day of the Newbie Assessment. After getting a preliminary understanding of his two teammates, Ling Mo had secured the captain's position through sheer strength. This was Ling Mo's seventh soul fight. The Newbie Assessment consisted of ten soul fights in total, and to Ling Mo, the opponents in the first seven had honestly posed no pressure at all. He had led Feng Yu on a straight rampage all the way here, achieving seven victories in seven battles.

"I didn't expect things to go this smoothly. Captain, you and Feng Yu are way too strong. I feel kind of embarrassed just watching the whole fight from the sidelines," Chen Xiao said with a somewhat awkward smile, scratching the back of his head.

"Enough, don't act like you're unhappy after getting such a good deal. You got to slack off, and you're still complaining?" Feng Yu immediately shot back at his slacking teammate. Still, the upward curve of his lips could not be suppressed. It was clear that the seven-win streak had them both incredibly excited.

As the saying went, happiness was contagious. Watching from the side, Ling Mo was rather happy as well. But what made him even happier was his next opponent—the Huo Yuhao team.

"Alright, get ready. Adjust your condition and prepare for the next opponents. They're a team with seven consecutive wins too, so don't let your guard down." Although Huo Yuhao's team's overall level was not particularly high, Ling Mo knew that something like the Protagonist's Halo was the most unreasonable thing in the world. For others, suddenly unleashing their full potential was a miracle, but for protagonists, it was a passive skill. Other than plot-induced defeats, Ling Mo had never seen them lose much. That left him rather helpless.

Time quickly passed into the afternoon. After lunch, Ling Mo and the other two had remained in the assessment area, cultivating to recover the Soul Power they had expended that morning while adjusting their condition. Although Chen Xiao and Feng Yu did not think Huo Yuhao's team, whose overall Soul Power Level was not high, could pose any threat to a team with Ling Mo as its captain, Ling Mo had not even used his Martial Soul in any of the seven soul fights. He had barely expended any Soul Power either. That alone showed how strong he was.

Even so, since Ling Mo took Huo Yuhao's team seriously, the two naturally treated them seriously as well.

"Teams undergoing assessment, please prepare yourselves. The afternoon assessments are about to begin!" The announcement in the assessment area woke the three of them.

"Phew..." Ling Mo let out a long breath, opened his eyes, rose to his feet, and said to his two teammates, "Let's go."

"Mm." The two nodded at him.

The three quickly arrived on the stage, while their opponents, Huo Yuhao's group of three, arrived at almost the same time. Both sides sized each other up. Ling Mo was still concealed head to toe beneath a black-and-white cloak, his face hidden from view, with only his fairly well-proportioned build barely visible. The other five all wore white newbie uniforms. Feng Yu and Chen Xiao both had black hair. Feng Yu looked refined, while Chen Xiao carried an air of aristocracy.

Huo Yuhao and the other two wore serious expressions as they looked at Ling Mo's team. Huo Yuhao knew Ling Mo was strong. Whether it was the previous seven soul fights, his clash with Xu Sanshi, or Zhou Yi's words from a few days ago, all of it clearly showed that Ling Mo's strength was far from simple. That made Huo Yuhao take this battle against Ling Mo's group extremely seriously.

Seeing that both sides had arrived, the proctoring teacher said, "State your names."

The two teams stood on opposite sides of the arena. Huo Yuhao's group stood in a line from front to back, while Ling Mo's group formed an inverted triangle.

Among the six, Wang Dong was the first to introduce herself. "Class One freshman Wang Dong, Assault Type Battle Soul Master."

Perhaps because Huo Yuhao's level was low, Wang Dong did not announce her own level. Seeing Wang Dong speak first, Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao introduced themselves in turn.

"Class One freshman Huo Yuhao, Control Type Battle Soul Master."

"Class One freshman Xiao Xiao, Control Type Battle Soul Master."

As students of the same Class One, they generally knew each other's levels already, so the introductions were merely a formality for the six of them. Once Huo Yuhao's group finished, Ling Mo's group began their introductions as well.

"Class One freshman Feng Yu, Agility Type Battle Soul Master."

"Class One freshman Chen Xiao, Support Type Tool Soul Master."

"Class One freshman Ling Mo, Support Type Tool Soul Master."

Hearing Ling Mo say "support type," Wang Dong could not help curling her lip as she muttered under her breath, "He calls himself support type every time, but he's always the first one to charge in. He's obviously just messing with people."

Huo Yuhao, standing beside her, could not help laughing when he heard that.

Once both sides had completed their introductions, the proctoring teacher loudly announced, "Begin!"

Just as during the introductions, Wang Dong was the first to attack. With a tap of her toes against the ground, she shot toward Ling Mo's group in a swift dash.

Seeing the blue-gold wings spread behind Wang Dong as she charged forward, Feng Yu and Chen Xiao were briefly stunned. However, since this was not their first time seeing the Light Goddess Butterfly Martial Soul, neither of them was slow to react. Chen Xiao retreated several meters, putting as much distance as possible between himself and Wang Dong. Their strategy was simple—one word: charge!

The next moment, Feng Yu rushed out. Two sharp fangs protruded from his mouth, clearly showing that he had already activated Martial Soul Possession. Martial Soul Possession gave Feng Yu an enormous boost in speed. With his Martial Soul's enhancement, he was actually slightly faster than Wang Dong.

Naturally, Ling Mo would not stand idly by. He opened with Hua Jin - Weeping Willow. With a wave of one hand, a solid palm wind flew forward like a blade, aimed directly at Xiao Xiao!

The four moved extremely quickly, but Huo Yuhao's trio, with their shared Spiritual Detection, could clearly observe the situation on the field. Noticing that Ling Mo's target was herself, Xiao Xiao swiftly released her Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron to block the incoming palm blade.

In the next instant, Ling Mo flashed before Xiao Xiao. It was once again the familiar Cun Jin - Flying Willow. When combined with the earlier Hua Jin - Weeping Willow, this move allowed him to rapidly close in on an enemy and often catch opponents off guard. Thus, Ling Mo had found these two moves effective time and time again.

Under Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection, the two moves failed to achieve the effect Ling Mo had expected. But... it was enough! Soul rings appeared behind Ling Mo, one yellow and one purple, drawing a wave of startled cries from the audience. However, Xiao Xiao would not lose focus over that. As the Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron rose, her first soul ring lit up. First Soul Skill, Cauldron's Tremor!

Ling Mo's body abruptly froze under the effects of Xiao Xiao's First Soul Skill. In the instant he was controlled, the Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron came crashing down toward him.

Looking at the massive cauldron descending upon him, Ling Mo's lips curled upward. As the Purple Spirit Ring behind him lit up, a red-and-white hair ornament resembling a fiery feather appeared above his right ear. It was Yu Du Chen!

"Whisk Step!" Just before the Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron could touch Ling Mo, he retreated backward with an incredibly strange movement. He moved so quickly that a string of afterimages was left before him.

With his hood concealing him, no one noticed Yu Du Chen's appearance. To the spectators, it looked as if Ling Mo had used a soul skill to forcibly move himself. However, Huo Yuhao's group, having witnessed Ling Mo's First Soul Skill, did not believe that his Second Soul Skill would be nothing more than simple movement when he possessed a Martial Soul capable of transforming all things. Ling Mo's next action further confirmed their suspicions.

After using Whisk Step to escape the Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron's attack, Ling Mo lightly tapped the ground with his toes, swiftly adjusted himself, and continued charging toward Xiao Xiao. Xiao Xiao quickly controlled the Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron to block between them, but would Ling Mo really be stopped so easily? The answer was no.

"Immortal Style - Timely Rain Swallow."

Just as Xiao Xiao believed Ling Mo would be blocked, his body began to turn somewhat illusory. Carrying a gust of wind, he passed straight through the Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron's obstruction, brushed past Xiao Xiao, and arrived directly before Huo Yuhao!

Knowing that he absolutely could not give the protagonist an opportunity, Ling Mo's target from the very beginning had been Huo Yuhao. Now that he had successfully reached Huo Yuhao, he no longer held back as he threw a heavy punch. "Cun Jin - Fierce Wave!"

However, under Spiritual Detection, Huo Yuhao had long anticipated Ling Mo's movements. He swiftly dodged to the left, narrowly evading Ling Mo's strike. The next second, Xiao Xiao's support arrived as well. It was still her First Soul Skill, Cauldron's Tremor!

Unlike Ling Mo, who alone held off two Control Type Battle Soul Masters, Feng Yu was not having such an easy time. Wang Dong, with one yellow and one purple soul ring, already had an entire ring's worth of advantage over Feng Yu in terms of soul ring enhancements. Furthermore, Feng Yu could not fly, so he soon fell into a disadvantage. Seeing this, Chen Xiao immediately used his First Soul Skill to support Feng Yu. Chen Xiao's First Soul Skill was a strengthening soul skill that could increase the target's defense.

With Chen Xiao's assistance, Feng Yu quickly reversed the disadvantage and fought Wang Dong to a standstill. However, Chen Xiao suddenly collapsed unconscious as if he had suffered a heavy blow. Without his support, Feng Yu was caught in an opening by Wang Dong and struck by Butterfly God's Light, sustaining a minor injury.

Knowing he was no match for Wang Dong one-on-one, Feng Yu was just about to use his superior speed to support Ling Mo when, as he turned around, piercing pain erupted in his mind as though it had been stabbed by needles. His mind instantly went blank. Wang Dong seized the opportunity and directly used Butterfly God's Light and Wing Scythe in succession, knocking Feng Yu to the ground. Having dealt with her opponent, Wang Dong quickly rushed toward her teammates.

Seeing his two teammates already down, Ling Mo knew Huo Yuhao had made his move. Huo Yuhao alone was not particularly strong right now, but the disruptive ability of his spiritual attacks was truly disgusting. Seeing Wang Dong coming to support her teammates, Ling Mo finally began to get serious.

"Hua Jin - Bending Bamboo."

Ling Mo instantly vanished from where he stood, transforming into several afterimages that continuously darted around the area. Yet, under the defense of Xiao Xiao's Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron, he failed to inflict any effective damage on the two of them. Before long, the afterimages' attacks ended, and Ling Mo reappeared. By then, Wang Dong had also reached the battlefield and was about to join the fight. Seeing this, Ling Mo immediately followed with Hua Jin - Ink Chrysanthemum, turning into afterimages once more and directly passing through the control field of Xiao Xiao's Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron to put distance between himself and Huo Yuhao's group.

After the move ended, Ling Mo reappeared. Looking at the three people not far ahead of him, he let out a long sigh. "Ha... looks like things have become a little troublesome."