Assessment Grouping

"Of course, the academy won't have support-system Soul Masters compete against assault-system Soul Masters. After all, using one's weaknesses to attack another's strengths is inherently unfair.

Therefore, the combat assessment will be conducted in teams of three. Our class currently has sixty-nine students, making exactly twenty-three groups. I've already assigned your groups.

If anyone is dissatisfied, adjust privately and report it to me. But you must notify me before I register you with the academy tomorrow morning. After that deadline, you must strictly follow my arrangements."

"Let me first explain the assessment rules, then I'll assign your groups. The freshman assessment will be held across the entire grade. This year, nearly three hundred groups of freshmen will participate, but only half will be allowed to remain—the top one hundred and fifty groups. These rankings will be based on the points you earn in combat matches."

"The matches will be determined by drawing lots. Each group must participate in at least ten battles. The final rankings will be based on the number of wins. The top sixty-four teams will then enter the elimination rounds. The top four teams in the elimination rounds will each receive different rewards. The champion team's reward will be especially rare."

"Is there anything you don't understand?" Zhou Yi asked the class. Seeing no response, she began assigning the groups.

"Group One: Xu Jie, Huo Yuhao, Xiao Xiao."

Xu Jie and Huo Yuhao hurriedly stood upon hearing this, though neither looked particularly delighted. Zhou Yi understood the training directions of all her students. Xu Jie was destined to be an assault-system Soul Master, while Huo Yuhao had already been categorized as support-system in Zhou Yi's mind.

Moreover, the two were roommates, so it was only natural that they would be assigned together.

A female student from the front row stood up with them as well. She was quite petite and was not very familiar with Xu Jie or Huo Yuhao. Her ranking was probably around the middle. She turned around and nodded to the two of them.

The young girl was delicate and pretty, the kind whose looks grew on you. After Xu Jie and Huo Yuhao nodded back, the three sat down together.

"Group Two: Wang Dong, Ma Qingshuang, Leng Leng."

"Group Three..."

"Group Six: Dugu Lu, Leng Zhihai, Luo Wenyi."

Xu Jie glanced over and saw a male and female student stand up in the classroom—one control-system, one support-system. They were a perfect match for Dugu Lu, the guy beside him who had turned poison control into an assault style.

"Group Twenty-Three: Duan Yimou, Le Guangxiong, Qu Ruili." After assigning the final three, Zhou Yi paused and looked at the somewhat excited students below.

"That's the grouping. If you have objections, raise them quickly. If not, hand in the slips you've written, then you may leave the classroom. Members of each group should get to know one another first and learn about each other's soul skills, so you can prepare for tomorrow afternoon's freshman assessment."

"Dismissed." Seeing that no one objected, Zhou Yi announced it and walked straight out of the classroom.

Xu Jie immediately stood and looked toward the front rows. The young girl who had stood with him earlier had also risen and turned to look in Xu Jie and Huo Yuhao's direction.

"Wait a moment," Xu Jie said. School had just ended, and the classroom was still somewhat chaotic. He planned to wait until more people had left before going over to meet Xiao Xiao.

Dugu Lu, who sat beside them, was completely unconcerned. After greeting the two, he squeezed into the crowd to find his own teammates.

"Let's go, Yuhao." After more than half the classroom had emptied, Xu Jie spoke to Huo Yuhao.

"Mm!" Huo Yuhao nodded, stood up, and headed toward the front of the classroom with Xu Jie.

"Let's discuss our tactics for tomorrow's assessment!" Before Xu Jie and Huo Yuhao could speak, Xiao Xiao beat them to it.

"Sure." Xu Jie nodded. "But first, we need to find somewhere to familiarize ourselves with each other's Martial Souls and soul skills."

"Let's go to the woods by Sea God Lake! There's plenty of room there," Huo Yuhao suggested first. He ran back and forth between the soul tool experimental area and the teaching building every day, so he really did know where there was open space.

"Alright!" Xu Jie thought about it. The last time he had seen red fireworks released near Sea God Lake from the dormitory building had been two days ago. Based on the pattern of those fireworks being released once every ten days, it should be safe there now.

Xiao Xiao naturally had no objection. The three left the classroom together and headed toward Sea God Lake, arriving at the place where Xu Jie and Huo Yuhao had trained before.

"Let's introduce our Martial Souls first." After speaking, Xu Jie summoned his Martial Soul. One yellow and two purple soul rings rose from beneath his feet.

"A Soul Elder with Thousand-Year Soul Rings?!" Xiao Xiao cried out when she saw the soul rings on Xu Jie's body. Ever since the last soul hunt, Xu Jie had not displayed his Martial Soul in front of others, so Xiao Xiao's shock came as no surprise to him.

"Ahem..." Xu Jie coughed lightly twice before saying, "Isn't Wang Dong's second soul ring also a thousand-year one?"

"My Martial Soul is the Sun, an assault-system battle Soul Master. My first soul skill is Fireball Spell. It creates a small ball of condensed flame and blasts it at the opponent. My second soul skill is Warm Wind, which absorbs heat from the surrounding air to restore my Soul Power. My third soul skill is Hellfire, which releases a mass of flame to incinerate the enemy."

Without waiting for Xiao Xiao to respond, Xu Jie introduced his Martial Soul and soul skills.

"My Martial Soul is the Spiritual Eye, a control-system support Soul Master. My first soul skill is Spiritual Detection Sharing." Once Xu Jie finished, Huo Yuhao summoned his Martial Soul as well. A gleaming white soul ring rose from beneath his feet and pulsed. He did not explain the effects of his soul skill, instead releasing it directly.

Whoosh!

Xiao Xiao only felt a cool sensation enter her mind. Then, the entire scene within a hundred and fifty meters appeared in her mind, all kinds of information flooding in at incredible speed.

Though shocked, she quickly summoned her Martial Soul. Two yellow soul rings rose from beneath her feet.

"Three-Life Soul Suppressing Cauldron. First soul skill, Cauldron's Quake. Second soul skill, Cauldron's Sway." As soon as she finished speaking, the three great cauldrons surrounding Xiao Xiao vanished. An ancient jade-green flute appeared in her hand, and another yellow soul ring rose from beneath her feet.

"Nine Phoenixes Auspicious Flute. First soul skill, Slowdown."

"Twin Martial Souls?!" Huo Yuhao cried out when he saw Xiao Xiao's Martial Soul change. Xu Jie, on the other hand, remained calm.

"Want to have a fight?" Xiao Xiao looked at Xu Jie and Huo Yuhao, a hint of excitement appearing on her face.

"No." Xu Jie refused outright. With his cultivation at rank thirty and his long-range fire mage style, as long as he used Ultimate Fire, neither Xiao Xiao nor Huo Yuhao could defeat him. In close combat, Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao would only lose even more miserably.

"Let's talk about how we'll coordinate tomorrow instead."