Monthly Assessment, First Signs of Brilliance

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

For the new students of Myriad Manifestations Academy, however, those three days had been like tempering themselves in a furnace. Every minute and second had been filled with pressure and struggle. News of the first Monthly Assessment was like an invisible whip, lashing at everyone's nerves.

Their Pagoda Training Hours had long since been used up, forcing all the new students to move to the academy's Mimicry Training Areas or public training grounds. Although the concentration of vital energy here was far inferior to that within the Myriad Manifestations Pagoda, it was still several times denser than outside and remained a precious place for them to race against time to improve their strength.

Huo Yun had pushed himself almost to his limit. Other than the two hours each day he spent in deep meditation to restore his mental strength, he immersed himself in frenzied cultivation for every remaining moment. His efforts to break through the Level 30 bottleneck had not succeeded. That barrier was sturdier than he had imagined, but he was not discouraged. Instead, he frantically honed his control over Soul Power and his use of the Soul Suppressing Bell Martial Soul, adjusting himself to peak condition.

Lin Xiaowan chose a simulated forest environment rich in wood-attributed vital energy. Sitting cross-legged beneath an ancient tree, she closed her eyes and focused, attempting to communicate with the life energy of the surrounding grass and trees through the method Qin Mo had taught her—"sensing" rather than "absorbing." Her Straw Martial Soul floated before her, giving off a faint yet exceptionally pure glow of life. Even the surrounding grass seemed to have become a shade greener.

The twin brothers with the Black and White Chessboard Martial Soul, Mo Fang and Mo Zheng, were playing chess in an open area. Yet this was no ordinary game. Soul Power flowed between them as an invisible chessboard field enveloped the surroundings. Phantom black and white pieces crisscrossed one another, as though they were practicing some sort of combined technique for trapping enemies.

Ying Qi, the youth with the Shadow Escape Beast Martial Soul, flickered through dimly lit corners like a true shadow, repeatedly concealing himself and launching surprise attacks against imaginary targets. His movements became increasingly fluid and uncanny.

The shy girl Su Ling'er, whose Martial Soul was the Healing Lily of the Valley, was attempting to condense her healing light into more precise soundwave forms under Ye Lingling's occasional guidance.

Everyone was making their final preparations for the upcoming assessment in their own way.

Assessment day, early morning.

The Training Ground was once again shrouded in a solemn atmosphere. Eighteen new students stood in formation, their expressions tense yet expectant. Bing'er and the other four girls still stood at the front. Today, they would also serve as witnesses for the assessment and judges for some of its events.

Qin Mo appeared on the High Platform on time, his gaze sweeping across those below.

"The Monthly Assessment begins." Without any unnecessary words, he announced directly, "The assessment consists of three parts: Soul Power Level evaluation, Martial Soul control evaluation, and practical combat evaluation. Your overall results will determine next month's Resource Quota."

The first part was the Soul Power Level evaluation. It was simple. An Academic Affairs deacon at the Soul Sage level held a specially made Soul Tool and tested them one by one. Most of the new students had improved over the past three days, raising their Soul Power by one or two levels. That would already have been an extremely rapid pace in the outside world, but at Myriad Manifestations Academy, it was merely the passing line.

Huo Yun was at the peak of Level 29, only a step away from Level 30, making him the undisputed top scorer. Lin Xiaowan was Level 12. Her Soul Power Level was still at the bottom, but she had risen from Level 10 to Level 12, the greatest improvement of them all. Most of the others were between Level 15 and Level 20.

The second part was the Martial Soul control evaluation. Qin Mo personally judged this assessment. He had the new students display their Martial Souls one at a time and perform various delicate operations according to his demands, such as maintaining stable Soul Power output, controlling changes in Martial Soul form, and finely manipulating elemental power.

This assessment was extremely difficult. Many new students floundered, their Soul Power fluctuating violently and their Martial Souls unstable. Huo Yun once again displayed extraordinary talent. The Soul Suppressing Bell hummed, its soundwaves controlled with perfect precision, able to gather or disperse at will, earning a slight nod from Qin Mo. The most surprising person was still Lin Xiaowan. Her Straw Martial Soul appeared weak, but when Qin Mo ordered her to evenly cover every strand of straw with Soul Power, she performed exceptionally well. Her Soul Power flowed smoothly and naturally, even carrying a peculiar rhythm of life that far surpassed many whose Soul Power was higher than hers.

The third part was the practical combat evaluation. This was the main event, held in the Illusion Battle Hall. The opponents were no longer fixed Soul Beast Phantoms, but Soul Master phantoms randomly generated by the formation, each with different combat styles. Their strength was equal to that of the examinees, but their fighting techniques were tricky and ruthless.

The new students entered one after another. Screams, the sounds of Soul Skills colliding, and the light signaling the formation's judgment of "failure" flashed from time to time. Most of the new students struggled immensely. Few could barely last the time it took to burn an incense stick, and even fewer could defeat their phantoms.

It was Huo Yun's turn. He drew a deep breath and entered the Illusion Battle Hall. His opponent was an agile assault-type Soul Master phantom wielding a long spear. The battle reached a fever pitch from the very start. Spear shadows moved like dragons, the assault fierce and relentless. Huo Yun responded calmly, the Soul Suppressing Bell ringing from time to time to disrupt the other party's Soul Power circulation. Catching an opening, the bell's chimes suddenly became rapid and thunderous! "First Soul Skill, Soul Shock Wave!" An invisible soundwave slammed viciously into the phantom, abruptly stiffening its movements! "Second Soul Skill, Soul Suppressing Sound Field!" The Soul Ring beneath Huo Yun's feet lit up again, and a small soundwave field spread outward, continuously disrupting and suppressing his opponent! He seized the chance to advance, driving a palm condensed with Soul Power forward! Boom! The spear-wielding phantom scattered! He had actually defeated an opponent of the same rank head-on! Although more than half his Soul Power had been consumed, his result was astonishing!

Cries of surprise rose from outside. Even Bing'er and the others nodded slightly.

Finally, it was Lin Xiaowan's turn. Almost no one thought highly of her. How could a Straw Martial Soul that did not even qualify as Support Type possibly fight? Inside the Illusion Battle Hall, her opponent was an assassin-type phantom wielding a dagger. The moment the battle began, the phantom transformed into a streak of black light and lunged at her with astonishing speed! Lin Xiaowan's little face turned deathly pale. Almost entirely by instinct, she rolled across the ground to evade, looking utterly bedraggled. Her Straw Martial Soul appeared as she tried to bind her opponent, only for it to be easily severed. Just as the dagger was about to stab her, she squeezed her eyes shut in terror and instinctively poured all her Soul Power into the Straw Martial Soul! Something marvelous happened! The severed straw did not dissipate. Instead, as though it had come alive, it rapidly grew and intertwined, forming a crude but sturdy straw shield before her! Sshk! The dagger pierced the shield and became firmly lodged within it! At the same time, more straw shot from the ground like living vines, wrapping around the phantom's feet! Though the phantom quickly shattered the straw, that brief obstruction bought her several precious seconds! For the remainder of the fight, she did nothing but flee, dodge, and use straw to create obstacle after obstacle to stall for time. She had no offensive ability at all, yet she pushed her survival instincts to the utmost. Her ability to predict timing and the trajectory of her opponent's attacks seemed almost innate. In the end, she actually managed to last the time it took to burn an incense stick, her clothes in tatters and her body covered in scrapes! When the formation judged her "qualified," she collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, her eyes brimming with incredulous joy.

Outside, there was a moment of silence before whispers erupted. This... this worked too?!

All three assessments had ended.

The overall results were quickly calculated and displayed on the light screen.

Huo Yun excelled in all three assessments, receiving an overall rating of "Class A+" and claiming the undisputed first place. Second place, however, surprised quite a few people. It went to Shi Lei, the youth whose Martial Soul was merely the ordinary Iron Arm Ape, but whose Soul Power was solid and whose combat was steady. Lin Xiaowan, meanwhile, relied on her outstanding Martial Soul control and astonishing resilience in actual combat to rank in the middle! "Class C"!

This result made many students with higher Soul Power Levels than hers flush with shame. They had ranked behind her due to insufficient control or poor combat performance. It also made them realize for the first time that at Myriad Manifestations Academy, Soul Power Level was not the only thing that mattered.

Based on the rankings, the new Resource Quotas were distributed on the spot.

Huo Yun received thirty hours of Pagoda training time for the next month, along with three bottles of Soul Condensing Pills. Shi Lei received twenty-five hours and two bottles of Soul Condensing Pills. Lin Xiaowan also received ten hours and a bottle of Soul Condensing Pills as a reward! To her, it was practically a fortune!

Some rejoiced while others grieved. The quotas of the lower-ranked students had been drastically reduced, and they looked despondent.

Qin Mo took in everyone's reactions before speaking indifferently. "The assessment is over, and the rankings are set. Does anyone object?"

The new students remained silent. Their skills were inferior to others', leaving them nothing to say.

"Rankings are not eternal. Assessments will be held next month, and every month thereafter. After today, everything resets to zero. You want more resources? Higher rankings?" Qin Mo's gaze swept over the crowd, and his tone suddenly sharpened. "Then seize them with your own sweat and your own progress!"

"Yes, Headmaster!" The new students perked up and responded in unison, fighting spirit reigniting in their eyes. Especially those who had ranked lower, they clenched their fists and swore to redeem themselves next month!

Huo Yun accepted the new token marked "thirty hours," feeling its satisfying weight as a calm flame burned in his eyes. He had to break through to Level 30 as soon as possible!

At that moment, the Nine-Colored Light Screen around the academy's perimeter suddenly rippled with a faint, unusual disturbance.

At the top floor of the tower, Qin Mo and Qin Yuan opened their eyes almost simultaneously.

"It's here again..." Qin Mo looked toward the light screen. Displayed upon it was an extremely obscure yet exceptionally powerful strand of Spiritual Power, carefully probing the protective barrier. Its strength far surpassed those previous spies, and it was even more cunning than the Titled Douluo-level observer from several days ago.

"This time... it doesn't seem to be human?" Qin Yuan frowned slightly as he sensed the strange savagery contained within that Spiritual Power.

The eyes watching from the shadows seemed to be growing increasingly unable to restrain themselves.