At Second High School in Xiūshé City, in the Star Lord Class.
The homeroom teacher, Teacher Du, pointed at Liang Ji's assessment display. He nodded and said, "You came to your senses before it was too late. If Liang Ji had kept letting his Vassals fight head-on, I guarantee they would all have been wiped out within sixty minutes."
"As things stand, Liang Ji should have secured one of the full marks this time."
Just as the teacher was commenting on Liang Ji's Vassals, five more of the remaining Star Lord students failed almost simultaneously, ending their assessments.
Teacher Du had kept Liang Ji's assessment enlarged as he explained and commented on it for everyone, but he had naturally been keeping track of the other seven students' assessments as well.
Now he shrank Liang Ji's display and set it aside, turning instead to comment on the five students who had just failed. He pointed out the strengths and weaknesses of their Vassals' performance during the assessment, as well as how they could improve.
"Fang Xiaohan, your Shadow Serpentfolk Vassals have developed very well. You could say the restrictions of the assessment grounds held them back this time; otherwise, they should have scored even higher."
Fang Xiaohan was among the five who had failed. The teacher began with a word of praise, then shifted gears and continued:
"However, this also clearly reveals the weaknesses and disadvantages of your Shadow Serpentfolk!"
"Remember, when you face enemies and fight in the future, you could find yourselves in all kinds of environments. Your enemies won't go easy on you. They might even deliberately seek out or create conditions that put you at a disadvantage before they fight and kill."
"The 'Terrain Advantage' chapter is part of the school's 'Tactics' course. You've all studied it."
"You need to apply what you've learned. The 'Terrain Advantage' chapter doesn't just teach you to create favorable terrain whenever possible when fighting an enemy. You also need to consider how your own Vassals would handle the battles described in that chapter."
"So, before the college entrance exams, Fang Xiaohan, you should find a way to improve your Shadow Serpentfolk Vassals' ability to fight head-on."
"I'll write up some specific recommendations and send them to you separately later."
"Yes. Thank you, Teacher." Fang Xiaohan stood and acknowledged him, then bowed in gratitude.
Teacher Du nodded slightly and continued advising the other students who had failed.
By the time he finished, fifty-five minutes had passed. Three starry displays remained in the air. Of the class's thirty-four students, only three were still holding on in the assessment, striving to earn a perfect score by lasting the full sixty minutes.
They were Liang Ji, Peng Yue, and Wang Zhihe.
Teacher Du enlarged all three assessment displays and arranged them side by side in midair, so the class could watch how their Vassals were faring.
There was no need to mention Liang Ji's Half-Dragonfolk. Just over a hundred remained, gathered together. Using shattered shields, giant axes, deep pits, even the bones of fallen comrades—in short, every means at their disposal—they had built defenses against the teacher's Spotted Serpentfolk, who kept pressing their attack.
They were trying to hold out for the last few minutes.
The other two displays showed equally brutal scenes.
Peng Yue had the most Vassals left of the three: more than three hundred Ice Soul Serpentfolk.
And somehow, her Vassals had blanketed the assessment grounds in ice, freezing everything until the whole place had become a snowy wasteland.
The Ice Soul Serpentfolk fought and killed their enemies there, making full use of the terrain advantage.
Clearly, Peng Yue had mastered the "Terrain Advantage" chapter of the "Tactics" course. She was also very good at putting it into practice.
Teacher Du pointed to Peng Yue's assessment display, praised her, and explained the tactics she had used.
But no matter how well one used tactics or how much one improved the terrain, it was ultimately difficult to overcome the gap in strength.
The more than three hundred Ice Soul Serpentfolk left on the display were mostly injured. Their Rune Armor was badly damaged and broken, and most of it had lost its defensive properties.
In truth, the Rune Armor was only a little stronger than the Half-Dragonfolk's Hegemonic Body in terms of defense. Under the terrifying shock-force attacks of the teacher's Vassals' spears, it could still be breached and torn apart.
Then the spears pierced bodies, ripped through flesh, and shattered bones. The poison rapidly spread through their wounds; every strike was lethal.
But unlike Liang Ji's Half-Dragonfolk, who could only force themselves to endure their injuries, Peng Yue's Ice Soul Serpentfolk had ways to deal with theirs. They froze their wounds with ice, then crushed medicinal pills into powder and applied it to the cuts. This sped up healing, helped them recover, and held back the poison.
Clearly, Peng Yue's Ice Soul Serpentfolk had cultivated not only Rune Masters but alchemists as well. They had gone even further down the road of spending big.
With these methods, the Ice Soul Serpentfolk could keep fighting longer than the Half-Dragonfolk even while badly wounded. Their rune weapons were also more lethal, and they had already killed more than thirty of the teacher's Vassals—far more than Liang Ji's side.
Even so, the more than three hundred Ice Soul Serpentfolk still left had given up attacking. They piled the bodies of their fallen kin together and froze them into several battered ice walls, defending desperately against the teacher's Spotted Serpentfolk and trying to last until the assessment ended.
The third and final starry display showed Wang Zhihe's Vassals' assessment.
Wang Zhihe also came from a Star Lord family. He had cultivated a special Vassal species: the Swamp Serpentfolk.
By now, the assessment grounds in his display had been completely transformed into a swamp. Clearly, he too had used a method to reshape the terrain into something ideal for his Vassals.
He had also spared no expense on Rune Armor, rune weapons, pills, and other such items. That was how he had lasted until the end.
But compared with Peng Yue's Ice Soul Serpentfolk, Wang Zhihe's Swamp Serpentfolk had performed somewhat worse. Only a little over two hundred remained, and they had killed just over twenty of the teacher's Spotted Serpentfolk—about the same as Liang Ji's Half-Dragonfolk.
Moreover, unlike the Half-Dragonfolk and Ice Soul Serpentfolk, who were now defending with all their strength, Wang Zhihe's remaining Swamp Serpentfolk weren't defending at all. They were doing everything they could to keep moving and escape.
The more than two hundred Swamp Serpentfolk scattered in every direction, gliding swiftly through the swamp. Only a little over seventy of the teacher's Spotted Serpentfolk remained, and they had spread out in pursuit.
But the swamp clearly slowed the Spotted Serpentfolk down, and the loss of their comrades' support also reduced their killing efficiency.
Wang Zhihe's Swamp Serpentfolk were buying time until the end by fleeing and sacrificing their companions.
As Teacher Du examined Wang Zhihe's assessment display, he didn't criticize their choice. Instead, comparing them with Peng Yue and Liang Ji's Vassals, who were defending with all their strength, he commented and explained, "There's no right or wrong choice. What matters most is choosing what suits you!"
As he finished speaking, the clock reached exactly sixty minutes.
The Vassals of Liang Ji, Peng Yue, and Wang Zhihe had all lasted to the end.
As Liang Ji watched his remaining hundred or so Half-Dragonfolk carry the bones of their fallen kin back to Dragon Soul Star, his consciousness returned. Then he heard Teacher Du's voice from the lectern: "This first mock exam is over. Congratulations to Peng Yue, Wang Zhihe, and Liang Ji for lasting until the end and earning full marks."
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