Grouping Before the Assessment

During the day, he attended classes; at night, he cultivated. On top of that, he made time to devour books in the library. For Zhou Huan, his days at Shrek vanished in the blink of an eye.

The classroom, dormitory, and library—a three-point routine that kept Zhou Huan busy and thoroughly content.

Before he knew it, three months had quietly passed.

During this time, Zhou Huan still failed to find any Martial Soul knowledge related to the Floating Pagoda in the Outer Courtyard Library. Still, it was not as though he had gained nothing. At the very least, he had learned many things he had never encountered before.

He had also gotten to know Wang Yan, an Outer Court teacher devoted to theoretical research and the other future Class Advisor of First Year Class One.

Meeting Wang Yan had been a coincidence. Since Zhou Huan often lingered in the library, he had run into this master theorist. The two got along exceptionally well in conversation, nearly to the point of wanting to burn yellow paper, behead a chicken, and swear brotherhood.

Of course, a large part of that was because Zhou Huan had God's perspective and knew exactly what interested Wang Yan.

Judging from the Original Work, Zhou Huan had thought Wang Yan was a good teacher. Now that he had interacted with him, that indeed seemed to be the case.

Making friends with Wang Yan was, in truth, driven by a small ulterior motive. After all, Wang Yan would certainly come into contact with the Inner Courtyard Library someday.

Zhou Huan was simply laying down a bit of groundwork for the future.

Whether it would prove useful later depended on how things developed, but preparations still had to be made.

Besides reading, Zhou Huan had naturally not neglected his cultivation over these three months. After all, strength was the foundation of everything.

His Soul Power Level had risen from the peak of Rank 27 to the peak of Rank 28, with little difference in cultivation speed compared to before.

That was because Zhou Huan had yet to consume the Ten Thousand Year Whale Jelly he had intercepted.

Speaking of that, Zhou Huan was rather helpless. He could not find suitable flames to melt the Ten Thousand Year Whale Jelly. His Frost Spirit was an Ice Attribute Martial Soul—how was he supposed to melt Whale Rubber?

Originally, he had wanted to ask Zhang Lexuan for help. By now, she had surely broken through to the Soul Douluo level, so even if she was not a fire-attribute soul master, dealing with a mere piece of Ten Thousand Year Whale Jelly should have been effortless.

Yet after three months, he had not seen Zhang Lexuan even once.

He did not know whether Miss Zhang preferred staying home in the Inner Court or had gone out on another mission.

It was a pity that he had been so happy to see Zhang Lexuan on the first day of school that he had forgotten all about the Ten Thousand Year Whale Jelly.

At the same time, since he had acquired the Ten Thousand Year Whale Jelly, Zhou Huan decided not to steal Xu The Simp's Mysterious Water Pill.

For one thing, the best time to take the Mysterious Water Pill was before Rank 20, when it could cleanse and temper one's body.

For another, Zhou Huan truly had not had time these past three months to plot against Xu The Simp. His days had been far too fulfilling. He had not even seen Xu The Simp, though he had run into Jiang Nannan once or twice while she was buying Huo Gua's grilled fish. However, he had not spoken with Jiang Nannan.

And speaking of Huo Gua, if there was one person who had changed the most over the past three months, it was undoubtedly this Son of Destiny.

Huo Gua had not only become Class One's class monitor, but his Soul Power had also risen from a pitiful Rank 11 to Rank 17.

Six ranks in three months. He could practically shout, "Isn't this guy the Child of Fate?! Even a helicopter wouldn't dare climb that fast."

Of course, Huo Gua's lucky encounters were the same as in the Original Work. First, Beibei and Tang Ya helped him get the Mysterious Water Pill from Xu The Simp. Then, he nearly got barbecued by Ma Xiaotao before obtaining a Soul Ascension Pill.

To be honest, Zhou Huan was not envious of Huo Gua in the slightest.

Whether he was the Son of Destiny or the Child of Fate, he was still on the chessboard of a certain God King Three.

For that reason, Zhou Huan had rarely interacted with Huo Gua or Old Wang next door over the past three months. He had insisted on quietly being an NPC with little presence and a neighboring dormmate.

Thus, even now, Zhou Huan and Huo Gua and Wang Dong were merely classmates who nodded to one another. They could not even be considered ordinary friends.

Besides, Zhou Huan's fulfilling three-point routine left him no extra time to make many friends.

Usually, he only occasionally arranged to eat in the cafeteria with Wen Xiaoshuai, Xiao Xiao, and Wang Qingya.

At first, only Wen Xiaoshuai and the other two knew that Zhou Huan liked going to the library to read during his free time. Later, more and more people in the class gradually learned that they had a classmate who loved hanging around the library.

However, no one discussed it much. They merely found it somewhat novel when they first heard about it, and no one spared it further thought. Everyone was busy cultivating and improving themselves, hoping to pass the assessment.

As the Class Advisor, Zhou Yi naturally knew about Zhou Huan's situation.

But she did not say much. Although Shrek valued actual combat most highly, enjoying reading was not a bad thing. Otherwise, why would a library exist?

Moreover, Zhou Huan completed all the training tasks she assigned, so she had nothing to criticize.

As one of the few two-ring Great Soul Masters in Class One, Zhou Yi still kept an eye on Zhou Huan.

However, Zhou Yi's greatest attention was not on Zhou Huan, but on Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao's diligence and perseverance were what Zhou Yi admired most. Moreover, he was an exceptionally obedient child and a student her husband Fan Yu thought highly of.

Therefore, most of Zhou Yi's attention was focused on Huo Yuhao, the class monitor.

As for Zhou Huan, Zhou Yi felt that although his Soul Power ranked among the best in the class, he lived like a transparent person.

In fact, Zhou Yi did not like students with that kind of personality. Yet since Zhou Huan had not violated any of her rules, she truly could not say anything, as if she had nowhere to exert her strength.

And now, Zhou Yi had another matter troubling her: the groupings for the Freshman Assessment Tournament, mainly how to group Zhou Huan and Xiao Xiao.

So today, after announcing the specific details of the Freshman Assessment, Zhou Yi had assigned everyone else to groups, while Zhou Huan, Xiao Xiao, Wen Xiaoshuai, Wang Qingya, Huo Yuhao, and Wang Dong—the six people—were left behind.

Zhou Yi swept her gaze over them before slowly speaking. "I kept you behind mainly because of the assessment groupings. But before that, I want to ask something. Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao—can the three of you tell me why you all registered as Control System? Are you kidding me?!!"

In her eyes, Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eyes Martial Soul and Mental Share skill were clearly support-oriented. Wang Dong was undoubtedly Power Attack System, while Xiao Xiao's Soul Suppressing Cauldron was clearly offense and defense in one, with a defensive lean.

Meanwhile, Zhou Huan was Control System, Wen Xiaoshuai was Power Attack System, and Wang Qingya was Food Type.

Since the Freshman Assessment was a three-person team competition and no team was allowed to have two or more Power Attack System soul masters, Zhou Yi felt it was obvious that Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao should be in one group, while Wen Xiaoshuai and Wang Qingya should be in another.

But Zhou Huan and Xiao Xiao's positions could be swapped.

Zhou Huan's Soul Power was Rank 23—over the past three months, he had raised his apparent Soul Power by one rank—which was one rank higher than Xiao Xiao's. Moreover, the Control System clearly had an advantage over the Defense System in three-person team battles, but Zhou Huan's Frost Spirit could not compare to Xiao Xiao's offense-and-defense Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron.

As a result, Zhou Huan and Xiao Xiao's respective advantages seemed evenly matched.

Zhou Yi intended to treat Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong's group as the Champion Seed Team, which was why she had not decided whether to put Xiao Xiao or Zhou Huan in that group.

She had even considered grouping Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, and Zhou Huan together, but quickly abandoned the thought. Huo Yuhao's Mental Share soul skill was simply too overwhelming for soul masters with only one or two rings.

Therefore, the Champion Seed Team could not do without Huo Yuhao.

But today, Zhou Yi saw that Xiao Xiao, Huo Yuhao, and Wang Dong had all listed themselves as Control System, and she immediately became furious. That was why she was questioning the three of them now.

Huo Gua explained, "Teacher, although my Spirit Eyes' first soul skill is support-oriented right now, the Spirit Eyes Martial Soul can possess offensive soul skills. I don't want to be only a Support System soul master."

Xiao Xiao said, "Teacher, my Soul Suppressing Cauldron is actually a mutation called the Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron. Besides combining offense and defense, it can control the entire field. And I have another Martial Soul called the Nine Phoenixes Auspicious Flute. With the two working together, I can become a very good Control System soul master."

Wang—Godly Second Generation—Dong: "..." She had nothing to explain. She was undeniably Power Attack System; she merely wanted to be with Huo Gua. At this moment, she had already shrunk behind him.

Yet at this moment, no one cared about Wang Dong's thoughts.

Because everyone was looking at Xiao Xiao. "Twin Martial Souls?!"

Yes, Zhou—Drama king—Huan was obviously pretending, since he had known all along.

Now Zhou Yi felt there was no need to hesitate over her grouping. The Champion Seed Team would definitely choose Xiao Xiao.

Before this, she had kept the six of them behind because she wanted to ask whether Xiao Xiao or Zhou Huan had better chemistry and coordination with Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong.

As for Wen Xiaoshuai and Wang Qingya's group, Zhou Huan was Wen Xiaoshuai's roommate, while Xiao Xiao was Wang Qingya's roommate. No matter how they were assigned, the result would be roughly the same in terms of mutual understanding.

Moreover, these four were clearly good friends. After three months, it was impossible for Zhou Yi not to notice.

But if Xiao Xiao revealed that she had Twin Martial Souls and Zhou Yi immediately assigned her to Huo Yuhao's group, that would look far too ugly.

Although Zhou Yi's teaching philosophy was outrageously wrong and she had always been domineering, she still cared about her dignity. After all, these were students she had taught for three months.

Zhou Huan clearly saw through Zhou Yi's thoughts, so he immediately said, "Teacher, I want to be grouped with Wen Xiaoshuai and Wang Qingya. Besides, Wen Xiaoshuai and I decided to form a team when we first enrolled."

Hearing that, Zhou Yi could not help but look at Zhou Huan again, as though considering something. Only then did she answer, "Fine."

Xiao Xiao glared at Zhou Huan unhappily. She had wanted to team up with her good friends too.

Although Wang Dong was handsome, she was not familiar with either Wang Dong or Huo Yuhao!

When it came to fighting, sisters should obviously charge in together!

But that dog Zhou Huan had beaten her to it, and Demon King Zhou had already agreed.

What Xiao Xiao did not know was that Zhou Huan did this not only because he had seen through Zhou Yi's thoughts, but more because he was considering Xiao Xiao herself.

Zhou Huan would absolutely not reveal all his strength. If possible, he would not even reveal sixty percent of it. Therefore, only by following Huo Gua and Wang Dong could Xiao Xiao win the championship.

And Zhou Huan definitely would not join Huo Gua and Wang Dong's group, because his appearance had already caused the plot to deviate slightly.

In the Original Work, Zhou Yi had not hesitated at all over the Freshman Assessment groupings.

He had ultimately become that butterfly flapping its wings. Although Xiao Xiao's Twin Martial Souls had put things back on track, that was precisely why Zhou Huan was unwilling to board Huo Gua's ship.

Who knew whether following the Protagonist would turn him into cannon fodder?

As for Wen Xiaoshuai and Wang Qingya, there had been no mention of them at all in the Original Work. Either they were merely Passerby As in the class, or they had appeared because of him, this butterfly.

No matter which it was, Zhou Huan would not feel that hiding his strength meant he owed these two friends anything.

After the groups were confirmed, Wang Qingya saw Xiao Xiao's somewhat dejected expression and patted her little head, comforting her. "Xiao Xiao, do your best. You're the best."

Hearing that, Xiao Xiao nodded. "Mm, Yaya, you should do your best too. You're a Food Type Soul Master, so remember to just hide behind Zhou Huan."

Zhou Huan: "..." Are you treating me as a meat shield? I'm not even Defense System.

Then Xiao Xiao glanced at Zhou Huan and said fiercely, "If you don't protect Yaya properly, I'll smash you with my Cauldron!"

You violent loli!

Still, Zhou Huan replied, "Don't worry. With Old Wen around, everything will be fine."

Xiao Xiao rolled her eyes adorably. "What a good friend you are."

After exchanging a few more empty boasts, Xiao Xiao left with Huo Gua and Wang Dong. After all, they were not familiar with one another, and the assessment tournament was tomorrow. They had to first understand each other's soul skills, or it would be difficult to coordinate.

As for Zhou Huan, Wen Xiaoshuai, and Wang Qingya, they were quite familiar with one another, but that was only in terms of personality, habits, and interests. They did not actually know much about each other's soul skills.

After all, unless they were teammates, who would casually talk about their soul skills?

"Zhou Huan, Xiao Shuai, do you think we can make it into the top ten?" Wang Qingya suddenly asked.

"That depends on luck," Zhou Huan said casually.

This Freshman Assessment Tournament had a total of three hundred groups. Each group had to participate in at least ten matches. In the end, points from match victories determined the rankings. The top one hundred and fifty teams would pass the assessment, while the rest could only leave Shrek.

Then, the top sixty-four teams would enter the Elimination Match all the way to the finals, and the top four would receive academy rewards.

So whether they could make the top ten truly depended on luck. If they encountered Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu's Hell White Tiger in the first Elimination Match, then unless Zhou Huan used all his strength from the beginning and dealt with Zhu Lu before they could react, catching them off guard, they truly could not win.

But would Zhou Huan do that?

The answer was no.

Although Zhou Huan was still weak and hiding a tiny bit of strength seemed meaningless, the important thing was not now, but the future.

Moreover, Zhou Huan was only unable to defeat the Hell White Tiger on the stage right now, because that was a contest of raw strength. But if they were placed in a forest or a city, he could assassinate ten Dai Huabins and Zhu Lus.

Unfortunately, they were at Shrek, fighting face-to-face on the stage.

So rankings truly could only depend on luck.

However, Wen Xiaoshuai clearly did not care about luck. Instead, acting unlike usual, he said excitedly, "Fighting? I'm not scared. Just charge straight in!"

Wang Qingya was somewhat speechless. After knowing him for so long, she had come to understand what kind of person Wen Xiaoshuai was.

But when she first discovered that Wen Xiaoshuai particularly enjoyed fighting, she felt as though her worldview had shattered.

How could this socially anxious youth, normally so "delicate" in speech, be such a battle fanatic?!

Thus, Wang Qingya said, "Take it easy."

As they spoke, the three walked to a quiet, deserted part of the academy. Only then did they begin releasing their respective Martial Souls and soul skills, so they could get a sense of each other's abilities.

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