First Battle in District Thirty-Three!

After a night of uneventful cultivation, Lin Yuan spent the entire night honing his skills.

The next morning, after breakfast, Lin Yuan and Wang Dong headed to the teaching building. As soon as they entered the classroom, a tense and fierce atmosphere washed over them. After Zhou Yi's team assignments yesterday, the three students in each group were gathered together, passionately discussing tactics.

Huo Yu Hao had arrived earlier and was already waiting by his seat. Seeing Lin Yuan and Wang Dong enter, he immediately waved them over.

As the two walked over, Huo Yu Hao said, "The assessment officially begins this afternoon. Shall we discuss our strategy?"

Wang Dong casually replied, "There's nothing to discuss. We'll just fight our way through."

Lin Yuan raised his hand and tapped Wang Dong's forehead, his tone laced with a hint of helplessness. "Don't be careless." He then turned to Huo Yu Hao. "Your spiritual detection is key. It can sense the opponent's Martial Soul and Soul Skills in advance, so we need to rely on it to gain the upper hand."

Huo Yu Hao nodded immediately. "My spiritual detection can cover a radius of fifty meters and analyze the opponent's soul power fluctuations. However, it doesn't last long; under high-intensity combat, it can only be maintained for fifteen minutes at most."

"That's enough." Lin Yuan lightly tapped the tabletop with his fingertip, sketching a simple tactical layout. "Wang Dong, you're the core of our offense, responsible for breaking through the front lines and prioritizing the elimination of the opponent's control-type or support-type Soul Masters. Yu Hao, you'll flank from the rear, using spiritual interference to disrupt the opponent's rhythm and provide us with information. I'll be responsible for crowd control, restricting the opponents' movements, and coordinating with your output."

Wang Dong pouted but didn't argue. Instead, she leaned closer to examine the layout on the table.

As the three were discussing, three knocks sounded at the door. The previously noisy classroom instantly fell silent.

Zhou Yi stood at the classroom entrance, slowly walked to the podium, her expression as cold as ever. "I've already submitted the participant teams. The competition officially begins this afternoon. In the ten rounds of the round-robin, you won't face classmates from your own class; your opponents will be students from other classes. I have only one piece of advice for you: whoever stands in your way of passing the assessment, beat them! Alright, you're dismissed. Gather at the assessment area this afternoon." As soon as she finished speaking, she turned and left the classroom.

Zhou Yi's words were simple and crude, yet they instantly ignited the atmosphere in the classroom. The students clenched their fists, their eyes filled with surging fighting spirit. Lin Yuan and the other two also stood up, preparing to return to the dormitory for final adjustments.

Back in the dormitory, Lin Yuan sat cross-legged on the bed, his eyes closed as he sorted through his condition. The Dragon God's Heart circulated slowly, and the Nine-Colored Giant Dragon in his Sea of Consciousness gently swished its tail. His cyan-gold soul power rippled like seawater, nourishing his spiritual power. After three months of consolidation, although his soul power remained at level thirty-nine, it had become several times more condensed than before, and his control over his Authority had grown increasingly proficient.

Wang Dong occasionally stole glances at Lin Yuan from the side. Seeing his focused expression, she withdrew her gaze and silently rehearsed the tactics they had discussed that morning in her mind.

In the afternoon, the sun blazed fiercely. Shrek Academy's assessment area was located in the northern part of the Martial Soul Department, adjacent to the Douluo Zone. Compared to the Douluo Zone, the assessment area was much larger. Every year, a large number of students were eliminated here for failing to pass the assessment, and most assessments were conducted in this area.

The assessment area was oval-shaped, not an enclosed stadium like the Douluo Zone, but an open space. The perimeter was a low wall, and the interior was divided into multiple areas by movable partitions, allowing for adjustments in size.

During the new student assessment period each year, the assessment area had the most partitioned zones. This was not only due to the large number of new students but also because new students' destructive power and attack range were limited, requiring less space to display their abilities. The entire assessment area was about 20,000 square meters and had been divided into fifty zones, each about 400 square meters, forming a twenty-meter by twenty-meter square. For new students who generally only had one or two rings of cultivation, this space was more than sufficient.

After the group assignments were completed in the morning, the assessment officially kicked off in the afternoon. As it was the first day of the assessment, to allow the new students to adapt to the rhythm, each group only needed to undergo one assessment that day before leaving. The academy dispatched fifty teachers to be responsible for assessment registration in the fifty zones. The opponents for the day's assessments had been determined by lottery at noon, ensuring that teams from the same class would not face each other in the ten round-robin matches.

Except for Class One Freshman, which had only twenty-two teams, other classes generally had thirty or more teams. In the end, a total of 310 teams, comprising 930 students, participated in the new student assessment. However, only 150 of these teams would successfully remain and officially become first-year students to continue their studies; the rest would be eliminated.

Fifty zones conducted assessments simultaneously, with each zone assigned six to seven teams. This was not only the case on the first day; on the second day, these teams would still compete in the same zone against other teams within that zone. After everyone had faced each other, they would be regrouped until each group completed ten assessment matches.

Lin Yuan and the other two were assigned to Zone Thirty-Three. Each zone had a clear marker, and they quickly found their designated area. The students from other classes also participating in the competition here had arrived, and when they looked at each other, they displayed clear hostility.

A teacher around forty years old arrived at Zone Thirty-Three. After counting the number of people, he nodded with a smile. "Very good, we have a total of six groups of students here, and all have arrived. Let me introduce myself. My name is Wang Yan, and I will be your assessment teacher for the next two days."

"Hello, Teacher Wang," everyone responded in unison.

Wang Yan chuckled. "There's no need to be so formal. My teaching style is to treat everyone as friends. From now until the end of the assessment, you are all my little friends. Therefore, I don't want to see anyone get hurt. Alright, let's begin."

Saying this, he took out a folder, opened it, and glanced at it before looking up. "First round, first match assessment, Class One Freshman: Lin Yuan, Wang Dong, Huo Yu Hao, against Class Three Freshman: Ouyang Junyi, Chen Junfeng, Zhao Haochen..."

On that day, the six groups of students were to conduct three matches in Zone Thirty-Three. Lin Yuan and the other two entered the arena without hesitation and took their positions in the northwest corner. Their positioning was quite deliberate: Wang Dong stood at the front, Lin Yuan in the middle, and Huo Yu Hao in the rear corner.

The three students opposite them naturally chose the southeast corner. The three from Class Three Freshman were all male and looked quite decent. The tallest was Ouyang Junyi, who was also the most handsome. Chen Junfeng, standing beside him, was not short but very slender. Zhao Haochen, at the back, was a chubby boy with an honest and simple smile.

Seeing that both sides had taken their positions, Wang Yan nodded. "Assessment begins."

Both sides instantly released their Martial Souls. Lin Yuan did not directly release his Martial Soul, but several orbs of different colors appeared around him, representing the eight great Authorities he controlled: Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Light, Darkness, Space, and Time.

Wang Dong's actions were more direct. She flashed forward, and in mid-air, a pair of dazzling blue-purple wings unfurled, adorned with shimmering golden patterns that instantly caught everyone's attention.

Huo Yu Hao stood quietly behind the two. He appeared unchanged, but if one observed closely, they would notice a faint golden glow in his eyes. At this moment, both Lin Yuan and Wang Dong had received the blessings of Huo Yu Hao's spiritual detection and spiritual sharing. The opponents' Martial Soul characteristics, soul power fluctuations, and even their next intended movements were clearly presented in their minds.

The three opponents on the other side were also ready and released their Martial Souls immediately.

"Here, big chicken legs!" Zhao Haochen shouted. A yellow soul ring slowly rose, and two yellow lights appeared in his hands. Two braised chicken legs then materialized, which he quickly handed to the two in front of him.

Ouyang Junyi and Chen Junfeng took the chicken legs and devoured them while releasing their Martial Souls. One had a Beast Spirit, and the other had a Weapon Spirit, but both were agile attack-type Soul Masters. Ouyang Junyi's Martial Soul was the Sword-beaked Hummingbird. After releasing it, a sharp spike grew from the front of his right arm. Although it was a bird-type Martial Soul, his cultivation was not yet sufficient to form wings. Chen Junfeng's Martial Soul was a soft sword. All three were rank-one Soul Masters and possessed yellow hundred-year soul rings.

After finishing the chicken legs, the two agile attack-type Soul Masters' speed increased dramatically, like two arrows simultaneously lunging at Wang Dong. Wang Dong reacted instantly. These chicken legs enhanced speed. However, their team was not afraid of speed-type opponents; spiritual detection was precisely the counter to such enemies.

The golden light in Huo Yu Hao's eyes became clearer, and a three-dimensional image of the entire arena simultaneously appeared in Lin Yuan and Wang Dong's minds. Although Ouyang Junyi and Chen Junfeng were fast, their movement trajectories, soul power circulation methods, the direction of their Soul Skill bursts, and their weaknesses were all laid bare.

Lin Yuan raised his hand and lightly touched the ground, instantly activating his Earth Authority. The ground in the southeast corner of the arena suddenly rose, and two half-meter-high earth walls sprang up, precisely blocking the path of their charge. The two were moving too fast to stop, crashing heavily into the earth walls with a dull thud, their charge instantly interrupted.

"What the heck?" Ouyang Junyi exclaimed, clutching his injured shoulder.

In mid-air, Wang Dong was positioned considerably higher than the two. Golden patterns spread across her wings, and her first soul ring lit up. Her arms instantly merged with her forewings.

First Soul Skill, Winged Scythe!

Blinding golden light erupted from her wings. The sharp, blade-like wings drew two brilliant arcs in the air, heading straight for the two who had just broken free from behind the earth walls. Ouyang Junyi reacted extremely quickly, the spike on his right arm flashing with a cold light as he attempted to block. However, he was forced back repeatedly by the powerful force contained within the Winged Scythe, his arm going numb. Chen Junfeng's soft sword had just been unsheathed when Wang Dong dodged sideways, and her wings swept across, striking him hard on the back.

Chen Junfeng grunted, his body staggering forward. Lin Yuan's fingers moved slightly, and his Wind Authority was subtly activated. An invisible stream of air wrapped around his ankle, causing him to lose his balance and fall heavily to the ground.

"Zhao Haochen, do it!" Ouyang Junyi shouted urgently.

A flash of light appeared in Zhao Haochen's hand, and two more chicken legs materialized. This time, the chicken legs had a red glow on their surface, clearly indicating they had special effects. Just as he was about to throw the chicken legs to his companions, Lin Yuan's eyes narrowed, and his Space Authority was suddenly activated. The space in front of Zhao Haochen rippled faintly. As the two chicken legs left his hand, they were instantly restrained in mid-air by an invisible spatial force. Then, with a "bang," they shattered, dissolving into specks of energy.

"How is this possible?" Zhao Haochen's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief.