Not Enemies, Not Gathered!

The battle was not yet over. Seeing the Lan sisters fall and the Heavenly Net and Earthly Web fail to defeat the enemy, Huang Chu Tian was instantly shocked. However, he quickly regained his senses, let out a low shout, and lunged directly at Lin Yuan, who was closest to him.

Seeing this, Lin Yuan sidestepped, his figure flashing like a phantom across the battlefield, instantly appearing before Huang Chu Tian. Huang Chu Tian's pupils constricted, and just as he was about to activate his soul power to resist, Lin Yuan's palm pressed down on his shoulder like a vise.

"Bang!" A muffled impact sounded, and Huang Chu Tian's burly body was pinned firmly to the ground, sending gravel flying. He struggled with all his might, his arms erupting with immense power, but the hand on his shoulder remained unmoving. An invisible force of Space spread along his arm, locking the flow of soul power within his body.

"You lost," Lin Yuan said calmly, tapping his foot lightly. The ground around Huang Chu Tian suddenly bulged, forming four stone locks that firmly secured his limbs, leaving only his head able to turn.

"Lin Yuan's team wins!" Wang Yan announced the match result as the situation was decided.

Lin Yuan released his hand from Huang Chu Tian's shoulder and slowly walked towards Lan Su Su and Lan Luo Luo, who were slumped on the ground. The two sisters had pale faces, with traces of blood at the corners of their mouths. As Lin Yuan approached, a flicker of panic flashed in their eyes, quickly replaced by admiration. They pushed themselves up from the ground, wanting to stand.

"Don't get up yet, take some time to recover," Lin Yuan said, bending down, his voice gentle. "Your Martial Soul Fusion Skill was forcibly interrupted, causing your soul power to become disordered. Moving rashly now could easily damage your foundation."

Lan Luo Luo bit her lower lip, her large eyes filled with unwillingness. "We lost..."

Lan Su Su also lowered her head, her small hands tightly gripping the hem of her clothes, clearly disappointed at not being able to perform at her best in front of her idol.

Seeing their tearful expressions, Lin Yuan's heart stirred. He reached out and gently pulled Lan Su Su into his embrace, patting her back. "You were very strong," he said soothingly. "Your Martial Soul Fusion Skill was exquisite. We were just lucky to win."

The warm embrace dispelled the chill brought on by the disordered soul power. Lan Su Su stiffened for a moment, then relaxed. Her cheek pressed against Lin Yuan's collar, and she could clearly smell the crisp scent of grass and wood emanating from him. The roots of her ears instantly turned red.

Releasing Lan Su Su, Lin Yuan turned to Lan Luo Luo. The young girl's eyes lit up, but she pretended to be reserved, pursing her lips. Her body, however, unconsciously leaned closer to him.

Lin Yuan chuckled, reaching out to embrace her as well, his movements gentle. "Your coordination is very tacit. Keep working hard, and you'll surely become a top support combination in the future."

"R-really?" Lan Luo Luo mumbled into his chest, her voice muffled but unable to hide her excitement.

"Of course," Lin Yuan said. He released her and took out two small jade bottles from his soul tool, handing them to them. "This will help you sort out your disordered soul power. Drink it when you get back and rest well."

Lan Su Su and Lan Luo Luo accepted the jade bottles, their fingers brushing and feeling somewhat hot. The two exchanged a glance, their faces blushing simultaneously as they bowed. "Thank you, God Yuan!"

Huang Chu Tian, still trapped by the stone locks, watched the scene and rolled his eyes helplessly. "Hey, can you let me go first? You win and then just ignore your opponents?"

Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow and waved his hand. The stone locks binding Huang Chu Tian instantly crumbled. Huang Chu Tian moved his numb limbs and walked over to the two sisters, saying with a helpless tone, "I told you not to chase stars, but you wouldn't listen. Now you've lost completely, haven't you?"

"Mind your own business!" Lan Luo Luo glared at him, but carefully put the jade bottle into her soul tool. "God Yuan even praised us. He's much better than you!"

This assessment involved a total of six teams. After Lin Yuan's team's match, the second one immediately began.

The freshman assessment had entered its latter half after being re-divided into segments, and this was the most crucial stage for accumulating points. Every additional victory meant a greater chance of survival. Therefore, all teams were now going all out.

The previous clash between Lin Yuan's team and Huang Chu Tian's team had greatly shocked the other four teams. Knowing they lacked such strength, they planned to score as many points as possible against other teams.

Soon, all three matches of the first round concluded. As a seeded team, Lin Yuan's team was the first to appear in the second round. This time, their opponents were three students from Class Four Freshman.

As Wang Yan called out, "Assessment begins," both sides simultaneously released their Martial Souls. The moment the three agile-attack type Soul Masters on the opposing team released their Martial Souls, they charged out together, splitting into three paths, heading straight for Lin Yuan's team.

Wang Yan stood by the sidelines, his gaze fixed on the three of Lin Yuan, not daring to relax in the slightest. He was eager to understand how Huo Yu Hao would act and how his Soul Skills would be unleashed.

Just as Wang Yan was observing intently, the situation on the field suddenly changed. The three agile-attack type Soul Masters on the opposing team moved like arrows, charging forward on the left, center, and right paths. Their speed increased dramatically after releasing their Martial Souls, leaving behind three afterimages, their targets locked onto the trio of Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly, a faint green light flashed around him, and he simultaneously activated his Authority of Wind and space authority. He didn't move an inch, merely pointed his finger three times in quick succession. Three barely discernible vortexes of airflow condensed before him.

"Extreme Wind, Meteor Kill!"

With a soft shout, three pale green pillars of air, about a bowl's width, shot out from the vortexes. Like three arrows loosed from a bow, they accurately locked onto the three agile-attack type Soul Masters. As the pillars tore through the air, they emitted a sharp screech, ripping through the surrounding atmosphere, even causing light to distort slightly.

The pupils of the three agile-attack type Soul Masters constricted. Instinctively, they tried to dodge, but they were slightly restrained by an invisible force of Space, their movements delayed by half a beat. This half-beat's opening was enough to decide the outcome.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Three muffled thuds sounded almost simultaneously. The three pillars of air struck the chests of the three Soul Masters respectively. The immense impact instantly shattered their protective soul power, and the three were sent flying backward like kites with broken strings, crashing heavily onto the ground. The light of their Martial Souls dimmed instantly, and despite struggling several times, they couldn't get up.

From the moment the opponents charged to their defeat was but a fleeting moment. The onlookers on the sidelines hadn't even had time to react before the match was over.

Wang Yan's eyes widened, and the recording pen in his hand almost slipped. He had intended to focus on observing Huo Yu Hao, but he was completely stunned by Lin Yuan's thunderous strike. Without the need for his teammates' cooperation, he had ended the battle with absolute dominance through his own strength alone. Such power far surpassed the scope of Soul Masters of the same rank.

"Lin Yuan's team, wins!" Wang Yan took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and loudly announced the result.

Lin Yuan retracted his hand, the green light around him faded, and his expression remained as calm as ever, as if he had merely done something insignificant.

Wang Dong retracted the wings of the Goddess of Light Butterfly, pouted, and said with a hint of unwillingness, "You stole the spotlight again. I haven't even warmed up yet."

Huo Yu Hao walked forward, the golden light in his eyes receding, and chuckled, "Lin Yuan's move was too overbearing. The opponents didn't even have a chance to get close."

In the subsequent matches, Lin Yuan's team entered a virtuous cycle. The other teams were unwilling to confront them head-on, and during their encounters, they would try to conserve their strength as much as possible to deal with subsequent opponents.

The following three matches were exceptionally easy for them. Especially the fourth match, where the opponent surrendered after only a token resistance. In the end, Lin Yuan's team, representing Class One Freshman, achieved ten wins in the round-robin stage, securing the best result in their region.

After the round-robin stage concluded, Wang Yan could no longer hold back. After the other teams had returned to rest, he called out to the trio of Lin Yuan, "Lin Yuan, you three stay behind."

"Teacher Wang," the three walked up to Wang Yan.

Wang Yan nodded at them and smiled. "Congratulations on achieving an undefeated record in the freshman assessment round-robin. There are probably fewer than ten teams in the freshman assessment that can achieve such results. You are indeed very strong. However, I've always been curious, Huo Yu Hao, what exactly is your Martial Soul? I didn't inquire specifically before, wanting to see your Martial Soul and Soul Skills with my own eyes, and also to prove my own abilities. But the reality has forced me to admit that I lost."

Huo Yu Hao replied softly, "Teacher Wang, my Martial Soul is the Spiritual Eye, a mental-attribute Martial Soul. As for my Soul Skills, please allow me to keep them a secret, as we still have to continue participating in the assessment."

Hearing this, a flicker of wild joy flashed in Wang Yan's eyes, followed by a gentle smile. "I understand. It was my rudeness. Every Soul Master has their own secrets, and trump cards should naturally be hidden carefully." He changed the subject, his gaze falling on Lin Yuan, filled with inquiry and admiration. "Lin Yuan, your control over Space is extremely exquisite, far surpassing that of Soul Masters your age, and even many veteran Soul Masters can't catch up. Is this ability inherent to your Martial Soul, or did you have some other fortuitous encounter?"

Lin Yuan smiled faintly and said frankly, "It's a special ability inherent to my Martial Soul. My Martial Soul is the Elemental Dragon, which allows me to roughly control several basic elements and the power of Space. They are all just superficial skills."

Wang Yan took a deep breath, calming the shock and joy within him. "Alright, you can go back and rest now." With that, he turned and hurried away.

Watching his departing back, Wang Dong couldn't help but mutter in a low voice, "Is this Teacher Wang okay?"

Lin Yuan raised his hand and playfully flicked Wang Dong's forehead. The force wasn't heavy, but it carried a hint of teasing. "Teasing the teacher doesn't make you a 'good boy'." Before his words even fell, he had already turned and walked briskly towards the dormitory, his silver-white hairband tracing a light arc behind him.

Wang Dong rubbed his forehead, watching Lin Yuan's retreating figure, stomped his foot in annoyance, but quickly followed, muttering, "Who's a good boy! He's the one asking strange questions..."

Huo Yu Hao followed behind the two, shaking his head helplessly. After this period of getting along, he had long grown accustomed to the daily bickering between Lin Yuan and Wang Dong, like a pair of bickering lovers.