The semifinals had ended, and the assessment area sank into brief silence. Lin Yuan and the other two were heading toward the dormitory when Huo Yu Hao suddenly clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. "Brother Lin Yuan, Wang Dong, we have to win this afternoon's final." As he spoke, he explained the reason to them.
Lin Yuan patted Huo Yu Hao on the shoulder. "Don't worry. Since he's your inner demon, then we'll definitely win this final."
Wang Dong nodded in agreement. "He dared to bully my teammate? Just watch how I deal with him!"
After lunch, Lin Yuan and the other two returned to the assessment area. It was especially quiet at the moment. Though it was already the final of the Freshman Assessment elimination rounds, there were no student spectators present. Shrek Academy's assessment system placed great importance on keeping students' abilities private, so assessments were never open for other students to watch.
Students not participating in the assessment were attending classes as usual, so that afternoon's final actually had the fewest students in the assessment area. However, fewer students did not mean fewer people. Nearly all Outer Court teachers without classes had gathered in the assessment area to watch. Shrek Academy's dean, Yan Shao Zhe, and Soul Tool Department vice dean Qian Duo Duo had also come in person, ascending the platform alongside Du Wilun and the other teachers.
Though this was merely the routine Freshman Assessment held three months after the start of each school year, nearly every Inner Court student of Shrek Academy had first distinguished themselves during the Freshman Assessment before receiving focused training from the academy. Yan Shao Zhe had come personally because this year's freshmen were exceptionally strong. Ordinarily, even Shrek Academy students would need to reach around their third year before attaining three-ring cultivation, and three rings were also a necessary requirement for advancing from third year to fourth year.
Yet this year's freshmen already included four three-ring Soul Elders. Such strength practically meant they would certainly enter the Inner Court in the future. Yan Shao Zhe also wanted to see with his own eyes who would claim the championship among this year's freshmen, though he already had a rough guess in mind.
At this moment, both sides in the final had arrived early. They made their pre-match preparations while secretly observing their distant opponents.
Although Dai Hua Bin had not recognized Huo Yu Hao, he could clearly sense the threat posed by Lin Yuan's team. Was Ning Tian's group weak? Whether it was Ning Tian, who possessed the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul, or Wu Feng, who possessed the Fire Dragon Martial Soul, both were among the finest freshmen. Their team's overall strength had been almost no different from his own. Was Xie Huan Yue's team weak? Xie Huan Yue's defense was extremely formidable, yet the match had ultimately required teacher intervention to end. Otherwise, he would never have been able to escape unscathed.
Therefore, before this final began, Dai Hua Bin had made thorough preparations. He had even specifically sought out the teams that had previously fought Lin Yuan's group to carefully inquire about their abilities. Yet the answers he received only made his expression grow more solemn. When the three worked together, they seemed to have virtually no weaknesses.
At that moment, the referee entered the spacious assessment area. All the partitions had been removed at noon, revealing a complete, large-scale assessment field. The referee beckoned to both sides at once, signaling for them to enter.
Lin Yuan and the other two quickly stepped onto the field. Lin Yuan still walked at the front, with Wang Dong and Huo Yu Hao behind him to either side. On the other side, Dai Hua Bin led two girls into the center of the field.
The referee called both sides over and said in a deep voice, "There are certain adjustments to the rules for the upcoming final, so listen carefully. You may move freely within the field, but holders of flying Martial Souls may not fly higher than ten meters above the ground. To let you fully display your strength, you may attack your opponents without restraint during the match. There is no need to hold back; I will oversee the progress of the match in real time. Anyone I remove from the field will be considered to have withdrawn from the match. Do you understand?"
"Understood," both sides answered in unison.
"State your names."
"Lin Yuan."
"Wang Dong."
"Huo Yu Hao."
The three on Dai Hua Bin's side had obvious hostility in their eyes as they spoke in turn:
"Dai Hua Bin."
"Zhu Lu."
"Cui Ya Jie."
The referee extended both arms to his sides. "Retreat to the edges of the field. You may only attack after I announce the start."
Both sides slowly retreated. The teachers watching from the platform also fell silent, their gazes firmly fixed on the field.
Before long, both sides had reached the edges of the field. The full assessment area was enormous, and from where they stood, each side already appeared tiny in the other's eyes.
The referee raised his right hand, then brought it down sharply. A clear cry of "Begin!" reached the ears of every participating student on both sides.
The instant they heard the command, both sides moved in exactly the same way, charging toward each other at once. The distance between them was too great, so even Huo Yu Hao's Spiritual Detection could not make out the other side's exact situation.
As they ran, Wang Dong gave a low shout. The wings of her Light Goddess Butterfly suddenly spread open, and she flew directly into the air. However, neither she nor Lin Yuan moved ahead of Huo Yu Hao. They maintained a relatively tight formation throughout.
On the other side, Dai Hua Bin's group maintained their previous formation as they sprinted forward. Dai Hua Bin charged at the front and shouted as he ran, "White Tiger, Martial Soul Possession!"
A fierce layer of white light suddenly erupted from his body. As his arms stretched outward, his bones cracked sharply, and his muscles rapidly swelled, stretching his clothes taut. His golden hair instantly turned black and white, with white taking up most of it. A few streaks of black hair mixed within stood out all the more. Four faint lines appeared on his forehead, three horizontal and one vertical, forming the character for "king." His hands changed the most visibly. White fur covered his palms, and as his fingers flexed, sharp claws extended from them. Beneath his feet, two yellow and one purple Soul Rings rose in succession, their Soul Power fluctuations clearly visible.
The two girls at his side also completed their Martial Soul Possession. Zhu Lu's eyes became even deeper in color, her ears stood upright in sharp points, and her graceful body became more slender and powerful. Blades extended from every finger. Though her speed did not surpass Dai Hua Bin's, her flickering figure trailed a series of afterimages around her.
The changes in the other red-haired girl, Cui Ya Jie, were even more eye-catching. After releasing her Martial Soul, her originally twelve-year-old appearance instantly matured into that of a youthful young girl. Her pink hair grew longer and took on large waves. Her clear, bright eyes sparkled, and her ears became pointed, even sharper than Zhu Lu's. A faint smile rested on her stunning face, enough to make anyone lose themselves. Most peculiar of all were the two long tails, each about a meter long, that appeared behind her. Their thick pink fur gleamed with a moist luster beneath the afternoon sunlight, making people unable to resist wanting to reach out and touch them.
Lin Yuan gave them no chance to close in. The instant Dai Hua Bin's group completed their Martial Soul Possession, silver-white spatial patterns abruptly erupted around him. Ripples spread through the empty air beneath his feet, and he vanished from where he stood like a ghost.
The next second, Cui Ya Jie saw a flash of light and shadow before her eyes, and a powerful force seized her by the throat. She had not even seen Lin Yuan's movement clearly before her body left the ground, dragged toward the edge of the field by an irresistible force.
Bang! Cui Ya Jie crashed heavily onto the cushioned mat at the edge of the assessment area. The glow of her Martial Soul instantly dimmed, her Soul Power thrown into disarray. She no longer even had the strength to stand. Everything had happened in the blink of an eye. From Lin Yuan's first movement to Cui Ya Jie's defeat, only two short breaths had passed. Dai Hua Bin and Zhu Lu had not even had time to react.
"So fast!" A middle-aged male teacher on the platform could not help exclaiming. The recording pen in his hand nearly slipped free. "That speed far surpasses an ordinary Agile Assault System Soul Elder! He didn't even use a soul skill. He completed the ambush through spatial control alone!"
The female teacher beside him nodded repeatedly, her eyes locked on Lin Yuan's figure in the field. "It's not just his speed. His timing was even more precise. He deliberately struck in the gap just after their Martial Soul Possession, when their Soul Power had yet to fully circulate. One strike subdued the enemy, without the slightest hesitation. What eleven-year-old has combat awareness like this?"
On the field, Dai Hua Bin and Zhu Lu's expressions changed drastically. Cui Ya Jie's unexpected elimination instantly put them at a two-against-three disadvantage. The two exchanged a glance and immediately adjusted their tactics. Zhu Lu's figure flashed, her speed abruptly increasing as a string of shadows trailed behind her, and she lunged straight at Wang Dong in the air.
Just as Zhu Lu launched her attack, Dai Hua Bin attacked as well. He let out a roar, and dense white light instantly gathered around his head as his second Soul Ring lit up. Immediately afterward, he spat a mass of white light condensed with violent Soul Power toward Lin Yuan.
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