Mo Yuan had more or less figured out what was going on. As the source of the Dragon Race, Black King Nidhogg was a powerful being who stood at the very top, even on Douluo Continent.
His blood was not only an incurable poison to any species, but also a peerless treasure containing the power to evolve life.
The Original Work had described this in more than one place.
So it was no surprise that Mo Yuan, with Black King's Blood flowing through his body, would attract them.
Mo Yuan guessed that the proportion and purity of Dragon Blood in his body were still too low. He couldn't attract other creatures unless his blood was exposed to the outside world.
Nanmen Yun'er might have been attracted to him for two reasons. First, her Beast Martial Soul made her more sensitive than Han Ruoruo, whose Martial Soul was a Tool Martial Soul.
Second, their skin had touched. The combination of these two factors had caused Nanmen Yun'er's reaction.
After thinking it over carefully, Mo Yuan was sure that apart from Han Ruoruo, Ning Tian, Ma Xiaotao, Bai Yi, and Nanmen Yun'er, he had never touched anyone else's skin.
To be clear, he meant skin, not just physical contact. Even when he'd touched Xu Sanshi, their clothes had been between them.
Of those four, only Ma Xiaotao and Nanmen Yun'er had Beast Martial Souls. And after thinking back, Mo Yuan was sure that although he and Ma Xiaotao had touched skin when she was unconscious, they'd been separated by clothes whenever she was awake.
Meanwhile, as Mo Yuan was lost in thought, trying to confirm his theory, Nanmen Yun'er also came around from her dazed state.
She glanced at Mo Yuan shyly. When she saw that he wasn't paying attention to her, she sighed with relief, though she also felt a little disappointed.
She'd already had a good impression of Mo Yuan. When Mu Jin had put her on the same team as him, she'd been overjoyed.
What had just happened had also shrouded Mo Yuan in a mysterious aura in her eyes. As the saying went, distance made the heart grow fonder, and mystery and the unknown were the most alluring things of all.
Besides, Black King's Blood didn't simply attract creatures. The temptation of an irresistible leap in one's level of life—
the desire buried deep in one's soul and Martial Soul was enough to make someone feel as though they were under the influence of a drug, unable to resist wanting to experience it again.
If Nanmen Yun'er had touched Mo Yuan more than once, that feeling might have been branded deep in her mind. If so, she might have already thrown herself at him, and then...
As she thought about it, Nanmen Yun'er wore a captivating, intoxicated expression. Her gaze grew hazy as she stared at Mo Yuan's right hand, hanging at his side.
If only he'd touch me again... Just once...
Just then, Mo Yuan had more or less finished piecing together his theory. He came back to his senses and saw that Nanmen Yun'er had fallen into that state again. The corner of his eye twitched, but the killing intent in his heart immediately faded.
Perhaps he should worry less about Nanmen Yun'er leaking his secret and more about whether she might do something outrageous to him one day.
"Ahem. Yun'er, I've thought about what you told me. I suspect there's something unusual about our Martial Souls, but it shouldn't be anything bad.
"Let me think it over some more. I'll tell you when I have an answer. As for what happened today, Yun'er, you don't want anyone else to find out about your embarrassing moment, do you?"
Mo Yuan's words sounded like they belonged in some island drama, and Nanmen Yun'er couldn't help but pause. Then she remembered how flustered she'd just been, and another blush spread across her face.
"Don't worry, Class Monitor. I won't tell anyone."
Tsk... Why did that sound so weird? And why did it seem so familiar?
Mo Yuan shook his head, clearing all the dirty thoughts from his mind. Then he got up and headed for the classroom door, speaking as he went.
"Come on, Yun'er. Let's go to the Battle Soul Zone and share what we know so we can come up with a strategy. As Bai Yi said, with our strength, winning the championship is a sure thing. But everyone's performance during the New Student Assessment also counts for a lot."
Mo Yuan turned to look at Nanmen Yun'er, who was looking back at him with warmth in her eyes. He paused, then continued.
"Even if I could sweep through every team by myself, that wouldn't be fair to you and Bai Yi. The point of being a team is for everyone to show their best."
Nanmen Yun'er was slightly stunned. She'd thought that with Mo Yuan's strength, he'd proudly defeat every team by himself and win the championship.
She and Bai Yi would be nothing more than accessories, there just so Mo Yuan could compete.
But now she realized that her powerful, sharp-tongued class monitor wasn't as lofty and untouchable as he seemed.
Nanmen Yun'er smiled brightly and followed Mo Yuan with a light step.
"Okay. I'll do whatever the team captain says..."
The next morning, as the sun rose, the day of the New Student Assessment finally arrived. The new students in their white uniforms were brimming with excitement.
The assessment grounds were in the northern part of Shrek Academy's Spirit System, next to the Battle Soul Zone.
The grounds, which would host assessments for over a thousand people, were undoubtedly much larger than the Battle Soul Zone. From above, they looked to be about four times its size.
For the students of Shrek Academy's Outer Court, the assessment grounds were a stage where countless outstanding students could show what they were capable of, and the starting point for making a name for themselves across the continent. But for students with lower cultivation, they were also a nightmare.
Every year, large numbers of students failed the assessment and were eliminated, leaving tears of hardship and sorrow behind.
The assessment grounds were oval-shaped. Unlike the Battle Soul Zone, they weren't an enclosed stadium, but an open-air space.
A high wall surrounded the grounds, while partitions divided the interior into separate areas. These partitions could be dismantled and put back up at any time to adjust the size of the arenas as needed.
The grounds had already been divided into more than fifty areas. Although they covered a large space, each one seemed a little cramped compared to the Battle Soul Arena.
That was no problem, though. For first-year students whose cultivation was generally around the Soul Grandmaster level, there was more than enough room.
As soon as the sun rose that morning, Mo Yuan and Bai Yi met up with Nanmen Yun'er and came here to check their group assignments.
There were nearly a thousand students in the year. After excluding those Zhou Yi had expelled and the handful who had joined the Soul Guidance Department, more than nine hundred remained. They were divided into 319 groups, and only 150 groups—450 students in all—would be allowed to continue their studies.
Mo Yuan and the others had been assigned to Arena Nineteen. According to the rules, they had to compete in ten matches there today and tomorrow before the groups were rearranged.
By the time the three of them arrived at Arena Nineteen, the students from the other six groups assigned there had already gathered. Some were nervous, while others were eager to get started.
But when they heard someone approaching and turned to look at Mo Yuan and the others, every one of them wore a look of despair upon seeing Mo Yuan's face.
There was no such thing as a perfectly airtight wall. Three months ago, after Mo Yuan had shown off his strength in front of all the students in Class Nine,
the news that "the Class Nine monitor is an eleven-year-old Soul Ancestor monster with a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring" had spread throughout the entire Outer Court at lightning speed.
While the upper-year students were amazed by Mo Yuan's terrifying talent, the students in the other first-year classes were both amazed and secretly praying that they wouldn't have to face him in the New Student Assessment.
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