After the first round of the New Student Assessment ended, the remaining two hundred or so students were divided into two groups. The sixty-four teams competed in a one-on-one elimination tournament.
Each team would have to fight no more than twice a day. Those who lost their first match could go straight back to class, while the winning teams continued to compete.
At this rate, in just a day and a half, only eight of the sixty-four teams that had fought their way through the first round remained: twenty-four students in total.
It might sound like the competition was fierce, and it certainly was. Even Bai Yi and Nanmen Yun'er, both Two-Ring Soul Grandmasters, had nearly lost to a strong team while Mo Yuan held back.
Whether by coincidence or design, the academy's four teams led by Soul Elders had conveniently been drawn apart in both rounds.
Meanwhile, Wang Dong, Huo Yuhao, and Xiao Xiao of Freshman Class One had also made it into the quarterfinals, thanks in part to their good luck.
"Man, that scared the life out of me. We almost lost just now. If you hadn't pulled me back, Brother Moyuan, I probably would've been sent flying by that Long Xiangyue."
Bai Yi sat down wearily in a chair in the rest area. Watching the three figures walking off the stage on the other side, he patted his chest in lingering fright.
"Exactly! Who would've thought Cao Jinxuan's Martial Soul could stop time?"
Nanmen Yun'er chimed in. After spending several days on the same team, she had grown much closer to Mo Yuan and Bai Yi.
Hearing Bai Yi and Nanmen Yun'er, Mo Yuan said nothing. He simply watched the three figures walking off the stage with disappointed expressions. They had been their opponents just now.
Cao Jinxuan, Long Xiangyue, and Zhou Sichen of Freshman Class Ten had made it to the semifinals in the Original Work, despite having no Soul Elder leading their team.
They had Cao Jinxuan's Martial Soul to thank for that: the Time Flies Bell, a time-type Martial Soul rarer than even a Body Martial Soul.
As the saying went, space reigned supreme, and time was king. No Martial Soul or Soul Skill related to time was weak.
At the start of the match, Cao Jinxuan had used his second Soul Skill to control them. In theory, even against a Soul Ancestor, the effect of Cao Jinxuan's second Soul Skill could last for at most one second.
Unfortunately for him, his opponent was the monster Mo Yuan. Even without using Time Zero or Instant to counter the Soul Skill, Mo Yuan had broken free of the control with only a slight struggle.
But Cao Jinxuan and the others weren't a team led by a Soul Elder. Following the original plan, Mo Yuan still hadn't joined the fight. He had only pulled Bai Yi and Nanmen Yun'er out of the way, helping them dodge the decisive attacks from Long Xiangyue and Zhou Sichen.
After that, Bai Yi and Nanmen Yun'er had regained their footing and fought hard against them. Cao Jinxuan had lost his ability to fight after his Martial Soul backfired, and in the ensuing two-on-two, Bai Yi had eventually won by taking advantage of his aerial superiority.
Remembering the moment when time had stopped and he had been briefly controlled, Mo Yuan shook his head slightly. The Time Flies Bell was indeed an extremely powerful Martial Soul.
But given the cultivation system of Douluo Continent, it would probably be difficult for a time-type Martial Soul to reach its full potential without wasting its wielder's talent.
After all, there were only so many Soul Beasts connected to time. Without an exceptional background, hunting one would take an enormous amount of time—and even then, the effort might come to nothing.
Thinking of this, Mo Yuan couldn't help sighing to himself: Time Zero really is a cheat of a Word Spirit...
At the same time, Bai Yi, who was resting in his chair, seemed to remember something and turned to Mo Yuan.
"Brother Moyuan, something just occurred to me. After our last match yesterday, what did Teacher Mu Jin want to talk to you about?"
At this, Nanmen Yun'er immediately perked up her ears like a curious little girl. Yesterday afternoon, after the thirty-two-to-sixteen match,
the three of them had been about to leave when Mu Jin suddenly stopped Mo Yuan, saying she needed to talk to him. Then she had simply dragged him away.
Mo Yuan shook his head slightly without saying anything. Instead, he turned to look toward the observation area. A raised platform had been built there the previous day. It stood twenty meters off the ground and was supported by six metal pillars.
From below, they could just make out dozens of figures standing on it to watch the matches. At a height of twenty meters, they had a clear view of the entire assessment area and every match.
With Dragon Blood enhancing his senses, Mo Yuan could make out everyone on the platform clearly. Most of them were homeroom teachers from the freshman classes, along with teachers from other grades.
Mo Yuan's gaze lingered briefly on Du Weilun, Mu Jin, and Zhou Yi before he was about to look away. But as it swept over the edge of the platform, where there had been no one, his pupils contracted slightly.
A stranger had appeared there at some point. The disheveled old man wore tattered clothes with several tears in them. He had his bare feet propped casually on a chair,
and was holding a purplish-red gourd, taking one swig after another. A greasy paper bag beside him held a pile of chicken legs glistening with oil.
The instant Mo Yuan's gaze settled on the old man, the bleary-eyed figure seemed to sense it and looked back at him.
An invisible pressure washed over Mo Yuan. His heart stirred with surprise, but he didn't avert his gaze. His expression remained calm.
Pressure was like killing intent. As long as one had no fear in one's heart, it was essentially useless.
Xuan Zi, the Supreme Elder of the Holy Spirit Cult? What was he doing here? Looking for promising recruits for the Holy Spirit Cult?
Mo Yuan looked at Xuanzi and joked to himself. The moment he got a good look at the old man, he had more or less figured out who he was. Xuanzi's appearance was simply too distinctive...
"Not bad, young man."
Xuanzi said approvingly. He swallowed a mouthful of wine, took another bite of a chicken leg, and then returned to his bleary-eyed state.
Mo Yuan still couldn't figure out what Xuanzi was doing here, but he didn't care. As long as Xuanzi didn't take charge of his team and lead them out of the academy, there was no danger.
After a midday break and round after round of elimination matches, the remaining eight teams—twenty-four students in all—gathered beneath the raised platform. They would compete for a spot in the final four that afternoon.
On the platform, Mu Jin glanced at Mo Yuan and the other two, as well as Wang Dong and the others below. Then she exchanged a knowing look with Du Weilun, who was preparing the draw for the next matches. With a bright smile, she walked over to Zhou Yi.
"Zhou Yi, your team is pretty impressive. They got all the way to the quarterfinals on nothing but good luck. Too bad luck won't decide the next matches."
Zhou Yi's expression turned cold. "Are you here to provoke me?"
Mu Jin dropped the act. "Yes, I'm here to provoke you. Class One is always so proud of its grades, isn't it? Let's see how many of your students make it into the final four.
"It's been so long since you fired my younger brother, despite all my tearful begging. This is the first time I've been in such a good mood since then. I heard you want a promotion to a senior title. Ah, looks like that's going to fall through again this time. Three of the eight teams left belong to our class, after all. There's a good chance we'll face each other."
Zhou Yi stopped looking at Mu Jin's provocative expression and turned her eyes toward the students below. After seeing Huo Yuhao and the other two, she seemed to recall something and said calmly,
"Want to make a bet?"
"Hm?"
Mu Jin was taken aback. Her prepared retort caught in her throat, and a gleam of delight flashed through her eyes. Before Zhou Yi could say anything else, she hurriedly asked,
"What do you want to bet? What will you stake?"
"If your team beats ours in a later match, I'll give you a Soul Bone. Do you dare?" Zhou Yi said solemnly.
"Fine, but I'm adding one more condition!" Mu Jin snapped.
"If you lose, you'll submit your resignation to the academy and leave of your own accord. If I lose, I'll do the same!"
The other teachers, who had been watching from the sidelines, were stunned. Were these two rivals in love or sworn enemies? How had the stakes gotten so high?
Zhou Yi fell silent at the demand. But when she thought of the power of Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong's Martial Soul Fusion Skill,
and Mu Jin's claim that Mo Yuan wouldn't fight unless they faced a team led by a Soul Elder, she felt more and more certain that they had the advantage.
The advantage is mine!
"Fine. I'll take the bet."
As soon as Zhou Yi agreed, Du Weilun, who had already prepared the draw, stepped forward.
"Then I'll witness the bet."
After exchanging a discreet glance with Mu Jin, Du Weilun carried the box down from the platform and walked over to the eight teams.
"It's time for the quarterfinals. As before, you'll draw lots to determine your opponents. Freshman Class One, step up first."
I'm skipping the matches in between. They're not worth writing out, and it'd just pad things. Next, I'll wrap up the remaining two matches and speed up the story.
Before you continue