Douluo: My Martial Soul Is My Fiancée

Zheng Li had intended to pull Cui Yajie aside for a meal, primarily to discuss matters regarding the Freshman Assessment.

Who would have thought that before Zheng Li could even open his mouth, he saw Cui Yajie following Shen Lan as she walked out of the classroom.

In an instant, he understood.

Just because someone smiles at you doesn't necessarily mean they are satisfied with or approve of you as a teammate.

Ling Nan frowned as he watched this scene and said, "Even if this Cui Yajie isn't satisfied with the two of us, she could at least say something before going to voice her complaints to Teacher Mu Jin!"

"That's her freedom; let's not worry about it."

Zheng Li's expression remained calm, as if he didn't care at all even if Cui Yajie became someone else's teammate.

What else could he do?

If it isn't meant to be, it isn't meant to be; one cannot force these things...

"Let's go, you glutton, time to eat." Zheng Li gave Ling Nan a tug.

"Fine, forget about her." Ling Nan's spirits lifted the moment food was mentioned, and the bad mood caused by Cui Yajie vanished instantly. "Of all things in the world, eating is the most important!"

This "glutton" was truly beyond saving...

Not far from the classroom was the teachers' office.

This office was a temporary one, as there was a dedicated office building for teachers in the outer courtyard.

By this time, over ten minutes had passed since the end of class and Zheng Li and Ling Nan had gone to eat.

Shen Lan had already dismissed several groups of students who wanted to change teammates.

She had carefully considered the members of every group. After analyzing those who requested changes, she found that while the chances of passing the assessment might increase for some, the odds for other teams would become even smaller, or even impossible.

She had to consider every single group; she couldn't just let people act on their whims!

Now, there were a few more people standing before her.

Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, and Cui Yajie.

"So, the three of you want to form a team?"

Dai Huabin glanced at the two beside him and nodded. "Yes, Teacher Shen Lan. I believe that the three of us forming a team is the best option; that way, our chances of winning the assessment championship are over ninety percent."

By saying ninety percent, Dai Huabin felt he was being modest.

Shen Lan rubbed her temples and looked at Cui Yajie. "Is that what you think, too?"

Cui Yajie felt a bit embarrassed, her voice small. "Yes, Teacher Shen Lan."

On the way to the office, she, Dai Huabin, and Zhu Lu had already reached a consensus.

Shen Lan was somewhat tempted.

She had also anticipated that Dai Huabin would have his own opinions.

But... she still stood by her own judgment.

"Dai Huabin, I have a question for you."

"Teacher, please ask." Dai Huabin paused, then asked.

"How do you rate your talent within the class?"

"My talent... I believe my talent is the strongest in Class Five, both in terms of my Martial Soul and my cultivation potential!"

Dai Huabin said proudly, without any hesitation or false modesty. As a twelve-year-old Spirit Master with the Evil Eye White Tiger Martial Soul, he had the right to say so.

Even Cui Yajie's Nine-Tailed Fox was slightly inferior to the Evil Eye White Tiger.

His words were exactly as Mu Jin had expected.

"Then what do you think of Zheng Li's Martial Soul?"

"Zheng Li..." Dai Huabin subconsciously frowned at the mention of that name.

Thinking of the Spirit of Light and the Co-Combat ability, he couldn't help but fall silent.

"Zheng Li's Spirit of Light is no worse than your Evil Eye White Tiger, or your Nine-Tailed Fox, Cui Yajie—not to mention he also possesses the Co-Combat ability."

"Dai Huabin, I don't know if you've noticed Zheng Li's Spirit Power level, but when he first enrolled, his Spirit Power was at level fifteen. And now, it is at level nineteen! I only discovered this during the final practical training session."

"What?! Level nineteen? That's impossible."

Dai Huabin was stunned, then exclaimed.

Although he had encountered Zheng Li in team battles, and with his level, he could have sensed Zheng Li's Spirit Power if he had looked closely, he had never paid much attention to Zheng Li from the start.

Four levels in three months? Are you kidding me! Did he take performance-enhancing drugs?

"It is the truth." Shen Lan nodded calmly.

Dai Huabin could no longer remain composed.

With his talent, he had only averaged three to four levels per year since awakening his Martial Soul.

Moreover, he had the massive resources of the Duke Mansion supporting him.

And what about Zheng Li?

Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie wore expressions of shock.

"I don't know if you've forgotten, but even though three months have passed, Zheng Li is still only ten years old!"

After saying this, ignoring the way Dai Huabin's expression darkened, Shen Lan paused and continued, "I've said so much, and it has nothing to do with swapping teams for you. Here is what I think: based on my understanding, you and Zhu Lu must possess a Martial Soul Fusion Skill. The fusion of a three-ring and a two-ring is enough to contend with a Soul Ancestor. Even without Cui Yajie, your chances of winning the championship are still over seventy or eighty percent. Meanwhile, with Cui Yajie in Zheng Li's team, combined with the Co-Combat trait, there is a certain chance they could break into the top three, and the team Su Yunqing is in has a chance as well."

She truly held this opinion.

"Can you understand why I'm saying this?"

Dai Huabin's eyes flickered; he could see it now. Their teacher had taken a liking to Zheng Li's potential and wanted to offer him a favor.

"What if we insist?"

"Insist..." Shen Lan felt a headache coming on. She hesitated and said, "Go back and think about it for the night. If you still decide this way, wait for me at the entrance of the cafeteria before breakfast tomorrow. At that time, I will swap Qing Xinyu and Cui Yajie."

The White Tiger Duke Mansion... it was not easy to offend.

It was fine for someone like Zhou Yi to recklessly expel students without a care, but she had Fan Yu behind her, and Shen Lan knew exactly what kind of status Fan Yu held in the academy.

As for herself? Not to mention her own situation, she had family, and her family lived in Shrek City.

Although Shrek City was safe, who knew if there were people bold enough to act recklessly...

Moreover, her younger brother was still attending school in the Star Luo Empire.

There was no second academy like Shrek City.

Life was filled with helplessness everywhere...

"Fine."

Dai Huabin stopped pestering her, though a cold glint flickered in his eyes. Mu Jin had given him face, so he would return the favor to Mu Jin.

He had his own pride. Since things had reached this point, he would no longer force the issue of teaming up with Cui Yajie.

It felt as if he were begging Mu Jin to swap teammates, and his dignity would not allow that.

It was impossible to encounter classmates from one's own class during the initial elimination stage of the assessment, but the probability was quite high during the subsequent ranking stage.

He looked forward to encountering Zheng Li's team, defeating them soundly, and letting Shen Lan see just how pathetic the person she favored could be.

"Lulu, let's go."

Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu turned and left without saying a word to Cui Yajie.

Seeing this, Shen Lan and Cui Yajie understood what Dai Huabin meant.

"Class monitor, really..."

Cui Yajie had nothing to say.

She wasn't angry; she could naturally understand Shen Lan's intentions.

"Then, Teacher, I'll be going too." Cui Yajie said, intending to leave as well.

Although she had some minor complaints, she didn't have any major objections.

Zheng Li it is, then. That was fine too.

At the very least, Zheng Li had a gentle personality.

"Yajie, wait a moment."

"Hm?"

"Zheng Li's Martial Soul is a twin..."

Cui Yajie was stunned, and then her pink pupils suddenly constricted.

The next afternoon, the Freshman Assessment began.

There were three hundred and ten teams, divided into fifty areas for the assessment, with six to seven teams of students in each area.

These six to seven teams would participate in a round-robin tournament, with each team playing ten matches.

Points would be accumulated, and the top three teams with the highest points would pass the assessment.

Across fifty areas, one hundred and fifty teams would pass the assessment and remain at Shrek Academy.

"Zheng Li, Ling Nan, hello."

Cui Yajie greeted them in front of the dormitory door.

Ling Nan kept a blank face and didn't speak, while Zheng Li replied.

Cui Yajie felt a bit awkward.

She knew it was because of what happened yesterday.

"Um, Ling Nan, I know you have some opinions about me. I apologize for what happened yesterday. But we still need to cooperate well for the Freshman Assessment."

"I understand that. Don't worry." Ling Nan nodded, his expression softening slightly.

"Let's go."

The three of them walked together toward the assessment area. Outside the assessment area, in the northern part of the Martial Soul Department, was an oval-shaped space of over twenty thousand square meters, divided by partitions into fifty areas of over four hundred square meters each. The partitions were adjustable.

They were in Area 11.

Zheng Li had quite a few opinions regarding the number "11"; it felt like he was locked in a feud with the number "1," and he certainly wasn't a bachelor!

Chapter 25, Promotion Knockout Tournament

Freshman District Eleven.

Zheng Li looked at the unfamiliar assessment teacher and the strange faces from other classes.

Hmm, confirmed by the look in their eyes, there was no one he knew.

He just didn't know if there were any seeded teams from other classes.

There were only ten seeded teams at most, so the probability of running into one was only one-fifth.

"Zheng Li, do you have any tactics?" Cui Yajie asked.

Ling Nan also looked toward Zheng Li.

They were determined to ride his coattails to the end.

Zheng Li was a bit puzzled; why would Cui Yajie actually come to ask him? This was clearly abnormal.

"Let's play it by ear. Cui Yajie, you just need to stand behind us."

"Okay."

Cui Yajie gave a sweet smile and did not object.

The Nine-Tailed Fox Martial Soul also had two directions for development: mental control and power attack. Cui Yajie's inclination was toward mental control; otherwise, it would have been impossible for her to be grouped with Zheng Li according to the rules.

Ling Nan glanced at Cui Yajie; he had also noticed that she was acting abnormally now.

"A Li, what's the situation?"