Zheng Li had meant to ask Cui Yajie to get something to eat with him, mainly so they could talk about the Freshman Assessment.
But before he could say a word, he saw Cui Yajie follow Shen Lan out of the classroom.
He understood at once.
Just because someone smiled at you didn't mean they were pleased with you or approved of you as a teammate.
Ling Nan watched them go, frowning. "Cui Yajie could at least have told us before going to Teacher Mu Jin to ask for a change, even if she wasn't happy with the two of us!"
"It's her choice. Let's leave it alone."
Zheng Li's expression was calm, as though he didn't care if Cui Yajie became someone else's teammate.
What else could he do?
If something wasn't yours, it wasn't yours. You couldn't force it...
"Come on, Gluttonous Cat. Let's go eat." Zheng Li tugged Ling Nan along.
"Sure. Forget about her." At the mention of food, Ling Nan perked right up, and his bad mood over Cui Yajie quickly faded. "Food comes first, always!"
This "Gluttonous Cat" was a lost cause...
The teachers' office was not far from the classroom.
It was a simple office; the Outer Court had a whole building dedicated to teachers' offices.
By now, more than ten minutes had passed since class ended and Zheng Li and Ling Nan went to eat.
Shen Lan had already turned away several groups of students who wanted to change teammates.
She had carefully considered the members of every group. After analyzing the proposals, she knew that some teams would indeed have a better chance of passing if they switched members, but other teams would have less chance—or no chance at all.
She had to consider every group. She couldn't let a few students have their way just because they felt like it!
Now, a few people stood before her.
Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, and Cui Yajie.
"So you three want to form a team?"
Dai Huabin glanced at the two beside him and nodded. "Yes, Teacher Shen Lan. I think the three of us would make the best team. We'd have more than a ninety percent chance of winning the assessment."
Dai Huabin thought he was being modest by saying ninety percent.
Shen Lan rubbed her temples and looked at Cui Yajie. "Do you think so too?"
Cui Yajie looked a little embarrassed, her voice quiet. "Yes, Teacher Shen Lan."
On the way to the office, she and Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu had already reached an agreement.
Shen Lan was tempted to agree.
She had expected Dai Huabin to object.
But... she still stood by her decision.
"Dai Huabin, let me ask you something."
"Go ahead, Teacher." Dai Huabin paused, then replied.
"What do you think of your talent compared to the rest of the class?"
"My talent... I think I'm the most gifted in Class Five, both in my Martial Soul and in my cultivation!"
Dai Huabin spoke proudly, without the slightest hesitation or modesty. With his Evil Eye White Tiger Martial Soul and his Soul Elder cultivation at twelve, he had every right to say so.
Even Cui Yajie's Nine-Tailed Fox was somewhat inferior to the Evil Eye White Tiger.
His answer was just what Mu Jin had expected.
"Then what do you think of Zheng Li's Martial Soul?"
"Zheng Li..." At the name, Dai Huabin's brow furrowed on instinct.
Thinking of the Spirit of Light and Co-Combat, he fell silent.
"Zheng Li's Spirit of Light is no worse than your Evil Eye White Tiger or Cui Yajie's Nine-Tailed Fox. And that's not even counting his Co-Combat ability."
"Dai Huabin, I don't know if you noticed Zheng Li's Soul Power Level. When he first enrolled, it was level fifteen. Now it's level nineteen! I only noticed during the last practical session."
"What?! Level nineteen? That's impossible!"
Dai Huabin stared, then cried out.
He had fought Zheng Li in a group battle before. With his experience, he could have sensed Zheng Li's Soul Power Level if he'd paid close attention, but he hadn't given Zheng Li much thought from the start.
Four levels in three months? What a joke! Had he been taking pills?
"It's true." Shen Lan gave a calm nod.
Dai Huabin was no longer calm.
With his talent, he had only advanced three or four levels a year on average since awakening his Martial Soul.
Besides, he had the full resources of the Duke Mansion behind him.
What about Zheng Li?
Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie both looked astonished.
"Did you forget? Even though three months have passed, Zheng Li is still only ten years old!"
After saying this, Shen Lan ignored Dai Huabin's darkening expression and paused before continuing. "All of that aside, this has nothing to do with whether I'll let you change teams. Here's what I think: as far as I know, you and Zhu Lu have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill. A fusion of three rings and two rings 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, Cui Yajie's team with Zheng Li has a chance of making the top three thanks to Co-Combat. Su Yunqing's team also has a chance."
That was indeed what she had in mind.
"Do you understand what I mean?"
Dai Huabin's eyes flickered. He could see that their teacher had recognized Zheng Li's potential and wanted to do him a favor.
"What if we insist?"
"Insist..." Shen Lan rubbed her temples, hesitated, then said, "Go back and think it over tonight. If you still feel the same way, wait for me outside the dining hall before breakfast tomorrow. I'll switch Qing Xinyu and Cui Yajie then."
The White Tiger Duke Mansion... it wasn't a good idea to offend them.
Zhou Yi could expel students as recklessly as she pleased, without worrying about the consequences, but she had Fan Yu backing her. Shen Lan knew exactly what kind of standing Fan Yu had in the academy.
And her? It wasn't just about her. She had a family, too, and they lived in Shrek City.
Shrek City was safe, sure, but who knew if there might be someone reckless enough to cause trouble...
Besides, her younger brother was still studying in the Star Luo Empire.
There wasn't another academy in Shrek City.
Life was full of helpless compromises...
"Fine."
Dai Huabin stopped arguing, though a cold glint flashed in his eyes. Mu Jin had shown him consideration, so he would return the favor.
He had his pride. Now that things had gone this far, he wouldn't keep pressing to team up with Cui Yajie.
It would be as if he were begging Mu Jin to change the teams, and his dignity wouldn't allow that.
It was impossible to meet classmates from the same class during the preliminary elimination rounds, but the chances were still high in the later ranking rounds.
He looked forward to meeting Zheng Li's team and crushing them, so Shen Lan could see how badly the people she favored would lose.
"Zhu Lu, let's go."
Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu turned and left without saying goodbye to Cui Yajie.
Shen Lan and Cui Yajie understood what Dai Huabin meant.
"Class monitor, honestly..."
Cui Yajie trailed off.
She wasn't angry. She could understand what Shen Lan meant.
"Then I'll be going too, Teacher." Cui Yajie said her goodbyes and started to leave.
She had some misgivings, but they weren't too serious.
Zheng Li it was, then. That was fine too.
At least Zheng Li seemed easygoing.
"Yajie, wait a moment."
"Hmm?"
"Zheng Li's Martial Soul is a twin..."
Cui Yajie froze, and her pink eyes suddenly widened.
The next afternoon, the Freshman Assessment began.
There were three hundred and ten teams, divided among fifty areas. Each area had six or seven teams.
The six or seven teams in each area would compete in a round robin, with every team fighting ten matches.
They would accumulate points, and the top three teams in each area would pass the assessment.
That meant one hundred and fifty teams across the fifty areas would pass and remain at Shrek Academy.
"Hello, Zheng Li and Ling Nan."
Cui Yajie greeted them outside their dormitory.
Ling Nan's face was blank, and he said nothing. Zheng Li returned her greeting.
Cui Yajie felt a little awkward.
She knew it was because of what had happened the day before.
"Um, Ling Nan, I know you're upset with me about yesterday. I'm sorry. But we still need to cooperate properly in the Freshman Assessment."
"I understand. Don't worry." Ling Nan nodded, his expression easing a little.
"Let's go."
The three of them headed for the assessment area. In the northern part of the Martial Soul Department, it covered more than twenty thousand square meters and was oval-shaped. Partitions divided it into fifty areas of more than four hundred square meters each, and the partitions could be moved.
They were in District Eleven.
Zheng Li wasn't pleased about the "11." He seemed to have a grudge against the number "1." It wasn't as if he were a bachelor!
Twenty-fifth Chapter: Promotion Knockout Tournament
Freshman District Eleven.
Zheng Li looked at the unfamiliar assessment teacher and the unfamiliar faces from other classes.
Yep, he recognized none of them.
He just didn't know whether any other classes had seeded teams.
There were only ten seeded teams, so the chance of running into one was about one in five.
"Zheng Li, do you have any tactics?" Cui Yajie asked.
Ling Nan looked to Zheng Li as well.
He was going to stick with the strategy of hugging Zheng Li's leg to the bitter end.
Zheng Li was a little confused. Why was Cui Yajie asking him? That clearly wasn't normal.
"Let's adapt as we go. Cui Yajie, just stay behind us."
"Okay."
Cui Yajie smiled sweetly and didn't object.
The Nine-Tailed Fox Martial Soul had two possible paths as well: mental control and assault. Cui Yajie leaned toward mental control; otherwise, the rules wouldn't have allowed her to be assigned to Zheng Li's team.
Ling Nan glanced at Cui Yajie. He had noticed that she was acting strangely too.
"A Li, what's going on?"
Before you continue