The Final Showdown Was Set-Zhu Lu's Solo Performance

The two days passed quickly.

Aside from making final adjustments to their Martial Soul Resonance, Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu had done almost no strenuous training during those two days.

They had already drilled everything they needed over the past three months. Cramming at the last minute would only risk causing problems.

Zhu Lu, on the other hand, had been in a good mood. Every night, as she curled up beside Dai Huabin and refined the Whale Rubber, a faint blush would linger on her face.

After three months of Martial Soul Resonance training, their coordination had reached a truly terrifying level.

Zhu Lu didn't even need Dai Huabin to say a word. Just the slightest movement of his shoulder was enough for her to tell which direction he would charge next.

Their teamwork had gone beyond mere technique.

What satisfied Dai Huabin even more was that, after three months of intense cultivation and with the resources Ning Tian had sent to help, his Soul Power had finally risen from level thirty-three to level thirty-four.

Zhu Lu had also successfully broken through to level twenty-six.

Of course, it wasn't just because of the resources. Martial Soul Fusion had also increased their cultivation efficiency.

The morning of the Freshman Assessment, the sky was still dark.

Dai Huabin got up half an hour earlier than usual.

He put on his white Shrek first-year uniform, brushed the dust off the green badge on his chest, then turned to glance at Zhu Lu, who was still sprawled in bed.

"Get up."

Zhu Lu gave a muffled hum and stuck one hand out from beneath the covers, waving it toward him with her fingers spread.

Dai Huabin walked over and pulled her out of bed.

Her hair was a mess, and she leaned against his shoulder with her eyes half-closed. Several seconds passed before she fully woke up.

"We have the assessment today," Zhu Lu mumbled, still groggy.

"Right, so you should get up."

Zhu Lu gave a sleepy "oh" and began dressing at a snail's pace. Dai Huabin had already laid out her toiletries.

Once they were ready, the two left the single dormitory and headed down the corridor.

As soon as they reached the first-floor lobby, they spotted three familiar figures waiting there.

Cui Yajie leaned against the wall, her pink hair tied into a high ponytail that morning, revealing her smooth forehead and delicate face.

She wore a white uniform, but had deliberately left one button undone at the collar, giving her a look that was both capable and lazily alluring.

Xiao Xiao stood beside Cui Yajie, half a head shorter. Her green bob framed her pretty face, and she looked full of energy. She clutched a steamed bun in one hand, cheeks puffed as she chewed.

Wang Dong'er had both hands in her uniform pockets. Her pink-and-blue hair fell loosely down her back, and she radiated an imposing air.

"You're here pretty early," Dai Huabin said as he walked over.

Wang Dong'er shot him a glance. "Obviously. We have an assessment today. Who would sleep in?"

"You were so excited last night, you tossed and turned for over an hour before you fell asleep," Xiao Xiao said, swallowing her mouthful of bun as she quietly drove home the point.

"Xiao Xiao!" Wang Dong'er whipped around and glared at her.

Xiao Xiao stuck out her tongue and hurried behind Cui Yajie.

Cui Yajie laughed and stopped Wang Dong'er. "All right, all right. Let's go eat first. What good is fighting on an empty stomach?"

The five of them headed to the cafeteria together.

The freshman cafeteria at Shrek Outer Court was very plain. To put it bluntly, it was just a large shed with a few rows of long serving windows beneath it. There weren't even tables or chairs.

After getting their food, they either had to eat standing up or find a step to sit on.

Dai Huabin got two bowls of porridge and several steamed buns, then handed one portion to Zhu Lu.

She took it and sipped at the porridge, her expression impassive, though her chopsticks never stopped moving.

After three months of eating like this, Dai Huabin had gotten used to standing while he ate.

Wang Dong'er, on the other hand, had complained about it from the very first day and still hadn't gotten used to it.

"They can't even give us a chair. What kind of top academy is this..." Wang Dong'er crouched on the ground with her bowl in hand, grumbling.

Cui Yajie stood beside her, holding her porridge. "You could go to Sea God Pavilion and make a complaint."

"You think I wouldn't dare?"

"Then go ahead."

Wang Dong'er snorted, said nothing, and lowered her head to shovel down a couple of mouthfuls.

The two were very close and often bickered. Dai Huabin, Xiao Xiao, and the others were all used to it.

After finishing his food, Dai Huabin returned his bowl to the collection area.

He walked over to Xiao Xiao and gently patted her head twice.

Xiao Xiao looked up, a grain of rice still stuck to the corner of her mouth.

"Xiao Xiao."

"Hmm?"

"You're strong. With the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron and a nine-hundred-and-ninety-year-old Thousand Jun Ant Soul Ring, not many people at the same level could withstand you."

Xiao Xiao's face flushed slightly.

"But you have one bad habit." Dai Huabin crouched down to meet her eyes. "You always think you're the weakest one on the team, so you hold back when you fight. If you don't change that mindset, the Cauldron Defense won't be nearly as effective."

Xiao Xiao bit her lower lip and nodded.

"Remember, you're someone I believe in. Your potential is far greater than you imagine, so you have to believe in yourself!"

Xiao Xiao clenched her fist. Her voice was sweet but earnest.

"Class monitor, I'll do my best."

Dai Huabin stood up and turned to Cui Yajie.

Cui Yajie was leaning against a pillar, drinking the last of her porridge. She raised her head to meet Dai Huabin's gaze, her peach-blossom eyes curving slightly.

"Is it my turn to get lectured?"

"You're the captain."

Dai Huabin's tone was calm.

"Wang Dong'er handles offense, Xiao Xiao handles defense, and you control the whole field. The pace of the team depends on you."

Cui Yajie let her smile fade and gave a slight nod. "Don't worry."

She didn't say much, but Dai Huabin could see her confidence in her expression.

After three months of training, Cui Yajie's Nine-Tailed Fox Charm had grown more than a full rank stronger than it had been when she first enrolled.

And with the Tang Sect's Purple Demon Eye strengthening her mental power, her ability to control the battlefield now fully deserved the captain's position.

At last, Dai Huabin walked over to Wang Dong'er.

Wang Dong'er had just stood up. When she saw him approaching, she instinctively straightened her chest and raised her chin slightly.

"Say what you have to say."

"Dong'er."

"Hmm?"

"You have a lot of potential."

Dai Huabin's tone was different from the one he'd used with the other two.

"The Light Goddess Butterfly is one of the top Martial Souls among this year's freshmen. With your foundation, your ceiling is far higher than you think."

Wang Dong'er opened her mouth, but for a moment, no words came out. She wasn't used to Dai Huabin speaking to her in that tone. She preferred bickering with that damn blond.

Dai Huabin held out his right fist.

"Do your best. Our two teams will meet in the finals."

Wang Dong'er froze for a second, then smacked her fist against his with a loud clap. She hit him hard enough to make his wrist jolt.

"Hmph! Just you wait!" Wang Dong'er's voice rose several notches.

"If you lose before you run into me, Yajie, and Xiao Xiao, you can step down as class monitor and let someone more worthy take your place!"

Cui Yajie chimed in from the side. "And who would take your place? You?"

"Why not?"

"You can't even find your way around. Last week you got lost twice trying to get to the Soul Fighting Zone."

"That's because I don't go there often!"

Xiao Xiao laughed until her eyes narrowed. Zhu Lu stood beside Dai Huabin, the corners of her mouth twitching. She didn't quite laugh, but it was obvious she wanted to.

Dai Huabin clapped his hands. "All right, teams, break off. We're in different assessment areas. Once we get there, everyone's on their own."

Cui Yajie led Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao toward the north-central part of the Martial Soul Department.

Wang Dong'er had only taken a few steps when she suddenly turned and shouted at Dai Huabin, "Damn blond, don't lose! Or I'll beat you up!"

Dai Huabin couldn't be bothered to respond. He just raised a hand and waved.

Zhu Lu muttered softly beside him, "Dong'er is so loud."

"You'll get used to it."

The two walked side by side toward the assessment area.

Examination Arena.

The vast area, covering more than twenty thousand square meters, had been divided by partitions into dozens of separate assessment fields.

Each field was a square, thirty meters to a side. Rough stone tiles covered the ground, and the wooden partitions around it stood a full three meters high.

Senior students and teachers crowded around the fields, their buzzing discussions filling the entire venue.

Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu had been assigned to Examination Field Seventeen.

When the instructor in charge of registration saw only two names on their roster, he stared at them for several seconds.

"A two-person team?"

"That's right."

The instructor flipped through his booklet until he found the note. He clicked his tongue and didn't ask anything more.

Nine teams in total had been assigned to Examination Field Seventeen.

Apart from the two-person team of Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu, the other eight all had the standard three-person lineup.

Their first-round opponents were a three-person team from Class Four.

The captain was a level-twenty-two Soul Grandmaster whose Martial Soul was a pair of Rock Gauntlets. His two teammates were an auxiliary-type Soul Master and an agility-attack-type Soul Master, both just over level twenty.

Dai Huabin stood in the center of the field, studying the opposing team's formation.

The captain from Class Four was clearly studying them too. When he saw only two people on the other side, his expression turned odd.

"Just you two?"

"That's enough." Dai Huabin rolled his wrist.

The referee raised his right hand. "Examination Field Seventeen, first round. Begin!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Zhu Lu vanished from where she stood.

The Hell Spirit Cat's speed was among the best even among agility-attack-type Martial Souls.

Zhu Lu lowered her body until she was almost skimming the ground as she shot forward.

Her first Soul Ring lit up. Dark-gray Soul Power gathered around her claws, and a blur streaked straight toward the opposing auxiliary-type Soul Master.

"Stop her!" the Class Four captain shouted.

The agility-attack-type teammate reacted quickly and turned to intercept Zhu Lu.

But his speed was at least two levels below hers.

A meter away from him, Zhu Lu abruptly changed direction. She slipped past his left side, leaving a faint trace of Soul Power across his back with her claws.

The agility-attack-type teammate stiffened all over and staggered twice.

The Hell Spirit Cat's claw strikes inflicted more than physical damage. They also carried a cold Soul Power that seeped into the meridians.

Just that glancing blow had numbed half his body. The difference between them was enormous.

Dai Huabin didn't rush to act.

With his hands in his pockets, he stood where he was and watched Zhu Lu weave through the opposing trio alone.

The Class Four captain finally reacted. His Rock Gauntlets released their first Soul Skill, and a layer of ocher-colored defensive energy covered him and the auxiliary-type teammate beside him.

Zhu Lu didn't meet them head-on. She twisted around and retreated to her starting point.