Agreed Finals, Zhu Lu's Solo Show

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

Aside from performing final micro-adjustments to their martial soul resonance with Zhu Lu, Dai Huabin had essentially avoided high-intensity training over these two days.

Everything that needed to be practiced had been thoroughly mastered over the past three months; sharpening one's spear only at the last minute was more likely to cause problems.

Zhu Lu, however, had been in a good mood these past two days. Every night, as she curled up beside Dai Huabin to refine the Whale Rubber, a faint blush would linger on her face.

After three months of martial soul resonance training, the tacit understanding between the two had reached a terrifying level.

Zhu Lu didn't even need Dai Huabin to speak; she could judge which direction to charge next based solely on a subtle movement of his shoulder.

This level of coordination had already transcended the realm of mere technique.

What satisfied Dai Huabin even more was that, thanks to three months of high-intensity cultivation and the auxiliary resources provided by Ning Tian, his soul power had finally stepped from level thirty-three to level thirty-four.

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

Of course, this wasn't just due to the resources, but also because their martial soul fusion had significantly increased their cultivation efficiency.

On the morning of the Freshman Assessment, the sky had not yet fully brightened.

Dai Huabin woke up half an hour earlier than usual.

He put on his white Shrek first-year uniform, patted the dust off the green badge on his chest, and turned to look at Zhu Lu, who was still lingering in bed.

"Get up."

Zhu Lu let out a muffled hum, stretched a hand out from under the quilt, and waved her fingers in his direction.

Dai Huabin walked over and pulled her out of bed.

Zhu Lu's hair was a mess, and she leaned against his shoulder with her eyes half-closed, taking several seconds to fully wake up.

"Assessment today." Zhu Lu's voice still carried the grumpiness of someone just woken up.

"Right, so it's time to get up."

Zhu Lu said "oh" and began to put on her uniform sluggishly. Dai Huabin had already set out her toiletries for her.

Once they were both ready, they left the single dormitory and walked down the corridor toward the ground floor.

As soon as they reached the lobby, they saw three familiar figures already waiting there.

Cui Yajie was leaning against the wall, her long pink hair tied into a high ponytail today, revealing her smooth forehead and exquisite face.

She wore the white uniform, but she had deliberately left the top button undone, making her look both capable and somewhat lazily charming.

Xiao Xiao stood next to Cui Yajie, half a head shorter, her short green hair framing her delicate little face, looking full of energy. She was clutching a steamed bun in her hand, her cheeks bulging as she chewed.

Wang Dong'er had her hands tucked into her uniform pockets, her long powder-blue hair hanging loosely behind her, radiating an imposing aura.

"You guys are here early." Dai Huabin walked over.

Wang Dong'er glanced at him. "Duh, it's the assessment today. Who would oversleep?"

"You were so excited last night that you tossed and turned for over an hour before falling asleep." Xiao Xiao swallowed the bun in her mouth and quietly delivered a critical hit.

"Xiao Xiao!" Wang Dong'er whipped her head around to glare at her.

Xiao Xiao stuck out her tongue and quickly hid behind Cui Yajie.

Cui Yajie laughed and stopped Wang Dong'er. "Alright, alright, let's go eat first. How are you supposed to fight on an empty stomach?"

The five of them walked toward the cafeteria together.

The cafeteria for Shrek Outer Court freshmen was very simple; to put it bluntly, it was just a few rows of long windows under a large shed, without even tables or chairs.

After getting their food, you either ate standing up or found a step to sit on.

Dai Huabin bought two portions of porridge and a few steamed buns, handing one portion to Zhu Lu.

Zhu Lu took it and drank it in small sips, her expression neutral, but her chopsticks never stopped moving.

After three months, Dai Huabin had grown accustomed to this way of eating while standing.

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

"They don't even provide a chair, and they call this a top-tier academy..." Wang Dong'er squatted on the ground, holding her bowl and complaining.

Cui Yajie stood next to her with her own porridge. "You can go to the Sea God Pavilion and file a complaint."

"You think I don't dare?"

"Then go ahead."

Wang Dong'er huffed, didn't respond, and lowered her head to shovel food into her mouth.

The two were very close and often bickered. Dai Huabin and Xiao Xiao were both used to it.

Dai Huabin finished his meal and placed his bowl in the collection area.

He walked over to Xiao Xiao and reached out to pat her head twice.

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

"Xiao Xiao."

"Hmm?"

"You are very strong. The Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron paired with a nine-hundred-and-ninety-year Thousand Jun Ant soul ring—few people at your level can withstand you."

Xiao Xiao's face flushed slightly.

"But you have a flaw." Dai Huabin squatted down to look her in the eye. "You always think you're the weakest one on the team, so you're timid when you fight. If you don't change this mindset, the effectiveness of your Cauldron Defense will be compromised."

Xiao Xiao bit her lower lip and nodded.

"Remember, you are someone I value. Your potential far exceeds what you imagine. You must believe in yourself!"

Xiao Xiao clenched her fists, her voice sweet but earnest:

"Class Monitor, I will do my best."

Dai Huabin stood up and turned toward Cui Yajie.

Cui Yajie was leaning against a pillar, finishing the last of her porridge. She looked up, meeting Dai Huabin's gaze, her peach-blossom eyes curving slightly.

"Is it my turn to be lectured?"

"You are the captain."

Dai Huabin's tone was very calm.

"Wang Dong'er is responsible for damage output, Xiao Xiao is responsible for defense, and you are responsible for controlling the overall situation. The rhythm of the three of you depends entirely on you."

Cui Yajie put away her smile and nodded slightly: "Rest assured."

She didn't say much more, but Dai Huabin read enough confidence in her expression.

After three months of training, the Charm effect of Cui Yajie's Nine-Tailed Fox was more than a grade stronger than when she first enrolled.

Coupled with the enhancement of her mental power from the Tang Sect's Purple Demon Eye, her current crowd-control ability was fully worthy of her position as captain.

Finally, Dai Huabin walked over to Wang Dong'er.

Wang Dong'er had just stood up; seeing him approach, she instinctively puffed out her chest and lifted her chin slightly.

"Speak quickly if you have something to say."

"Dong'er."

"Hm?"

"Your potential is immense."

Dai Huabin's tone was different from how he had spoken to the other two.

"The Radiant Goddess Butterfly is a top-tier martial soul among this year's freshmen. With your foundation, your ceiling is much higher than you think."

Wang Dong'er's mouth opened, and for a moment, she couldn't find a response. She wasn't used to Dai Huabin speaking to her in this tone; she preferred bickering with this "dead blondie."

Dai Huabin extended his right fist.

"Good luck. Let's meet in the finals, our two teams."

Wang Dong'er froze for a second, then thwacked her fist against his with enough force to make Dai Huabin's wrist tremble.

"Hmph! You just wait, this young lady!" Wang Dong'er's voice rose several octaves. "If you lose before you even get to face me, Yajie, and Xiao Xiao, then you can abdicate your position as Class Monitor!"

Cui Yajie added from the side: "Abdicate to whom? You?"

"Why not!"

"You can't even recognize the paths. You got lost twice just going to the Soul Fighting Zone last week."

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

Xiao Xiao's eyes crinkled with laughter. Zhu Lu stood beside Dai Huabin, her lips twitching; she didn't laugh out loud, but it was obvious.

Dai Huabin clapped his hands: "Alright, teams, disperse. The examination areas are different; once you arrive, rely on your own abilities."

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

Wang Dong'er walked a few steps, then suddenly turned back and shouted at Dai Huabin: "Dead blondie, don't you dare lose! Otherwise, I'll beat you up!"

Dai Huabin couldn't be bothered to respond and just waved his hand.

Zhu Lu murmured softly beside him: "Dong'er is really loud."

"You'll get used to it."

The two walked side-by-side toward the examination area.

Examination Arena.

The open area, spanning over twenty thousand square meters, was divided by partitions into dozens of independent examination fields.

Each field was a square space with sides thirty meters long, the ground paved with rough stone bricks, and the surrounding wooden partition walls standing three meters high.

The area outside was packed with senior students and teachers, the buzzing of their discussions filling the entire venue.

Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu were assigned to Examination Field Seventeen.

When drawing lots, the instructor in charge of registration saw that there were only two people on their list and stared at them for several extra seconds.

"A two-person team?"

"Correct."

The instructor flipped through the booklet in his hand, found the note, clicked his tongue, and asked no further questions.

A total of nine teams were assigned to Examination Field Seventeen.

Except for the duo of Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu, the other eight teams were all standard three-person configurations.

Their first-round opponents were a three-man squad from Class Four.

The captain was a Level 22 Soul Grand Master with a Rock Gauntlet martial soul, while his two teammates were a support-type and an agility-attack-type, both just over level 20.

Dai Huabin stood in the center of the examination field, sizing up the positioning of the three people opposite him.

The Class Four captain was clearly sizing them up as well, and upon seeing only two people standing on the other side, his expression turned rather strange.

"Just the two of you?"

"That's enough." Dai Huabin loosened his wrists.

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

The moment the words fell, Zhu Lu's figure vanished from where she stood.

The speed of the Hell Spirit Cat was top-tier even among agility-attack types.

Zhu Lu kept her body extremely low, sliding forward as if skimming the ground.

Her first soul ring lit up, dark gray soul power coalescing on her sharp claws as an afterimage streaked straight toward the opposing support-type soul master.

"Stop her!" the Class Four captain shouted.

The agility-attack teammate reacted quickly, moving sideways to intercept Zhu Lu.

But his speed was at least two grades inferior to hers.

At a distance of one meter, Zhu Lu suddenly changed direction, brushing past his left side and leaving a shallow trace of soul power on his back with her claws.

The agility-attack teammate stiffened, his footsteps stumbling twice.

The claw strike of the Hell Spirit Cat carried not only physical damage but also a cold, biting soul power that seeped into the meridians.

Just a graze had left half his body numb; the gap was simply too vast.

Dai Huabin was in no rush to move.

He stood where he was with his hands in his pockets, watching Zhu Lu weave and dart through the trio on the other side all by herself.

The Class Four captain finally reacted, unleashing his first soul skill with his Rock Gauntlet, covering himself and the support-type teammate beside him with a layer of earthy-yellow defensive barrier.

Zhu Lu did not force a collision, instead turning her body and retreating back to the starting point.