The whole thing took less than five seconds.
The three opponents were already scattered, their formation in disarray. The agility-type Soul Master was crouched on the ground, rubbing their back, while the support-type Soul Master hid behind the captain, their face deathly pale.
"Huabin." Zhu Lu returned to his side, her voice soft.
"Hmm?"
"They're so weak."
The three opponents heard her loud and clear.
The captain of Class Four flushed red, but he didn't act impulsively.
He stared at the badge on Dai Huabin's chest, then glanced at his striking golden hair. Suddenly, a name flashed through his mind.
"You're... Dai Huabin from Class Nine?"
Dai Huabin nodded.
The captain of Class Four took a deep breath and looked at the state of his two teammates. The agility-type Soul Master still hadn't gotten up, and the support-type Soul Master's hands were shaking.
He gritted his teeth and raised his right hand. "We surrender."
When the referee announced the result, students from several nearby examination fields turned to look.
Less than thirty seconds.
The first round at Examination Field Seventeen was already over.
According to the academy's rules for the Freshman Assessment, the first day's matches were mainly for students to familiarize themselves with the venue and rules, so only one round was scheduled.
Dai Huabin led Zhu Lu to the rest area beside the field, and they sat down.
Zhu Lu pulled a piece of dried food from her pocket and took a couple of bites. She looked as if she had just finished a warm-up, without even breathing much harder.
The referee from the examination field next door couldn't help leaning over to look several times. His face was full of sympathy.
He felt sorry for the other teams at Examination Field Seventeen that would have to face those two monsters.
"Let's go. We're done for today." Dai Huabin stood and brushed the dust from his clothes.
Zhu Lu swallowed the rest of her dried food and obediently followed him.
They had barely left the examination area when they ran into Wang Dong'er's trio, who had also finished their match early.
Wang Dong'er looked thoroughly frustrated, as if she hadn't had enough. With her hands on her hips, her face practically spelled out three words: "Not enough!"
"You're out already?" Dai Huabin walked over.
"Don't even ask! There wasn't a single decent fighter!"
Wang Dong'er complained, her pink-and-blue hair swaying with every gesture.
"My Light Goddess Butterfly had barely spread its wings when the three opponents got scared and surrendered!
I didn't even get to use my second Soul Skill before the referee called the match. And what's even more infuriating is that we only had one match today!"
Cui Yajie added from beside her:
"The opposing captain was a level-twenty Power Attack System Soul Master. He charged in and got knocked aside by Xiao Xiao's Cauldron Shock. Then I used Charm, and they couldn't even stay on their feet."
Xiao Xiao raised her hand, a slightly embarrassed smile on her little face.
"I didn't even get to use Three Cauldrons Unite today. But it's nice that we only had one match on the first day. We can go back and rest early."
Dai Huabin nodded. The result was exactly what he'd expected.
His teams' strength was on an entirely different level from the rest in the early rounds of the Round-Robin Tournament.
"The first day is just a warm-up. Don't get cocky." Dai Huabin glanced at them.
"What really matters is the next two days. The remaining nine rounds of the Round-Robin Tournament will all be played then. Sooner or later, we'll run into the teams Teacher Mu Jin mentioned."
Wang Dong'er snorted. "I'm not afraid of them. I just hope they can take a hit."
"Name one thing you've ever been afraid of," Cui Yajie shot back.
"I'm afraid of..."
Wang Dong'er trailed off, then thought about it. Reluctantly, she admitted, "But I think we might have a little trouble against the class monitor and Lulu's Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Hell White Tiger."
Xiao Xiao muttered, "It's fine. The class monitor will definitely go easy on you when the time comes."
"Hmph! Who needs him to go easy on me?" Wang Dong'er stomped her feet in anger.
Dai Huabin paid no attention to their bickering.
He swept his gaze over the teams emerging one after another and spotted Ning Tian's trio coming out of another exit.
Ning Tian walked steadily, with Wu Feng on her left and Nanmen Yun'er on her right.
There wasn't a trace of battle on any of them. Their uniforms barely had a wrinkle.
"How did it go?" Dai Huabin asked.
Ning Tian smiled.
"Easy win. Wu Feng's Dragon Fire is too much for low-level Soul Masters to handle. She took care of them in a single exchange. But we only had one match today, so it barely counted as a warm-up."
Wu Feng rolled her wrist, her face wearing its usual disdainful expression. "They were all weaklings. What a waste of time."
Nanmen Yun'er silently nodded in agreement beside her.
"What about Huang Chutian and Xie Huanyue's teams? Any news?" Dai Huabin asked.
Ning Tian thought for a moment.
"I heard Huang Chutian's team won instantly too. The Lan Twins didn't even use their Martial Soul Fusion Skill. Huang Chutian won just by overpowering the other team.
"As for Xie Huanyue, his examination field is next to mine. I could hear the commotion through the wall.
"The defensive power of his Rubber Elephant Martial Soul really is ridiculous. The three opponents attacked with everything they had for half a minute, but he didn't budge an inch. In the end, he sent them flying out of the ring with one punch each."
Cui Yajie furrowed her brow slightly.
As the leader of her trio, she was already calculating how they could fight Xie Huanyue if they met in the knockout rounds.
He was a defensive-type Soul Elder, with six more levels of Soul Power than she had. A head-on fight would put her at a serious disadvantage.
"Don't overthink it." Dai Huabin saw what was on her mind. "Let's get through the Round-Robin Tournament undefeated first."
Cui Yajie acknowledged him and dropped the matter.
After chatting for a while, everyone went their separate ways and returned to their dorms.
Over the next two days, the pace of the Round-Robin Tournament suddenly accelerated.
Four matches were scheduled on the second day, and the third day was even more intense, with five matches in a row.
But the packed schedule didn't cause Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu any trouble.
The pair continued their overwhelming performance from the first day.
Against most teams, Zhu Lu only needed to use Hell Stab to weave through the enemy formation once to break it apart completely.
Against teams with slightly tougher defenses, Dai Huabin blasted them out of the ring, shields and all, with a single White Tiger Intense Light Wave.
After all ten rounds of the Round-Robin Tournament, Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu had won all ten matches without a doubt. They ranked first in their group at Examination Field Seventeen, placed near the top in total points, and easily secured a spot in the top sixty-four knockout rounds.
Cui Yajie's team had an equally impressive record: ten wins in ten rounds.
Ning Tian's trio also lived up to expectations, winning all ten rounds and advancing without a hitch.
By then, all three of Class Nine's trump cards had made it to the second stage.
At dusk on the third day, the knockout-round bracket was officially posted on the notice board at Shrek Square.
Dai Huabin stood in front of the board, tracing the tournament tree downward with his finger.
The knockout rounds used a single-elimination format: one match decided the winner, and the loser went straight home.
There was nothing noteworthy about his first-round opponent. He and Zhu Lu had drawn an ordinary trio from Class Five.
Cui Yajie's team had also drawn an unremarkable opponent without any special markings.
But Dai Huabin's finger finally stopped at a point where two branches met in the lower half of the bracket.
Huang Chutian's team and Cui Yajie's team were in the same quarter of the bracket.
If both teams won their next two matches, they would face each other in the match for a place in the top eight.
The Lan Twins' Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Heavenly Net, against the trio of Wang Dong'er, Cui Yajie, and Xiao Xiao.
Dai Huabin traced that route through the bracket twice, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
He turned around. Zhu Lu was standing quietly half a step behind him.
"See anything interesting?" Zhu Lu asked softly.
"The matchups are getting interesting."
Dai Huabin showed her the bracket, pointing at the intersection.
"Dong'er and the others might face the Lan Twins earlier than expected."
Zhu Lu followed his finger and looked. "Should we warn them or help them plan a strategy?"
Dai Huabin considered it for two seconds, then shook his head decisively.
"No. A truly strong team proves itself in battle. You can't protect it into being strong.
"Cui Yajie is the captain. She has to learn to handle sudden situations like a Martial Soul Fusion Skill on her own. That's part of how their team will come together."
Dai Huabin paused, then turned his eyes back to the upper half of the bracket.
There, he and Xie Huanyue from Class Two had been placed on the same side.
The Rubber Elephant, a level-thirty-one defensive-type Soul Elder. Other than him, Xie Huanyue was the only three-ring Soul Master among this year's freshmen.
If neither of them lost to an unexpected upset, they would meet in the semifinals.
Zhu Lu noticed the name too. She said nothing, merely stepping a little closer and taking Dai Huabin's hand.
The warmth of her fingertips was steady, utterly free of hesitation.
Dai Huabin clasped her hand in return and turned toward the dorms, striding away.
"Let's go. Get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow, the real knockout rounds begin."
Before you continue