Formidable Enemy

Bai Cai and Wang Dong knew each other's soul skills and effects well, having sparred in private many times.

As the saying goes, put on your socks before your shoes, be a grandson before you can be a grandfather. Wang Dong had been trapped by the Psychic Lock so many times that his combat experience was vast; he even pushed Bai Cai aside to instruct Xiao Xiao like a senior on how to deal with an enemy soul master who used the Psychic Lock.

"An enemy whose limb joints are locked by the Psychic Lock basically cannot break free."

Wang Dong imparted his experience: "Xiao Xiao, just watch for the right moment, and while the opponent is caught off guard, just knock them straight out of the arena."

"What if they react in time?" Xiao Xiao asked in return. "Besides, if they use their soul skills, wouldn't they break free quickly?"

"Don't worry, except for me, no one knows about Little White's psychic power."

Wang Dong laughed: "Three rounds, at least three rounds, before they can figure out the effects of the psychic power. When I was locked by Little White, I almost..."

"Almost what?" Xiao Xiao looked at the Wang Dong in front of her, then at the distant Bai Cai. "I feel like your relationship seems quite good; surely you wouldn't go for the throat?"

"It wasn't like that at the beginning." Wang Dong still felt a lingering fear. "That time, I almost got my face disfigured."

"I really didn't expect you two to have such a history." Xiao Xiao muttered softly. "What a pity."

"What's a pity?" Wang Dong said kindly. "Except for Little White, if anyone dares to hit my face, I will absolutely make them regret it."

"And then?" Xiao Xiao asked curiously. "Wang Dong, did you two make up?"

"That's right." Wang Dong looked at Bai Cai's back, appearing somewhat dazed. "We made up."

"And after that?" The delicate girl tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "What was the process of making up?"

"Secret." Wang Dong smiled, subconsciously hiding his left hand, while his right hand gently touched the Sea-Blue Bracelet on his left wrist. "In short, we made up."

At eleven or twelve years old, girls possess a level of emotional maturity far exceeding boys of the same age. Wang Dong had already sensed the hazy feelings of affection deep within his heart.

Although Bai Cai was an adult in his past life, having left the information age and spent ten years living with the simple villagers of Cainong Village and the children at Farnos Junior Soul Master Academy, he had been influenced by his surroundings. While his way of thinking was hard to change, his mental state had almost regressed.

Wearing a mask for too long inevitably breeds confusion; between the memories of his past life and the person he was now, Bai Cai could no longer distinguish who he truly was.

The next day, the Assessment Area.

Shrek Academy's assessment area was divided into two types. The first was the Closed Assessment Area, an area for inner court students to test special soul skills, which had a high level of confidentiality. The second was the Open Assessment Area, a stage for outer court students to release their vitality and showcase their talents.

The Open Assessment Area was oval-shaped with an open field surrounded by low walls, and the interior was divided into more than fifty zones by partitions.

In fact, the partitions inside the Open Assessment Area could be freely dismantled and reconfigured into assessment fields of varying sizes and quantities.

Every Freshman Assessment was when the number of fields was at its highest; the number of freshmen was large, and their destructive power and attack range were quite limited, so fields that were too large would actually hinder the freshmen's performance.

The Open Assessment Area covered over twenty thousand square meters and was currently divided into fifty square assessment fields of equal size, each approximately four hundred square meters.

Freshmen generally only had one or two soul rings, so a four-hundred-square-meter square assessment field was sufficient for them to display their strength.

In the afternoon, the assessment officially began. On the first day, to allow the freshmen to adapt, each group was only scheduled for one battle. The academy would dispatch fifty teachers to handle the registration of the examinees' information.

Except for Freshman Class One, which only had twenty-two teams, the number of teams in other classes was generally over thirty. Unless they performed extremely poorly during the freshman training, class teachers usually would not eliminate students before the Freshman Assessment, with Zhou Yi being the exception.

Three hundred and ten teams of students participated in the Freshman Assessment, totaling nine hundred and thirty people. However, only the top one hundred and fifty teams were qualified to become official first-year students.

With such fierce competition, it was easy to see how Shrek Academy's "insect-rearing" strategy resulted in all senior and inner court students becoming the ultimate elite soul masters.

Because there were only fifty assessment fields, each field was assigned six or seven teams. Only after cross-competition would they be regrouped to continue completing the ten matches required for each team.

Bai Cai, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao were assigned to Assessment Field No. 33. During the ten-round round-robin tournament, the academy would not arrange teams from the same class, so almost no one in the field knew Bai Cai or Xiao Xiao.

Wang Dong attracted the vast majority of the teams' attention. After all, he was a famous "heartthrob" among the freshmen—handsome and powerful. Many girls had secretly fallen for him, including Xiao Xiao on his own team, so naturally, they were not very welcomed.

"All freshmen please pay attention, all freshmen please pay attention. Please enter the assessment area immediately to prepare for the Freshman Assessment. There are ten minutes left for entry; late arrivals will be considered as forfeiting this assessment."

The clear broadcast echoed through every corner of the outer court. The whispering gradually disappeared, and an invisible hostility permeated the entire assessment field, the atmosphere suddenly freezing.

"Remember our tactics?" Bai Cai stood behind Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao. "Unless we encounter a seeded team, try to conserve your strength."

"I'm scared." Xiao Xiao trembled slightly, looking a bit anxious. "What if I make a mistake?"

"Believe in us, believe in yourself." Bai Cai leaned in slightly, encouraging her: "After releasing your martial soul, just charge straight at them."

A teacher who appeared to be about forty years old walked into Assessment Field No. 33. This teacher's appearance was very ordinary, lacking any overbearing aura; he looked smiling and very amiable.

After counting the number of students, the teacher smiled and said: "Very good, all six teams are here. Let me introduce myself, my name is Wang Yan, the examiner for Assessment Field No. 33, and also the referee."

"Hello, Teacher Wang." The students bowed.

"No need for formalities, no need for formalities."

Wang Yan waved his hand, his tone gentle: "Before the assessment ends, I hope everyone can become friends. Friends can compete, but they shouldn't hurt each other."

"Causing disability to an opponent is not allowed. If you violate this..." Wang Yan paused slightly, saying nonchalantly: "I can only report it to the academy for handling, and ask that person to leave."

The students nodded in agreement. Wang Yan smiled: "Alright, the assessment begins now. First round, first match: Freshman Class One: Bai Cai, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao; Freshman Class Seven: Huang Chutian, Lan Susu, Lan Luoluo."

"The above teams enter the assessment field, keep at least ten meters apart, and do not release your martial souls before the match begins."

A tall and burly male student led two petite and cute female students into the assessment field first.

Surprisingly, the two female students were identical, with long blue hair and rosy little faces; their apparent age was even lower than Xiao Xiao's.