After the participants were decided, they naturally began training.
The trio's teamwork improved as well.
They also found some sparring partners.
Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, Bei Bei, and Tang Ya all took turns sparring with them.
No one knew how Jiang Nannan had been persuaded to come, but in the end, she agreed.
All it took was Huo Yuhao's grilled fish or grilled meat.
Tang Ya, meanwhile, was just there to make up the numbers.
She was nowhere near the same level as the others in her year. Even with the three freshmen on her side, she could only beat Huo Yuhao.
"Stop burning me! Stop! You're going to cook me alive!"
Xu Sanshi wore a miserable expression. "Ji Siyuan, you're unbelievable! Why am I always the one you roast? No matter how tough my skin is, I can't take being grilled like this every time!"
Ultimate Fire had Xu Sanshi suffering terribly.
It was even worse after Ji Siyuan became a Soul Grandmaster and gained his second Soul Skill. He could roast Xu Sanshi without giving him a chance to fight back.
Ji Siyuan handed him a portion of grilled meat. "Here, have some."
Xu Sanshi took a huge bite. "If it weren't for this grilled meat, I wouldn't come here!"
The seven chatted and laughed together.
Jiang Nannan sat a little closer to Wang Dong'er. The three of them were the only girls there, at least on the surface. For some reason, Jiang Nannan's relationship with Tang Ya seemed a little strained.
"Dong'er, the three of you are already strong enough to win the championship. And with a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, there's no way any team could beat you."
Wang Dong'er nodded again and again, in full agreement. "That's true, Senior Sister. But we want to play it safe. We want to win no matter whether the whole opposing team gangs up on us or not."
They had to be ready to become everyone's target.
Their formidable strength had already made them the team everyone expected to win.
Xu Sanshi's reputation as one of their "stepping stones" had certainly helped make that happen.
The funny thing was, one of those stepping stones still got to sit around and gorge himself on grilled meat with them.
"This is the perfect time for a drink! Especially one served ice-cold."
"Drink, drink, drink. Go ahead and drink yourselves to death!" Tang Ya dragged Huo Yuhao and Ji Siyuan off to one side.
Ji Siyuan didn't mind. "Do we have any? I can mix some. I'm a top-notch bartender, too."
"Well, I didn't know you had that skill, Siyuan. Next time, I'll have to bring out something good."
Once they'd eaten and drunk their fill, they all headed back to their own places.
They still had to cultivate.
Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi had reached a critical point and were about to break through to Soul Ancestor. Ji Siyuan and the others had the Freshman Assessment to prepare for, too.
Back in his dorm, Ji Siyuan didn't rush to cultivate. Instead, he opened the supplies Shao Zhe had given him.
They were the rewards for the first stage.
"Millennium Sea Dragon Marrow, Millennium Earth Dragon Tendon, Millennium Blue Tendon Vine, and a five-thousand-year-old Life-Generating Fruit? They're all things that strengthen the body and consolidate one's foundations?"
Tang San said, "Looks like they really want you to have a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring for your third ring."
Ji Siyuan replied, "Probably. It's not a bad opportunity. I can give it a shot."
"Should you give some to your little girlfriend? She's staring at them with her eyes practically bulging out."
Watching Ji Siyuan take out all those items, Huo Yuhao listened as the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm explained their effects.
All he felt was envy. "Brother Sky Dream, these are all Siyuan's. He earned them with his talent."
At the words "Brother Sky Dream," the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm felt like crying. But things had already reached this point, so he might as well let it go. "Don't you want any at all? If you asked, Ji Siyuan would probably give you some. Even a little would strengthen your body considerably and benefit you in the future."
"I do want some, but Siyuan needs these, too!"
Neither of them said anything more.
After thinking it over, Ji Siyuan decided he could spare some of the Life-Generating Fruit. He would refine all the rest himself.
Time passed bit by bit.
The assessment drew closer, and the freshmen could all feel the mounting pressure.
A week before it began, the lists of freshman teams were released.
It was immediately obvious which teams were strong and which were weak.
One thing was clear: three of the teams had Martial Soul Fusion Skills.
There were also three Soul Elders competing independently.
As it happened, Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu's team had both a Soul Elder and a Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
Even so, they weren't the favorites.
Dai Huabin had lost to the top favorite in a one-on-one match.
Ji Siyuan's team had always been the favorite.
It had two people with extraordinary Soul Ring Configurations, along with someone who was basically a fusion-skill launcher.
Huo Yuhao was even more like a launcher than in the original story. After all, Ji Siyuan held the initiative, and his ability to fight opponents above his level meant he didn't need his little pendant.
"Siyuan, Teacher Qian Duoduo took me on as his disciple today. I'm now a Level 1 Soul Engineer."
He was so excited. At last, he could do things that Ji Siyuan couldn't.
He waited for Ji Siyuan to respond.
Tang San said, "He's waiting for you to praise him. Don't go asking him what level his Soul Power is."
Ji Siyuan looked at Huo Yuhao. "Well done. You've made a lot of progress in the Soul Engineer field in less than three months, haven't you? Tell me about it."
He gave Huo Yuhao a chance to show off, even though he honestly didn't understand much of it.
After explaining everything, Huo Yuhao was still in high spirits. "Siyuan, are you at level twenty-two now?"
"Level twenty-three."
"Huh?" Huo Yuhao had just reached level eighteen and had happily asked Ji Siyuan about his level. Instead, he found that the gap between them had grown even wider.
"You've eaten so many spirit treasures. Even if most of them strengthen your body and consolidate your foundations rather than raise your Soul Power, they must still help."
His excitement suddenly faded, and disappointment crept in.
"Brother Sky Dream, do you really think I can catch up to Siyuan after I reach level twenty? The gap's even bigger now."
Even the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm wasn't sure anymore.
"With Twin Martial Souls, you'll have some advantages." He couldn't count on Huo Yuhao's cultivation speed; he would have to rely on other strengths.
During the final week, Ji Siyuan and Huo Yuhao split the Life-Generating Fruit between them.
Neither of their Soul Power levels rose much, but their bodies grew considerably stronger.
Wang Dong'er glared at the two of them when they finally arrived. "So you do know there's a match today! It's about to start!"
"We're late, we're late."
Their opponents in the first round posed no threat at all.
Even if Ji Siyuan didn't lift a finger, Wang Dong'er could have swept them aside on her own.
It wasn't until they advanced to the next round that they ran into trouble.
The two opposing teams immediately joined forces and charged straight at them.
But they were only three two-ring Soul Grandmasters.
Wang Dong'er would have had some trouble dealing with them alone, but once Huo Yuhao activated Mental Detection Sharing, they were easily kept in check.
"Hey, Ji Siyuan, quit watching! Are you really going to make a girl charge in at the front?"
Ji Siyuan smiled. "Can't you handle it?"
"Handle it, my foot! You're the team leader, not some lucky charm!"
"Fine, I'll deal with these three. You go after the other three."
Wang Dong'er disengaged from her opponents and shot Ji Siyuan a resentful look. Then, without saying a word, she went after the other three One-Ring Soul Masters.
With Huo Yuhao's Mental Detection on top of that, they pulled off a complete rout.
"Two thousand-year Soul Rings? We're not afraid of you!" The three two-ring Soul Masters tried to pump themselves up. Their opponents really were absurdly overpowered.
"Teachers, get ready to rescue them!" Ji Siyuan kindly called out. One Fire Demon Vortex was all it took to end the match.
"The winners are Ji Siyuan's team!"