Easy Finals

Once the participants were confirmed, they naturally began their training.

The synergy between the three of them was steadily increasing.

At the same time, they sought out sparring partners.

Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, Bei Bei, and Tang Ya all stepped up to fill that role.

It was unclear how Jiang Nannan had been roped into this, but in the end, she had agreed to come.

Her only condition was Huo Yuhao's grilled fish or his roasted meat.

As for Tang Ya, she was purely there to make up the numbers.

She was in a completely different league from the others in her grade; even with the help of the freshmen, she could only manage to beat Huo Yuhao.

"Stop burning me, stop it! Any more and I'll be charred through."

Xu Sanshi wore a mournful expression: "Ji Siyuan, you have no conscience. Why do you always target me for roasting? No matter how thick-skinned I am, I can't take this kind of heat."

The Ultimate Fire left Xu Sanshi in agony.

Especially since Ji Siyuan had become a Soul Grand Master and gained his second soul skill, he could suppress and roast him with ease.

Ji Siyuan handed over a piece of roasted meat: "Here, have a bite."

Xu Sanshi took a fierce bite: "If it weren't for this roasted meat, I wouldn't have come."

The seven of them chatted and laughed.

Jiang Nannan stayed closer to Wang Dong'er; they were the only three girls present. For some reason, her relationship with Tang Ya seemed somewhat distant.

"Dong'er, the strength of the three of you is already enough to become champions. With your Martial Soul Fusion Skill, no team should be able to defeat you."

Wang Dong'er nodded repeatedly, fully agreeing with this statement: "That's right, Senior Sister, but we want to be absolutely sure. We want to be in a position where, regardless of whether our opponents attack us all at once, we will still emerge victorious."

They had to be prepared to become the target of everyone's ire.

Their formidable strength had already made them the biggest favorites to win.

This reputation was, naturally, helped along by the "stepping stone" status of Xu Sanshi.

It was just a bit bizarre that the man in question was still happily eating roasted meat with them.

"This is the perfect time for a little wine! Especially if it's iced."

"Drink, drink, drink—you two might as well drink yourselves to death." Tang Ya pulled Huo Yuhao and Ji Siyuan to the side.

Ji Siyuan was indifferent: "You have some? I can mix it. I'm a top-tier bartender, you know."

"Oh my, I didn't expect you to have that skill, Siyuan. I'll have to bring out something good next time."

Once they were wined and dined, everyone returned to their own quarters.

It was time to get back to cultivation.

Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi had reached a critical juncture and were about to break through to the Soul Ancestor realm, while Ji Siyuan and his team had to prepare for the freshman assessment.

Back in his dormitory, Ji Siyuan didn't rush to cultivate. Instead, he opened the supplies Shao Zhe had handed to him.

These were the rewards for the first stage.

"Millennium Sea Dragon Marrow, Millennium Earth Dragon Tendon, Millennium Blue Tendon Vine, and a five-thousand-year Life-Generating Fruit? Are these all for strengthening one's foundation?"

Tang San: "It seems they really want your third soul ring to be a ten-thousand-year soul ring."

Ji Siyuan: "I suppose that's the case. It's not a bad idea; it's worth a shot."

"Are you going to share some with your little girlfriend? She's been staring at them with wide eyes."

Huo Yuhao watched as Ji Siyuan took these items out, while Sky Dream Ice Silkworm explained their functions to him.

He felt nothing but envy: "Brother Sky Dream, these belong to Siyuan. He earned them with his talent."

Hearing the name "Brother Sky Dream," the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm felt like crying. At this point, it didn't really matter anymore: "Don't you want any at all? If you just asked, Ji Siyuan would probably share some with you. Even eating a little would strengthen your body significantly. It would be more beneficial for your future."

"I do want them, but Siyuan needs them just as much!"

Neither of them spoke up.

Ji Siyuan thought it over carefully and decided he could spare some of the Life-Generating Fruit. He would refine the rest himself.

Time slipped away bit by bit.

The day of the assessment drew closer, and every freshman could feel the mounting pressure.

With one week left, the freshman team rosters were finally released.

Which teams were strong and which were weak was clear at a glance.

If nothing else, it was obvious that three teams possessed Martial Soul Fusion Skills.

There were also three Soul Elders fighting on their own.

Coincidentally, the team of Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu perfectly satisfied the requirement of having a Soul Elder and a Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

Yet, they were still not the biggest favorites.

Because Dai Huabin had lost one-on-one to the leader of the biggest favorite team.

The biggest favorite remained Ji Siyuan's team.

They possessed two holders of super soul ring configurations, plus what was essentially a pendant-like fusion skill launcher.

Huo Yuhao was even more of a launcher than in the original story; after all, the initiative lay with Ji Siyuan, and Ji Siyuan's ability to fight across ranks didn't really require the existence of this pendant.

"Siyuan, Teacher Qian Duoduo took me as his disciple today. I am already a Level 1 Soul Engineer."

He was excited and thrilled, finally having the ability to do things that Ji Siyuan could not.

He waited for Ji Siyuan to respond to him.

Tang San: He's waiting for your praise. Don't you dare say something like 'what level is your soul power' to him.

Ji Siyuan looked at Huo Yuhao: "Well done. In less than three months, you must have made great progress in the field of soul engineering. Tell me about it?"

He gave the other party a chance to shine, even though he didn't really understand much of it.

After finishing his explanation, Huo Yuhao was in high spirits: "Siyuan, is your soul power at Level 22 now?"

"It's Level 23."

"Ah?" Huo Yuhao had reached Level 18 himself and had asked Ji Siyuan full of joy, only to find the gap had widened even further.

"I've consumed so many spiritual items; although many of them were for consolidating my foundation rather than increasing soul power, they must have had some effect."

His originally excited mood suddenly felt a bit dejected.

"Brother Sky Dream, do you think I can really catch up to Siyuan after Level 20? The gap is even bigger now."

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm wasn't so sure anymore.

"Twin Martial Souls will always have some advantages." He couldn't count on cultivation speed anymore; he could only rely on other strengths.

In the final week, Ji Siyuan and Huo Yuhao shared the Life-Generating Fruit.

Although their soul power didn't increase much, their physical strength improved significantly.

Wang Dong'er looked at the two who had arrived late and said indignantly: "You two do remember there's a match today, right? It's about to start."

"We're late, we're late."

In the first round, their opponents posed absolutely no threat.

Even if Ji Siyuan didn't make a move, Wang Dong'er could have swept them away on her own.

It wasn't until they advanced to the next round that they encountered any problems.

Two opposing teams decisively joined forces and came straight for them.

But they were just three Level 2 Soul Grand Masters.

It would be a bit troublesome for Wang Dong'er to handle them alone, but once Huo Yuhao activated Spiritual Detection Sharing, they could be firmly suppressed.

"Hey, Ji Siyuan, stop watching the show. Are you going to let a girl charge to the front?"

Ji Siyuan smiled: "I can't hold on anymore."

"Hold on your head! You're the team leader, not here to be a mascot."

"Then I'll deal with these three, and you go find the remaining three."

Wang Dong'er pulled away from her opponents, gave Ji Siyuan a resentful look, and then went to find the remaining three Level 1 Soul Masters without another word.

With the addition of Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection, they achieved a perfect crushing victory.

"Two thousand-year soul rings? We aren't afraid of you!" The three Level 2 Soul Masters cheered themselves on, as their opponent was truly a bit overpowered.

"Teachers, get ready to save them!" Ji Siyuan kindly reminded them, then ended the match with a single Fire Demon Vortex.

"The winner is the Ji Siyuan team!"