At the mention of that, Lin Yun felt a headache coming on.
"Come on, Dean Yan. I've already gone through all that trouble for the academy, running around and doing this and that. I still have to take the freshman assessment?"
Yan Shaozhe answered with a perfectly straight face.
"Of course you do. You have to take it. Shrek Academy can't keep making exceptions and letting people in through the back door. But you'll only be going through the motions. Whatever your results, your enrollment will be retained."
Yan Shaozhe looked at Lin Yun, then spoke after a long pause.
Lin Yun breathed a sigh of relief. So this freshman assessment is just a formality. What else is there to say? I'll just coast through it.
As Lin Yun was thinking this, Zhang Lexuan, standing in front, spoke up.
"Dean Yan, since that's the case, why not let him enter the Inner Court early? At the very least, he could come along with me."
Yan Shaozhe frowned.
"Lexuan, you're not usually this muddleheaded. Lin Yun only has three rings right now. Even setting aside the possibility that he might go astray and become an Evil Soul Master, his age alone makes him unsuitable for accompanying you on missions."
Zhang Lexuan replied,
"He should at least get involved. It would also help him draw a clear line between himself and the Evil Soul Masters. Besides, he's a Soul Elder now, but that doesn't mean he'll always be one. He's already advanced to Soul Elder so quickly, without any support at all."
Yan Shaozhe glanced at Zhang Lexuan and said,
"No. The academy has already made arrangements for him. There's no need for you to rush to complete the task your teacher assigned you."
Zhang Lexuan said,
"That's not it. I'm not doing this because of the task. I just think he's sharper than most of the people in the Inner Court. I'd be fine with bringing him along on a mission, even if it meant having one less fighter."
Zhang Lexuan's voice grew quieter and quieter, but Yan Shaozhe didn't notice the change in her mood—or perhaps he simply didn't care. He patted her on the shoulder and said,
"As expected of someone your teacher thinks highly of. Bringing him along on missions will help you complete them better."
Zhang Lexuan: "..."
Faced with Yan Shaozhe's reaction, whose nature she couldn't even begin to guess, Zhang Lexuan could only stare speechlessly at the heavens and silently accept his words.
After returning to the academy, Zhang Lexuan followed Yan Shaozhe to the Inner Court, while Lin Yun went back to his dormitory to rest.
Early the next morning, Zhou Yi summoned Lin Yun to her office.
As soon as he entered, Lin Yun saw Zhou Yi sitting with a stern expression, watching him. Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao stood to one side.
"Teacher Zhou, what's this about?"
Lin Yun walked up to Zhou Yi's desk and looked at her curiously.
Zhou Yi kept her expression stern.
"You're here?"
Lin Yun wondered who she was snapping at. He wasn't going to comment on her attitude, but he hadn't done anything to offend her, so why was she scolding him? Still, he couldn't just blow up at her. He tamped down his anger and answered politely,
"Yep, I'm here. I'm not late, am I?"
As he spoke, Lin Yun glanced at the soul tool clock on the desk.
Zhou Yi said irritably,
"You don't think you're late? Then when did you plan to come? When you graduated?"
Lin Yun thought, So that's what this is about. Keeping his voice low, he said,
"Damn, I wish I could've waited that long. I looked and looked, but I couldn't find a good opportunity like that."
Zhou Yi immediately bristled and slapped the desk, making Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong both flinch. A trace of ferocity showed in her eyes as she glared at Lin Yun and asked in a low voice,
"What did you say?"
Lin Yun immediately put on a smile and said to Zhou Yi,
"I said it wasn't my fault. I got assigned a mission at the last minute. Didn't Elder Mu tell you?"
Zhou Yi rolled her eyes, her tone turning a little strange.
"Obviously not. Does he need to consult me about it?"
Realizing they'd gotten sidetracked, Zhou Yi waved a hand.
"That's beside the point. Back to business. The teams have mostly been assembled, and now I have to figure out how to squeeze you into one. So I need to know how capable you are."
"You'll fight Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong. You against both of them."
"Let's do it on the roof. Keep the damage down."
Shrek Academy's teaching buildings had been reinforced with special materials. Tests had shown that Power Attack System Soul Masters below the fifth ring couldn't leave a mark on them.
At least, that had been true when the buildings were first completed. It was hard to say how things stood with this generation.
But the buildings didn't feel any more fragile, at least.
Lin Yun felt the ground beneath his feet, then looked toward Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao.
At that moment, Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao weren't in sync at all, but Huo Yuhao seemed eager to test himself against Lin Yun.
Apparently, he'd made some progress during this time and wanted to use Lin Yun as a chance to see how far he'd come.
Lin Yun was interested, too. He could get a sense of Huo Yuhao's current level.
He stepped forward, and the aura of the Skeletal Bone Dragon began to swirl around him. A huge phantom of the bone dragon appeared behind Lin Yun.
Wang Dong stood in front of Huo Yuhao, and the magnificent wings of the Light Goddess Butterfly appeared behind her.
Soul Power glimmered in Huo Yuhao's eyes as well. The Soul Ring granted to him by the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm—one that looked like a ten-year ring but was actually a million-year ring—appeared at that moment.
Huo Yuhao immediately activated Mental Sharing Detection, sharing the view from his Mental Detection with Wang Dong.
But reality was harsh. Huo Yuhao's Mental Detection caught Lin Yun's movement for only an instant.
As Lin Yun spread the bone wings of the Skeletal Bone Dragon, his figure vanished from their sight.
Lin Yun punched Huo Yuhao in the back. He didn't use excessive force, but he didn't hold back, either, and sent Huo Yuhao crashing into the railing at the side.
Wang Dong immediately turned around and swung a high kick toward Lin Yun's face.
Lin Yun caught Wang Dong by the ankle. Half teasing and half serious, he said,
"Your Martial Soul is suited to offense, but you're obviously better at long-range agility. Why do you keep trying to kick me?"
As he spoke, Lin Yun yanked Wang Dong's leg toward himself. The enormous gap in strength instantly threw off her balance, forcing her to fly past him almost face-down, soaring over his head.
Lin Yun brushed his fingers across Wang Dong's stomach, feeling the springy softness of her skin, and couldn't help smiling.
"You!"
Wang Dong flushed with anger. Light of the Butterfly God burst out, shooting straight at Lin Yun's head.
Lin Yun dodged to the side and instantly appeared in front of Wang Dong, his hand closing around her neck.
"All right, you'd already lost back there, if we're being reasonable. If I'd used my bone claws to slash your stomach, I'd have gutted you by now."
Lin Yun said this to Wang Dong. She lowered her eyes, then replied,
"I lost. But I'm not your only opponent. Watch out!"
Lin Yun whipped around. Mental Shock was already surging toward him. He instantly opened the External Soul Bone on his forehead: the Pupil of Fear...
Before you continue