Shrek Academy, freshman assessment, District 33.
Because Teacher Zhou Yi had been temporarily relieved of her duties, Teacher Mu Jin was currently in charge of both Class One and Class Nine. After studying together for three months, the students of the two classes had grown as close as family.
At least, that was what most of them thought.
At that moment, Teacher Mu Jin had brought the team whose turn it was to compete today to the foot of the arena. They were waiting for their names to be announced so they could go up and fight.
"Damn it, what's with that bastard Xiao Yan?"
Wu Feng stared at the team with no leader and cursed under her breath.
"I heard from his roommate that our class monitor went out Soul Hunting to get his Second Soul Ring before the freshman assessment. But... it's been about a week since he left, hasn't it? Do you think something happened to him?"
Ning Tian spread her hands, looking helpless.
"This is so frustrating! He cares so much about becoming a Core Disciple, yet now he's gone and skipped the freshman assessment!"
"Leaving the two of us to face three people on our own. What kind of nonsense is that?"
Wu Feng complained bitterly. Xiao Yan had been absent without explanation from yesterday's match, and since neither of them wanted to be eliminated and expelled, they had no choice but to face three opponents with only two fighters.
Fortunately, Ning Tian was already a Soul Elder. With the boost from the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda, Wu Feng had managed to win by a hair against the other team of three.
Ning Tian let her hands hang at her sides and said nothing. In truth, given her upbringing, the fact that she hadn't stopped Wu Feng from complaining already showed that she, too, had plenty of grievances.
"Has Xiao Yan from your team still not returned? All right, I understand. I'll move you further down the schedule, so you can prepare as much as possible."
Mu Jin walked over and looked at the two, who stood out from the crowd around them. She sighed and rubbed her forehead.
"Thank you, Teacher. Is everything all right with Class One?"
Ning Tian smiled gratefully. Mu Jin shook her head and said,
"It's fine. They've had a few little bumps in the road, too, but they're easier to handle."
"But even if Xiao Yan couldn't make the match, he should've at least said something. He took leave without a word and went Soul Hunting. What if something happened to him...?"
Meanwhile, the spectator stands were in chaos as well.
Xiao Yulü stood on the bleachers, desperately clawing at the hand around his neck. The hand belonged to none other than his teammate, Xiong Hui.
"Let go!"
"No! The class monitor told me to keep an eye on you if he hadn't come back. He said not to let you cause trouble! If you rush out there now, you'll lose your right to compete!"
Xiong Hui craned his neck, tightening his grip around Xiao Yulü's throat.
"I'm gonna die here! Let go!"
"Huh? Oh!"
Only then did Xiong Hui realize what he was doing and release his grip. But as soon as he let go, Xiao Yulü tried to climb over the bleachers, so he hurriedly grabbed him again.
"Brother Xiao, you can't leave! If you go, what am I supposed to say when the class monitor comes back and holds me responsible?"
"I don't care what you say. My brother's life is hanging in the balance. I have to find him!"
"The class monitor will be fine, Brother Xiao, don't panic! Could someone who swaggered around declaring himself superior to all of Class One really fall to a few Soul Beasts so easily?"
But hearing that only made Xiao Yulü more anxious.
"You don't know shit! You have no idea how dangerous Sunset Forest is. Star Dou Forest isn't the only perilous place in the world, and the core area isn't the only place with a Beast King!"
"And with Xiao Yan's temperament, if he found out that thing was there, how could he possibly just walk away?"
The thing Xiao Yulü meant was the Golden-Haired Blazing Lion King. But it was so astonishing that even Xiao Yulü wasn't eager to let its existence slip.
After all, it carried the bloodline of the Golden Lion Mastiff, that ferocious beast.
District 33 arena.
The referee opened the roster and announced loudly,
"Next match: Ning Tian's team from Freshman Class Nine versus Zhang Yang's team from Freshman Class Three. Both teams, step forward."
Even though Teacher Mu Jin had pulled some strings to put Ning Tian and Wu Feng further down the schedule, their turn had finally come.
They couldn't put it off any longer.
Ning Tian stood up, straightened her collar, and walked toward the arena. Wu Feng gritted her teeth and followed.
Three boys sauntered in from the other end of the arena. Their leader, Zhang Yang, was tall and lanky. When he saw that there were only two people on the other side, he burst into exaggerated laughter.
"Well, well, if it isn't Class Nine's star team! How come only two delicate young ladies are left?"
Zhang Yang crossed his arms, letting his gaze roam over Ning Tian and Wu Feng as he laughed.
"Where's your swaggering captain, Xiao Yan? I heard he even dared to talk back to Teacher Zhou Yi and swagger around declaring himself superior to an entire class. I thought he must be some big shot. How come he turns into a coward the moment things get serious?"
Wu Feng had a fiery temper. How could she stand listening to that? The phantom of a Red Dragon flickered behind her, and the air suddenly grew hot.
"Watch your mouth! My Young Mistress and I can handle three good-for-nothings like you!"
"Big talk."
Zhang Yang stepped forward and lowered his voice, his tone mocking.
"Ning Tian, I suggest you just surrender. That way, you won't get hurt when we start fighting."
"After all, us brothers don't know how to go easy on a pretty face."
Ning Tian remained expressionless, though a trace of disgust crossed her face.
"What a foul mouth, what a foul mouth! Young Mistress, I can't take it anymore! Can we start already?"
Wu Feng covered her nose and pretended to gag. Ning Tian turned to look at the referee as well.
"If you're not going to surrender, then please—"
The referee raised a hand, signaling for both sides to begin.
"You'll regret refusing to take the easy way out. Brothers, release your Martial Souls and teach them a lesson."
Six Soul Rings lit up as Zhang Yang and the other two released their Martial Souls. All three were two-ring Soul Grandmasters. Their three surging waves of Soul Power bore down on Ning Tian and Wu Feng.
Wu Feng didn't back down. The Red Dragon possessed her, and a scorching current spread outward from her.
Two against three—the odds were heavily stacked against them, but she didn't retreat a single step.
So what if we don't have a teammate? I'll protect Princess Ning Tian from every harm! Let my Blazing Fire burn to ashes anyone who dares lay a hand on my Young Mistress!
The tension was taut, and a clash seemed imminent!
Just then, a fierce wind sprang up without warning. The trees around the arena shook wildly, their leaves rustling loudly.
Zhang Yang's Martial Soul was a Wind Wolf. Now its phantom trembled uncontrollably, whimpering as it tried to shrink back into his body.
He froze. He desperately tried to drive his Soul Power, only to find that his Martial Soul had encountered its natural enemy and wouldn't obey him at all.
Every student present with a Beast Martial Soul felt their Martial Soul trembling beyond their control.
It was a fear rooted in their bloodline, an instinct that could not be resisted—the terror of a subordinate facing an absolute ruler.
Mu Jin shot to her feet and looked around.
A black speck appeared in the distant sky.
It rapidly grew larger, accompanied by a dull, rushing roar. A gigantic beast, so huge it beggared belief, leaped over the outer wall of Shrek Academy with brutal force and charged straight toward the District 33 arena.
"Move!" the referee shouted, leaping backward.
Ning Tian and Wu Feng reacted quickly, retreating to the edge of the arena. But Zhang Yang and his two teammates were so terrified by the sudden upheaval that their legs went weak, leaving them rooted to the spot.
Boom!
The granite arena collapsed in an instant, leaving a deep crater. The stone plates shattered into pieces, and countless shards flew in every direction with the force of the wind. Stone dust billowed three yards into the air, blocking everyone's view.
The air exploded outward. Zhang Yang and the other two were thrown off their feet and slammed into the edge of the arena, left seeing stars.
The dust settled.
A male lion over five meters long, its entire body wreathed in golden flames, appeared before the crowd.
Its fiery, molten-gold mane gleamed in the sunlight. Its legs were as thick as pillars, and its sharp claws dug deep into the stone plates.
The Golden-Haired Blazing Lion King!
It swept its gaze casually over the crowd and let out a low growl.
The sound sent several timid students in the front row tumbling onto their backsides. Zhang Yang and the other two went deathly pale and scrambled off the arena on all fours.
"Help! There's a Soul Beast!"
"A Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast?!"
The referee cried out in a shaky voice, reaching for the signal flare at his waist to alert the academy's senior staff.
A Soul Beast of this level absolutely shouldn't have been inside Shrek Academy.
Just as everyone braced for a fight, a lazy voice drifted down from the Lion King's broad back.
"Don't panic. It's one of ours."
Everyone followed the sound.
There was someone sitting on the back of the mighty Lion King.
Xiao Yan wore a school uniform that hadn't been washed in days and looked a little worn. His hair was a mess, and he still held half an apple he'd bitten into.
He patted the Lion King's head. The beast obediently lowered its head, letting him hop down.
"Sorry, am I late?"
The young man looked at the crowd, the corners of his mouth lifting.
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