Time flew by, and the day of the freshman assessment arrived.
"Sorry, Su. I'm afraid the two of us will hold you back."
Luo Luo and He Bin looked at Su Qing uneasily, their faces full of apology. Soon after Su Qing had chosen his teammates, Mu Jin had explained the whole situation to them. They were naturally grateful for their teacher's arrangements, but they also knew this wasn't fair to Su Qing.
"It's fine."
Seeing their apologetic expressions, Su Qing could guess why Mu Jin had only provided him with these few candidates. She had probably vetted their character beforehand. If so, he had even less reason to object to helping them pass the assessment.
Besides, both teammates could assist him in battle to some degree; they weren't completely useless. The amplification ability of a one-ring Ruyi Disk was weak, but every little bit helped. As for the Sandalwood, it was a Plant-type Martial Soul, and He Bin's First Soul Ring granted a group-binding Soul Skill that could trip up opponents. Used unexpectedly, it could still be quite effective.
In the round-robin matches, they faced opponents with two-ring and one-ring Soul Masters, and sometimes even teams made up entirely of one-ring Soul Masters. Perhaps all the strong opponents had been assigned to Ning Tian, Dai Huabin, Huo Yuhao, and the others' battle zones to fight it out. Su Qing's side was exceptionally easy. Either their opponents conceded as soon as the match began, or he swept them right off the stage with the shaft of his spear.
Thanks to their incredible efficiency, they became the first team to finish the round-robin matches undefeated. The other competing teams couldn't help feeling intensely envious of Luo Luo and He Bin for having latched onto Su Qing, though most were simply relieved that he hadn't been assigned to their battle zone.
Perhaps his appearance had thrown off the original number of teams. In the very first round of the elimination matches, he ran into Xie Huanyue, a Soul Elder. In the original story, Xie Huanyue's Rubber Elephant Martial Soul had given Huo Yuhao and the others plenty of trouble with its impressive defensive power. But this time, he was facing Su Qing.
The two had barely introduced themselves, and hadn't even had time to announce their Soul Skill names, when Xie Huanyue realized the two people beside him were gone. He had already heard of Su Qing's fearsome reputation in the elimination matches. Remembering how Su Qing had once sent an upperclassman flying with a single strike, the Rubber Elephant, who knew when to bend and when to stand firm, chose to concede rather than suffer needlessly.
"That kid certainly has something going for him, but against Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao, who have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, no matter how strong he is, it's all talk if he can't use his Martial Soul. Once he's dealt with, the other two won't be a threat at all. The freshman assessment champion will still belong to Freshman Class One."
Watching Su Qing yawn on the stage, Zhou Yi's eyes flashed with disdain. A student with so little fighting spirit would be expelled on the spot if he ended up in her class.
"Zhou Yi, how about a bet? Let's wager on who ends up taking the championship."
Catching Zhou Yi's smug expression, Mu Jin knitted her brows. As a homeroom teacher, you don't even pay attention to your own students, and now you've come to the stage where Class Nine's team is competing? And if you're watching the match, then just watch it. Who are you looking down your nose at?
"Heh. Mu Jin, do you really think having two seeded teams in your class means you're guaranteed the championship? Since you want to bet, how about we wager a Soul Bone?"
Zhou Yi gave a disdainful laugh. She and Mu Jin had been at odds for years, but she had never lost a single bet to her. Mu Jin really wouldn't give up until she hit the wall. Did she truly think two Soul Elders could snatch the championship from Zhou Yi? She was seriously underestimating Zhou Yi's teaching ability.
"Fine, a Soul Bone. Don't you dare back out."
Mu Jin said coldly. Her high heel stamped down with a sharp crack, and she strode back to the viewing platform.
Su Qing's performance had certainly surprised her, but she didn't regret arranging the teams this way. After all, she wasn't the sort of person who would force her strongest students together just to win the championship. The freshman assessment eliminated students who failed to meet the requirements. Under such a brutal system, Mu Jin, as a teacher, couldn't bring herself to abandon her other students just for the sake of winning.
As for why she'd made the bet with Zhou Yi, it was simply to vent her frustration. She couldn't stand seeing anyone look down on her students. At the very least, her confidence that she would win would keep Zhou Yi awake for a couple of nights. Just thinking about it filled her with satisfaction.
After several days of elimination matches, only four teams remained out of the sixty-four that had advanced from the round-robin stage: Su Qing's team, Dai Huabin's team, Ning Tian's team, and Huo Yuhao's team. Except for Huo Yuhao's, the other teams had all had remarkably easy fights.
Maybe it was some unusual protagonist halo, but Huo Yuhao and the others seemed to have committed some unforgivable crime. Huang Chutian and the twins, Cao Jinxuan and Zhou Sichen's Clock and Codex—every tricky team had been matched against Huo Yuhao. What a brilliant matchmaking system: misfortune always sought out the unfortunate. The teams with Soul Elders had barely even faced teams whose members all had two rings.
But today, Huo Yuhao was truly grateful for the matchmaking system, because he'd been paired with Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu. As for Ning Tian's team, they were facing Su Qing.
Of course, the matchups also had everything to do with the rules. Class Nine had two teams make it through. If the school didn't pit them against each other, there was a good chance the same class would take both first and second place, which would be deeply unfair to the other classes.
Looking at Ning Tian across from him, Su Qing smiled helplessly. "Class Monitor, I really didn't want to run into you. I'd been hoping to see just how powerful the famous Hell White Tiger was, but I never expected to be facing the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda instead."
"Beat us, and you'll get your wish."
Ning Tian smiled. She didn't actually think Su Qing could beat them. Her team had one Soul Elder and two Soul Grandmasters, while his had only two one-ring Soul Masters. The difference in their lineups was a fatal weakness. Add the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda's amplification, and Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun'er working together would have no trouble defeating Su Qing.
"I wouldn't be so sure. I think Huo Yuhao's team has the better chance of winning the battle next door."
Having read the original story, Su Qing knew Huo Gua's Martial Soul Fusion Skill was stronger than the Hell White Tiger. On top of that, Xiao Xiao was two whole levels stronger than she had been in the original, so she could handle Cui Yajie without a problem.
"Enough talk. Win against us first, then you can say all that."
Unlike Ning Tian's composure, Wu Feng was far less polite. She immediately used Martial Soul Possession, looking ready to charge out and fight Su Qing on the spot.
"Fine."
Su Qing nodded. When the referee signaled for the match to begin, he too used Martial Soul Possession...
Meanwhile, on the other side, Huo Yuhao clenched his teeth as he looked at Dai Huabin across the stage. His whole body trembled. After waiting so many years, he finally had the chance to defeat Dai Huabin.
Seeing that Huo Yuhao was worked up, Wang Dong immediately recalled his past. Enemies had indeed met, and their eyes burned red. But to keep Huo Yuhao's emotions from affecting the battle ahead, Wang Dong took his hand. Feeling the Haodong Power circulate through his body, Huo Yuhao gradually calmed down.
"Dai Huabin, I will defeat you!"