Xiao Yan's Script, Soul Power Level Thirteen

On the academy plaza.

Lin Mo stepped forward calmly and lightly pressed his hand against the testing stele.

Looking at the scene before him, he suddenly had the illusion that he was Xiao Yan.

Dou Qi, Third Stage!

Lin Mo gently shook his head and gathered his thoughts.

A soft white light slowly lit up. It was neither glaring nor ostentatious. The value rose steadily before finally settling at—thirteen!

Soul Power Level Thirteen, the standard cultivation of a One-Ring Soul Master.

This talent was actually quite good.

Most of them were around ten years old, while Lin Mo was only eight.

At the sight of this, mocking laughter and ridicule instantly rose throughout the crowd.

"Just as expected, he's a fraud! Only Soul Power Level Thirteen—bottom-tier talent!"

"Tsk, tsk. That cultivation was probably piled up with resources, wasn't it?"

"With that little ability, he occupies a private courtyard? What a waste of academy resources!"

"No wonder he could only get specially admitted through some special channel. That talent would be utterly ordinary even among regular freshmen!"

The crowd buzzed with discussion, and the jeers never stopped.

Watching this scene, Lin Mo inexplicably wanted to laugh.

Putting others down to elevate themselves—truly classic.

Naturally, the spectators jeering at him did not know his age. The students and instructors did have that basic information.

However, school had only just begun, and the instructors were not familiar with the students yet, so they had not paid much attention to it.

Everyone only looked at the information on the surface.

A Level Thirteen One-Ring Soul Master was far inferior to Zhou Hang and the other twelve-year-old Two-Ring Soul Grandmasters.

Soul Power Level Thirteen. His aptitude is rather average. That was the instructors' assessment.

Such talent was utterly out of place with the academy's exceptional treatment, the private courtyard, and Spirit Hall's letter of recommendation. It was all shrouded in mystery.

The following Soul Power tests produced no particularly outstanding results. Most were at Level Eleven or Twelve.

Once the Soul Power tests ended, they officially moved on to the combat draw.

An academy instructor loudly announced the rules of the matches:

"This class placement competition will primarily be decided through drawn matchups. Classes will be assigned based on the number of practical combat victories! Anyone dissatisfied with the results may participate in the losers' bracket challenge to compete for a spot again! The entire process will be fair and impartial—strength alone determines rank!"

Lin Mo stood quietly at the very back of the crowd, his expression calm as he listened in silence.

Others only judged by the information they saw. Only Lin Mo himself knew that his Level Thirteen Soul Power foundation, martial soul quality, and actual combat strength far surpassed those of his peers.

The hundreds of freshmen present were tense, secretly sizing one another up.

The twenty Class A spots were the goal everyone was fighting desperately to obtain.

Quite a few children from prominent families repeatedly looked back, their suspicious gazes sweeping over Lin Mo.

They knew one another well and controlled the younger generation's Soul Master circles.

This guy dressed well, but he was not one of them.

If he was not one of them, they would naturally exclude him.

The draw was conducted on the spot, and the matches began.

On the martial arts platform, the freshmen's duels began in an orderly fashion.

Most of those fighting were One-Ring Soul Masters. They were young, and their control over their soul skills was immature and clumsy. Victory and defeat often depended on the quality of their martial souls and their basic fighting abilities.

Soul Power clashes boomed without end. Some turned the tables spectacularly, while others suffered bleak defeats. The entire competition was in full swing.

The Two-Ring children from prominent families nearly all won with crushing force. Their manner was arrogant, and they stole all the limelight.

Half an hour later, the referee instructor's voice suddenly rang across the entire venue!

"Next match—Lin Mo versus Zhou Hang!"

The instant those words fell, the whole venue went silent before erupting into an uproar!

Every gaze locked onto the two figures in the arena.

Looking to one side, the crowd saw Zhou Hang stride onto the stage. Though only twelve years old, he carried himself with the domineering presence of a twenty-year-old.

Two yellow Hundred-Year Soul Rings circled around him. His Green Wood Vine martial soul faintly emerged, while plant-based Soul Power surged around him.

At that moment, Zhou Hang's oppressive presence was overwhelming.

He stepped onto the platform and looked coldly down at Lin Mo below.

Meanwhile, Lin Mo stood among the crowd, his figure still somewhat childish. Dressed in moon-colored brocade, he kept his aura restrained. His Level Thirteen Soul Power revealed no sharp edge, making him appear utterly ordinary.

To everyone present, the gap in strength was obvious at a glance.

Zhou Hang looked down at the youth beneath the stage. A cold sneer curled across his lips, and his voice carried undisguised contempt.

"A privileged connection who got special treatment through some special status. In today's class placement competition, I'd like to see just how much real ability you're hiding!"

"If you know what's good for you, surrender on your own. Don't force me to personally knock you off the platform and make you lose all face in front of the entire freshman class!"

The moment he finished speaking, the surrounding freshmen immediately began clamoring wildly. Mocking, entertained gazes came at Lin Mo from all directions.

Everyone was certain that this would be a completely one-sided crushing defeat.

They were all waiting to see this privileged "connection" stumble and expose his weakness before everyone!

Below the platform, all eyes were on him.

Lin Mo raised his eyes, his expression indifferent and unruffled as he calmly ascended the platform.

Zhou Hang came from a second-rate noble family in Heaven Dou City and had never lacked resources since childhood.

His martial soul was the Green Wood Vine, and his Innate Soul Power had been Level Six.

Before turning twelve, he had successfully broken through to Level Twenty.

With his family's help, he had successfully obtained his second Hundred-Year Soul Ring.

His Green Pattern Vine martial soul followed the control-system path, balancing offense and defense.

He believed that among freshmen of the same rank, he had few rivals.

He had come to Plant Academy to become a genius admired by all.

He had thought people like them were already impressive and high-profile enough, but someone had turned out to be even more outrageous.

Lin Mo had been specially admitted, and the academy had even directly arranged a standalone villa for him.

That was never a privilege a low-level Soul Master should have been entitled to. This guy had broken the rules.

How could they tolerate a connected insider like that?

It was not just Zhou Hang.

The few noble children present who possessed Two-Ring cultivation were also watching coldly.

Putting everything else aside, they had always excluded anyone outside their circle.

Lin Mo calmly stepped onto the dueling platform. Throughout the entire process, he released no powerful aura, and the Soul Power fluctuations around him were faint.

He raised his hand, and the Thunder Hell Vine quietly appeared. A yellow Soul Ring rose from beneath his feet.

A One-Ring Soul Master.

"What an overestimation of himself. A One-Ring Soul Master dares challenge a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster? He probably can't even withstand the other side's soul skill."

"Zhou Hang's Green Wood Vine is incredibly tough. Its Hundred-Year soul skill, Green Vine Bind, can restrain and imprison opponents. Those of the same rank cannot break free at all. Once this match ends, Lin Mo can pack up and get lost to Class C."

"This is the foundation of children from powerful families. Ordinary commoner Soul Masters simply can't compare. The gap in Soul Power Level cannot be made up."

In the stands, many finely dressed youths with noble bearing spoke quietly among themselves, their eyes and brows full of mockery and contempt.

They were all children of the great families of Heaven Dou City, familiar with one another and banded together.

Zhou Hang was one of the core figures in their small circle. He was one of their own.

In their eyes, what was Lin Mo supposed to be? He had been so high-profile the moment he entered the academy.

He did not deserve his position. Get down already!

This guy ran into Zhou Hang in his very first match. How interesting.

The arena referee was an academy teacher responsible for overseeing the match.

"Freshman assessment matches are to stop at the proper point. Causing serious injury or permanent disability to your opponent is strictly forbidden."

"The duel begins!"

The instant the instructor's words fell, a proud chill flashed through Zhou Hang's eyes. He did not take Lin Mo, who possessed only one ring, seriously at all.

"Since you're determined to court death, I'll personally beat you back to your true form."

Buzz!

Pale green Soul Power instantly swept around him. Two yellow Hundred-Year Soul Rings flashed in alternation, and dense plant-based Soul Power spread outward, causing even the surrounding air to stagnate slightly.

Martial Soul—Green Pattern Vine!

Following Zhou Hang's low shout, dozens of green vines burst from the ground. Fine green patterns covered their surfaces, giving them the texture of young saplings as they wildly lashed toward Lin Mo to bind him.

First Soul Skill, Green Vine Bind!

This was Zhou Hang's Hundred-Year soul skill.

Once caught by the vines, one's body would be instantly restrained. Given the martial soul's innate toughness, it was difficult for opponents of the same rank to break free.

This move had never failed him.

Cheers immediately erupted from the stands. Everyone was certain the battle had already been decided.