Newborn Assessment Begins

"My god." She covered her eyes with the back of her hand. "A Spirit Emperor. We actually held our own against a Spirit Emperor for the duration of an incense stick."

Huo Yuhao sat down as well. His exhaustion was primarily mental; maintaining Spiritual Detection Sharing throughout the entire encounter while simultaneously creating sensory blind spots for Song Teng was a form of multitasking that was far more grueling than any physical exertion. His lips were pale, but his eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.

"Mu Chen." He spoke suddenly.

"Hm?"

"That final strike—the fluctuation of your soul power and Wang Dong's..." Huo Yuhao hesitated, seemingly weighing his words. "It seemed to fuse."

Mu Chen and Wang Dong fell silent for a moment.

Wang Dong sat up abruptly, her face turning red at a speed visible to the naked eye. "W-what are you talking about! That was just an illusion caused by your Spiritual Detection being overworked!"

Huo Yuhao blinked, wisely choosing not to press the issue.

Mu Chen offered no explanation either.

He simply looked down at his right hand. The wound in the webbing between his thumb and index finger was still throbbing, but the lingering resonance of his soul power having merged with Wang Dong's was even more distinct. That door remained shut, but he could feel that the cracks upon it were more numerous than before.

Just a little more.

On the training grounds, the sparring sessions for other groups had already begun. The light of soul rings flickered one after another, and various martial souls collided in the air, throwing off colorful sparks.

Xiao Xiao's group was scheduled for the third match. She paused as she passed Mu Chen, looking down at the three people sitting on the ground, her gaze lingering on Mu Chen for two seconds longer than necessary.

"You guys were really amazing just now," she said softly before running off, her green twin tails bobbing as she moved.

Wang Dong watched her retreating back, then turned to look at Mu Chen.

Mu Chen had already closed his eyes, beginning to circulate the Mysterious Heaven Skill to recover his soul power.

Wang Dong watched him for a long time—so long that she didn't even realize she was staring.

Then, she whipped her head away and buried her face in her knees, her ears turning so red they looked as if they might bleed.

Huo Yuhao sat quietly to the side, eyes closed, also beginning to meditate and recover.

The training grounds were filled with deafening shouts, but this corner remained as quiet as another world.

The freshman assessment three months from now, for them, perhaps really didn't amount to much.

Three months. Ninety days.

Mu Chen's daily life was as regular as the tides.

He woke up at dawn to circulate the Mysterious Heaven Skill for nine cycles.

After the morning classes ended, he would meet up with Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao under the maple tree at the edge of the training grounds for group coordination training.

The afternoons were reserved for Zhou Yi's practical combat lessons. The sparring matches, held every three days, allowed the combat proficiency of the entire Freshman Class One to improve at a visible rate.

After dinner, he would help Huo Yuhao sell grilled fish at the snack street for an hour, then return to the dormitory to perform fusion cultivation with Wang Dong until midnight.

In those three months, Wang Dong's soul power rose from rank 22 to rank 25, while Huo Yuhao's rose from rank 11 to rank 14.

Mu Chen reached rank 45; the three months of joint cultivation with Wang Dong had caused his soul power to rise rapidly.

However, this rapid growth was mostly concentrated in the first month of their joint cultivation.

Over the following two months, the speed returned to normal, only slightly faster than cultivating alone.

But the return to a normal pace was traded for the consolidation of his soul power.

Now, although their joint cultivation didn't increase their speed much, it continuously refined the density of their soul power, which was where the true benefit lay.

And that door, existing at the intersection of their soul power, had more and more cracks appearing upon it.

Electrolux remained silent. The Ice Extreme Divine Crystal and the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow lay quietly in the corner of his storage soul tool bracelet, waiting for their moment.

Today was assessment day.

Mu Chen stood before the window, fastening the last button of his uniform. The dark green Shrek uniform was tailored perfectly, the shoulder lines sharp and straight, making him look like a blade sheathed in its scabbard.

"Big Brother." Wang Dong's voice came from behind him. "Are you nervous?"

Mu Chen turned around.

Wang Dong was already dressed, her powder-blue short hair combed with rare meticulousness, though the top button of her collar was fastened incorrectly.

Her fingers were unconsciously twisting the collar, and those beautiful, large eyes looked at him, hiding a sense of reliance she hadn't even noticed herself.

"Not nervous." Mu Chen walked over, reached out to undo the button on her collar, and refastened it one by one.

His movements were natural, as if he were adjusting his own collar.

Wang Dong, however, froze completely, burning from her neck to her earlobes, her lips moving without a single word coming out.

"Let's go." Mu Chen patted her shoulder and turned toward the door as if nothing had happened.

Wang Dong stood in place for two seconds, took a deep breath, slapped her cheeks hard, and then hurried to follow him.

Ten temporary arenas had already been erected on the training grounds.

Built from bluestone, they were thirty meters square, with soul-monitoring pillars standing at the four corners to monitor soul power fluctuations in real-time and record combat data.

Surrounding the arenas were tiered spectator stands, already filled with many people. The freshman assessment was a major event for the Outer Academy; not only did all freshmen participate, but many senior students came to watch, and even teachers from the Inner Academy were hidden among the crowd, observing in secret.

Zhou Yi stood beside the first arena, holding the match schedule. Seeing the three of them approach, her gaze swept over them. For once, she didn't find fault, simply saying two words: "Do your best."

This was the greatest encouragement she could offer.

Mu Chen nodded, his gaze sweeping past the arena to the waiting area on the opposite side.

Dai Huabin was watching him as well.

The twelve-year-old heir to the White Tiger Duke's Mansion had golden hair and golden eyes; his features inherited the fine lineage of the Dai family, carrying an unmasked arrogance within his handsome face.

Behind him, Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie stood to his left and right—one cold and indifferent, the other charming and alluring. All three radiated a sense of detachment typical of noble children, making them seem out of place with their surroundings.

Dai Huabin's lips moved, forming a sneer.

Mu Chen withdrew his gaze, offering no response.

"The first round, first match of the Freshman Assessment." The senior student acting as referee stood in the center of the arena, his voice amplified across the entire venue via a Soul Tool. "Freshman Class One, Group One: Mu Chen, Wang Dong, Huo Yuhao, versus Freshman Class Two, Group One: Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, Cui Yajie."

"Both sides, take the stage."

Mu Chen stepped onto the arena, with Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao following on his left and right.

The bluestone surface emitted a dull echo beneath their feet, and the morning light slanted in from the east, stretching their shadows long.

Dai Huabin walked up from the opposite side, his pace steady and unhurried, his golden hair like a burning flame under the sunlight.

He stopped in the center of the arena, less than three meters from Mu Chen. His evil eyes locked onto Mu Chen's blue ones, and faint sparks seemed to crackle in the air between them.

The referee gestured for both sides to exchange pre-match greetings.

Mu Chen gave a slight nod.

Dai Huabin did not return the gesture.

His gaze drifted past Mu Chen and landed on Huo Yuhao, the corners of his mouth curling upward.

There was no goodwill in that arc, only the condescending amusement of a hunter spotting his prey.