Crushing the Entire Scene

On the arena, Dai Huabin knelt where he was, head bowed, his golden hair obscuring his expression.

Zhu Lu lay not far away, still unconscious.

In the corner of the spectator stands, a middle-aged man wearing the dark red uniform of the Inner Court stroked his chin thoughtfully and whispered something to his companion.

His companion, a woman who looked to be under thirty, nodded and jotted a few notes in her notebook.

The schedule for the freshman assessment continued.

After the trio of Mu Chen crushed Dai Huabin in the first round, the atmosphere in Freshman Class One changed entirely.

Previously, some had harbored doubts about Huo Yuhao's strength, feeling that a rank 14 one-ring Soul Grand Master had only made it this far by riding on others' coattails.

But after watching that match, everyone shut their mouths.

Because they understood: Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection Sharing was not just support; it was the command center.

Without his predictive capabilities and sensory coverage, Wang Dong's Light Butterfly could never have intercepted the opponents' routes so precisely, and Mu Chen's attacks could never have struck the weakest nodes of the opposition every single time.

These three were a single entity; without any one of them, their combat effectiveness would be drastically reduced.

As for Mu Chen's performance on the arena, it forced every opponent to remember one fact: a rank 45 Soul Ancestor with a yellow-purple-purple-black ring configuration who could shatter a White Tiger Vajra Transformation within three strikes and single-handedly crush a Martial Soul Fusion Skill like the Hell White Tiger.

This person was simply not at the level of a freshman.

"Fight Mu Chen? Forget it. Might as well save our energy for the next match." It was unclear who said it first, but it quickly became an unspoken consensus among all competing teams.

In the second round, they faced a group from Freshman Class Three.

The three opponents were all Soul Grand Masters in their early twenties, with a standard configuration: one power attack, one agility attack, and one support.

Before the match began, the opposing captain looked at Mu Chen, his lips trembling for a long time before he finally squeezed out: "Student Mu Chen, please go easy on us."

Mu Chen nodded, then ended the battle in twenty seconds.

He didn't use any soul skills, relying purely on footwork and flat swings of his Trident, one strike per person.

The opponents didn't even have time to form their formation before they were all sent off the arena.

In the third round, they faced a group from Freshman Class Five.

The opponents had gotten smart; they all retreated to create distance the moment it started, attempting to use long-range soul skills to wear them down. Their tactical logic was sound, but they overlooked one key issue: Mu Chen not only possessed Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, but also Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection Sharing.

The trajectories of all long-range attacks were clearly marked on the sensory map. Mu Chen moved through the barrage like he was taking a stroll in a rainstorm; not a single attack could touch the hem of his clothes.

Once he reached their front, one strike per person sent them off the stage.

The third round took fifteen seconds.

In the fourth round, the opponents forfeited.

When the news reached the waiting area, Wang Dong was drinking water.

He spat the water out, choked into a fit of coughing, and then laughed until he was doubled over: "For, forfeited? They're too scared to even fight?"

Huo Yuhao also laughed, shaking his head helplessly: "If I were them, I wouldn't fight either. Knowing you'll just be crushed, you might as well save some strength."

Mu Chen sat on the bench in the waiting area, eyes closed, circulating his Mysterious Heaven Skill.

He didn't laugh, nor was he smug. To him, these victories were all within expectations. A transmigrator with the mind of an adult and the power of a rank 45 Soul Ancestor—if he couldn't even beat a group of freshmen in their early twenties, that would be the real problem.

His goal was never the freshman assessment championship, but something much further away.

But Wang Dong didn't think so.

He sat next to Mu Chen, tilting his head to look at his profile as he meditated.

His eyelashes were long, and as they hung quietly, the usual coldness of his demeanor faded, replaced by the softness a youth should have.

Wang Dong watched for a long time, so long that when Huo Yuhao coughed beside them, she snapped back to reality, quickly turning her head away, her earlobes red enough to drip blood.

"You, what are you coughing for?" She glared at Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao looked innocent: "My throat is itchy."

"If your throat is itchy, go drink some water!"

Mu Chen opened one eye, looked at Wang Dong, then at Huo Yuhao, before closing his eyes again, a faint, imperceptible curve touching the corner of his mouth.

In the fifth round, the semi-finals.

The opponents were the top seed from Freshman Class Two, three Soul Grand Masters all above rank 25. The captain was a rank 27 power attack type with the Blazing Lion martial soul, which was quite impressive among freshmen.

Before the match, the Blazing Lion captain cupped his fists at Mu Chen on the arena: "Mu Chen, I know I can't beat you. But I want to try and see if I can force you to use a soul skill."

He spoke with candor, without provocation or servility; it was simply a warrior wanting to prove himself before a powerhouse. Mu Chen looked at him and nodded: "Very well."

The match began.

The Blazing Lion captain's tactics were clearly meticulously designed. The three did not disperse, instead standing in a tight triangular formation, the distance between them no more than two meters.

The advantage of this was mutual cover, compressing the space for Mu Chen to pick them off one by one.

"First soul skill, Blazing Charge!" The captain initiated first, his entire body turning into a mass of burning flames as he charged straight at Mu Chen.

At the same time, his two teammates flanked from left and right. The agility-type soul master on the left was extremely fast, while the control-type soul master on the right released vines to bind and restrict Mu Chen's movement.

The three coordinated tacitly, their timing nearly perfect.

Mu Chen gave them a mental evaluation: not bad. Compared to the every-man-for-himself fighting style of Dai Huabin, the team coordination of these three was clearly a cut above.

But it was only "not bad."

He didn't even bother to reveal his spirit rings, instead activating Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.

His figure flickered in place, leaving behind an afterimage entangled in vines, while his true self had already appeared behind the control-type spirit master.

The butt of the Trident tapped lightly against the opponent's nape, a hidden force piercing through the bone, and the control-type spirit master collapsed to the ground without even a groan.

The agility-type spirit master on the left was shocked, his body spinning sharply as he tried to put some distance between them.

But Mu Chen was faster than him; Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track was a top-tier movement technique of the Tang Sect, and when driven by Mu Chen's level forty-five spirit power, his speed reached a level that would drive opponents of the same rank to despair.

The agility-type spirit master only saw a flash of blue before his chest took a horizontal sweep from the shaft of the Trident.

He was sent flying like a fallen leaf caught in a tidal wave, flipping twice in the air before crashing onto the padded edge of the arena.

The Blazing Lion captain, having charged halfway, realized his two teammates were already out of the fight.

He gritted his teeth, refusing to retreat, and his second spirit ring lit up. The phantom of the Blazing Lion roared behind him, and a flaming fist wreathed in scorching heat waves slammed toward Mu Chen's face.

Mu Chen did not dodge.

He extended his left hand.

Mysterious Jade Hand.

That slender, fair palm caught the flaming fist directly.