Freshman Assessment

Yan Shaozhe walked up to her, his tone softening somewhat. "Xiaotao, you need to slow down your cultivation for now. The most pressing matter is finding a Soul Master with an Ultimate Ice Martial Soul—preferably a man."

Ma Xiaotao raised her head and looked at him in confusion.

"Have him become your partner and use Ultimate Ice to neutralize the negative effects of the Evil Fire Phoenix within you. Only then will you be able to cultivate without restraint."

A trace of bitterness appeared on Ma Xiaotao's face.

"Teacher, finding an Ultimate Ice Soul Master is easier said than done. Besides..."

Her voice grew quieter and quieter. "I might not even like him."

"Which is more important, liking him or your life?" Yan Shaozhe's tone turned stern. "If you can't control your Evil Fire, sooner or later something serious will happen!"

Ma Xiaotao fell silent.

The room remained quiet for a long time.

Seeing her stubborn yet aggrieved expression, Yan Shaozhe suddenly changed the subject.

"Xiaotao, what did you think of that young man who fought you today?"

Ma Xiaotao froze for a moment, then raised her head. A hint of awkwardness appeared on her face.

"I... I don't remember."

Yan Shaozhe sighed inwardly, both distressed and helpless.

"His name is Lin Yaoyang. He's a four-ring Soul Ancestor, with three purple rings and one black ring. His talent is extraordinary, and his Martial Soul is very powerful. That attack I blocked for you today gave me a feeling."

"What feeling?"

Ma Xiaotao asked curiously.

"His Martial Soul should be Ultimate Fire."

"Ultimate Fire?!"

Ma Xiaotao shot to her feet, knocking her chair backward. It crashed to the floor with a loud clang.

But she paid it no mind, staring wide-eyed at Yan Shaozhe.

Ultimate Attributes were powerful and rare.

Her Evil Fire Phoenix was a top-tier fire attribute, and Yan Shaozhe's Bright Phoenix was also a top-tier fire attribute.

But between "top-tier" and "ultimate" lay an insurmountable gulf.

Throughout the entire continent's history, only a handful of people had possessed Ultimate Attributes.

That youth who had pointed at her nose and called her an "Evil Soul Master" actually possessed Ultimate Fire?

Yan Shaozhe smiled faintly at Ma Xiaotao's shocked expression.

"Xiaotao, would you like another junior disciple?"

Ma Xiaotao blinked, her mind still unable to process it. "Teacher, you mean..."

"But..." She hesitated. "After what happened today, would he...?"

Yan Shaozhe waved a hand and smiled confidently.

"I have my ways."

A twelve-year-old Soul Ancestor, three purple rings and one black ring, Ultimate Fire.

Since such a genius had come to Shrek, he could forget about leaving!

Three months was neither particularly long nor particularly short.

For Lin Yaoyang, those three months had been peaceful and fulfilling.

Every morning, he attended class with Wang Dong. In the afternoons, he cultivated Soul Power, and at night, he studied Soul Tool theory.

Sometimes, he teased Wang Dong. Sometimes, he ran into Jiang Nannan around campus and flirted with her a little.

Day after day passed just like that.

His Soul Power had already reached rank 43. He was not far from rank 44 now—probably just another month or two.

It was not fast, but it was steady.

Cultivation with an Ultimate Attribute was naturally slower than that of ordinary Soul Masters, so he was in no hurry.

The Grey Bead in his Spirit Sea, however, had remained completely still.

Ever since Electrolux's remnant soul had entered it, it had fallen utterly silent, like a Mu Jin sinking into the deep sea without causing another ripple.

Lin Yaoyang was not in a hurry about that either.

When it was time to awaken, it would awaken naturally.

That morning, Freshman Class One's classroom was packed with students.

The class bell rang.

Mu Jin pushed open the door and walked in.

She stepped onto the podium, swept her gaze across the class, and got straight to the point without any pleasantries or nonsense.

"Today, I'm announcing something."

The classroom quieted, and every gaze focused on her.

"Starting tomorrow, the Freshman Assessment begins."

The moment she said that, the classroom erupted.

"An assessment? What kind of assessment?"

"An assessment already? I'm not prepared yet!"

"What happens if we fail? We won't get expelled, will we?"

Mu Jin raised a hand and pressed it downward, signaling for everyone to quiet down.

"Only by passing the assessment can you officially become first-year students and truly become members of Shrek Academy. Those who fail will be eliminated."

The classroom fell silent again.

No one wanted to be eliminated.

Mu Jin continued, "The Freshman Assessment will be conducted in team battles. Teams will consist of three people, and you may form teams freely. Each team may have no more than one assault-type battle Soul Master. The other two members may be of any type."

She glanced over the classroom and added, "Students from the same dormitory will be considered a team first. Everyone else may form their own groups. Those unable to do so will be assigned by lottery."

"Nearly three hundred teams will participate in the assessment. In the end, only the top one hundred and fifty teams will remain. Rankings will be determined by match points. Every team will fight at least ten battles and be ranked by number of victories."

"The top sixty-four teams will advance to the elimination rounds. The academy will award different prizes to the top four teams in those rounds."

After speaking, Mu Jin picked up the cup on her desk and took a sip, giving the students time to digest the news.

The classroom soon became lively again.

"Three people per team? There are only two of us in the dorm, so we need to find one more..."

"What type are you? I'm assault-type."

"I'm agility-type. The two of us can team up; then we can find a control-type or defense-type."

"Who wants to team up with me? I'm support-type..."

Voices rose and fell throughout the room. Some were excited, some anxious, some confident, and some uneasy.

At the window seat in the back row, Lin Yaoyang sat with his chin propped on one hand, gazing out the window in boredom.

Three months had passed, and his sense of novelty toward Shrek had long since worn away.

Classrooms, cafeteria, dormitory, cultivation—the same cycle every day. Put nicely, it was routine. Put bluntly, it was boring.

Wang Dong sat beside him, full of energy instead. Her eyes sparkled as though she had been waiting for this day for a long time.

"Brother Lin," she leaned closer and lowered her voice, "should we... find a teammate?"

With her and Lin Yaoyang's strength, the two of them could easily take first place in the assessment. But the rules required three people per team, so they had to find someone else to fill the slot.

Lin Yaoyang glanced at her.

"Whatever."

"Whatever?" Wang Dong's eyes widened. "How can you be so casual about this?"

Lin Yaoyang did not respond.

His gaze passed over the heads of several students in the front rows and settled on a seat by the aisle in the second row.

Huo Yuhao sat there with his head lowered, quiet and unobtrusive.

His deskmate, a round-faced boy, was eagerly discussing team formation with someone in front of him, showing no intention of teaming up with Huo Yuhao.

Lin Yaoyang withdrew his gaze, the corner of his lips twitching slightly.

Following the original course of events, Huo Yuhao would team up with Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao. The three of them would overcome every obstacle and shine brilliantly in the Freshman Assessment.

But in this life, Wang Dong was his roommate.

Wang Dong was already on his side.

Then what about Huo Yuhao?

Who else could he team up with?

As Lin Yaoyang pondered this, a soft, delicate voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Class monitor, can I team up with you?"

Lin Yaoyang raised his head.

Standing before him was a petite-looking girl.

She wore her hair in a neat ponytail. Her delicate face was not breathtakingly beautiful, but it was pleasant to look at. Her crescent-shaped eyes curved beautifully whenever she smiled.

Xiao Xiao.

Before Lin Yaoyang could speak, Wang Dong beside him exploded first.

"N... no!"

Her voice was urgent and sharp, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

Xiao Xiao froze, looked toward Wang Dong, and asked in confusion, "Why?"

"Because..." Wang Dong opened her mouth, only to realize she could not come up with a convincing reason.

She could hardly say, "I just don't want him getting too close to other girls," could she?

"Because what?" Xiao Xiao tilted her head, waiting for her to continue.