(A beautiful picture of Wang Dong'er)
Lin Ye looked at her face, haggard from staying up late but still resolute, and felt warmth bloom in his heart.
"Dong'er, now that I'm awake, our goal isn't just to pass the Freshman Assessment anymore."
He paused, his gaze growing firm.
"It's the championship!"
Wang Dong'er looked at him. Her pink-blue eyes brightened, and the corners of her mouth slowly lifted. She nodded vigorously. "Okay! The championship!"
There were two days left before the assessment.
Lin Ye struggled to get out of bed and walk around. His Soul Power was far from recovered, and he couldn't even summon his treasures.
But as he stood by the window, watching the students outside sweat through their practice on the field, his gaze remained calm.
Forget it. Even without my treasures, I can still win the championship.
Two days was too little time. He didn't even have time to study the Jade Void Heart Scripture. He only managed to do two things.
First, he handed out a few simple tasks to Wang Dong'er, Xiao Xiao, and the others.
The tasks weren't difficult, and they finished them quickly.
The lottery draws came in, and the points rolled in. His system points had reached 521.
Second, he used up all the lottery draws he'd saved.
Most of the prizes were odds and ends, like Soul Tools, along with a pile of rare materials. They were now stacked in the system inventory, waiting to be used later.
One item stood out in particular:
[Sea Man's Home: Women's Wardrobe]
[Contains women's clothing from various times and worlds!]
Lin Ye opened it and nearly popped his eyes out.
From hanfu to Lolita dresses, from qipaos to JK uniforms, it had every style imaginable.
There were more than a hundred kinds of stockings alone: black, white, fishnet, lace-trimmed thigh-highs, garter stockings—all categorized and neatly arranged.
Lin Ye stared at the interface for a long while, then slowly raised his thumb.
"...Incredible."
The Assessment Area was in the north-central part of the Martial Soul Department. It covered a vast area, enclosed by low walls, with partitions inside that could be rearranged at any time.
The entire grounds had now been divided into fifty sections, each twenty meters square. For freshmen with one or two rings, that was more than enough room to fight.
There were 310 teams, with 930 freshmen in all, and only half of them would be allowed to stay.
Each team would compete in ten round-robin matches. Losses meant elimination, and the final rankings would determine who stayed and who left.
In Class One, Huo Yuhao, Ren Zhu, and a fat student named Cai Kun had been assigned to the same team.
Cai Kun was the one who'd done Naruto-style running and army calisthenics in the rain the other day, then used Thousand Years of Death on Xu Sanshi.
Now he was running a hand through his greasy middle part with his chubby fingers, looking as if he knew everything. "With me supporting you, you two can relax!"
Huo Yuhao stood at the edge of District 33, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles had gone white.
It would've been a lie to say he wasn't nervous, but he knew all the same that he couldn't back down.
Ren Zhu placed her left hand on his shoulder and leaned close, speaking in a low voice.
"Yuhao, don't be nervous. The rules don't say you can't use Hidden Weapons. If you need to, you can use them."
A glint of cold light flashed in her eyes as she said it. Back in the day, Tang San had dealt plenty of ruthless blows with Hidden Weapons.
Huo Yuhao gave a slight nod without replying, but his clenched fists loosened a little.
Soul Masters rarely used weapons, unless they were using Soul Tools.
As a disciple of the Tang Sect, he was clearly an exception.
Over in District 32, Lin Ye, Wang Dong'er, and Xiao Xiao were already in position.
Wang Dong'er stood to Lin Ye's left and Xiao Xiao to his right. They didn't need to say a word. One glance was enough for them to understand what the others were thinking.
Students from the other classes assigned to the same section arrived one after another.
Some looked nervous, others eager to fight. When they met one another's eyes, their hostility was plain to see.
After all, half of them would be leaving the academy in ten days.
A booming announcement rang out overhead. "Attention, all freshmen! Enter the assessment area at once to prepare for the Freshman Assessment. You have ten minutes left to enter. Anyone who is late will forfeit!"
The announcement echoed through every corner of the outer academy.
The freshmen all turned solemn. Their first assessment was here.
"First match of the first round: Freshman Class One—Lin Ye, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao.
Freshman Class Eight—Wang Bian, Yi Yang Gan Xi, Wang Jun Kai.
You may enter the area now and take your positions at opposite corners. You may not release your Martial Souls until I announce the start of the match. Go on in."
As soon as the teacher in charge finished speaking, Lin Ye's mouth twitched.
What kind of names were those???
The Dung-Beating Boys?
He fought to keep from laughing and exchanged a glance with Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao. The three quickly entered the arena and took their positions on one side.
Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao tacitly moved in front of Lin Ye to shield him.
Wang Dong'er glanced back at Lin Ye and winked. Her pink-blue eyes held a hint of playfulness and confidence.
"Lin Ye, you just sit back and rest. Your big brother will carry you to victory."
She patted her flat chest, looking as if she meant to say, "Leave it all to me."
Xiao Xiao turned around too and nodded vigorously. Her two green braids swayed, and her delicate little face was full of determination.
The three of them hadn't had time to practice together before the assessment, nor had they planned any tactics.
But neither Wang Dong'er nor Xiao Xiao thought that was a problem. The two of them could handle three freshmen together without breaking a sweat.
The three students across from them were from Freshman Class Eight. All three had the same trendy look: tight pants, bean shoes, and slicked-back hair.
"The assessment begins."
Both sides released their Martial Souls at once.
Wang Dong'er darted forward. As she leaped into the air, her pair of brilliant blue-violet wings spread wide, golden patterns glittering in the sunlight.
Xiao Xiao summoned the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron at the same time. The black cauldron slowly revolved above her head, radiating a steady, weighty aura.
Lin Ye didn't move.
His Soul Power still hadn't recovered, so he stayed in the back with his hands in his pockets, looking like he was there to watch the show.
The three trendy boys across from them released their Martial Souls at once too.
The student in front, Wang Jun Kai, gave a swift flick of his back, and a pair of wings unfurled.
As for those wings... How could he put it? They were plump and shiny, golden all over, with a layer of browned edges. They looked like a pair of freshly baked Orleans Roasted Wings.
Wang Dong'er's wings belonged to the Light Goddess Butterfly: dazzling and beautiful, with the innate ability to fly.
Wang Jun Kai's wings had no flying Soul Skill yet, so he couldn't fly.
The student in the middle, Yi Yang Gan Xi, raised his hand. A dull gray stone appeared in his palm, its surface pitted and uneven. It looked just like one he'd picked up from the roadside.
As for the yellow-haired Wang Bian at the back, he stretched out his left hand. From wrist to fingertips, it was pitch-black, as if years of smoke had stained it.
He grinned. A flash of light passed over his black hand, and a pack of cigarettes appeared.
Furong Wang.
Wang Bian narrowed his eyes as he looked at Wang Dong'er, then at Lin Ye, who stood behind her with his hands in his pockets. He drawled,
"I haven't done this in years."
Wang Dong'er froze.
Lin Ye froze too.
Before you continue