"The requirements for grouping up for the Freshman Assessment aren't complicated."
"Each team needs three members. To ensure the teams are balanced, no team can have more than one Power Attack System Battle Soul Master. As for the classifications of Power Attack, Defense, Control, and Support Soul Masters, you should all have a solid understanding of them from the basic theory lessons over these past three months, so I won't waste time explaining them here."
She picked up a piece of chalk and wrote "Teamwork" in large characters on the blackboard, then turned to face the class.
"Now, you can start looking for teammates based on your roles as Soul Masters. We don't have much time. Before class ends, report your agreed-upon teams of three to me so I can compile the list. Go ahead."
As soon as Mu Jin finished speaking, the once-quiet classroom of Class Nine turned into a bustling marketplace.
The freshmen left their seats and began discussing things excitedly.
Students who were usually close quickly gathered together, asking about one another's roles and abilities as they tried to piece together the most battle-ready teams of three.
Li Dazhuang, with his outstanding defensive Martial Soul, was especially popular. Several small groups immediately surrounded him, trying to recruit him.
The back corner of the classroom remained as quiet as ever, seemingly cut off from the hubbub.
Ning Tian, who sat in front of Xiao Yan, turned around.
Over the past three months, she and Wu Feng had often gone to the Sea God Lake to watch the siblings spar. They had all grown quite familiar with each other.
Ning Tian rested one arm on the back of her chair. Her golden-blue eyes turned to Xiao Yan, who was leafing through an ancient book, as she casually asked, "Class monitor, you and Xiao Xiao are obviously going to team up, right? Then there'll be no suspense about who wins the championship."
At Ning Tian's question, Xiao Yan closed the book in his hands and shook his head.
"I'm not planning to team up with Xiao Xiao." Xiao Yan leaned back in his chair and looked at Xiao Xiao, who was sitting beside him with an eager expression.
"If she teams up with me, this Freshman Assessment will just be a formality for her. It won't give her any chance to train."
Ning Tian looked a little surprised at his answer, but then nodded in deep agreement.
Others might not know how strong Xiao Yan was, but Ning Tian had experienced that despair-inducing suppressive power firsthand.
One afternoon, when they had nothing to do, she and Wu Feng had eagerly joined the siblings' sparring session, hoping that the three of them could challenge their mysterious class monitor together.
The result had been an utterly one-sided defeat.
Xiao Yan hadn't even revealed his Spirit Rings from beginning to end.
He had simply sat on a lakeside boulder, casually plucking the strings of the Fuxi Zither with one hand.
The all-pervasive waves of sound had pierced straight through Wu Feng's Red Dragon defense, sealed off the amplification from Ning Tian's Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda, and even rendered Xiao Xiao's Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron useless.
With effortless ease, he had beaten all three of them until they were utterly routed, without the slightest chance to fight back.
When teamed up with a monster like him, there was no need for tactical coordination. You just had to stand off to the side and cheer.
Ning Tian's gaze swept from Xiao Xiao to Wu Feng. Then her eyes suddenly lit up, and she immediately extended an invitation to Xiao Xiao.
"Xiao Xiao, since the class monitor wants to let you fend for yourself, why not team up with me and Wu Feng?" The more Ning Tian thought about it, the more perfect the combination seemed. Her smile grew brighter.
"I'm the strongest support, Wu Feng is a top-tier attacker, and you have the control and defense of Twin Martial Souls. The three of us together can definitely take second place!"
Ning Tian declared second place their goal with complete confidence, not feeling the least bit burdened by it.
After all, anyone with a normal head on their shoulders knew that as long as Xiao Yan stood in the arena, whether alone or with a team of three, no one else could take the championship in this Freshman Assessment.
Xiao Xiao had been a little disappointed that she couldn't team up with her big brother, but Ning Tian's invitation immediately pulled her out of her gloom.
Her delicate, adorable face bloomed into a smile again, and she nodded without hesitation.
"Sure, Sister Ning Tian! Then after class, let's go to our usual spot and get some practice in." Xiao Xiao clenched her little fists and raised her chin, deliberately raising her voice.
"Let's make sure I give my brother a hard time in the competition!"
After saying that, she gave a rather cocky little snort and shot Xiao Yan a challenging glance.
Seeing how this girl had no idea how high the sky was or how deep the earth, Xiao Yan showed her some brotherly "affection" on the spot.
"Looks like getting new teammates has made you quite a bit more confident." Xiao Yan tapped his long fingers on the desk twice and spoke unhurriedly.
"Xiao Xiao, since the Freshman Assessment is coming up, I think we should increase the number of our afternoon sparring sessions every day. We'll also need to raise the intensity by quite a bit, so you don't embarrass yourself in the arena."
"Ah?!"
The sudden shriek made the students of Class Nine, who had been busily discussing their teams, stop what they were doing and turn in unison to look at the back of the room.
Only when she realized that the whole class was staring at her did Xiao Xiao notice she'd lost her composure.
Her fair, pretty face flushed bright red. She hurriedly clamped both hands over her mouth and ducked her head.
The other students kindly turned away and resumed their discussion. Only then did Xiao Xiao lower her hands and hurry over to Xiao Yan's side.
Her earlier bravado had vanished without a trace. Tugging at Xiao Yan's sleeve, she hurried to make amends. "Brother, I was joking just now! Couldn't you tell? I'm such a good girl. How could I ever oppose my favorite brother?"
Xiao Yan let her tug at his sleeve, the corner of his mouth lifting as he calmly uttered four words.
"You'd better be."
Watching the siblings' usual playful bickering, Ning Tian and Wu Feng exchanged smiles from the row in front of them.
This time, Wu Feng's smile came entirely from the heart.
She had been on edge the whole time, afraid Xiao Yan would join her and Ning Tian's team.
If this guy, whose strength and looks were both beyond reproach, really spent every day at Sister Tian's side, what if Sister Tian actually fell for him?
Now that Xiao Yan had chosen to sit out and Xiao Xiao had joined them instead, the heavy stone in Wu Feng's heart finally fell away. She felt like she could breathe freely again.
The bell rang before long.
Class Nine formed its teams with remarkable efficiency. Under Mu Jin's coordination, all sixty-seven students were quickly assigned to twenty-two combat teams.
When Mu Jin received the final list and saw Xiao Yan's name sitting alone on its own line, she showed no surprise at all.
Word spread through the class. When the freshmen of Class Nine learned that their class monitor had formed a team of one, everyone thought it was only natural.
After all, he was the freak who had nearly reached Spirit King cultivation at the age of eleven, and he had that mysterious Fuxi Zither Martial Soul.
In the hearts of everyone in Class Nine, even if Xiao Yan competed alone, he had more than enough strength to suppress every genius in the entire year and claim the championship trophy.