In the Blink of an Eye, You Are Already Far Away!

Early in the morning, a familiar knocking sound echoed through the corridor.

Xiao Yan pushed open his door to find Xiao Xiao already dressed and ready, her white freshman uniform carrying a unique, playful charm on her.

The two walked out of the freshman dormitory building side by side.

By the tree-lined path outside the building, Ning Tian and Wu Feng had already been waiting for quite some time.

Ning Tian stepped forward to greet them, her posture upright and her golden-blue eyes filled with the confidence of someone about to take the stage.

Wu Feng, following behind her, seemed unusually quiet today.

The usual rebellious spirit she displayed was completely tucked away; her gaze wandered, never daring to meet the eyes of Xiao Yan or Xiao Xiao, as she simply kept her head down and nudged pebbles on the ground with the tip of her shoe.

Clearly, she was still brooding over the fact that she had passed out in public the night before due to mental exhaustion at the barbecue stall, terrified that someone might bring it up and leave her unable to save face.

Xiao Yan glanced at Wu Feng but chose not to pierce that veil.

The four of them walked together toward the assessment area.

On the way, Ning Tian and Xiao Xiao huddled together, whispering about their tactical coordination for the upcoming match.

Only Wu Feng followed silently on the periphery; apart from occasionally echoing a tactical arrangement, she remained tight-lipped. Whenever the topic drifted even slightly toward "mental state" or "eating," her earlobes would turn red involuntarily, and she would stiffly steer the conversation elsewhere.

The assessment area was located behind Shrek Square, consisting of a vast, open flatland.

To accommodate the massive number of freshmen this year, the entire field was crisscrossed with white lines, dividing it into fifty square zones of equal size.

Upon entering the grounds, the four of them confirmed their respective draw numbers.

Xiao Yan was assigned to District Five, while the team of Ning Tian, Wu Feng, and Xiao Xiao had drawn District Eight.

The two zones were not far apart, and standing on one side, one could clearly see the battle situation on the other.

Because Xiao Yan's match was scheduled later, he simply stood on the perimeter of District Eight to watch the girls' first battle.

Soon, the teacher acting as the referee for District Eight walked onto the arena platform with a roster in hand.

"First match, New Student Class Nine's Ning Tian team, versus New Student Class One's Chen Zixuan team. Both teams, take the stage!"

Ning Tian and her two teammates tapped their toes against the ground and leaped onto the arena with grace.

Three boys walked up from the opposite side.

The lead boy was burly; it was Chen Zixuan from New Student Class One, followed by two other soul masters.

This team possessed one Great Soul Master and two Soul Masters, which could be considered mid-tier among all the teams in the freshman assessment.

According to the rules, both sides announced their names before the match.

Chen Zixuan stepped forward, full of momentum: "New Student Class One, Chen Zixuan, Level 22 Assault System Battle Soul Master."

His two teammates followed suit, reporting their names and levels.

When it was New Student Class Nine's turn, Ning Tian looked composed, her golden-blue eyes fixed straight ahead. "New Student Class Nine, Ning Tian, Level 33 Auxiliary System Soul Elder."

Chen Zixuan and his two companions froze.

Level 33? A Soul Elder?

Before they could recover from the shock, Wu Feng stepped forward, her voice crisp and efficient: "New Student Class Nine, Wu Feng, Level 26 Assault System Battle Soul Master."

Xiao Xiao stood out last, her hands behind her back, a harmless, sweet smile gracing her soft, adorable face.

"New Student Class Nine, Xiao Xiao, Level 37 Control System Battle Soul Elder."

Over these three months, with the foundation-improving benefits of the 60,000-year Earth-Shaking Desolate Bear right arm bone, plus the several-fold increase in cultivation speed from the Sea God Lake, Xiao Xiao's soul power had crossed two levels without suspense, reaching Level 37.

After the names were announced, the entire District Eight arena fell so silent that only the sound of the wind remained.

Chen Zixuan and his two teammates widened their eyes, their faces turning deathly pale in an instant.

Two Soul Elders and a twenty-sixth-level Soul Grand Master? How were they supposed to fight that?

"The match begins!" The referee did not give them time to slowly digest the information and swung his right arm down sharply.

The moment the referee's voice fell, brilliant seven-colored light erupted from Ning Tian's palms, and the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda took form instantly.

"The Seven Treasures has a name, the first: Speed!"

Two gorgeous streams of light landed precisely on Wu Feng and Xiao Xiao.

Having been tempered by the Dream Arena, the coordination between the three girls had long since become muscle memory.

The instant Ning Tian's soul skill was cast, Wu Feng and Xiao Xiao pushed off with their legs, launching themselves forward like arrows released from a bowstring.

Chen Zixuan on the opposite side finally snapped out of his daze, hurriedly channeling his soul power to summon his martial soul.

Too slow.

Having experienced opponents in their dreams who had no casting delays and possessed exquisite coordination, these freshmen who were still standing in place, slowly summoning their martial souls, looked riddled with openings to Wu Feng and Xiao Xiao.

Just as the phantom of Chen Zixuan's martial soul appeared on his body, Wu Feng was already right in front of him.

Her hand, covered in crimson dragon scales, carried a scorching heatwave as it struck his chest without mercy.

Chen Zixuan let out a muffled groan, his body flying backward and crashing heavily outside the arena.

On the other side, Xiao Xiao swung the Soul Suppressing Cauldron with one hand, relying on the terrifying brute strength granted by her 60,000-year right arm bone to sweep the massive cauldron out like a meteor hammer.

A dull sound of air being torn apart rang out.

The massive black cauldron, carrying an unstoppable momentum, slammed directly into the soul power shields the two new students had frantically raised.

The shields shattered like paper, and the two boys screamed as they were sent flying off the arena platform by the immense force.

The battle ended.

The referee stood frozen, holding his scorecard, and it took him a long time to react.

"New... New Student Class Nine, Ning Tian's team wins!"

The other new students watching from below were all dumbfounded.

From start to finish, the battle had lasted only a few seconds at most.

In particular, seeing Xiao Xiao—a petite, cute-looking girl—wielding such a massive black cauldron with one hand to physically smash people away created such a stark visual contrast that many swallowed hard and instinctively took half a step back.

This was no soft, adorable girl; she was a humanoid beast.

The three of them jumped off the platform and came to Xiao Yan's side.

"Boring," Wu Feng pouted, shaking her wrists. "Too weak. They didn't even have half the reaction speed of those phantoms in my dreams. I thought the people from New Student Class One were supposed to be so impressive."

"Yeah, they fell before I even used any real effort," Xiao Xiao agreed, nodding.

Ning Tian retracted her Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda and looked at Xiao Yan with a smile. "Class Monitor, it's your turn. The referee in District Five is calling for you."

The group turned to look toward District Five, where the referee was checking the roster.

Xiao Xiao's eyes darted around, and she leaned in between Ning Tian and Wu Feng. "Guess how long it'll take my brother to finish off his opponents? I bet two seconds!"

"He's fighting three people alone, and the other side might have some tactical coordination. I'll guess five seconds," Ning Tian offered a relatively conservative number.

"Three seconds, tops." Wu Feng was now completely convinced of Xiao Yan's strength.

Listening to the three girls' discussion, Xiao Yan smoothed his cuffs without a word, turned, and walked toward District Five.

Stepping onto the arena, he found three students from New Student Class One standing opposite him.

Upon realizing that Xiao Yan was alone, the three were huddled together, whispering about some pincer tactic, their eyes gleaming with the excitement of outnumbering an opponent.

"State your names," the referee said, going through the motions.

The three opponents stated their names in turn; all were Great Soul Masters just past level twenty. They were considered seeded players for Class One and were held in high regard by Zhou Yi.

When it was Xiao Yan's turn, he let his hands hang naturally at his sides, his gaze calm.

"New Student Class Nine, Xiao Yan."

"Names stated. The match begins!" The referee swung his arm down.

Before the words had even faded, the three opponents fanned out, simultaneously releasing their martial souls as they prepared to strike from three directions.

Xiao Yan stood where he was, not moving an inch.

He raised his right hand and held it suspended in the air before him.

His slender index finger and thumb pinched together, the movement as elegant as if he were toying with an invisible work of art.

Then, his fingertips flicked apart.

Void Zither Playing.

"Zheng—!"

A crisp, clear zither note exploded abruptly over the arena.

There was no physical Fuxi Zither, yet invisible sound waves surged forth like a bursting dam.

That intangible wave of sound, carrying a mountain-toppling, sea-draining force, instantly swept across the entire arena.

The three Class One students who had just charged forward felt as if they had slammed into a high-speed, transparent wall.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Three muffled thuds rang out almost simultaneously.

The three of them didn't even have time to scream; they lost all control of their bodies, were caught up by the sound waves, and were sent flying off the arena in a row, like leaves scattered by an autumn wind.

The arena returned to silence.

Xiao Yan maintained the flicking gesture for a moment before retracting his right hand and naturally clasping it behind his back.

Below the stage, Xiao Xiao, Ning Tian, and Wu Feng stood with their mouths agape, unable to utter a sound for a long time.

The referee still held the flag he had just swung down, his eyes fixed on the empty other side of the arena, his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty.

From the moment he shouted "Begin" to the moment the three flew off the stage.

The entire process had taken one second!

Xiao Yan turned to look at the still-stunned referee, his tone calm.

"Teacher, you may announce the result."