Early in the morning, a familiar knock sounded in the hallway.
Xiao Yan opened his door. Xiao Xiao was already dressed and ready to go, wearing her white freshman uniform with a playful flair all her own.
The two walked out of the freshman dormitory side by side.
By the tree-lined path outside, Ning Tian and Wu Feng had been waiting for some time.
Ning Tian stepped forward and raised a hand in greeting. She stood tall and straight, confidence shining in her golden-blue eyes as their moment to take the stage drew near.
Wu Feng, following behind her, seemed unusually quiet today.
Her usual defiant air had vanished without a trace. Her gaze wandered, and she never dared look Xiao Yan or Xiao Xiao in the eye. Instead, she kept her head lowered, nudging the stones on the ground with her toe.
Clearly, she was still smarting over what had happened at the barbecue stall the night before, when she'd passed out in front of everyone from mental exhaustion. She was afraid someone might let it slip and leave her with no way to save face.
Xiao Yan glanced at Wu Feng but didn't call attention to the elephant in the room.
The four of them set off together toward the Assessment Area.
Along the way, Ning Tian and Xiao Xiao walked close together, quietly discussing how they would coordinate their tactics later.
Only Wu Feng trailed along at the edge, silent as a stone. Aside from occasionally chiming in about their strategy, she kept her mouth shut. Whenever the conversation strayed toward "mental state" or "eating," her ears would turn red before she awkwardly changed the subject.
The Assessment Area lay behind Shrek Square, a broad, open stretch of ground.
To accommodate the vast number of freshmen this year, white lines crisscrossed the entire field, dividing it into fifty equally sized square areas.
Once they entered the grounds, the four checked their assigned areas.
Xiao Yan had been assigned to District Five, while Ning Tian, Wu Feng, and Xiao Xiao's team had drawn District Eight.
The two areas weren't far apart, and from one side, they could easily see the action on the other.
Since Xiao Yan's match was later, he simply stood at the edge of District Eight to watch the three girls' first battle.
Soon, the referee in charge of District Eight stepped onto the platform with a roster in hand.
"First match: Ning Tian's team from New Student Class Nine versus Chen Zixuan's team from New Student Class One. Both teams, take the platform!"
Ning Tian and the other two lightly sprang onto the platform.
Three boys stepped up opposite them.
The boy in front was burly. He was Chen Zixuan of New Student Class One, with two other Soul Masters following behind him.
Their team had one Soul Grandmaster and two Soul Masters. Among the teams in the Freshman Assessment, they could be considered solidly mid-tier.
By the rules, both teams had to introduce themselves before the match.
Chen Zixuan stepped forward, brimming with confidence. "New Student Class One, Chen Zixuan, Level 22 Power Attack System Battle Soul Master."
His two teammates followed, announcing their names and levels.
When it was Class Nine's turn, Ning Tian remained composed, her golden-blue eyes fixed on the opponents. "New Student Class Nine, Ning Tian, Level 33 Support System Battle Soul Elder."
Chen Zixuan and the other two froze.
Level 33? A Soul Elder?
Before they could recover from their shock, Wu Feng stepped forward, her voice clear and crisp. "New Student Class Nine, Wu Feng, Level 26 Power Attack System Battle Soul Master."
Xiao Xiao stepped out last, clasping her hands behind her back. An innocent smile graced her soft, adorable face.
"New Student Class Nine, Xiao Xiao, Level 37 Control System Battle Soul Elder."
Over the past three months, the foundation provided by the sixty-thousand-year-old Earth-Shaking Desolate Bear Right Arm Bone, combined with cultivation at several times the usual speed by Sea God Lake, had allowed Xiao Xiao's Soul Power to break through two levels without a doubt, reaching Level 37.
Once the introductions were over, District Eight fell silent, with only the wind stirring.
Chen Zixuan and his teammates stared wide-eyed, their faces turning deathly pale.
Two Soul Elders and a Level 26 Soul Grandmaster? How were they supposed to fight that?
"Begin!" The referee didn't give them time to digest the news. He swung his right arm down.
As soon as the referee's voice fell, a brilliant rainbow light burst from Ning Tian's palm, and the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda took shape.
"Seven Treasures Have Names, first: Speed!"
Two dazzling streams of light landed precisely on Wu Feng and Xiao Xiao.
After being tempered in the Dream Arena, the three girls' coordination had long since become second nature.
The instant Ning Tian's Soul Skill left her hand, Wu Feng and Xiao Xiao drove off hard with both legs and shot forward like arrows loosed from a bowstring.
Only then did Chen Zixuan snap out of it. He hurriedly summoned his Soul Power to call forth his Martial Soul.
Too slow.
After facing opponents in their dreams who moved without warning and coordinated flawlessly, Wu Feng and Xiao Xiao found these freshmen still sluggishly summoning their Martial Souls on the spot full of openings.
Chen Zixuan's Martial Soul had barely appeared as a phantom over his body when Wu Feng was already right in front of him.
Her hand, covered in crimson dragon scales, swept through the air in a wave of scorching heat and slammed mercilessly into his chest.
Chen Zixuan grunted. His body flew backward and crashed heavily outside the platform.
On the other side, Xiao Xiao swung the Soul Suppressing Cauldron with one hand. Drawing on the terrifying brute strength granted by her sixty-thousand-year-old right arm bone, she sent the cauldron sweeping out like a meteor hammer.
A muffled whoosh ripped through the air.
The massive black cauldron surged forward with unstoppable force and smashed into the Soul Power shields the two freshmen had hastily raised.
The shields shattered like paper. The two boys screamed as the tremendous force hurled them off the platform.
The battle was over.
The referee stood frozen, scorecard in hand, and took a long moment to react.
"N-New Student Class Nine, Ning Tian's team wins!"
The other freshmen watching from below were all dumbstruck.
From start to finish, the fight had lasted only a few seconds at most.
What really stunned them was seeing that petite, adorable girl Xiao Xiao hoist that enormous black cauldron with one hand and smash someone flying. The jarring contrast made more than a few people swallow hard and instinctively take half a step back.
She wasn't some soft, cute girl. She was a human-shaped Ferocious Beast.
The three jumped off the platform and came to Xiao Yan's side.
"Boring." Wu Feng curled her lip and shook out her wrist.
"They were too weak. They didn't even have half the reaction speed of those phantoms in the dreams. I thought the students from New Student Class One would be much stronger."
"Yeah, I hadn't even used any strength, and they were already down." Xiao Xiao nodded in agreement.
Ning Tian put away the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda and smiled at Xiao Yan. "Class monitor, it's your turn. The referee in District Five is calling the next match."
They all turned to look toward District Five, where the referee was checking the roster.
Xiao Xiao's eyes darted about as she squeezed between Ning Tian and Wu Feng. "How long do you think my brother will need to take down his opponents? I say two seconds!"
"He's fighting three people alone, and they might have some teamwork. I'll say five seconds," Ning Tian offered a relatively cautious estimate.
"Three seconds, tops." Wu Feng was now completely convinced of Xiao Yan's strength.
Xiao Yan listened to the three girls' discussion, straightened his cuffs, and said nothing. He turned and walked toward District Five.
On the platform, three freshmen from New Student Class One stood opposite him.
When they learned Xiao Yan was alone, the three had huddled together to quietly discuss some encircling tactic. Their eyes showed their excitement at the prospect of outnumbering him.
"Both sides, introduce yourselves," the referee said, going through the motions.
The three opponents announced their names in turn. All were Soul Grandmasters just over Level 20, and were considered top prospects in Class One, with Zhou Yi placing great hopes in them.
It was Xiao Yan's turn. He let his arms hang naturally, his gaze calm.
"New Student Class Nine, Xiao Yan."
"Introductions complete. Begin!" The referee swung his arm down.
Before the words had even left his mouth, the three opponents spread out in a fan formation and released their Martial Souls, preparing to attack him from three sides.
Xiao Yan remained where he was, not moving an inch.
He raised his right hand and held it suspended in the air before him.
His long index finger and thumb gently touched, the gesture as elegant as someone playing with an invisible work of art.
Then his fingers parted, and he flicked them lightly.
Void Zither Playing.
"Zheng—!"
A clear zither note suddenly rang out above the platform.
Though there was no physical Fuxi Zither, invisible sound waves surged outward like a flood bursting through a dam.
The sound wave swept across the entire platform, carrying a force that could topple mountains and overturn seas.
The three freshmen from Class One had only just charged when they felt as if they'd slammed into a transparent wall hurtling toward them at high speed.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Three muffled impacts rang out almost at once.
Before they could even scream, the sound wave swept them off their feet and sent them flying from the platform like leaves in an autumn gale.
The platform fell silent once more.
Xiao Yan held the pose of his flick for a moment, then lowered his right hand and clasped it naturally behind his back.
Below the platform, Xiao Xiao, Ning Tian, and Wu Feng stood with their mouths agape, unable to speak.
The referee still gripped the flag he'd just swung down. He stared fixedly at the empty far side of the platform, his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty.
From the moment he'd shouted "Begin" to the moment those three flew off the platform—
the entire fight had lasted one second!
Xiao Yan turned toward the referee, who was still stunned, and spoke evenly.
"Teacher, you can announce the result now."