The final match of the freshman assessment was about to begin, and teachers filled the spectator area throughout the assessment grounds.
Yan Shaozhe ascended the viewing platform accompanied by a group of teachers and Du Weilun. Not far from the platform, a disheveled old man was washing down bites of chicken leg with swigs of liquor. It was none other than Taotie Douluo, Xuan Zi.
Although they had all expected Lin Shuo's team to win, no one wanted to miss the final. They hoped to learn more about Lin Shuo's background.
Du Weilun reported his recommendations for core disciples from this freshman assessment to Yan Shaozhe. "Dean, regarding Huo Yu'er from Lin Shuo's team..." Du Weilun hesitated, then continued, "She only has eighteen levels of Soul Power, and just one Ten-Year Soul Ring. It's difficult for a spiritual Martial Soul to obtain high-quality Soul Rings in the first place, so I hadn't intended to recommend her as a core disciple."
He paused, lowering his voice slightly. "But from what I understand, Lin Shuo and her are very close. If their team wins the championship and she alone doesn't get core disciple status, well, geniuses are proud. I'm worried that Lin Shuo might..."
At that, Yan Shaozhe didn't answer right away. Instead, he turned his gaze to the blue-haired girl below and studied her for several moments.
"Let's do it." Yan Shaozhe gave a slight nod. "When we hand out the rewards, discreetly let Lin Shuo know about this."
Du Weilun closed the roster and acknowledged the order.
Below, the two teams were ready on opposite sides of the Soul Fighting Platform.
The referee raised a hand to each team, signaling them to enter the arena.
Both teams entered at the same time. When Dai Huabin saw Lin Shuo, he gave him a provocative gesture.
Lin Shuo shook his head. He would leave Dai Huabin alive so Huo Yu'er could take revenge in the future, but Dai Huabin wouldn't be walking off the platform today.
"State your names."
"Lin Shuo."
"Wang Dong'er."
"Huo Yu'er."
"Dai Huabin."
"Zhu Lu."
"Cui Yajie."
"The match begins."
The moment the words fell, Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu immediately used Martial Soul Possession and lunged toward each other with arms outstretched. Dai Huabin knew he couldn't beat Lin Shuo one-on-one, not after seeing him take down Xie Huanyue in an instant. But if he and Zhu Lu used the Martial Soul Fusion Skill Hell White Tiger, he was certain they would win.
A blinding white light flared, and the two of them disappeared. A gigantic white tiger appeared in the assessment grounds. Its body was translucent, its white fur patterned with black stripes, and it fixed Lin Shuo with a cold stare. Without the slightest hesitation, the Hell White Tiger dug in all four paws and sprang forward, its massive body shooting out like an arrow loosed from a bow. Its sharp claws slashed through the air in streaks of cold light, aimed straight at Lin Shuo.
Wang Dong'er instinctively spread her butterfly wings and started forward, but Lin Shuo raised a hand to stop her.
"Dong'er, you don't need to step in." As he spoke, Lin Shuo took a step forward.
The Seven-Colored Dragon King Martial Soul possessed him.
Rainbow scales spread over Lin Shuo's arms and climbed to his shoulders, their glasslike sheen refracting the sunlight. He didn't need to transform completely to deal with an opponent like this.
The Hell White Tiger's pupils contracted sharply. The cold killing intent in its icy blue eyes gave way to fear.
Lin Shuo left an afterimage where he stood, then appeared in front of the Hell White Tiger the next instant. He opened his hand and seized its front paw, seven-colored light flowing between his fingers.
The Hell White Tiger tried to break free, but Lin Shuo's hand clamped around its paw like an iron vise. No matter how hard it struggled, it couldn't budge him. Then Lin Shuo lowered his arm and swung the giant tiger up before slamming it into the ground.
Boom!
The ground burst open into a shallow crater, and gravel flew everywhere. The Hell White Tiger let out a low growl. Its form began to flicker violently. Under the crushing force of absolute strength, the fusion could no longer hold. White light exploded again, and the backlash from the Martial Soul Fusion sent Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu flying in opposite directions.
Without even turning his head, Lin Shuo swept his arm back. Two gusts of force struck Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie with pinpoint accuracy, sweeping them off the Soul Fighting Platform.
His gaze never left Dai Huabin.
Dai Huabin hit the ground and struggled to get back up.
Lin Shuo had carefully controlled his strength when hitting him, so he wouldn't knock him out. If Dai Huabin passed out, the referee might call the match right then and there.
Lin Shuo grabbed Dai Huabin by the head and slammed it down.
Thud!
Dai Huabin's forehead smashed into the ground with a dull thump. The pain made him open his mouth wide, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make a sound. An invisible force sealed his voice. It was Lin Shuo's spatial lock, and not even a scream could escape it.
Mm, nice and loud. A good head.
"As expected of the White Tiger Duke's second son. What a tough guy—you still won't surrender after all that."
The referee, who had started toward them to intervene, stopped in his tracks. That was right! The contestant wasn't unconscious or surrendering, so he clearly had no objection. Why should the referee interfere?
Dai Huabin's eyes filled with deep resentment and humiliation at those words.
Up on the viewing platform, Du Weilun asked Yan Shaozhe whether they should stop the match. Anyone with eyes could see that the two of them had a grudge.
"In a Soul Fighting match, the loser simply wasn't good enough. As long as no one dies, even the White Tiger Duke can't complain," Yan Shaozhe said calmly. He knew perfectly well which mattered more: a duke's second son or Lin Shuo.
Du Weilun's heart tightened. He had still underestimated Lin Shuo's standing among the academy's upper ranks. Had Lin Shuo really become so important that he could publicly humiliate the White Tiger Duke's son without consequence?
Thud! Thud!
"Ah, let's just get this over with." Lin Shuo released Dai Huabin's head, grabbed him by the legs, and slammed him hard against the ground. He also lifted the seal over Dai Huabin's mouth.
Crack!
The sharp snap of breaking bones rang out especially clearly across the suddenly silent assessment grounds. Dai Huabin's legs bent at unnatural angles, and a heart-rending scream burst from his mouth.
"Argh—"
Dai Huabin's scream echoed across the assessment grounds. Then his eyes rolled back, and his body went limp as he passed out completely.
Lin Shuo glanced down at Dai Huabin, who lay there like a puddle of mud, and dusted off his hands despite there being no dust on them.
"Passed out already? How boring."
Seeing that Dai Huabin had lost consciousness, the referee walked forward.
"The champion is Freshman Class One, Lin Shuo's team."
Wang Dong'er suddenly threw her arms around Huo Yu'er. Neither of them had done anything in the final, but they were still champions! Huo Yu'er stared at Lin Shuo, complex emotions churning in her deep blue eyes.
She understood that Lin Shuo had done this for her, since he and Dai Huabin hadn't even known each other before.
She parted her lips, wanting to say "thank you," but the words caught in her throat, impossible to speak. Those two words were too small for what lay between her and Lin Shuo.
Wang Dong'er finally let go of Huo Yu'er. She studied her expression, then glanced at Lin Shuo. Quietly, she took Huo Yu'er's hand and gave it a firm squeeze.
Lin Shuo came over to the two of them and stopped.
"Feel a little better now?"
He didn't wait for Huo Yu'er to answer. He turned and headed straight off the platform.
"Come on. Let's go back."