The Eve of the Assessment

On the eve of the freshman assessment, the classroom of Class One, Year One was brightly lit.

Huo Chen stood at the podium with a list spread out before him. Thirty-seven students sat neatly below, every pair of eyes fixed on him.

The air was thick with tension and anticipation. Tomorrow would be their first formal assessment in the three months since enrollment, and no one wanted to be eliminated in the first round.

"I've finalized the group assignments." Huo Chen got straight to the point, sweeping his gaze across the class. "The rules for this year's freshman assessment are the same as previous years: groups of three, with teams formed freely, but all team members must be from this class. Each group will submit a roster, and tomorrow morning, lots will be drawn to determine the first-round opponents."

He picked up a piece of chalk and wrote the first group's names on the blackboard:

"Group One: Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao."

The classroom fell silent for a moment before whispers broke out.

"Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao? That's an interesting combination."

"One control-type, one assault-type, and one support-control type... It's a pretty balanced lineup."

"Have Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao ever worked together? They don't seem to interact much normally."

Sitting at his desk, Huo Yuhao froze slightly when he heard his name.

He instinctively turned toward Wang Dong and happened to meet her gaze.

Their eyes met in midair for a brief instant before both looked away.

Wang Dong actually felt a little awkward. Though she and Huo Yuhao had been classmates for three months, she could count the number of times they had spoken on one hand.

Her impression of Huo Yuhao amounted to two labels: "that new teacher's nephew" and "doesn't talk much in class."

Still, since Teacher Huo had personally arranged the group, she had no reason to object. The assessment depended on individual ability anyway, and it did not matter much who her teammates were.

Xiao Xiao had no objections either. She was mild-tempered and got along well with most of the class, so she was willing to team up with anyone.

Besides, although Huo Yuhao did not speak much, she had watched his performance during training and knew he was reliable.

Ignoring the discussion below, Huo Chen continued writing the second group's names on the blackboard:

"Group Two: Ning Tian, Wu Feng, Cui Yajie."

Ning Tian nodded slightly. She had expected this outcome.

She and Wu Feng were already close friends, while Cui Yajie had recently been spending more time with them. The three of them forming a team was only natural.

Wu Feng simply raised her brows, wearing an expression that said, "As it should be."

Cui Yajie let out a quiet breath of relief. She had originally worried that she would be assigned to a team of unfamiliar people, but it seemed she did not need to worry now.

Huo Chen did not write the remaining students' names on the blackboard. Instead, he told each team leader to report their roster to him after class. Setting down the chalk, he dusted off his hands and adopted a serious tone.

"That settles the teams. Next, I'll explain the assessment process and the points you need to watch out for."

Turning around, he drew a simple tournament bracket on the blackboard.

"This freshman assessment is divided into three stages. The first stage is a round-robin points tournament. All participating teams will be divided into several groups, with four to five teams in each group competing against one another. A win earns three points, a draw earns one point, and a loss earns zero. The top two teams in each group will advance to the second stage."

He drew a dividing line on the blackboard and continued writing.

"The second stage is the elimination round. The advancing teams will draw lots to determine their opponents. Each match is single elimination: the winner advances, and the loser is eliminated. This continues until the top eight teams are decided."

"The third stage is the finals. The top eight teams will compete in the final elimination rounds to determine the overall champion of this freshman assessment."

He turned back around, his eyes sweeping across the class. "The entire assessment is expected to last five to seven days, depending on the match schedule. Every match is extremely important, because every win or loss may affect your final ranking."

The classroom fell quiet. Everyone realized the weight of this assessment.

"Tonight, each group should discuss tactics and coordination on your own." Huo Chen closed the roster. "Gather at the training field at seven tomorrow morning for the unified draw. Dismissed."

The students rose one after another, gathering in twos and threes to begin discussing things.

"Yuhao, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, you three stay behind." Huo Chen called to the three who were about to leave.

The three exchanged looks and stayed. Once all the other students had left, Huo Chen walked over and looked across their faces.

"You three are a team I selected personally." Huo Chen spoke, his tone gentler than it had been at the podium. "But I put you together not because you're the strongest three in the class, but because your styles complement one another."

He looked at Huo Yuhao. "Yuhao, your Spiritual Eyes excel at spiritual detection and battlefield awareness. You can grasp the movements across the entire field at the first opportunity. You are the team's eyes."

He then looked at Wang Dong. "Wang Dong, your Light Goddess Butterfly has strong frontal suppression and excellent burst power. You are the team's fist."

Finally, he looked at Xiao Xiao. "Xiao Xiao, your Xiao Cauldron can provide defensive cover, while the Nine-Phoenix Flute can control and support through sound waves. You are the team's shield and buffer."

"But complementarity doesn't mean teamwork." Huo Chen's expression turned serious. "The three of you have never worked together before. That is your biggest weakness. You'd better take some time tonight to get used to one another, even if it's only to understand each other's fighting habits."

Huo Yuhao nodded. "Understood, Uncle."

With both hands in her pockets, Wang Dong nodded. "Got it."

Xiao Xiao also gave a soft "Mm."

"All right, go on." Huo Chen waved them away. "Prepare well."

The three walked out of the classroom and stopped in the corridor, staring at one another.

After a moment of silence, Wang Dong was the first to break the awkwardness. "Um... how about we go to the training grounds and test things out? We won't be able to sleep if we go back now anyway."

"Sure." Huo Yuhao nodded.

"I'm fine with that too." Xiao Xiao agreed.

The three walked side by side toward the training grounds. The setting sun stretched their shadows long, overlapping them across the corridor floor.

Early the next morning, at Shrek Academy's main field.

The field was already packed with freshmen participating in the assessment. The homeroom teachers of each class were organizing their students into lines, and the air above the field echoed with all manner of commands and responses.

A raised platform had been set up at the front of the field, where several senior members of the Sea God Pavilion and leaders from the Academic Affairs Office had already taken their seats.

Huo Chen stood at the front of Class One's formation, calmly sweeping his gaze across the various teams on the field.

The first-year assessment was not divided by class. All freshmen were mixed together and assigned groups by lottery. This meant they might face teams from other classes, or even teams from their own class. Everything was decided by the draw.

Before long, the results of the draw were announced.

Class One's group assignments were as follows:

The team of Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao had been placed in Group C. Also in their group were two teams from Class Two and one team from Class Three.

The team of Ning Tian, Wu Feng, and Cui Yajie had been placed in Group A. Their group included one team from Class Two and two teams from Class Four.

"Group C, three round-robin matches." Wang Dong studied the results, calculating silently. Winning two matches should guarantee our advancement.

"Don't underestimate them," Huo Yuhao reminded him. "There are a few fairly capable people in Classes Two and Three as well. I heard people mentioning them in the cafeteria before."

"I know." Wang Dong curled his lip. "I was just saying."

Xiao Xiao stood nearby, watching the two bicker, and could not help smiling behind her lips.

Elsewhere, Ning Tian was discussing tactics with Wu Feng and Cui Yajie.

"Three matches in Group A. None of the opponents are especially strong, but we still can't be careless."

Ning Tian said, "Wu Feng, you'll lead the frontal assault. Yajie, harass and restrain them from the flank. I'll support you from the rear with buffs. Try to end things quickly and save your strength for the later matches."

"Understood." Wu Feng rolled her wrists, her joints cracking sharply. "Perfect. Time to loosen up."

Cui Yajie stood beside them and nodded lightly. Under Huo Chen's guidance, she had recently begun trying to develop the Nine-Tailed Fox's illusion abilities. Though she was not yet proficient, she wanted to test their effectiveness during the assessment.

On the platform, Du Weilun rose to his feet and cleared his throat. His resonant voice spread across the entire field:

"Students, welcome to Shrek Academy's freshman assessment. This assessment is intended to evaluate what you have learned over the past three months since enrolling, and it is also a rare opportunity for practical combat training. I hope that each of you will give it your all and display your very best."

He paused, then raised his voice several degrees.

"Now, I declare that this year's freshman assessment has officially begun!"

Thunderous applause and cheers erupted across the field.

Led by their guides, the teams headed one after another toward their respective competition grounds.

The curtain had officially risen on the freshman assessment.