The Assessment Begins, Xiao Xiao's Wicked Mind

Jiang Ziming was speechless.

He had barely used any strength. This little girl looked so innocent and adorable, yet she was such a little actress.

"What exactly are you trying to do?"

Xiao Xiao immediately put away her aggrieved expression and said with a grin,

"Please help bring Wang Dong and me together! Once it works out, I'll definitely repay you properly!"

Jiang Ziming looked at her sparkling eyes and thought,

Wang Dong is a girl. How am I supposed to set the two of you up?

But seeing how enthusiastic she was, he could not bear to douse her hopes outright.

He reached out and gently ruffled the girl's beautiful emerald-green hair.

"Fine, I promise."

Xiao Xiao's face instantly turned red.

"Y-you... how can you be so careless! Can you just touch a girl's head whenever you want?"

"I already agreed to help you win Wang Dong over, and you will not even let me pat your head once?"

Xiao Xiao blinked, hesitating for a moment.

Then, still blushing, she leaned her head a little closer to him.

"Then you have to keep your word."

That afternoon, the freshman assessment officially began.

The assessment venue was located in the open-air arena on the eastern side of Shrek's outer courtyard, divided into eight areas in total.

At that moment, each area was already crowded with participating freshmen, their voices creating a noisy clamor.

The air was thick with a mixture of tension and anticipation.

Jiang Ziming, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao arrived at the assessment area assigned to their team.

As the "captain," Jiang Ziming had already made his strategic arrangements.

For the first ten matches, he would conceal his strength and let Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao take the lead.

Once they reached the elimination rounds, when there were more spectators, he would make a stunning entrance and harvest a huge wave of emotion points!

Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao did not know that Jiang Ziming possessed such a powerful weapon martial soul as the Xuanyuan Sword. They both believed he was merely an auxiliary-type soul master, so naturally, they had no objections to his arrangement.

Very soon, the first match began.

Their opponents were a team from another class. Their three-man lineup was unremarkable, and their cultivation levels were all around two rings.

Wang Dong was the first to make her move.

The dazzling Radiant Goddess Butterfly unfurled behind her with a boom, its enormous wings shimmering with a dreamlike blue-gold luster.

She did not even use a soul skill. With a simple flap of her butterfly wings, a sharp blade of light whistled forth.

Xiao Xiao followed close behind. The Three Lives Soul-Calming Cauldron appeared out of thin air, its ancient body radiating a steady and imposing aura.

She controlled the cauldron to block off her opponents' movements.

The two worked together flawlessly, knocking all three opponents to the ground in the blink of an eye.

The match ended even faster than anyone had expected.

Jiang Ziming stood at the very back of the team, not even releasing his martial soul as he watched the show from start to finish.

After the match ended, he walked over and handed each of his two teammates an Excitement Carrot.

"Good work. Replenish your strength."

Wang Dong took the carrot without finding it strange anymore, finished it in a few bites, greeted Jiang Ziming, and returned to the dormitory.

Xiao Xiao, however, hesitated.

She took the carrot, looked at it in her hand, then looked at Jiang Ziming. Her cheeks were slightly flushed.

"What's wrong?"

Jiang Ziming asked curiously.

"What are you hesitating for? This carrot is very nutritious. It can quickly replenish your soul power."

Xiao Xiao blushed and said in a small voice,

"A carrot given by a male classmate... would it be a little weird if I ate it like this...?"

Jiang Ziming was speechless.

"You little girl, you look so innocent and cute, but your thoughts are actually so wicked."

Xiao Xiao's face turned even redder.

"Who... who's wicked! I'll eat it!"

She snorted indignantly, opened her little mouth, and fiercely took a huge bite out of the carrot.

Then, her body stiffened.

An indescribable deliciousness exploded across her tongue. Immediately afterward, gentle yet vast soul power surged through her meridians.

Her soul power recovered at an astonishing rate, even exceeding her original limit. Her meridians swelled slightly from the warm current.

Her already delicate body suddenly went soft.

Her head spun, her feet felt unsteady, and she nearly fell over.

Jiang Ziming reacted quickly and caught her.

"It's your first time eating one, and you took such a big bite. Are you underestimating my martial soul too much?"

Xiao Xiao leaned against his chest, feeling the warmth of the young man's body as her heart pounded wildly.

The delicious flavor of the carrot still bloomed in her mouth, while soul power surged through her meridians. That unprecedented sense of fullness left her whole body lightheaded.

She raised her head and looked at Jiang Ziming's smiling face, her pretty cheeks crimson as blood.

For a moment, Xiao Xiao did not know whether she should be shocked or embarrassed.

Jiang Ziming steadied her, then let go.

"Get some proper rest. There are still four matches tomorrow."

With that, he waved and turned to leave.

Xiao Xiao stood where she was, clutching half a carrot as she stared blankly at the young man's retreating back.

The afternoon breeze lifted the tips of her emerald-green hair.

Yet the pounding of the girl's heart refused to settle for a long while.

Over the next two days, Xiao Xiao fought even more fiercely on the stage than before.

The Three Lives Soul-Calming Cauldron truly came alive in her hands. One moment, it split into three to block her opponents' paths, and the next, the three fused into one to brutally suppress them directly.

Its momentum even faintly overshadowed Wang Dong's violent Butterfly Goddess's Light.

After several matches, Wang Dong could not help but glance at Xiao Xiao a few extra times, wondering what medicine that girl had taken to become so fierce.

Xiao Xiao sensed her gaze and merely snorted, turning her head away, though the corners of her lips curled up unconsciously.

Most opponents had almost no ability to fight back under the combined assault of Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong.

However, they also encountered a rather troublesome team along the way.

It was a team with a pair of blue-haired twin sisters.

Lan Luoluo and Lan Susu.

Both of their martial souls were body martial souls: their hair.

Countless blue strands spread through the air like a spiderweb, capable of both attacking and restraining, their coordination flawless.

Even more troublesome, they could also use a martial soul fusion skill.

When the endless blue strands instantly wove themselves into a massive cocoon and trapped Wang Dong inside, even the usually composed Wang Dong frowned.

She fired two consecutive Butterfly Goddess's Lights, yet they only tore two openings in the hair cocoon, which were quickly filled by fresh strands of hair.

In the original story, they had barely managed to break it with Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eyes, but now there was no need for that at all.

As soon as the match began, Jiang Ziming had equipped both teammates with Excitement Carrots.

Wang Dong grabbed a carrot without hesitation and took a huge bite, with Xiao Xiao immediately following suit.

The next instant, both of their auras surged dramatically!

The blue-gold radiance on Wang Dong's Radiant Goddess Butterfly wings suddenly became dazzlingly brilliant.

She unleashed another Butterfly Goddess's Light. This time, the blade of light split the massive hair cocoon straight down the middle!

Xiao Xiao also erupted with even stronger soul power, the massive ancient cauldron crashing down to suppress the blue strands.

The Lan sisters cried out in alarm and staggered backward, their hair drifting down all over the ground.