Assessment

Hearing the commotion in the crowd, Jin Bao was frantic with impatience, wishing he could rush inside immediately. But the moment his bulky body squeezed in, he was bounced back out.

Tie Li grabbed him and forced a path through the crowd, shoving their way inside.

"Who is it? Why do you keep pushing in?"

"Stop squeezing! You're pushing in the wrong place."

"Hey, what are you doing?"

Ignoring the complaints around them, Tie Li looked up and spotted several recruitment areas for Intermediate Soul Master Academies.

Anyone who met the minimum recruitment requirements had come here today. Even those who fell short had come to try their luck.

Tie Li saw several familiar faces, all sixth-year students from the academy.

"Tie Li?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Tie Li turned and found Li Li.

But why did Li Li look so happy to see him?

A girl their age stood beside Li Li, dressed in plain cloth garments.

"Tie Li, can you do me a favor?"

Before Tie Li could ask, Li Li explained what had happened.

Based on his qualifications, he could easily pass the assessment for an Intermediate Soul Master Academy. He had chosen White Radiance Intermediate Soul Master Academy. Passing the normal assessment would not have been a problem, but Li Li wanted to earn an excellent assessment rating so that he could have his tuition and miscellaneous fees waived.

The girl beside Li Li had the same goal, so the teachers at White Radiance Academy had arranged a temporary assessment for them.

They were to find another student with a Soul Power Level below fifteen and form a team for a three-on-three match.

Li Li's Soul Power Level had reached eighteen, while the girl's Soul Power Level was sixteen.

Their opponents were all at level nineteen and were students of White Radiance Academy.

"If I take the assessment with you, then if we pass, will my tuition be waived if I attend White Radiance Intermediate Soul Master Academy?"

That was what Tie Li cared about. The tuition for an Intermediate Soul Master Academy was no small sum. If it could be waived, Tie Li was more than willing.

"Uh... I'll go ask for you."

"All right."

After hesitating for a moment, Li Li got up and ran toward the White Radiance Intermediate Soul Master Academy recruitment area.

Before long, Li Li came running back excitedly.

Tie Li's heart leaped. It looked like it had worked!

"The teacher agreed. Come register with us."

Tie Li nodded. He first told Jin Bao to wander around on his own, then followed them and motioned for the two to slow down.

They would soon be fighting a three-on-three team match. Both sides would certainly need to get acquainted so they could coordinate at least a little.

"Tie Li, level thirteen, one-ring Battle Soul Master. My Martial Soul is the Forging Hammer, and I specialize in frontal assaults," Tie Li introduced himself first.

"Xiao Li, level sixteen, one-ring Battle Soul Master. My Martial Soul is the Gale Mouse. My advantage is speed," the girl said.

"Li Li, level eighteen, one-ring Battle Soul Master. My Martial Soul is the Sickle. It can attack from long range or unleash explosive power at close range."

Hearing Li Li's introduction, Xiao Li looked at him in surprise. She was not surprised by his Soul Power Level, but by his Soul Skill?

Two attack methods? He only had one Soul Ring, and his Martial Soul was so ordinary...

When they arrived at White Radiance Academy's recruitment station, the academy's assessment teacher was a middle-aged man in his early forties. He was dressed rather casually, with a light blue robe draped loosely over him and a white outer garment underneath, embroidered with intricate golden patterns.

He wore a genial smile that made him seem even more approachable.

"Come test yourself. Teacher Bai, record his information."

The assessment teacher took out a Blue Crystal Ball and gestured for Tie Li to place his hand on it.

"Hiss."

The Blue Crystal Ball emitted a faint glow. The assessment teacher said, "Age ten, Soul Power Level thirteen. Meets the preliminary recruitment requirements."

"All right. You have five minutes. The assessment will begin shortly."

The three did not waste time and made a simple tactical arrangement for the upcoming assessment. With only five minutes, they could not discuss anything too elaborate.

At Li Li's prompting, Tie Li looked over at the three opponents they would soon face.

They were all thirteen- or fourteen-year-old boys, but there was a trace of arrogance in their eyes.

"All right, the assessment begins."

White Radiance Academy had specially cleared an open space, drawing a circle with white powder for the six of them to fight within.

If a teacher intervened in the battle or any part of a contestant's body crossed the boundary, that contestant would be eliminated.

Tie Li's group entered the circle first and lined up side by side. Tie Li stood in the middle, Li Li on the left, and Xiao Li on the right.

As soon as the opposing three stepped into the circle, the assessment teacher announced the start of the match.

Team assessments were relatively rare during recruitment examinations, drawing the attention of many students and teachers.

Bang!

Tie Li bent his knees slightly, gathered his strength, and launched himself forward. The speed he erupted with in that instant was astonishing.

His Martial Soul appeared in his right hand. Clear scale-like patterns covered it, while the hammer's handle grew a distinctive spike. It looked nothing like a Forging Hammer. A yellow Hundred-Year Soul Ring circled the Martial Soul, making its extraordinary nature even more apparent.

The opposing trio was startled by Tie Li's sudden burst and immediately summoned their Martial Souls. All three had Beast Martial Souls, and traits of their Martial Souls appeared on their bodies.

They had Wolf, Tiger, and Snake Martial Souls respectively. Aside from the Snake Martial Soul Master, who possessed a Hundred-Year Soul Ring, the other two only had Ten-Year Soul Rings.

In contrast, on Tie Li's side, only Xiao Li had a Ten-Year Soul Ring. Both Tie Li and Li Li possessed Hundred-Year Soul Rings.

Tie Li had chosen the Snake Martial Soul Master, who was actually the strongest of the three.

His Snake Martial Soul was not of high quality, and his First Soul Ring came from a four-hundred-year Thunder Python. The aura released by Tie Li's Soul Ring had an obvious suppressive effect on him.

First Soul Skill, Thunder Hammer!

The Snake Martial Soul Master trembled under the influence of the Thunder Python's aura. He did not even know to dodge and had forgotten to release his Soul Skill as the lightning-charged hammer closed in on his chest.

Bang!

The assessment teacher made his move and blocked the Thunder Hammer for him.

The heavy force and the immense lightning damage made the assessment teacher glance at Tie Li in mild surprise.

There was a huge gap in their levels. Even without using his Martial Soul, he could have blocked Tie Li's attack with his physical strength alone. Still, the hand that had caught the Thunder Hammer went numb for a brief moment.

The assessment teacher's intervention meant the boy had been eliminated. It was now three against two, and the situation looked excellent.

Screech! Screech!

Two long blade arcs swept past either side of the assessment teacher as Li Li unleashed his First Soul Skill, attacking the other two Soul Masters.

"No need to continue. You've passed the assessment."

The assessment teacher acted again, dispersing the blade arcs Li Li had slashed out.

"You two are quite good. You're promising talents."

Xiao Li was the most bewildered of all. She had not even made a move, yet she had passed the assessment?

And both times, the assessment teacher had intervened and blocked their attacks.

Were the two of them really that strong?