Changes in Martial Soul

Early the next morning, Freshman Class One.

The students were incredibly excited, chatting about the teams they had encountered and boasting about their own prowess.

It wasn't until Wu Ya pushed open the classroom door and walked slowly onto the podium that the noise began to die down.

He gave a light cough, and the clamor in the classroom gradually faded into silence.

With a stern expression, Wu Ya began, "Three days have passed. The freshman assessment has concluded, and the final results have been tallied and discussed!"

Hearing this, every student in the class sat up straight, their nerves tightening. Not every team had fought as easily as those with a Spirit Grandmaster leading them.

A rare hint of a smile appeared on Wu Ya's face. "Let's start with the good news: our class performed well, and the instructors of other classes were quite surprised. Out of the thirty teams from our class that participated, the majority successfully passed the freshman assessment."

His tone shifted, becoming heavier.

"Of course, there are inevitably those who did not pass."

"Next, when I call your name, stand up. Shrek is not the place for you."

"Zhang..."

Wu Ya's expression carried a hint of regret. He didn't want to watch his own students get eliminated so early, but the academy's rules were set in stone, leaving no room for flexibility.

Name after name was called out, and in the end, three teams failed to pass the assessment. Among them was even a youth who had been only one step away from becoming a Spirit Grandmaster.

The boy burst into tears on the spot, his voice hoarse. He was filled with remorse, regretting his choice of teammates. Originally, he had a chance to stay at Shrek to cultivate, to keep growing stronger, and to become a powerful Spirit Master.

Now, all those beautiful dreams were shattered.

Yue Ling felt an inexplicable heaviness in his heart. The boy's sorrow seemed to spread, enveloping the entire classroom. Several boys who had been excitedly bragging about their assessment battles just moments ago now fell silent, not saying a word.

What was going on?

Yue Ling scanned his surroundings in confusion; the atmosphere of the entire class was oppressive and somber. He turned to look at Ma Xiaotao and Gongyang Mo beside him, only to find them equally downcast.

Something wasn't right—there was a problem here!

As an alarm bell rang in his mind, Yue Ling subconsciously focused his consciousness inward, quickly steadying his spirit. The inexplicable sorrow in his heart dissipated instantly.

At almost the same moment, the strange emotion shrouding the classroom faded away as well.

A slight numbness crept up Yue Ling's spine as an outrageous conjecture emerged.

Could the source of the sorrow that had just spread be himself?

Could it be that his hidden second martial soul was silently radiating power outward?

This thought made his heart tighten; it was truly absurd, yet it felt inexplicably real.

On the podium, Wu Ya also snapped back to his senses, looking bewildered.

He wondered to himself: why had he felt such intense regret just now? Elimination was a result of these students' own lack of strength and should have been a matter of course, so why had such heavy sorrow welled up in his heart for no reason?

Without time to ponder it further, Wu Ya quickly spoke up to break the lingering, stifling atmosphere.

"Everyone, don't be too discouraged! Our class's overall level is impressive; twenty-seven teams successfully passed the freshman assessment!"

As these words fell, the people in the classroom gradually woke up.

Cheers erupted instantly.

"That's great!" The noise echoed through the classroom. This time, Wu Ya didn't stop them; he simply stood on the podium, watching this group of youths quietly with a faint smile.

"Quiet." After the excitement had lasted for a while, Wu Ya raised his hand to signal for them to calm down. "Passing the assessment only means you can stay at the academy for now, at least until the end of the first year. But it is only the first year."

"If you slack off later and refuse to put in enough effort, by the time you reach the second year, many of you here will likely not be able to stay."

"Furthermore, don't think that passing the freshman assessment is something to be smug about. Out of the twenty-seven teams that passed, eleven have advanced into the top sixty-four and must continue to participate in the subsequent knockout tournament."

"The knockout tournament is the arena that will truly test your strength and prove your worth."

"The academy's rewards are equally generous, so you all have something to look forward to."

The entire class looked at Wu Ya in shock.

Out of twenty-seven teams that passed, a full eleven had qualified for the knockout tournament. Freshman Class One occupied nearly one-sixth of the sixty-four spots; this was a remarkably brilliant achievement.

Wu Ya paused, then continued, "In this Freshman Round-Robin Tournament, a total of five teams maintained a perfect record. Our class alone accounts for two of them."

"Congratulations to Yue Ling, Ma Xiaotao, and Gongyang Mo. Everyone, give them a round of applause!"

Wu Ya led the applause, and thunderous clapping immediately swept through the classroom. The eyes of the entire class fell upon the three of them, filled with envy.

Yue Ling and Ma Xiaotao remained calm, accepting the congratulations with composure. Only Gongyang Mo's cheeks turned red, looking somewhat shy.

"Sit down."

The three of them slowly took their seats, and Wu Ya went on to mention the second undefeated team.

"Congratulations to Dai Yueheng, Shishi, and Xixi. Everyone, give them a round of applause!"

The applause rang out again. Dai Yueheng held his head high, looking proud; Shishi appeared slightly shy, while Xixi's eyes were full of excitement.

The applause slowly died down.

Wu Ya felt a bit restless. He knew he shouldn't have let the students form their own teams; the regret he felt had pierced his heart deeply.

He sighed softly and made up his mind to talk to the other instructors later about having teachers assign teams for the freshman assessment instead.

After calming his mood, he began to prepare for the next item.

"Alright, alright, you can sit down. I will read the list now. Remember, gather at the assessment area on time tomorrow."

"Yue Ling, Ma Xiaotao, Gongyang Mo, Dai..."

The names of the eleven teams were read out in sequence. The boys and girls who heard their names were filled with excitement and pride.

They could continue to participate in the knockout tournament! Not only for the rewards distributed by Shrek Academy, but also for the chance to catch the eye of the academy's higher-ups.

If they became the disciple of some big shot... the future would be bright indeed!

He then added that teams with perfect records in the round-robin tournament would receive preferential treatment in the first two rounds of the knockout tournament, ensuring they would not face each other. This was good news for Yue Ling.

Wu Ya cleared his throat to signal for silence and then announced the end of class.

Hearing the dismissal, the students filed out of the classroom in a bustling crowd.

Yue Ling and his group followed the crowd out of the teaching building.

Gongyang Mo asked with some concern, "How should we handle the knockout tournament?"

"As long as we are cautious, we can sweep through. We won't run into someone as troublesome as Dai Yueheng yet, so we should at least make it to the top sixteen."

"Yeah, I wonder what the rewards from the school will be."

Ma Xiaotao raised an eyebrow and said abruptly.

"Three spirit bones."

"Three?"

Yue Ling and Gongyang Mo widened their eyes, looking at Ma Xiaotao in disbelief.