Early the next morning, in Freshman Class One.
The students were buzzing with excitement, chatting about the teams they had faced and bragging about how well they had done.
Then Wu Ya pushed open the classroom door and strode slowly up to the podium.
He gave a light cough, and the noisy classroom gradually fell quiet.
Wu Ya's expression was serious as he began, "The three days are over, and the freshman assessment has concluded. The final results have been tallied and discussed!"
At those words, every student sat up straight, their nerves taut. Not every team had it easy like the squad with a Soul Elder leading the way.
A rare smile appeared on Wu Ya's face. "Let's start with the good news. Our class did well—the teachers from the other classes were quite surprised. Thirty teams from our class took part, and most of them passed the freshman assessment."
His tone turned somber.
"Of course, some students didn't pass."
"Next, when I call your name, stand up. Shrek isn't the right place for you."
"Zhang..."
Wu Ya looked regretful. He didn't want to see his own students eliminated so early, but the academy's rules were clear. There was no room for exceptions.
One name after another came from his lips. In the end, three teams had failed the assessment. Among them was a boy who had been only one step away from becoming a Soul Elder.
The boy burst into tears, his voice hoarse. Regret filled his heart; he wished he hadn't chosen the teammates he had. He'd had a chance to stay at Shrek and train, growing stronger until he became a powerful Soul Master.
Now, all his beautiful dreams had shattered.
Yue Ling felt a strange heaviness in his chest. The boy's sorrow seemed to spread through the classroom, enveloping everyone. The boys who had just been enthusiastically bragging about their assessment battles now fell silent.
What was going on?
Yue Ling glanced around in confusion. The entire class felt oppressed and dejected. He turned to look at Ma Xiaotao and Gongyang Mo beside him and saw that they were just as downcast.
Something was wrong. There was something strange here!
An alarm rang in his mind. Yue Ling instinctively focused inward, quickly steadying his thoughts. The inexplicable sorrow in his heart vanished at once.
At almost the same moment, the eerie emotion that had shrouded the classroom faded away as well.
A faint chill ran down Yue Ling's back as an outrageous thought occurred to him.
Could the sorrow that had just spread through the room have come from him?
Could his hidden Second Martial Soul have been radiating power without his knowledge?
The idea made his heart tighten. It was absurd, yet somehow felt strangely real.
Wu Ya, standing at the podium, also suddenly came to his senses, looking bewildered.
He wondered to himself: Why had I felt such intense regret just now? These students were eliminated because they weren't strong enough. It should have been only natural. So why had such deep sorrow welled up inside me for no reason?
There was no time to think it through. Wu Ya hurriedly spoke, breaking the lingering gloom.
"Don't be too disheartened! Our class is doing well overall. Twenty-seven teams passed the freshman assessment!"
His words brought the students back to themselves one after another.
Cheers erupted at once.
"That's great!" The classroom rang with noise. This time, Wu Ya didn't stop them. He simply stood on the podium, watching the group of young students with a faint smile.
"Quiet." After letting the excitement continue for a while, Wu Ya raised a hand to settle them down. "Passing the assessment means only that you can remain at the academy for now. At least you won't be eliminated before the end of your first year. But that's only for your first year."
"If you slack off later and aren't willing to work hard enough, then when you enter your second year, many of you here may not be able to stay."
"Also, don't think passing the freshman assessment is something to brag about. Of the twenty-seven teams that passed, eleven made it into the top sixty-four and will continue to the knockout rounds."
"The knockout rounds are the true test of your strength, the arena where you prove your worth."
"The academy's rewards are generous too, so you can look forward to them."
The entire class stared at Wu Ya in shock.
Of the twenty-seven teams that had passed, eleven had qualified for the knockout rounds. Freshman Class One had claimed nearly one-sixth of the sixty-four places. That was an impressive result.
Wu Ya paused, then continued, "Five teams went undefeated in this Freshman Round-Robin Tournament. Two of them came from our class."
"Congratulations to Yue Ling, Ma Xiaotao, and Gongyang Mo! Let's give them a round of applause!"
Wu Ya led the applause, and thunderous clapping immediately swept through the classroom. The students' eyes settled on the three of them, full of envy.
Yue Ling and Ma Xiaotao remained composed, accepting everyone's congratulations with ease. Only Gongyang Mo's cheeks reddened, and he looked a little embarrassed.
"You can sit down."
The three of them slowly took their seats, and Wu Ya announced the second undefeated team.
"Congratulations to Dai Yueheng, Shishi, and Xixi! Let's give them a round of applause!"
Applause rang out again. Dai Yueheng held his head high, looking proud; Shishi seemed a little shy, while Xixi's eyes brimmed with excitement.
The applause gradually died down.
Wu Ya felt somewhat annoyed. He should never have let the students form their own teams. Deep regret pierced his heart.
He sighed softly, then made up his mind to talk to the other teachers later and suggest that teachers assign the teams for the freshman assessment from now on.
After calming himself, he turned to the next item.
"All right, all right. You can sit down. I'm going to read out the list now. Remember, report to the Assessment Area on time tomorrow."
"Yue Ling, Ma Xiaotao, Gongyang Mo, Dai..."
The names of eleven teams were read out in turn. The boys and girls who heard their names were filled with excitement and pride.
They could continue on to the knockout rounds! Not only could they earn the rewards distributed by Shrek Academy, but they might also catch the eye of the academy's higher-ups.
If one of the bigwigs took them as a disciple... their future would be bright indeed!
Next, Wu Ya said that the undefeated teams from the round-robin tournament would receive preferential treatment in the first two rounds of the knockout stage and wouldn't face each other. That was good news for Yue Ling too.
Wu Ya cleared his throat to call for quiet, then dismissed the class.
At the sound of dismissal, the students streamed noisily out of the classroom.
Yue Ling and his group followed the crowd out of the teaching building.
Gongyang Mo asked worriedly, "How should we approach the challenge rounds?"
"As long as we're careful, we can sweep through the competition. We won't run into the tricky one, Dai Yueheng, so we should at least make it to the top sixteen."
"Yeah. I wonder what the school's reward will be."
Ma Xiaotao raised an eyebrow and said unexpectedly, "Three Spirit Bones."
"Three?"
Yue Ling and Gongyang Mo stared at Ma Xiaotao with wide eyes, unable to believe it.
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