A Princess Needs a Knight

"Good news!"

Chen Xinjie nodded.

Once all the preparatory students had arrived, Divine Light Douluo cleared his throat and loudly announced,

"Next comes the preparatory assessment!"

"As preparatory students of the academy, all of you are geniuses!"

"But genius doesn't mean success!"

"To test what you've learned during these years in the preparatory program, the academy has specially invited a War God from the War God Hall to assess you!"

After Divine Light Douluo spoke those words, Mo Zihong stepped onto the Soul Fighting Arena.

"Demon Zither Douluo, Mo Zihong!"

"He is the strongest control-type battle Soul Master in the War God Hall!"

Divine Light Douluo introduced Mo Zihong, then said solemnly, "Your final scores in this assessment will be judged by him. Demon Zither Douluo, please."

"Mm."

Mo Zihong nodded.

His gaze settled on the crowd below, and he smiled faintly.

"Little ones, don't be nervous!"

"The assessment is simple. Whether you form teams or fight alone, try to break through the control of my zither music."

"I'll score you based on your performance. It will be absolutely fair and impartial!"

The preparatory students were all stunned by those words!

Fight a Title Douluo?

Them?

Only Yun Feng and Tang Wulin looked eager to give it a try.

Tang Wulin sought pressure to make himself stronger, while Yun Feng simply wanted to see what level she could reach while using only this little bit of her power.

It wasn't as though there had never been sparring within the preparatory class, but fighting classmates was boring. Her strength was too far ahead of theirs.

Fighting a Title Douluo!

That was where she could truly test herself.

Sensing Tang Wulin and Yun Feng's fighting spirit, everyone else turned to look at them.

"..."

This pair of battle-crazed siblings was simply unbeatable.

The first to take the stage were the three Xu siblings.

All three had now reached the cultivation of two-ring Soul Grandmasters, with Xu Guangyu, who possessed the Purple Radiant Annihilation Dragon Martial Soul, having the highest cultivation.

His Soul Power had reached level twenty-four!

Xu Jiuyue and Xu Feiyu were both at level twenty-two Soul Power.

The three joined forces and charged toward Mo Zihong.

Mo Zihong released his Martial Soul. Without even a Soul Ring appearing, he merely plucked a single note, slowing the three of them down.

Mo Zihong was a Super Douluo. In his hands, the Cursed Music Demon Zither's control abilities were exceptionally powerful!

For two-ring Soul Masters, even a light zither note was already a massive obstacle they found difficult to overcome.

"Damn it!"

"What powerful control!"

Xu Guangyu frowned.

The three joined forces and unleashed their soul skills.

After so many years, their coordination had become seamless, but even so, they only advanced six steps before they could no longer get any closer.

As their Soul Power was gradually drained, they were drenched in sweat and collapsed onto the Soul Fighting Arena.

"Six steps!"

"That's already a very good result."

After the three were sent down from the Soul Fighting Arena, dedicated medical staff immediately came up to examine them and restore their Soul Power.

Standing on the stage, Mo Zihong continued, "Next."

Xun Hongchen stepped forward.

She wanted to go up alone!

"Xun Hongchen, Martial Soul: Glazed Jade Toad. Level twenty-five Soul Grandmaster. Please guide me, Your Excellency."

Xun Hongchen's Martial Soul was not the Vermilion Clear Ice Toad or Three-Legged Golden Toad inherited by the Hongchen Family, but a mutated Glazed Jade Toad that carried some traits of both Martial Souls.

In other words, although she only had one Martial Soul, it possessed two attributes—the Ice Toad's cold poison and the Golden Toad's fire poison fused together!

"A very good Martial Soul."

Chen Xinjie nodded at the sight.

Upon hearing his words, members of the Hongchen Family at the side laughed.

"To receive praise from Vast Sea Douluo isn't easy."

Chen Xinjie turned to him and asked, "You must be the current head of the Hongchen Family?"

"Yes, I am Zhu Yu Hongchen."

After the Hongchen Family declined ten thousand years ago, it relocated to Heaven Dou City and developed there ever since. Moreover, because Xiao Hongchen had overdrawn his talent back then, it affected the bloodline of later generations.

As a result, the quality of the Hongchen Family's Martial Souls had remained unstable, and they had yet to rise again.

This wasn't a secret among the Federation's upper ranks.

Chen Xinjie knew that.

He looked at Zhu Yu Hongchen, then at Xun Hongchen.

It seemed that the Hongchen Family had now placed all its hopes on this junior with the mutated Glazed Jade Toad Martial Soul.

"Little Yun has grown up too. A princess ought to have a knight who can fight at her side."

Chen Xinjie spoke as if casually.

The moment those words came out, Zhu Yu Hongchen's pupils contracted.

Could it be?

However, Chen Xinjie said nothing further after that.

On the Soul Fighting Arena, Xun Hongchen had also exhausted her Soul Power.

She had taken five steps as well.

It seemed as though she had done worse than the three Xu siblings earlier.

However, the three Xu siblings had only taken six steps together, while she had taken five alone. It was an exceptionally impressive result.

"Class monitor, I took five steps!"

After stepping down, Xun Hongchen excitedly hugged Yun Feng.

But soon after, she let out an "Ow!" and collapsed from exhaustion.

Yun Feng hurriedly helped her sit down.

The medical staff at either side treated her, and only then did she catch her breath.

"Whew!"

Seeing this, Yun Feng smiled.

She gave her a thumbs-up.

"Well done!"

"Hehe!"

Xun Hongchen smiled.

Over these years in the preparatory program, Yun Feng had become the most popular person in the class.

After all, she was beautiful and talented, yet she had no airs about her. She treated everyone equally and had none of the rotten temperament common among noble-born geniuses.

The preparatory students took the stage one after another.

Yet even after everyone besides Tang Wulin and Yun Feng had completed the assessment, the best results still belonged to the three Xu siblings and Xun Hongchen.

Other than them, everyone else's results hovered around three steps.

Soon, it was Tang Wulin and Yun Feng's turn!

"Little sister, shall we go together?"

"Okay!"

Yun Feng nodded.

She and Tang Wulin stepped onto the Soul Fighting Arena.

The moment the two took the stage, they drew everyone's attention in the spectator stands.

Although they weren't entirely sure what made Yun Feng truly special.

After so many years, even an idiot could tell that Yun Feng's status was extraordinary!

A preparatory assessment?

Everyone else, including Tang Wulin, was just incidental!

Yun Feng was the main event.

"Uncle Mo!"

Yun Feng greeted Mo Zihong with a smile.

Mo Zihong nodded slightly in response and said, "Be careful, little Yun."

As his words fell, his zither strings trembled!

"Zheng!"

The zither note spread outward.

Tang Wulin took a step forward and released his Martial Soul. Blue Silver Grass surged wildly in every direction, while two bright yellow Soul Rings rose beneath his feet!

The Twin Wither-Bloom Flower Soul Spirit stretched its body atop his shoulder.

After undergoing six transformations, it was now nearing the thousand-year mark!

"Whew..."

Standing behind Tang Wulin, Yun Feng exhaled a breath of stale air.

She raised a hand and drew out the Golden Dragon Spear.

Dazzling golden light instantly blossomed, complementing the sprawling Blue Silver Grass. Around the two of them stretched what looked like a golden grassland!

Three deep-purple Soul Rings slowly rose beneath her feet.