New Student Assessment

Ever since that heart-to-heart talk, the relationship between Xiao Xiao and Yuwen Tuo had grown increasingly close.

They were basically together wherever they went. The only pair that could compare to them was Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong.

Three months passed just like that. Yuwen Tuo had lived quite comfortably during those three months, because Ma Xiaotao, the person he disliked most, had not come to bother him in a long time. It seemed she had reached the Level 70 bottleneck and had Cultivated in Isolation to break through to Soul Saint.

At this point in the original story, she should have been around Level 66 or 67. After absorbing his Soul Power for so many years, she had not absorbed it for nothing. She was actually about to reach Soul Saint so quickly.

With Ma Xiaotao's talent, coupled with ninety percent of her evil fire having been removed, Yuwen Tuo estimated that she would certainly become a true Soul Saint before the next Continental Soul Duel Tournament.

The first stage of the freshman class was rapidly drawing to a close. Next came the New Student Assessment.

That day, Zhou Yi stepped up to the podium and said, "Students, three months have passed since school began. You are now about to face Shrek Academy's first official assessment. Only by passing it can you truly become Shrek students. As long as you don't make me angry, then barring any accidents, you won't have to worry about being expelled again until the end-of-year examination for the first years. All right, today I'll first explain the key points of the assessment."

It was rare for Zhou Yi to be so mild. In truth, she was quite satisfied, because more students from this batch had remained than in previous years.

Huo Yuhao, as class monitor, had set an excellent example. Though his talent was lacking, he was diligent and hardworking.

Then there were Wang Dong and Yuwen Tuo. Both were prominent figures among the academy's first years, and they had inspired quite a few others as well.

Zhou Yi now knew that she had misjudged him. Yuwen Tuo had not skipped class because he had given up on himself; he simply did not want to attend. He must have had his own cultivation plan. Otherwise, his level could not have advanced so rapidly over these three months.

He had already reached the peak of Level 24, surpassing Wang Dong, who had originally been first, in the blink of an eye.

The cultivation speed of Innate Level 20 truly lived up to its reputation.

"Huo Yuhao!" Zhou Yi called.

"Yes, Teacher!"

Huo Yuhao walked to the podium and accepted a stack of papers from Zhou Yi. Without needing her instructions, he quickly handed one to every student in the class.

Zhou Yi said, "After the New Student Assessment ends, teaching will be tailored to individual aptitudes. Write down the cultivation path you intend to pursue in the future and hand it to me later."

The cultivation paths she referred to were classifications of Soul Masters such as assault, defense, control, and support. After all, different cultivation paths required different teaching methods. Once they truly entered the academy, distinctions had to be made to ensure that each type of Soul Master could find the proper method of cultivation.

Generally speaking, Battle Soul Masters specializing in assault, agility, and defense were more common. For instance, Yuwen Tuo and Wang Dong were unquestionably assault-type.

Support and control were comparatively rare. In this freshman class, only three students were headed toward the control type: Huo Yuhao, Xiao Xiao, and one named Cao Jinxuan.

Unfortunately, Huo Yuhao was in a rather miserable state now. He had not received the two Mystic Water Pills Bei Bei had given him in the original story. Since Ma Xiaotao's evil fire had already been ninety percent removed, the attack incident had not happened either. Ma Xiaotao and Huo Yuhao did not know each other at all now, so naturally the academy had not compensated Huo Yuhao with a Rising Soul Pill.

The only thing he had received was a Mystic Water Pill that Bei Bei had later asked his family to send someone to obtain from the Mystic Nether Sect.

As a result, he did not have the Level 17 Soul Power he possessed in the original story. He was only at Level 14, not even meeting Shrek's enrollment standards, so participating in the New Student Assessment was extremely difficult for him.

But he could not simply give up. He could only persist and take part. He could not possibly allow himself to be driven out of Shrek Academy just like that.

Zhou Yi said, "You are all students in my class. Although you will be reassigned after the New Student Assessment, and I may not remain your Class Advisor, I hope you little brats won't forget what I taught you. Hand in the cultivation paths in your hands after class. For now, listen carefully."

As she spoke, Zhou Yi turned and walked to the blackboard, casually drawing a few lines before writing two large characters: Battle.

"Listen carefully. These two words are the key to the New Student Assessment. Actual combat is the best standard for testing everything. Every single person must participate in battle. Whether you are a Battle Soul Master or a support-type Soul Master, there are no exceptions!"

"The most important thing Shrek Academy does when cultivating talent is develop their ability to take the battlefield."

"Of course, there is one thing you can rest assured about. The academy will not have support-type Soul Masters directly clash with assault-type Battle Soul Masters. That would be unfair to the support type."

"The New Student Assessment will be conducted in team battles. However, the teams will not be large—three people per team. Mutual coordination is the relatively high standard the academy believes people your age should be capable of achieving. There is another rule: when teams are formed, each team may have only one assault-type Battle Soul Master. The other two members are unrestricted. Generally, students sharing a dormitory will be considered first when forming teams, while the third member will be freely chosen by you. If you still have not formed a team by the day of the assessment, it will be decided by drawing lots. Later, I will offer suggestions on which of you would be more suitably grouped together."

Afterward, Zhou Yi gave a general explanation of the rules for the New Student Assessment.

The New Student Assessment was held across the entire grade. Roughly three hundred teams would participate, and only half would remain—around one hundred and fifty teams. These rankings would be determined by combat results. After one hundred and fiftieth place, the chance of elimination was very high; after two hundredth place, they could simply pack their luggage and leave.

The matches would be determined by drawing lots, followed by a Round Robin Tournament of ten matches. Rankings would ultimately be based on the number of victories.

The top sixty-four teams would advance to the elimination rounds. The academy would award different rewards to the top four teams in the elimination rounds. The prizes for championship teams in previous years had all been extremely valuable.

Every student listened with rapt attention. To them, the New Student Assessment was the moment that would determine their fate. Once eliminated, they could only return home in disgrace and attend an ordinary academy. They had already worked hard for three months; no one wanted all their efforts to go to waste at this point.

Zhou Yi said flatly, "Our class currently has sixty-eight people. We can form twenty-two teams, with two left over. Based on the characteristics of each of your martial souls, I have already classified you and completed the team assignments for you. If anyone is dissatisfied, discuss it among yourselves after you return. Report to me tomorrow morning. If no one raises any objections, then you must strictly follow my arrangements. Otherwise, you know the consequences."

With that, Zhou Yi announced the teams she had assigned one by one.

When she reached Huo Yuhao's team, it was Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao.