Xiao Xiao Takes on Three Alone

A total of 930 students participated in the New Student Assessment, divided into 310 teams. Yet among these nine hundred-plus students, fewer than five hundred would ultimately remain and officially become first-year students at Shrek Academy. The rest would all be eliminated.

Studying at Shrek Academy had always involved fierce, brutal competition. Aside from Yuwen Tuo, this was the students' own choice. Perhaps Shrek Academy had never wanted to admit so many people in the first place. They only wanted to nurture monsters, and eliminating half of them was still too few in their eyes.

Ideally, they would eliminate three-quarters of them. There was no need to refund the tuition anyway.

There were fifty areas for the New Student Assessment, with six or seven student teams assigned to each area.

Yuwen Tuo's group of three had been assigned to Area Twenty-One. The divisions were easy to find, marked with obvious numbers, and they quickly located their designated area.

The students from other classes competing here had all arrived as well. Some looked nervous, while others were eager to get started. They were all children between ten and twelve years old, unable to hide what they were feeling. When they looked at one another, the hostility in their eyes was completely undisguised.

After all, the competition was so intense. Everyone standing before them, aside from their own teammates, was an enemy. Every match was tied to their future.

"Attention, all new students. The assessment is about to begin. All new students, please enter your assessment areas and prepare to participate. You have ten minutes. Anyone late will be regarded as having forfeited."

The announcement rang throughout the entire outer courtyard, reaching every corner. The new students' expressions all turned solemn. Their first assessment was about to begin. It was impossible not to be nervous.

Even Xiao Xiao's arms had tensed slightly.

Yuwen Tuo placed his left hand on her shoulder and softly reassured her, "Don't be nervous, Xiao Xiao. It's nothing."

Xiao Xiao nodded firmly. "Mm. With you here, I'm not afraid, because we'll be the champions."

"First round, first match of the assessment. New Student Class One: Lian Yue, Yuwen Tuo, Xiao Xiao. New Student Class Three: Ling Fei, Ouyang Jie, Song Tong. You may enter the arena and take your respective corners. You may only activate your Martial Souls after I announce the start of the match. Enter the field." At that moment, the referee's voice rang out.

Yuwen Tuo had not expected to be the first one up. Fine by him. The sooner they finished, the sooner they could leave.

The three stepped onto the stage and quickly entered the arena, taking their positions in the western corner.

Their formation was very traditional. Yuwen Tuo, responsible for strong attacks, stood at the front. The all-rounder Xiao Xiao stood second, while Lian Yue, the auxiliary-type soul master, remained in the rearmost corner.

As for the three on the other side, they were all boys with ordinary, unremarkable appearances and the forgettable air of passersby.

The standard setup for background fodder in a fantasy world.

It was not absolute, but more often than not, one could tell from someone's face whether they were destined to be an important character.

Take the devastatingly handsome Wang Dong in male attire, the breathtaking Ma Xiaotao, Ling Luochen, and the others. Just one look at their faces told you they were no ordinary people.

Seeing that both sides had taken their positions, the referee nodded. "The assessment begins. Release your Martial Souls."

As soon as he finished speaking, all six people on the field activated their Martial Souls at the same time.

Yuwen Tuo's Fire Elephant Power was a handful of flames held in his palm, identical to this world's Fire Element Martial Soul. No wonder Yan Shaozhe had initially believed it to be a Supreme Pure Fire Element Martial Soul.

Xiao Xiao's Three Lives Soul-Quelling Cauldron was five times taller than she was. It crashed onto the ground with a boom, creating the most imposing display.

Finally, Lian Yue's Ruyi Plate was an unassuming wheel, surrounded by a single yellow soul ring.

On this side, the three had one Element Martial Soul and two Weapon Souls, without a single Beast Martial Soul. Their opponents, however, all possessed Beast Martial Souls.

Ouyang Jie had the Saber-Toothed Tiger, Song Tong had the ostrich, and Ling Fei had the Bloated Water Buffalo.

Aside from Ouyang Jie, who was a two-ring Soul Grandmaster, the other two only had one ring. After all, they were all under twelve, and it was uncommon for anyone to surpass level twenty.

Only once the elimination rounds began would the average participant be above level twenty, and geniuses at level thirty might even appear.

"This guy's second soul ring is actually a thousand-year one!"

When everyone released their soul rings, the crowd immediately burst into exclamations. Even the students of New Student Class One only knew that Yuwen Tuo seemed to have obtained his second soul ring recently. They had never expected it to be a purple, thousand-year-level ring.

"Wang Dong, his soul ring configuration is exactly the same as yours. You two truly are the twin stars of New Student Class One!" Huo Yuhao said.

"Heh, it's indeed not bad, but he's still some distance from me!" Wang Dong acknowledged Yuwen Tuo's strength, but she did not believe he could truly rival her.

After all, she had two Martial Souls, and one of them was the Clear Sky Hammer, the number one Weapon Soul in the world.

She did not even know what her final one was, nor could she use it. It seemed to exist solely to protect her Sea of Consciousness.

"The soul battle begins!"

After the referee announced the start, one of the three opponents dashed forward. It was Song Tong, whose Martial Soul was the ostrich.

Although ostriches could not fly, they were birds with incredible running speed and could develop in the direction of the Agility Attack Type.

According to the assessment rules, only one of the opposing three was a strong attack type, which had to be Ouyang Jie with his Saber-Toothed Tiger. Therefore, Song Tong was the agility attack type, while Ling Fei's Bloated Water Buffalo was developing toward the defense type.

That was what made Martial Souls interesting. Even with the same type of Martial Soul, soul masters could choose different paths of development according to their Martial Soul's characteristics.

Of course, some Martial Souls gave no such choice. The Ruyi Plate, Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda, Nine-Heart Begonia, and the like were destined to be auxiliary types. Yet by focusing on a single aspect, they could also bring that one aspect to its utmost limit.

"Ruyi Plate, Attack Aura, bloom!" Lian Yue made her move. A ray of red light shot from the Ruyi Plate, enveloping Yuwen Tuo and Xiao Xiao from above.

It was common sense in team battles to take out the auxiliary first. Song Tong's goal was to launch a surprise attack on Lian Yue.

"First Soul Skill, Leaping Strike!" Song Tong suddenly leaped high into the air.

His ostrich could not fly, but it could jump extremely well.

This first soul skill was a technique that first launched him into the air, then allowed him to initiate a surprise attack from above.

"Don't even think about it. Su Lü Heart Sutra!" Xiao Xiao silently circulated the technique of the Su Lü Heart Sutra.

Her Three Lives Soul-Quelling Cauldron suddenly vanished, flickering in and out of sight throughout the arena. At the center of its appearing and disappearing path stood Lian Yue, protected by the Three Lives Soul-Quelling Cauldron.

Song Tong's surprise attack slammed directly into the cauldron, sending him bouncing back. At the same time, he had fallen into the path along which the Soul-Quelling Cauldron appeared and vanished. He could not break out at all and was continuously struck by the Three Lives Soul-Quelling Cauldron within it.

"Song Tong!"

Ouyang Jie and Ling Fei were greatly alarmed and immediately charged toward Yuwen Tuo. They intended to join forces and break through Yuwen Tuo at the front, then rescue Song Tong, who had fallen into the enemy formation.

Yuwen Tuo merely smiled. Facing the two charging at him, he shifted slightly and dodged their attack, actually allowing them to pass. Against these three, Xiao Xiao alone was enough to take them all on.

She had only just mastered the Su Lü Heart Sutra and had yet to experience any real combat. This match was the perfect opportunity for her to familiarize herself with its practical application.

"What? He's..."

Just as Ouyang Jie and Ling Fei were uncertain and suspicious, Xiao Xiao smiled. "You're all here? Then all of you can enter the encirclement of my Su Lü Heart Sutra. Heh!"

Xiao Xiao expanded the flickering path of the Soul-Quelling Cauldron. Those within the situation could not see anything clearly, but outside the arena, some people scratched their heads. They could not shake the feeling that this path looked familiar.