First Victory

The Freshman Assessment began, and the Class Nine students were both nervous and excited. Each of them clenched their fists in anticipation, and when they looked at one another, there was a faint hostility in their eyes.

Out of two hundred and fifty teams, only one hundred and twenty-five could remain. Apart from their own teammates, every other student was an enemy—even classmates they had spent three months with.

They did not want to be eliminated or leave Shrek Academy, so no matter who they encountered, they would not hold back.

"Attention, all freshmen. Attention, all freshmen. Please enter the Assessment Zone immediately and prepare for the Freshman Assessment. You have ten minutes left to enter. Anyone late will be considered to have forfeited this assessment."

The booming announcement rang throughout the entire Outer Court, loud enough to reach every corner. Most of the freshmen's expressions turned solemn. Their first assessment was about to begin, and it would be a lie to say they were not nervous.

Gu Shengge and Ning Tian's group had been assigned to Area Seventeen.

Nanmen Yuner was a little nervous, so Gu Shengge gently patted her fair, fragrant shoulder to reassure her.

Feeling the warmth of her class monitor's hand, the charming young girl nodded firmly, and her heart gradually settled.

Gu Shengge looked at Ning Tian and Wu Feng, smiling as he said, "Let's go. For the championship."

"Mm!" ×3

The three girls nodded together, their spirits high and gazes resolute, following Gu Shengge into Assessment Zone Seventeen.

Area Seventeen.

The assessment teacher was a young woman in her thirties with a kind and approachable demeanor. She counted the students present and found that everyone had arrived.

The assessment teacher then announced the match rules to the six teams. They were not allowed to strike too heavily or cripple their opponents. This was only an assessment, not a fight to the death. Any student who crossed that line would be expelled from the academy immediately.

Quite a few upper-year students and teachers had already taken seats in the spectator stands around the Assessment Zone. The annual Freshman Assessment was always highly entertaining.

Mu Jin stood atop a raised platform, looking at the four most outstanding students in her class with a smile on her pretty face. The champion of this Freshman Assessment would definitely be Class Nine's.

After explaining the rules, the assessment teacher opened the document in her hands and announced the first match of the first round.

"Freshman Class One: Yan Zike, Luo Yun, Shen Xiaobin, Su Lai. Versus Freshman Class Nine: Gu Shengge, Ning Tian, Wu Feng, Nanmen Yuner."

Hearing that they were in the first match, Gu Shengge and Ning Tian's group exchanged glances before walking onto the assessment stage together.

The four students from Freshman Class One took the stage at the same time.

The assessment teacher closed the document. Seeing that both sides had arrived, she announced loudly, "State your names."

Gu Shengge's team and Yan Zike's team reported their classes and names to one another.

Wu Feng and Nanmen Yuner stepped in front of Ning Tian, shielding the support-type Soul Master with little combat ability behind them. Gu Shengge, meanwhile, stood casually at Ning Tian's side. He merely glanced at the four opponents before looking away, clearly not taking them seriously.

"The match begins!"

At the assessment teacher's command, Ning Tian was the first to activate her Martial Soul Possession. The Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda appeared in her palm, its seven levels crystalline and translucent as it emitted a dazzling blue radiance. Three Soul Rings—two yellow and one purple—rose from beneath her feet and circled her body.

"Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda!"

"Hiss! It's actually the continent's number one support-type Martial Soul! And she's a Soul Elder too—how are they supposed to fight that?!"

"That team of freshmen is unlucky. They ran into opponents of this caliber in their very first match."

The appearance of the Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda drew exclamations from the upper-year students watching nearby. At the same time, they looked at the other team of freshmen with pity.

Against a team with a Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda Soul Master, victory would be difficult unless their overall strength far surpassed their opponents'.

Wu Feng and Nanmen Yuner also activated their Martial Soul Possession at the same time. Wu Feng's Red Dragon Martial Soul appeared behind her, its dark-red scales thick and heavy, its form savage and fearsome as it roared toward the sky. A faint dragon's might spread through the air, displaying the arrogance of a top-tier beast Martial Soul!

Under Martial Soul Possession, Wu Feng's body was enhanced considerably, becoming more slender and voluptuous. Fortunately, she wore specially made tight leather clothing that still wrapped perfectly around her delicate body, though it made her fullness seem ready to burst forth. Her pert buttocks were stretched taut and round like a full moon, while her straight, beautiful legs became even firmer and more supple.

At the same time, a scorching heat rose from within her body. A pale red glow spread across her skin, tiny dragon scales appeared on her cheeks, and strands of crimson dragon Lie Yan wound around her arms and thighs. Two yellow Soul Rings floated around her.

A pair of flaming firebird wings emerged behind Nanmen Yuner, making her figure even more graceful. A pair of sharp flaming arm blades condensed around her slender arms, and her aura was noticeably stronger than Wu Feng's.

With the help of a Soul Bone and medicinal pills, she had already reached level twenty-nine!

Wu Feng, meanwhile, was only level twenty-seven.

Only Gu Shengge stood to the side like an outsider, without activating his Martial Soul Possession, watching Ning Tian and the others perform.

There was also a support-type Soul Master on the Class One team, but compared to the Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda, it was vastly inferior. Their lineup was fairly balanced, though: one control-type and two assault-type Soul Masters.

Wu Feng and Nanmen Yuner charged at their opponents at the same time. The strongest person on the other side was only level twenty-two, while their weakest support-type Soul Master was merely level seventeen. They were no match for the two girls and did not even require Ning Tian's support.

"Seven Treasures Have a Name, the second: Speed."

To end the battle quickly, the Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda in Ning Tian's palm spun, releasing two multicolored beams of light that landed on Wu Feng and Nanmen Yuner. Their speed instantly increased by forty percent as they turned into two red streaks and rushed at their opponents.

The opposing formation was thrown into chaos, utterly overwhelmed by Wu Feng and Nanmen Yuner. The support-type Soul Master took the brunt of it first, blasted off the stage by a single punch from Wu Feng without any ability to fight back.

Then Nanmen Yuner swung her Crimson Blade. With only several red afterimages flashing through the air, she severed the vines of the opposing control-type Soul Master and eliminated him within two or three moves.

The other two assault-type Soul Masters did not last more than a few exchanges either, following their teammates into defeat.

In less than two minutes, Ning Tian's group easily claimed victory in the first match.

Their first battle had ended in victory. Mu Jin smiled happily from the spectator stands before turning to watch the matches in the other assessment zones.

"They were way too weak."

After the match, Wu Feng complained that the four Class One students could not take a beating. They could not even withstand her first soul skill, though she was still quite happy to have secured their first victory.

Nanmen Yuner leaned against Gu Shengge's shoulder. Seeing that he seemed distracted, she asked softly,

"Class monitor, what are you thinking about?"

Hearing that, Gu Shengge came back to his senses. He shook his head and said it was nothing.

He was only a little puzzled. Since he was participating in the Freshman Assessment, why had he not seen Jiang Nannan in the spectator stands?

But he quickly put it out of his mind. The Freshman Assessment was what mattered most right now. It would not be too late to find Jiang Nannan afterward.

PS: Sorry, there was no update yesterday. I went to catch a flight, but it was delayed twice because of the weather, so I made the trip for nothing. I also missed my elder brother's wedding at home. Sigh, things will be rather busy at home these next few days, and I will not have time to write. I hope everyone can forgive me.