The Old Lady, Zhou Yi

After forming their team, the three did not rush to register. Instead, they gathered together to discuss their battle plan.

Bei Bei said, "Let's introduce our abilities first. It'll make it easier to formulate our battle plan. I'll go first."

"My name is Bei Bei. My martial soul is the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex. I'm a Level 25 Assault System Battle Soul Master. My first soul skill is Thunder Dragon Claw, and my second is Thunderous Force. My abilities are suited for frontal assaults."

Hearing that Bei Bei had twenty-five levels of soul power, Tang Ya looked at him in surprise. From his clothes, she could tell that he was a freshman just like her. Yet they were both freshmen, and his soul power was seven levels higher than hers.

It had to be said, that was an enormous gap.

Tang Ya took a deep breath and said, "My name is Tang Ya. My martial soul is Blue Silver Grass. I'm a Level 18 Control System Battle Soul Master. My first soul skill is Blue Silver Entanglement. I can control Blue Silver Grass to bind my opponents and restrict their movements."

Only after Tang Ya finished speaking did Lin Yan say, "My name is Lin Yan. I'm a Level 32 Assault System Battle Soul Elder. My martial soul is the Black Demon Mace, and I specialize in frontal attacks."

Tang Ya froze on the spot.

Level thirty-two?

She stared blankly at Lin Yan.

Judging by his clothes, he was obviously a freshman this year as well.

A Level 32 freshman?

She was only Level 18. Didn't that mean Lin Yan's soul power was a full fourteen levels higher than hers?!

Bei Bei looked at Lin Yan and said, "Cousin, if we want to win this time, I'm afraid we'll have to rely on you."

Lin Yan smiled. "We can do this."

After discussing the plan, the three immediately went to register.

For the combat test, every freshman only had one chance to register. If they failed, there would be no second chance.

After registering, they began selecting an opponent.

There were six instructors, and four were currently fighting. If they chose one of those four, they would have to wait until that instructor's current battle ended.

Lin Yan did not want to go through that trouble. Since they were all Outer Court instructors, their strength could not differ by much. In Lin Yan's eyes, it made no difference whom they chose.

The two idle instructors were a man and a woman.

One was built like an iron tower, standing nearly two meters tall, with short hair that stuck up like steel needles. His thick arms looked even thicker than Tang Ya's waist.

It was not difficult to tell from his build that he had to be an Assault System Soul Master, and his martial soul was certainly some massive beast-type martial soul. Otherwise, he would not have grown into such a shape.

The other was an old lady with a full head of white hair and skin wrinkled like chicken skin.

Comparing the two, who was stronger and who was weaker seemed obvious at a glance.

"You!"

Without hesitation, Lin Yan pointed at the old lady.

He picked the soft persimmon to squeeze. For the Soul Ascension Pill, Lin Yan did not mind being looked down on for bullying an old woman.

The old lady looked over.

"Uh..."

At the side, Bei Bei stared at Lin Yan in astonishment and hesitated before saying, "Cousin, isn't this a little inappropriate? How can we bully an elderly person?"

Lin Yan said indifferently, "How is this bullying an elderly person? Since she came out and stood inside that circle, we're allowed to challenge her."

"Lin Yan is right. Since she is standing there, it means the academy permits us to challenge her. It isn't an unfair victory," Tang Ya said, supporting Lin Yan's choice.

"All right, then!"

Bei Bei nodded helplessly.

Beside them, Yu Feifei finally snapped out of her daze after seeing Lin Yan's choice and hurriedly said, "Oh no, don't choose so quickly! That old lady is not someone to provoke. She's the famous fiend of the Outer Court, Zhou Yi. Outer Court students fear her like a tiger. She is ruthless. Not only is she skilled at physically punishing students, she sometimes even beats students who displease her. No one in the Outer Court dares provoke her."

As soon as those words came out, both Bei Bei and Tang Ya looked stunned.

A huge question mark that no one could see also appeared above Lin Yan's head.

Zhou Yi?

The freakishly strict homeroom teacher of Huo Yuhao's? The weirdo who was clearly beautiful, yet disguised herself as an old woman?

Lin Yan sized Zhou Yi up.

Zhou Yi also looked toward Lin Yan, the first person who had pointed at her. "Young man, you have no martial virtue and no respect for the elderly. Fine, this old woman will teach you a lesson and make sure you remember it!"

Hearing those threatening words and recalling what Yu Feifei had just said, Bei Bei and Tang Ya could not help swallowing.

"Cousin, what do you think?"

Seeing Bei Bei's hesitant expression, Lin Yan found it rather strange inwardly, but his face remained calm. "It's fine. There's nothing to fear. She's just an old woman. We'll proceed according to the plan we made earlier."

"All right!"

Seeing Lin Yan insist, Bei Bei nodded, and Tang Ya nodded along with him.

The three stepped forward some distance and faced Zhou Yi directly.

At the same time, a referee hurried over.

"Brats, you really do have some courage. Don't regret your choice later."

Zhou Yi stared at Lin Yan with a sinister gaze.

Lin Yan's expression did not change. He flashed his white teeth in a smile and said, "I believe I won't regret it."

Zhou Yi smiled sinisterly. "I love teaching lessons to arrogant little brats like you, newborn calves who aren't afraid of tigers!"

Lin Yan's handsome face showed a trace of speechlessness.

What kind of nonsense was that?

Did bullying freshmen give her such a sense of accomplishment?

Calling her a freak really was not slander!

"Both sides, prepare yourselves. The battle is about to begin!"

The referee raised his hand.

The three immediately released their martial souls one after another.

A thunderclap exploded, accompanied by the resounding roar of a dragon. A bright light burst from Bei Bei's forehead and spread downward, passing through his right shoulder and extending down his right arm.

In the next instant, his right arm abruptly transformed into a thick dragon claw.

Two yellow Spirit Rings encircled his arm and pulsed.

"Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex? Not bad, kid!"

Watching Bei Bei's transformation, Zhou Yi immediately recognized his martial soul.

Next, Tang Ya released her martial soul.

Seeing the Blue Silver Grass in Tang Ya's palm and her single yellow Spirit Ring, Zhou Yi immediately lost her previous surprise and looked utterly calm. In her eyes, Tang Ya instantly became air, practically nonexistent. Her true reaction was obvious. Only when Lin Yan's martial soul appeared did her expression change.

A one-meter-long spiked mace appeared in Lin Yan's hand.

Its iron shaft was pitch-black, its sharp conical spikes were vicious, and purple arcs of lightning flickered faintly among those spikes.

Every detail radiated extraordinariness.

Seeing Lin Yan's three Spirit Rings—one yellow and two purple—not only Zhou Yi, but everyone nearby who had never seen Lin Yan's Spirit Rings before was stunned.

A thousand-year second Spirit Ring?

"Good kid. You really are extraordinary!"

Zhou Yi narrowed her eyes. Although she had not released her martial soul, an aura belonging to a Soul Emperor suddenly surged from her body, instantly weighing heavily on Bei Bei and Tang Ya's hearts.

Tang Ya, whose cultivation was the lowest, especially struggled beneath the pressure of a Soul Emperor's aura. Her breathing became hurried, and her face turned slightly pale.

"Attack!"

Lin Yan's low, forceful shout jolted the two, who had been suppressed by the aura.

Having recovered, Bei Bei showed no hesitation or fear and immediately darted forward. He was also a Soul Master who had experienced many battles, so there was no way Zhou Yi's aura alone would frighten him into not attacking.

Coordinating with Lin Yan, the two moved left and right to launch a pincer attack against Zhou Yi.

Tang Ya, as a Control System Soul Master, did not charge forward like the other two. Instead, she activated her first soul skill from where she stood.

Bei Bei's dragon-claw right hand suddenly clenched into a fist. Blue-violet arcs of lightning danced over his knuckles as he threw a punch at Zhou Yi's left cheek.

Lin Yan swung his spiked mace and smashed it fiercely toward Zhou Yi's right cheek.

At the same time, a thick stalk of Blue Silver Grass rapidly grew from the ground beneath Zhou Yi's feet. Its snake-like leaves suddenly lashed toward her legs, winding around them.