Rejected

"You three are trying to piss me off so I'll replace you with another homeroom teacher, aren't you?!"

The three students she thought most highly of had gone and acted foolishly, truly infuriating Mu Jin.

"It's one thing if Little Wang doesn't understand the importance of choosing a development path, but you two are from great families. Don't tell me you don't know either!"

"Uh... well..." Ning Tian and Wufeng looked at each other awkwardly.

Mu Jin rubbed her temples, her head aching. What kind of students had she raised?

"Spirit Rings cannot be chosen carelessly. Only after determining your Martial Soul's development path can you properly select Soul Beast attributes."

Afraid that Wang Xiao usually did not pay attention in class, she patiently explained it all again.

Mu Jin stared at Ning Tian. "You first. What's going on with you?"

"Teacher, my Martial Soul is the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. Isn't it perfectly reasonable for me to take the support path?" Ning Tian spoke as she summoned a seven-tiered glazed pagoda.

Mu Jin nodded, then turned to Wufeng. "And you? Your Martial Soul is clearly an assault-type Martial Soul. What excuse do you have?"

"I..." Wufeng hesitated for a long while, unable to explain herself. Only after Mu Jin shot her a glare did she finally say, "I wanted to be assigned to the same group as the young mistress."

"Idiot!"

Mu Jin looked at her as though she were a fool. "You three are the strongest. I already told you that I would arrange for you to be together."

Finally, she turned to Wang Xiao and asked, "What about you? Did you also want to be grouped with Ning Tian?"

"Blue Silver Grass is a control-type Martial Soul. Don't make up nonsense about taking the recovery and healing path."

"Teacher, you truly saw through everything!"

Wang Xiao gave her a thumbs-up. "My first soul skill is a recovery ability, and Blue Silver Grass itself already comes with control. There's no conflict, so I think developing along the support and healing path is fine."

"Teacher Mu Jin, there's no need to persuade me. This is the conclusion I reached after thinking it through."

"You... sigh, do whatever you want!" Mu Jin sighed. The boy had already made up his mind. What else could she say?

"There are no classes today. Get familiar with each other's abilities and prepare for tomorrow's elimination matches."

"No problem."

Following Mu Jin's instructions, the three of them revealed their abilities to one another, learned about each other's strengths, and sparred to improve their coordination.

The next day

A massive bell rang out, echoing throughout the Outer Court as the Freshman Assessment Tournament began.

There were more students this year than in previous years, so the tournament was divided into more than thirty areas.

Whenever the time came, upper-year students would drop everything just to watch the freshmen make fools of themselves.

Wang Xiao's group was assigned to Arena Twenty-Six, while Huo Yuhao's group from Class One was assigned to Arena Thirty-Three.

Wang Xiao had originally wanted to name the team after Ning Tian, but she said the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was famous enough already and that she did not want to draw too much attention.

As for Wufeng, that little fangirl had no room in her eyes for anything other than Ning Tian. Even if the most handsome man in the world stood before her, she would not spare him a second glance.

Not to mention someone like Wang Xiao, who could only be considered fairly handsome.

"Fifth match of the first round: Wang Xiao, Ning Tian, and Wufeng of Freshman Class Nine versus Ouyang Yi, Zheng Feng, and Ou Haochen of Freshman Class One!"

"Both sides, please enter the arena and summon your Martial Souls!" the female referee called loudly.

The six competitors climbed onto the stage and summoned their Martial Souls. Rings of Spirit Ring light appeared beneath their feet.

Yet among the many yellow Spirit Rings, two conspicuous purple ones appeared.

"That is... the famed Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda! She's actually a Third-Ring Soul Elder!"

Many people cried out in amazement. A Soul Elder above level thirty had appeared in the freshman assessment—an incredibly rare sight.

Fortunately, she was only a support-type Soul Master. Otherwise, anyone facing her might as well surrender.

In the stands, even more people stared at Wang Xiao. Some rubbed their eyes, thinking they were seeing things.

"Purple... purple! Am I seeing this right? How could someone have a Millennium Soul Ring as their first ring?"

"Another Millennium Soul Ring, and they're even on the same team! How are we supposed to fight them? Just give them the championship already!"

Many participating students felt despair. The gap between both sides was simply too great.

Ou Haochen's group from Class One also felt immense pressure, but when they glanced at the Martial Soul information displayed on the large screen, they immediately let out sighs of relief.

"So they're both support types. You nearly scared us to death!"

The three of them regained their confidence. Wufeng was apparently their only combatant. As long as they defeated her, victory would be assured.

After recovering from her surprise, the female referee loudly announced, "I declare the freshman assessment begun!"

Before her words had even faded, the three Class One students charged toward Ning Tian. Capture the leader first to capture the whole gang!

Wang Xiao had been watching the three of them the entire time. Since they were Zhou Yi's students, there was no way he would go easy on them.

Whoosh!

He raised his hand and threw out a dense cluster of Blue Silver Emperor seeds—so many that it was frightening.

Almost at the same moment, a purple Spirit Ring lit up beneath his feet.

"First soul skill, Parasitism!"

The seeds instantly took root and sprouted, growing into enormous vines that formed massive nets and intertwined into giant cages, each blocking the path of one opponent.

One person was wrapped head to toe in giant vines, another was bound into a dumpling by a huge net, and the last was directly trapped inside a cage.

"What is this? How can Blue Silver Grass be used like this?!" they shouted as they struggled desperately.

Wufeng had already rushed before them and unleashed a barrage of punches and kicks, giving them no chance to break free.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The three had arrived quickly and left just as quickly. Each took a kick from Wufeng and was sent flying off the stage, instantly failing the assessment.

There was no dazzling battle and no explosive clash of soul skills. The entire fight lasted less than a minute; by the time some people took a sip of water, it was already over.

"Referee, we can proceed to the next match," Wang Xiao called.

The female referee stood stunned for a long moment before finally coming back to her senses and announcing the result.

"I declare Wang Xiao's group from Class Nine victorious. The sixth match will now begin. Group Two from Class Two, please enter the stage."

Wufeng had not gotten any real fighting experience and said unhappily, "Let me handle this one. Don't make a move!"

As soon as the match began, she immediately activated her first soul skill and charged the three opponents alone, incomparably fierce.

She did not waste a word. Her eyes were filled only with the desire to fight and the thrill of fists striking flesh.

The opposing three had Soul Power Levels lower than even Wang Xiao's, so naturally they were no match for Wufeng.

They were beaten until they fled in panic, clutching their heads and crying surrender.

The match once again ended in under a minute.

"I declare Wang Xiao's group victorious. The next group, prepare!" the female referee called.

"Little Wang, you should just be a pretty ornament. We'll take care of all the matches!"

In the matches that followed, Wang Xiao was actually looked down on. They disliked how absurdly overpowered his control was, leaving no fighting experience at all.

Ning Tian and Wufeng had trained together for years and had remarkable chemistry. Their coordination was nearly flawless, unmatched by anyone.

Even many coordinated teams with opponents below level twenty could not last five minutes against them.

Even when facing a Second-Ring Soul Grandmaster, there was still no suspense. The match ended in less than ten minutes.

It was fucking ridiculous.

"I declare Wang Xiao's group victorious for the fifth time!"

"I declare Wang Xiao's group has achieved eight consecutive victories!"

"I declare Wang Xiao's group has achieved ten consecutive victories!"

Amid the female referee's repeated announcements, Wang Xiao lost himself. How had he become a ten-match winner after zoning out for a moment?

"What? Did I really become a pretty ornament?!"

Wang Xiao was dumbfounded. Aside from making a slight move in the first match, he had not acted even once in the following nine matches. He had been protected behind the two girls the entire time.

Many people looked at him with contempt. It was their first time seeing a man hide behind women. What kind of man was that?

"Blue Silver Grass is still Blue Silver Grass—a useless Martial Soul. That Millennium Soul Ring only looks intimidating. In reality, it's nothing special."

Many people deliberately disparaged him. Why could trash like him absorb a Millennium Soul Ring?

"Didn't you see? Those two beauties are just too strong. They're practically invincible. They could drag along a dog and still win."

Laughter soon broke out from the stands.

Wang Xiao's expression darkened. The future Wang Douluo was actually being looked down upon. A man could endure it, but his wife could not!

"You bunch of rats, just watch me slap you in the face!"

At that moment, the female referee suddenly said, "Since Wang Xiao's group has completed ten consecutive victories, one more win will allow them to advance."

"Awesome!" Wufeng stretched her limbs, feeling completely satisfied.

Ning Tian was also drenched in sweat. It had been a long time since she had experienced such exhilarating battles.

Before long, the final group stepped onto the stage. They were unexpectedly three burly fat men.

The large screen displayed their Martial Soul information. Mammoth Martial Souls—all three were defense-type Soul Masters.

The female referee said, "I declare the assessment begun!"

This was the moment Wang Xiao had been waiting for. The instant her words fell, he stomped fiercely on the ground and shot into the air.

He had been holding it in for far too long. The moment they met, he fired three fireballs without giving them any room to negotiate.

"Fire Release, Great Fireball Technique!"

"Fire Release, Great Fireball Technique!"

"Fire Release, Great Fireball Technique!"