First Victory! A Group of Death?

Assessment day.

After the morning draw, Lu Yi, Zhou Sichen, and Cao Jinxuan's team was assigned to Area Four.

"Candidates in Area Four, come over here. I'm your examiner. I'll now announce the assessment rules."

A middle-aged teacher stood at the center of the competition platform and called out. All eighteen members of the six teams stepped forward.

As the examiner explained the rules, Lu Yi took note of the other freshmen in their group, tall and short, fat and thin.

A few looked utterly calm, as though they didn't consider anyone else worth their attention. The rest wore expressions of every kind.

After spending so much time together, Lu Yi and his two teammates had grown quite familiar with one another.

Cao Jinxuan was fairly composed, while Zhou Sichen brimmed with confidence. But that confidence did not come from his own strength.

To reveal as little of his abilities as possible, Lu Yi had sparred almost exclusively with Zhou Sichen, leaving Zhou Sichen to handle matches against their classmates.

In their classmates' eyes, Zhou Sichen was the strongest member of the team.

And when he fought Class Nine students one-on-one, he had indeed never lost, apart from trading wins and losses with Wu Feng.

But in his private matches with Lu Yi, Zhou Sichen had experienced such a dazzling variety of defeats that he had briefly begun to question his life.

His outlook soon changed.

If I can't beat him, I might as well enjoy it.

What's not to love about having someone strong to lean on?

That was the confidence Lu Yi had given him!

"Those are the assessment rules. Anyone who breaks them will have their results disqualified. Now, let the assessment begin. First match—"

The examiner paused and glanced at the list in his hand. "Zi Hao's team from Freshman Class One versus Zhou Sichen's team from Class Nine! All other candidates, wait below the platform!"

At his words, the other twelve students split into their teams and left the platform. The examiner retreated to its edge.

Only six people remained onstage.

"We're up first?"

Zhou Sichen was already rubbing his hands together. He sized up the boy and two girls opposite them, then turned to his teammates.

"No need to trouble yourselves with this match. It's the perfect chance to try out my One Mind, Three Uses!"

Following Lu Yi's earlier advice, Zhou Sichen had asked Ning Tian to teach him Heart Separation Control.

Sure enough, Ning Tian had held nothing back and given him a manual of instructions.

He had already been barely capable of One Mind, Two Uses, and soon mastered the First Layer completely.

Now he was studying the Second Layer, One Mind, Three Uses: controlling each of his two Beast Spirits separately while still managing to trade a few blows himself.

Lu Yi was not at all surprised by Zhou Sichen's swelling confidence, but he still warned him, "Fine by me. But remember, the homeroom teacher of Freshman Class One has already expelled every student who wasn't up to standard!"

Cao Jinxuan grinned at Zhou Sichen's expense. "Then I won't lift a finger. I'm looking forward to watching you make a spectacular mess of this!"

"Not a chance!"

"Candidates, quiet! Both sides, state your names!"

Zhou Sichen immediately straightened at the examiner's command.

The sole boy on the opposing team stepped forward. Evidently, he was their captain.

"Freshman Class One, Zi Hao." He introduced the two girls in turn. "Leng Leng. Ma Qingshuang."

The three on Lu Yi's side each gave their own names.

"Class Nine, Zhou Sichen."

"Lu Yi."

"Cao Jinxuan."

With introductions over, both sides took their positions.

As planned, Lu Yi and Cao Jinxuan promptly put Zhou Sichen in front of them.

The nature of Zhou Sichen's Martial Soul made his abilities the most conspicuous. After discussing it, they had agreed to make him captain in name so he could draw their opponents' attention.

But Lu Yi and Cao Jinxuan remained alert, ready to clean up after Zhou Sichen at any moment.

Across from them, two stood in front and one behind.

When the match began, Zhou Sichen and all three of his opponents summoned their Martial Souls.

Two of the three students from Freshman Class One had two Soul Rings. Only the girl at the back, Leng Leng, had one. She possessed a Plant-type Martial Soul, though it was unclear whether she specialized in support or control.

Zhou Sichen's confidence immediately wavered.

Weren't eighty percent of the students supposed to have fewer than two Soul Rings? How had two shown up in the very first match?

He had no time to dwell on it. Both opponents were charging straight at him.

Zhou Sichen immediately used his First and Second Soul Skills. Yellow and fiery-red streaks of light shot from the Tome in his hand and landed in the pair's path.

"Roar—"

A bear and a tiger, both Beast Spirits, appeared and charged at the two with furious roars.

Zi Hao immediately directed Ma Qingshuang to split up and attack, but the Beast Spirits separated as well, each pursuing one opponent.

The two students and two beasts plunged into battle.

Both Beast Spirits were already at the hundred-year level, and they would grow stronger alongside Zhou Sichen. Against Soul Grandmasters with only two Soul Rings, they held a slight edge.

At the edge of the battlefield, however, Leng Leng made her move. Two snow-white flowers formed in her hands, looking utterly harmless.

Lu Yi guessed she was most likely a support specialist, but he had no intention of standing by any longer.

A support specialist Zhou Yi had chosen to keep despite her having only one Soul Ring was bound to have a trick or two up her sleeve.

To avoid needless trouble, Lu Yi flicked his right hand, and his Wand appeared silently in his grip.

When he did not need to amplify a Spell, Lu Yi could cast it without even revealing his Soul Rings.

Using his body to hide the movement, he raised his arm slightly and aimed the Wand's tip at Leng Leng.

Just as Leng Leng sent the two white flowers flying toward her teammates, Lu Yi's lips moved.

"Confundo!"

An invisible ripple of magic crossed the battlefield and struck Leng Leng.

In an instant, her eyes went blank. It was as though some evil ancient god were whispering in her mind.

Be kind to little animals!

A moment later, Leng Leng nodded woodenly and gave a light wave of her hands. The two white flowers shifted course almost imperceptibly.

They brushed past Zi Hao and Ma Qingshuang and landed on the two Beast Spirits facing them.

Lu Yi put away his Wand at just the right moment. As Leng Leng came back to herself, horror seized her.

What did I just do?

But it was too late for regrets. The moment the little white flowers touched the Beast Spirits, their power surged.

Already struggling against the beasts, Zi Hao and Ma Qingshuang found themselves pressed even harder. Furious, they could not fathom why their teammate had helped the enemy.

Damn it, how are we supposed to fight two against six?

Leng Leng! What have you done?

That was what ran through their minds as the Beast Spirits sent them flying.

"Zi Hao and Ma Qingshuang are eliminated! Student, do you wish to continue?"

At the referee's ruling, Leng Leng clutched her hair with both hands, disbelief filling her eyes.

"I—"

Leng Leng's lips trembled, and two streams of tears ran down her cheeks. "Zhou Yi is going to tear me apart!"

When Lu Yi had cast the Spell, everyone's attention had been on the center of the battlefield. The Confundus Charm was colorless and invisible to begin with, so even the referee thought what had happened was a blunder.

Only Cao Jinxuan had noticed Lu Yi's small movement. He understood at once.

As the first person to experience this unusual Soul Skill of Lu Yi's firsthand, he knew better than anyone.

Had Lu Yi's Soul Skill improved again in just over half a month?

Terrifying!

Good thing Lu Yi's a teammate, not an opponent.

Looking at Leng Leng, who now stood alone with no hope of winning, Lu Yi suddenly felt a pang of sympathy.

Knowing how Zhou Yi treated her students, he doubted Leng Leng would have an easy time when she went back. Her teammates might even turn a cold shoulder to her.

But the assessment ground was a battlefield. He did not regret intervening.

"I—surrender!" Leng Leng lowered her head, turned, and jumped off the platform.

"I declare Zhou Sichen's team from Class Nine the winner of the first assessment match!"

The referee had announced the result.

"Yes!"

Zhou Sichen immediately shouted in triumph. "I held my own against two of them! Come on, tell me that wasn't amazing!"

Cao Jinxuan knew what had happened, but he had no intention of spoiling Zhou Sichen's fun. "All right, we'll sit back for the rest of the matches and let you carry us!"

Zhou Sichen cheerfully jumped off the platform after the other two. "No problem! Leave it to me!"

"Second group, get ready!"

This time, the referee did not look at his list. "Xie Huanyue's team from Freshman Class Two versus Dai Huabin's team from Freshman Class Five!"

Hearing two familiar names in a row, Lu Yi's pupils contracted sharply.

Xie Huanyue? Dai Huabin?

What the hell kind of group of death is this?