After word of the Freshman Assessment spread, all of Shrek Academy bustled with excitement.
Countless people rubbed their fists and flexed their palms, brimming with anticipation. Some were uneasy, while others already had victory mapped out in their minds.
Wang Dong belonged to the last group.
He sat in the dining hall, gnawing on a chicken leg as he listened to the discussions around him, a trace of nonchalance on his face.
Honestly, he felt little pressure about this Freshman Assessment. Familiar with the original story, he knew very well.
There were only a handful of people who could truly threaten him: Dai Huabin, Ning Tian, and Xie Huanyue. These three Soul Elders each led their own team, and their strength was indeed considerable.
But that was all. If he stopped hiding his twin martial souls, he really had no idea how he could lose.
Huo Yuhao sat opposite him. Seeing his utterly unconcerned expression, she could not help asking, "Aren't you nervous?"
"What's there to be nervous about?" Wang Dong took a bite of his chicken leg. "It's not a fight to the death."
"But... what if we run into a strong team?"
"A strong team?" Wang Dong thought for a moment. "You mean Dai Huabin and the others? They're nothing special."
Huo Yuhao looked at him, unsure what to say. She found that Wang Dong was sometimes so confident that he left her speechless, but on second thought, he did have the strength to back it up.
Rank twenty-nine soul power, twin martial souls, and a set of bizarre hammer techniques-even among the senior students, let alone the freshmen, few could get the better of him.
After all, hadn't Xu Sanshi lost to him? Although there had been some luck involved... Wang Dong's victory over Xu Sanshi did not seem to have caused much of a stir, though.
Xu Sanshi cared about saving face and kept saying afterward that he had gone easy on Wang Dong and such, leading many people to dismiss the result, so Wang Dong had not made a name for himself.
In the blink of an eye, the next day arrived.
On the day of the assessment, Shrek Academy's Training Grounds were a sea of people. This was the day the academy selected promising talents. Not only had the teachers from every department turned out in full, but even some important figures rarely seen in ordinary times had made an appearance.
On the raised platform at the very center of the Training Grounds stood a grand armchair. A disheveled old man with graying hair sat in it, clutching a glistening roast chicken and gnawing away until grease covered his mouth.
He was none other than Xuan Zi, deputy master of the Sea God Pavilion, whose martial soul was Taotie!
A rank ninety-eight Super Douluo, he was also Shrek Academy's second-ranking figure. His martial soul had a slight flaw, however, requiring him to keep eating and drinking in great quantities.
Beside him stood a distinguished middle-aged man: Yan Shaozhe, dean of the Martial Soul Department, whose martial soul was the Bright Phoenix, a rank ninety-six Super Douluo.
Xuan Zi took a bite of his chicken leg and asked indistinctly, "Shaozhe, are there any promising talents among this year's freshmen?"
Yan Shaozhe hurriedly answered, "Elder Xuan, there are several outstanding students this year. Three are Soul Elders: Dai Huabin, Xie Huanyue, and Ning Tian... The first comes from the White Tiger Duke's Mansion in the Star Luo Empire, while the last is the heir to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and possesses the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul.
"There are also two promising students with twin martial souls, one named Wang Dong and the other Xiao Xiao. Several others have martial souls of quite good quality as well. Their overall caliber is considerably higher than in previous years."
Xuan Zi nodded, managing a somewhat satisfied expression. "Then who do you think will take the championship?"
Yan Shaozhe considered for a moment and answered truthfully, "It should be Dai Huabin's team. That boy's soul power has already reached rank thirty-four, the highest among this year's freshmen. Moreover, his martial soul is the Evil-Eyed White Tiger, of exceptional quality, and he is very capable in actual combat."
"Dai Huabin..." Xuan Zi mulled over the name and nodded.
"The White Tiger martial soul is certainly good, but what about that boy named Wang Dong? Twin martial souls, and I heard he even has the Clear Sky Hammer martial soul... He shouldn't be bad either, should he?"
Yan Shaozhe smiled. "Wang Dong is indeed good, but his soul power is only rank twenty-nine, five ranks below Dai Huabin's. His team also has a control-type student who is only rank nineteen. Their overall strength still falls somewhat short of Dai Huabin's team."
They were all geniuses!
Fighting opponents above their rank was as commonplace as an everyday meal, so their relative strength was generally judged by their soul power levels.
Xuan Zi did not reply. He took another bite of his chicken leg, but his gaze swept unobtrusively over the Training Grounds below and settled on the youth with long pinkish-blue hair in a corner.
He narrowed his eyes, chewing his chicken as he quietly committed the name to memory.
The youth's aura had caught his attention.
The aura of a draconic bloodline... His Taotie martial soul had sensed it.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Training Grounds, the draw was underway. The team captains stepped forward in turn to draw their opponents' numbers from a box.
Dai Huabin stood among his team, his expression cold and stern. He had trained with fierce determination over the past three months, his soul power soaring all the way to rank thirty-four, making even his own older brother see him in a new light.
His goal in this year's Freshman Tournament was the championship.
He reached into the box, drew out a slip of paper, and unfolded it. His expression changed instantly.
"Dai Huabin, versus-Wang Dong's team."
His whole body froze, and the slip nearly fell from his hand. Was this a joke?
He had prepared for three months, waiting to settle things with Wang Dong in the finals, only to run into him in the very first round?
He had imagined meeting him in the finals, where even a loss would make him the runner-up. Now his very first match was a do-or-die battle? What if he lost?
Behind him, Zhu Lu also saw the writing on the slip, and her expression was equally grim. "How could it be such a coincidence?"
Wang Dong, on the other side, also saw the result of the draw. He paused, then a playful smile curled his lips. "Well, what a coincidence."
Standing beside him, Huo Yuhao saw the name on the slip, but her eyes lit up. "Dai Huabin? We're fighting him?"
"What, are you scared?" Wang Dong turned his head toward her.
"No." Huo Yuhao shook her head, a rare hint of fighting spirit in her voice. "I've wanted to fight him for a long time."
She remembered the grievances she had suffered in the Dai Family, the years when this so-called older brother had treated her with cold indifference. In the past, she had lacked the strength and could only swallow her anger in silence.
But things were different now. She had Wang Dong, Haodong Power, rank nineteen soul power, and skill with soul tools.
She had long wanted to stand openly before Dai Huabin and tell him that she was not useless.
Wang Dong looked at Huo Yuhao's eagerness and smiled without saying anything more.
Of course he knew about the grievances between Huo Yuhao and Dai Huabin, and he also knew she had been holding something pent up inside. This assessment was the perfect opportunity to let her vent her anger.
Dai Huabin approached with Zhu Lu, looking at Wang Dong with a dark expression.
"Wang Dong, don't get too arrogant. This isn't a one-on-one fight. What good is being strong all by yourself? Those two teammates of yours-one is rank nineteen, and the other is a support type. What are you going to fight me with?"
Zhu Lu chimed in, "Exactly! Especially that Huo Yuhao. Only rank nineteen, without even two rings, and she dares to compete? Don't end up dragging your team down so badly that you can't even cry."
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