The Grand Final

Time flew by.

In the Freshman Assessment, Nezha's team swept through every opponent and fought their way straight to the grand final.

Every match was a crushing victory, every win swift. Not a single team could last three minutes against them.

Nezha had barely even used his Fire-Tipped Spear in earnest. Most of the time, merely unleashing his spear intent was enough to make his opponents' knees buckle.

Their opponents were Dai Huabin's team, who had likewise gone undefeated.

As for Wu Feng's team, their luck had been fairly good. They stumbled their way into the semifinals.

But when they faced Nezha in the semifinals, Wu Feng stood on the field, glanced at him, then looked at her two teammates. Without even summoning her martial soul, she promptly raised her hand.

"We concede."

She was so decisive that even the referee froze for a moment.

The final was scheduled for the afternoon.

Today would decide the freshman champion of this year's knockout tournament.

On the raised platform in the Assessment Zone, teachers with no classes to teach arrived one after another, filling the seats in a dense crowd.

It wasn't just the teachers. Shrek Academy's senior leadership had all attended as well. Yan Shaozhe and Cai Mei'er, the dean and vice dean of the Martial Soul Department, sat in the front row. Xuan Zi was still huddled in a corner with a chicken drumstick in his hands, his cloudy old eyes half closed.

Even some outstanding upper-year students had come to join the excitement, including Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi.

Bei Bei stood at the edge of the crowd, his calm gaze sweeping over the figure on the field, a faint, almost imperceptible smile on his lips.

Xu Sanshi stood on the other side with his arms folded, his expression dark and his gaze complicated as he watched Nezha. Even now, he hadn't forgotten the taste of that spear strike three months ago.

As spectators continued filing in, the referee also entered the Assessment Zone.

Unlike before, all the partitions in the Assessment Zone had now been removed, revealing the grounds in their entirety. The field was spacious and open, its bluestone paving as level as a mirror. Soul tool array patterns glimmered on the low walls around it, enveloping the entire area in a transparent protective barrier.

At the center of the field, Nezha stood at the head of his team, his black hair buns gleaming like ink beneath the afternoon sunlight.

He paid no mind to Dai Huabin's burning gaze across from him. To Nezha, Dai Huabin was just a little nobody. He had subdued even a "female dragon," let alone a little cat.

Dai Huabin, meanwhile, watched Nezha with his fighting spirit blazing.

Ever since childhood, he had been the center of attention. As the White Tiger Duke's legitimate son, gifted with extraordinary talent, he had been cherished and protected wherever he went. Yet after coming to Shrek Academy and meeting Nezha, he had tasted defeat for the first time.

During the Top 64 round, he had witnessed Nezha shatter Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong's Martial Soul Fusion Skill head-on. The sight of that spear piercing through the Golden Road still replayed in his mind. He knew perfectly well that he was no match for Nezha one-on-one.

But in a three-person team battle, Dai Huabin believed he still had a chance of winning.

After all, how could some Martial Soul Fusion Skill he had never even seen before compare with the Hell White Tiger, passed down in their families for ten thousand years?

The Hell White Tiger was the fruit of generations of intermarriage between the White Tiger Duke's lineage and the Hell Spirit Cat lineage, a supreme Martial Soul Fusion Skill renowned across the continent ten thousand years ago. He believed that once he and Zhu Lu unleashed their Hell White Tiger, even Nezha would have to weigh his options.

At that moment, Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu were holding hands, their fingers interlaced, ready to perform Martial Soul Fusion at any time.

Their other teammate, Cui Yajie, looked much more relaxed. She stood behind Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu, her long pink hair hanging loose. Her figure was graceful and her face alluring; despite her young age, she possessed a naturally captivating charm.

Tilting her head, she winked at Nezha, an unreadable smile on her lips.

Nezha glanced at her, then looked away without expression.

The referee reached the edge of the field and signaled for both sides to retreat.

Only after both teams had stopped two hundred meters apart did he speak in a grave voice. "The rules of the final are as follows: you may move freely within the field, but those with flying martial souls must not fly more than ten meters above the ground. To allow you to demonstrate your full strength, you may attack your opponents with everything you have during the match. There is no need to hold back. I will keep the match under control. Anyone I rescue from the field will be considered eliminated. Is that clear?"

"Yes," both sides answered in unison.

"Both teams, introduce yourselves."

Nezha stood at the head of his team and lifted the Fire-Tipped Spear from his shoulder, lightly tapping its butt against the ground. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly across the entire field.

"Freshman Class Nine, Nezha. Power Attack System Soul Elder."

Ning Tian stood beside him, her platinum-blond hair falling behind her shoulders. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda floated above her palm, shimmering with radiant colors. "Freshman Class Nine, Ning Tian. Support System Soul Elder."

"Freshman Class Nine, Nanmen Yun'er. Agility Attack System Soul Grandmaster." Nanmen Yun'er stood on his other side, her short ponytail swaying gently. With her Jade Greenbird martial soul possessing her, a pale blue-green glow rose around her body.

Once Nezha's trio had finished their introductions, it was Dai Huabin's team's turn.

Dai Huabin stepped forward, a savage light flashing in his double-pupiled eyes. A faint tiger's roar sounded from within him as he stared at Nezha's impassive face. "Freshman Class Five, Dai Huabin. Power Attack System Soul Elder."

"Freshman Class Five, Zhu Lu. Agility Attack System Soul Grandmaster." Zhu Lu stood beside Dai Huabin, her figure slender as a cat's, her eyes sharp and lively. The distinctive shadowy aura of the Hell Spirit Cat faintly emanated from her body.

"Freshman Class Five, Cui Yajie. Control System Soul Grandmaster." Cui Yajie spoke last, her soft, sweet voice carrying a hint of languor. Pink soul power curled around her fingertips as she gently blew a breath toward Nezha.

The referee extended both arms to his sides, palms facing outward, his voice steady and forceful. "Proceed to your respective edges of the field. You may only attack once I announce the start."

Both sides slowly withdrew.

With the Fire-Tipped Spear resting on his shoulder, Nezha gave the Wind Fire Wheels beneath his feet a gentle turn. Crimson and blue-green vortices carried him smoothly backward.

Ning Tian and Nanmen Yun'er followed on either side of him. The trio moved at an easy pace, looking more like they were taking a stroll than preparing for battle.

Upon reaching the edge of the field, Nezha planted the Fire-Tipped Spear on the ground. Its butt sank half an inch into the bluestone slab, and flickering violet flames illuminated his expressionless face.

Across from them, Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu retreated slowly with their fingers interlaced. Soul power flowed ever more rapidly between them, tiger roars and feline cries echoing alternately through the air. One hard, one soft; one bright, one dark. Before they had even attacked, the two were already faintly weaving together.

Cui Yajie followed behind them, pink soul power winding into strands around her fingertips. She even blew a kiss toward Nezha.

The teachers watching from the raised platform had fallen completely silent. The scattered whispers from moments earlier had all died away, and every gaze focused on the six figures at opposite ends of the field.

Even Yan Shaozhe leaned slightly forward, gripping the railing with both hands as he watched the field intently.

Soon, both teams had reached the edges of the field.

The complete Assessment Zone was enormous. At that point, each side looked tiny in the other's eyes.

For Soul Elders, two hundred meters was merely a sprint of a few breaths. Yet now, across that short stretch of two hundred meters, the air was so heavy it seemed frozen solid.

The referee stood slightly to one side of the field's center and slowly raised his right hand.

The entire Assessment Zone was silent as the grave.

His right hand swept sharply downward, and his voice reached every contestant on both teams with perfect clarity-

"Begin!"