Zhou Yi, Mu Jin

Su Wen followed Old Gong to the judges' stand.

The teachers leading the two classes arrived late. As the head teachers, they had to direct their respective classes into the Great Spirit Arena in an orderly manner for the trial.

Because the venue was limited in size, each session of the second-grade Assessment could only accommodate two classes.

But as luck would have it...

The two leading teachers—one a gray-haired old woman with a sharp gaze, the other a young and beautiful woman—locked eyes. Sparks flew between them like needle points clashing against wheat awns.

Su Wen's expression turned strange.

It couldn't be Zhou Yi and Mu Jin, could it?

Tsk... It really seemed so. Teachers in Shrek's Outer Court generally didn't serve as head teachers consecutively. Usually, they would wait one year between terms. There had happened to be exactly one year between him and this class...

"Teacher Zhou Yi, the quality of the students in your class doesn't seem very good. Don't let it be that after all your picking and choosing, not a single one of them makes it through." Mu Jin chuckled, her face full of mockery as she looked at Zhou Yi.

"Take care of your own class first." Zhou Yi's expression remained impassive. "If our class surpasses yours in both average score and highest score, that'll be interesting."

"Our class has Xiao Yan, a thirty-second-level Attack System Battle Soul Master. His Martial Soul can supposedly be traced back to the ancient Zhu Yan, and his talent is top-notch. He has no opponent in the entire grade. With the few good-for-nothings in your class, you think you can surpass his score? Heh..." Mu Jin looked utterly conceited.

"Hmph!" Zhou Yi's expression darkened.

Talk was cheap, but her class truly had no students worth showing off. The strongest among them was merely a twenty-seventh-level Soul Grandmaster.

A bunch of useless trash...

Her fingernails dug into her palms as she glared viciously at her class, calculating whether she should increase their training or try something else.

"..."

However, just as she turned her head, she spotted a child sitting beside one of the seats at the judges' stand. Her anger immediately flared.

"Hey, you there! Don't you know how to respect your teachers? None of us teachers have even sat down yet. Who gave you permission to sit there? Which class in First Grade are you from? What's your head teacher's name?"

Su Wen looked utterly bewildered.

Damn, is this menopause? Does she really have to kick even a passing dog twice?

"You're calling me?" Su Wen asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Obviously! Who else is here besides you? Instead of cultivating properly in First Grade, who brought you here?"

Old Gong had left temporarily to deal with something.

Thus, Su Wen looked as though he had been brought to watch the matches by some "teacher." Perhaps he was that teacher's child. Among the Outer Court teachers present, Zhou Yi truly feared very few. After all, her husband was the director of the Soul Guidance Department and was highly likely to advance to the position of Vice Dean of the Soul Guidance Department...

A female teacher tugged at Zhou Yi's sleeve. She had personally seen Su Wen chatting and laughing with Old Gong. This child's identity was definitely not simple!

"Zhou Yi, if you want to throw a tantrum, go do it in your own class. Don't bark at just anyone you see." Su Wen stretched lazily and spoke in a flat tone.

He would never join this woman's class in the future.

If he joined anyone's class, it would be Mu Jin's.

"..."

The entire venue suddenly fell silent.

Zhou Yi's face gradually flushed the color of liver. Her violent temper nearly drove her to attack Su Wen, but she gritted her teeth and said, one word at a time, "I won't argue with you. Who are your parents? Have them come out! I want to see who brought this little beast that was raised but never taught!"

"I did. So what?"

A lazy voice rang out from behind them.

A small, gray-haired old man ambled over, looking Zhou Yi up and down. "Fan Yu's wife, why are you acting like this...?"

When Zhou Yi saw that it was Old Gong, her pupils abruptly contracted. Old Gong was in charge of the Great Spirit Arena, and his strength had advanced to the level of a Titled Douluo many years ago. His status within the academy was extremely high. One more step upward, and he would be an Elder. However, he was devoted to raising Soul Beasts, so he had chosen to spend his later years in the Great Spirit Arena.

He usually paid her no attention, so all she could do was smile awkwardly. Even if Fan Yu really became Vice Dean of the Soul Guidance Department, he still wouldn't be someone who could casually provoke this man...

Old Gong glanced at Su Wen. When he saw that Su Wen showed no sign of turning around and leaving, he finally let out a sigh of relief.

If this boy leaves, who'll help him teach these freshmen a lesson?

Every year, there were always one or two troublemakers who wanted to kill a Soul Beast or two to "prove the Way." They ended up covered in blood, yet still thought they looked incredibly cool. Although compensation would most likely be provided afterward, were Thousand Year Spirit Beasts so easy to raise?

As for that boy called Xiao Yan this year, Old Gong became angry just looking at him. There was a hint of bloodlust about him, perhaps from having been on a battlefield or fought Soul Beasts before. From that excited gaze alone, it was obvious that the Soul Beast facing him would most likely meet a grim fate—and it would probably be a thousand-year-old one...

If Old Gong released a Soul Beast that was too strong, it might injure the boy. If it was too weak, he would merely be sending it to its death. He had been at his wit's end.

But now, there was Su Wen!

All three of this boy's Soul Beasts far surpassed those of the same rank. They were also obedient and wouldn't lose control and kill someone in the heat of battle. They were perfect for teaching these ignorant, overconfident boys a lesson.

Yet Zhou Yi actually wanted to drive away his treasured helper!

"You can get lost. He's not going anywhere." Old Gong cast her a sidelong glance. "Don't think that just because you have Fan Yu, you can stick your head up in the sky. This Outer Court of the Martial Soul Department isn't yours to rule, Zhou Yi!"

"..."

Zhou Yi's face flushed crimson, but she didn't dare utter a single word.

Call her someone who bullied the weak and feared the strong if you wanted, but Old Gong truly wasn't someone she could afford to provoke. The Great Spirit Arena was a required part of the second-grade Freshman Assessment. If she offended him and he made things difficult for her, then all the classes she led in the future would most likely end up at the bottom of the rankings in this Assessment...

Su Wen ignored her and chatted idly with Old Gong.

Many of the nearby Assessment teachers looked astonished, secretly casting curious glances at Su Wen.

Mu Jin was even more shocked. This youth didn't seem to be Old Gong's junior; he seemed more like an old friend despite their age difference!

Just who was he?!

"I-I choose a three-hundred-year-old Soul Beast!"

In the center of the arena.

A male student from Zhou Yi's class spoke up.

"What system?" The judge nodded as he recorded something.

"Attack System!" the boy said nervously.

The judge glanced at him.

Most people were nervous when facing a Soul Beast directly. A twenty-third-level Soul Grandmaster choosing a Soul Beast close to his own strength was already very brave.

"Prepare. Release!"

As the judge withdrew from the arena, the enormous gate on the other side slowly opened. An Ironclad Rhinoceros slowly walked out, and the entire venue fell silent.

Watching the show was certainly exciting, but if you were the next one up, you couldn't laugh anymore.

Su Wen watched the boy below as he battled the Ironclad Rhinoceros.

Although the Ironclad Rhinoceros had astonishing defensive power, it wasn't very fast. The boy was also an Agile Attack System Soul Master, and he kept leading the Ironclad Rhinoceros on a chase until it collapsed from exhaustion before delivering the finishing blow.

"Puff... puff..."

The boy panted heavily, his eyes filled with excitement.

His fear of Soul Beasts had faded considerably.

For most people, this examination was merely a way to build courage. If they truly wanted to hone their skills in battling Soul Beasts, the Great Spirit Arena wouldn't have been opened only to fourth-year students...

"Next, Xiao Yan!"

The judge's voice resounded throughout the arena.