As Du Weilun spoke, he looked at the others and said evenly, "Many of you may think this was unfair. But have you considered that this, too, was a demonstration of that Support System Soul Master's abilities? For an Illusionist to accomplish this through such an ingenious approach-never mind this Freshman Assessment, even on a future battlefield, he would undoubtedly be an outstanding Soul Master. Anyone who underestimated him because of this would die more miserably than anyone else, just like these three students. They deserved their defeat."
"And if we're going to talk about fairness, does an Illusionist have to abandon his illusions and clash openly with a Power Attack System Soul Master, losing before you'll call it fair? Or must a Support System Soul Master abandon his teammates and fight on the front lines for it to be fair?"
Du Weilun swept his gaze over everyone and continued, "Shrek Academy has always trained Soul Masters who can stand on their own and kill enemies on the battlefield, not greenhouse flowers nurtured in a cradle!"
"This young Illusionist's thoughts and ideas soar like a celestial steed across the heavens. Regardless of who devised this strategy, I have decided to designate him a First Year Core Disciple and devote our full efforts to training him. Even among the Core Disciples, he will receive special attention!"
At these words, the teachers who had still harbored some resentment immediately grew solemn, and the last traces of their dissatisfaction vanished like smoke.
They were all teachers trained by Shrek Academy and had experienced battle. They knew that strategy could sometimes matter more than so-called strength. But after spending years teaching within the academy, despite constantly emphasizing practical combat, they still felt that victory had been won dishonorably when they actually encountered a student so adept at exploiting rules and tactics.
Thinking about it now, this student truly did have something different about him.
Defeating an opponent at the smallest possible cost was the true mark of a great victory. Viewed that way, even the more dazzling performances of Wang Dong and the other Soul Elder on the other side amounted to little. At the very least, they could not have dispatched their enemies so easily.
Meanwhile, hearing Du Weilun's words only made the aggrieved Lan Luoluo and Lan Susu feel even more wronged.
Huang Chutian rubbed his head in frustration, looked at Jiang Hai on the platform, and said, "We fell flat on our faces this time. But strategy alone won't be enough to take first place in the Freshman Assessment. I look forward to seeing you reveal your true strength."
He knew the power of his own fists. The referee Jiang Hai had disguised himself as had caught his punch with effortless ease, which was also why he had never questioned whether the referee was genuine. The final kick that had sent him out of the ring had carried considerable force as well. Huang Chutian was certain that Jiang Hai was no silver spear with a wax tip.
Jiang Hai smiled. A win was a win. Whatever the reason, nothing could change the fact that they had won. Although their actual strength also surpassed Huang Chutian's team, how could winning a head-on fight against a Martial Soul Fusion Skill compare to outwitting the enemy and subduing them without a battle?
This battle had also been Sun Yunhai's most brilliant stage. Seven-Colored Cloud Illusion had overcome the strong with the weak, moving a thousand pounds with four ounces of force. Even among all four matches that day, his performance had shone the brightest.
However, the coming battles among the final four would not be easy.
Once the matches ended, the four remaining teams were the Jiang Hai Team and Huo Yuhao's team from Freshman Class One, Zhou Sichen's team from Freshman Class Ten, and Dai Huabin's team from Freshman Class Five.
Without question, Freshman Class One had stolen the spotlight in this Freshman Assessment, claiming two of the four semifinal berths. Zhou Yi had also earned considerable prestige. Usually, having a class's leading seeded team reach the semifinals was already a tremendous success. For two teams from one class to reach the top four was simply unimaginable.
Mu Jin said resentfully, "He just got lucky and happened to get a few gifted students!"
But he had also forgotten that his own class had a Soul Elder above Level 30, and an exceptionally rare Support System Soul Elder with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda at that.
With the semifinalists decided, the day's matches had ended. None of the three remaining teams would be easy to deal with.
After greeting Huo Yuhao, the three left and went their separate ways. They had not expended much energy that day, but tomorrow's matches would surely be fiercer than ever. Everyone wanted to return and cultivate properly, bringing themselves into peak condition.
Ma Xiaotao found Jiang Hai and pursed her lips. "You brat. You clearly had an easier way to win today. Why did you make it so complicated? Weren't you afraid the Academic Affairs Office would simply declare you the losers?"
Jiang Hai glanced at Ma Xiaotao without speaking.
Ma Xiaotao shook her head. "Are you still cultivating today? I watched the teams that won today. Xiao Xiao from Huo Yuhao's team was injured, so she might not compete tomorrow. But Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong are no pushovers either. They're in your class, so you should know them, right? Honestly, drawing them would be your best luck."
"Then there are Zhou Sichen and his teammates. Although all three of their Martial Souls are unusual, their combination isn't much stronger than yours. If you face them, it's hard to say who will win."
"The worst luck would be drawing Dai Huabin's team. Dai Huabin is the last Level 31 Soul Elder in this Freshman Assessment. He comes from the White Tiger Family of the Star Luo Empire and is a Power Attack System Soul Elder, much stronger than that previous Power Attack System Soul Elder. More importantly, one of his teammates very likely comes from the Spirit Cat Family, the family of one of the legendary original Shrek Seven Devils. That family also has extremely deep ties with the White Tiger Family. The two of them may well be able to use a Martial Soul Fusion Skill..."
Ma Xiaotao was a little worried too. A Martial Soul Fusion Skill, and one performed by a Soul Elder at that, would be far more powerful than anything the sisters Lan Luoluo and Lan Susu could produce.
If Jiang Hai had already obtained his second Soul Ring, he might have stood a chance. But right now, he only had one Soul Ring. Even if it was eight hundred years old, what Soul Elder did not have a Thousand-Year Soul Ring? Any advantage in a Soul Ring's age would look utterly feeble when the number of rings was unequal.
"Of course I'm cultivating. Why wouldn't I? But I have to fill my stomach first!" Jiang Hai said with a smile, not a trace of worry on his face.
Ma Xiaotao shook her head, extended a fair, jade-like hand, and made a grabbing motion toward the tranquil Sea God Lake. The water churned, and a plump black carp flew out. She tossed it to Jiang Hai and said, "Clean this for me. Honestly, when it comes to grilled fish, we still need that boy Huo Yuhao. He clearly has a Spirit Eyes Martial Soul, yet his control over the cooking temperature is simply unbelievable. Still, your cooking is passable enough..."
Jiang Hai said irritably, "All you do is eat, and you still find fault with everything..."
"What did you say?" Ma Xiaotao glared at Jiang Hai, her cheeks puffed with anger.
"Nothing..." Jiang Hai took out a dagger and quickly cleaned the black carp. With a casual flick, he tossed up the scraps and borrowed Ma Xiaotao's flames to burn them away completely. Natural and environmentally friendly.
Then he took a grill and specially prepared seasonings from the space inside the Bronze Coffin. Before long, a delicious aroma wafted out.
Perhaps because the fish in Sea God Lake had few natural enemies, they grew quite large. Each weighed seven or eight jin, and one fish was just about enough for the two of them, despite their hearty appetites.
The fragrance of chili and numbing pepper mingled with the black carp's own flavor. Although his control over the heat might not match Huo Yuhao's, Jiang Hai had traveled far and wide alone, so the fish he cooked could hardly taste bad.
As he ate the grilled fish, Jiang Hai said, still craving more, "The ducks on Sea God Lake taste better after all. But they only fly out on Wednesdays..."
Ma Xiaotao shot him an exasperated glare. "You still dare bring that up? Ever since Elder Song discovered that the Brightlight Flying Luan she'd raised for over thirty years had been stolen, she's fought with Xuan Zi plenty of times. If she finds out you stole her, you'll be in for it. And if Xuan Zi finds out you're the one who made him take the blame, he won't let you off either."
Jiang Hai smiled sheepishly. "Didn't you enjoy eating her too? With you watching over me, boss, of course I'm not afraid!"
Ma Xiaotao snorted and said smugly, "Good that you know it. Hurry up and cultivate..."
The black carp, now nothing but bones, vanished in the flames. The two entered the Bronze Coffin, sank it to the bottom of Sea God Lake, and began cultivating.
The following day, Jiang Hai felt that his Soul Power had grown considerably again. He glanced at the Golden Coffin, his gaze complicated. Without Ma Xiaotao, even reaching Level 20 in Soul Power by now would probably have been difficult.
After breakfast, the two arrived at the assessment area.
"Go get them, young man! Your big sister believes in you!"
Ma Xiaotao patted Jiang Hai's shoulder and skipped away. Despite being a great beauty with a slender waist and long legs, she had an incredibly lively personality.
A little later, at Du Weilun's signal, Jiang Hai and the others went up to draw lots.
"Number two!" Jiang Hai announced, waving the bamboo lot he had drawn in front of the others.
Only four teams remained in the semifinals. In other words, one of the other three teams would inevitably face them.
Huo Yuhao checked his own lot and breathed a sigh of relief. "Number one!"
Huo Yuhao knew how strong Jiang Hai's team was. If he faced Jiang Hai without Xiao Xiao, he truly would have no confidence in winning!
On the other side, a somewhat delicate-looking boy also smiled. "I'm number one too!"
He had watched yesterday's matches as well. From the round-robin stage until now, the Jiang Hai Team had struck him as mysterious. But Zhou Sichen was especially sensitive to the aura of Soul Beasts, and he could sense a kingly Soul Beast aura coming from Jiang Hai. Naturally, Jiang Hai could not be a reincarnated Soul Beast, leaving only one possibility: Jiang Hai possessed an exceptionally powerful Soul Ring, very likely from royalty among Soul Beasts.
Compared with the others, Huo Yuhao's team of only two looked much easier to bully.
There was no need to say more. Since Zhou Sichen and Huo Yuhao both had number one, Jiang Hai's team had only one possible opponent: Dai Huabin's team, which possessed the sole remaining Soul Elder.
Dai Huabin looked coolly at Jiang Hai, a trace of disdain flashing through his sinister eyes, and said arrogantly, "Your good luck ends here. I'll show you that in the face of true strength, so-called schemes and tricks aren't worth mentioning."
"Is that so? I'll give those words right back to you. I hope you won't start crying when you suffer a setback later. There are plenty of people I dislike, and people from the Star Luo Empire happen to be among them. Besides, I'll collect a little interest for a younger brother of mine!" Jiang Hai smiled as well and spoke evenly.
"What nonsense!" Dai Huabin sneered and headed toward the Second Ring.
Before you continue