(Today was the first day of paid releases: four updates totaling ten thousand words. Thank you all for your support. Readers who don't understand why the author moved to paid releases, please check the table of contents and find the paid-release announcement. I explained it there. Thank you for understanding!)
"Holy shit! These teams!"
"The class monitor, the vice monitor, and Wu Feng are all on one team! Three powerhouses joining forces-the teacher must be aiming for first place in the Freshman Assessment with this lineup!"
"Huh, wait a second. Didn't Teacher Mu Jin just say a team couldn't have two power attack system Battle Soul Masters? Wu Feng is a power attack system Battle Soul Master with a beast martial soul. Add the class monitor, and doesn't that make two?"
Hearing the others' questions, Huo Yuhao calmly stood up and pointed at himself. "Don't get the wrong idea, guys. I'm a bona fide support system Soul Master."
The moment those words landed, the students of Freshman Class Nine shot him looks of contempt.
Every goddamn physical training class starts with you thoroughly beating up every last one of us, and you're telling us you're a support system Soul Master?
Burning newspapers at a grave-who the hell are you trying to fool, ghosts?
So your understanding of a support system Soul Master is that if you knock down every opponent, you can guarantee your teammates' safety perfectly? What a little genius you are!
But after thinking it over, the students of Freshman Class Nine all realized something.
After three months together, they knew that Huo Yuhao's martial soul was a spiritual-type martial soul.
Most spiritual-type martial souls belonged to the control system or support system, so Teacher Mu Jin's team assignments were entirely valid. There was nothing wrong with them.
Still, if Huo Yuhao's team competed, they could more or less predict how the battles would play out.
When members of the opposing team came to pick off the back line, only to discover that the supposedly weak, easily bullied support system Soul Master hit harder than a power attack system Battle Soul Master, what would their reactions be?
Hopefully, they would survive.
What a move-playing the pig to devour the tiger. Devious, absolutely devious!
"The second team..."
Once Mu Jin finished announcing all the teams, every student felt as though a weight had been lifted from their shoulders.
Mu Jin knew every student in Freshman Class Nine well, and he had even considered their interpersonal relationships when assigning teams.
With such thoughtful arrangements, not a single student objected to the assignments. They all rubbed their fists and flexed their hands, ready to show what they could do.
"All right, class is almost over. I'm sure every one of you has nearly finished considering your choices. Hand in all the forms distributed earlier, and then you can leave. Make sure you rest well and get yourselves into good condition afterward. I hope all thirty-three teams in our Freshman Class Nine will advance."
"Huo Yuhao, Ning Tian, and Wu Feng, you three stay behind."
After handing in their forms, the other students said goodbye to Mu Jin, Huo Yuhao, and the others, then returned to their dormitories to prepare for the assessment.
For some of them, this might have been their last chance to see Mu Jin and Huo Yuhao.
Although they felt reluctant to part, they still worked to settle their emotions and prepare for tomorrow's battles.
"Let me take a look at the paths you three have chosen for your future development. Hmm, Wu Feng, power attack system. No issues there. The Red Dragon martial soul is indeed a top-tier power attack system beast martial soul."
Holding the three forms belonging to Huo Yuhao and the two girls, Mu Jin spoke with a cheerful smile.
"Ning Tian, power attack system?! Huh?" Mu Jin suddenly froze.
"Teacher, I want to study alongside Wu Feng, so I chose the power attack system class as well," Ning Tian said calmly.
"Although I don't doubt Shrek Academy's teaching abilities, our Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect has a heritage spanning ten thousand years. We've already developed the soul ring configuration and methods of using the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul to their utmost limits. Joining the power attack system class will let me learn more about battles between Soul Masters, giving me greater insight and experience in supporting other Soul Masters in combat."
"Hmm, that makes a great deal of sense." Mu Jin nodded in satisfaction.
Ning Tian truly lived up to her bloodline as a member of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Ning family. She had inherited not only the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul, but also the Ning family's wisdom.
Ten thousand years ago, Ning Fengzhi, the sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, had been called the greatest sage in the Soul Master World. Now, Ning Tian seemed to carry quite a measure of her ancestor's spirit.
Turning his head, Mu Jin shifted his gaze to Huo Yuhao. If Ning Tian represented wisdom, then Huo Yuhao...
Well, he was rather devious.
Even after three months together, Mu Jin still couldn't see through just how much strength this student, Huo Yuhao, had hidden away.
He was like an abyss filled with water. Its surface appeared calm and harmless, but in truth, it was bottomless and full of unknowns.
"Huo Yuhao, support system?" Mu Jin's beautiful eyes widened as he stared fixedly at Huo Yuhao.
Beside him, Ning Tian and Wu Feng also looked at Huo Yuhao with faint anger, as though they wanted to demand why he had made that choice.
Honestly, half the reason Ning Tian had chosen the power attack system class was to study with Wu Feng. The other half was Huo Yuhao.
In Ning Tian's eyes, Huo Yuhao was like an inexhaustible treasure trove. There was no telling when he would unveil some new trick for her.
Take their recent close-quarters combat practice-even she had benefited greatly from it. For a support system Soul Master like her, even the slightest bit of combat ability was an enormous improvement.
But after she had already chosen the power attack system, Huo Yuhao had actually written down the support system and secretly slipped away.
Addicted to playing the pig to devour the tiger, are you? Aren't you getting a little too deep into the role?
"Teacher, you know my martial soul, and you know my soul skill too. Support system is a perfect fit, isn't it?" Huo Yuhao said rather lazily. "I just hate all that fighting and killing. It's so boring."
"You..." Mu Jin nearly laughed in exasperation at Huo Yuhao and gave him a meaningful glare. "Don't think I don't know. Aren't you just trying to avoid Zhou Yi? Let me tell you: because of what happened with you last time, combined with Freshman Class One expelling too many students this time, Zhou Yi has already lost her eligibility to become the power attack system class's homeroom teacher. I'm taking over that position now. Satisfied?"
Huo Yuhao paused for a moment, then a smile immediately blossomed across his face.
"The academy actually banned that twisted old spinster? Now that's good news! If you're the homeroom teacher, I'll definitely support your work. The support system can get lost. I prefer the control system anyway. After all, power attack system Battle Soul Masters and Control-Type Battle Spirit Masters belong together. Even when they're assigned classes, they end up in the same one."
Watching Huo Yuhao scribble away, changing "support system" on his form to "control system," Mu Jin smiled.
"Although the Freshman Assessment is only your first assessment at Shrek Academy, it's very important to your future cultivation paths. Only by earning a good ranking in the Freshman Assessment will you have a chance to become core disciples and receive the academy's focused training."
"Ning Tian has already reached the Soul Elder level, which is rare among the freshmen. And Wu Feng has the Red Dragon, a top-tier power attack system beast martial soul. Her combat strength is also far from ordinary."
"As for you, Huo Yuhao... I don't object to you keeping your brilliance veiled and hiding your strength. But since you've joined a team, you need a sense of team honor. I hope you'll take responsibility for those two."
"Ahem, ahem..." Huo Yuhao choked and coughed several times. No matter how he thought about it, Mu Jin's last sentence sounded off.
You actually want me to take responsibility for Ning Tian and Wu Feng? Teacher, you probably don't know that those two already produce and consume in-house. Even if I wanted to take responsibility, there's no room for me to squeeze in...
"I don't have the slightest doubt about the strength of you three, so I'm giving you a mission now. In the Freshman Assessment, you have only one goal: the championship."
"And I can tell you in advance that our Shrek Academy has always had deep pockets. Of all the academy's assessments, the Freshman Assessment champions and the Outer Academy graduation assessment champions receive the most generous rewards. As for what those rewards are, you'll naturally find out once you win the championship. Go on, get yourselves into good condition. I believe in your strength!"
Huo Yuhao, Ning Tian, and Wu Feng exchanged glances. After sharing knowing smiles, they stacked their three hands together.
"Class Nine will win!"
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