Riiing-
The bell rang, bringing another day of classes to an end.
Setting aside the innocent students Zhou Yi had expelled, every newcomer who managed to stay at Shrek until their second year was an elite who had passed through layer after layer of screening and possessed sufficient strength.
Yet none of them dared slack off. They knew Shrek's true nature all too well: if they failed to train diligently and advance, they still risked being expelled and eliminated.
Mu Jin finished organizing his lesson plans and said, "All core disciples, stay behind and come with me to the Soul Fighting Zone!"
Although they had been notified beforehand, the core disciples called upon still perked up. The selection tournament was finally about to begin!
Compared with previous years, this cohort had quite a few core disciples. Zhou Yi's Class One had a record-breaking eight. Mu Jin's Class Two came next with Li Lezi, Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, and Xie Huanyue, while Class Three had Ning Tian and Wu Feng, bringing the total to fourteen.
Following behind Dai Huabin as usual, Xiao Zi spotted quite a few familiar faces the moment he stepped into the Soul Fighting Zone.
Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and Jiang Nannan appeared in his field of vision one after another. They were fifth-year core disciples, with the first two attracting the most attention. Hailed as the Outer Court Twin Stars, Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi were the strongest core disciples on paper.
Apart from those three, none of the core disciples present today were Four-Ring Soul Ancestors. Among the others, Dai Huabin was the strongest on paper at rank thirty-seven. As for the Soul Tool Department, only He Caitou had come.
Xiao Zi felt nothing for this hidden member of the Sun Moon Imperial Family, much less any desire to help him take revenge. Though Xiao Zi wanted to cooperate with the Sun Moon Empire, it was not with this man, but with the faction led by Xu Tianran.
After all, He Caitou was ordinary-looking and no beauty. Why go to all that trouble instead of taking what was already available?
Just then, a tall figure approached, swaying so much that he looked liable to fall at any moment.
Greasy, disheveled hair obscured his face, but the wine gourd in his left hand and chicken drumstick in his right revealed his identity. Wasn't this Xuan Zi, Grand Elder of the Holy Spirit Cult?
A nickname was a nickname, but it could not conceal his strength as a Level 98 Peak Douluo. Never mind how he actually performed-wasn't that intimidating enough?
The students from each class lined up behind their respective teachers, arranged from second to fifth year. Nearly thirty people waited quietly where they stood.
Xiao Zi stood at the very back of Class Two's line, in a thoroughly inconspicuous corner, yet a gaze still followed him like his shadow, concealing deep malice. It was undoubtedly Xu Sanshi.
Xiao Zi kept his eyes forward as a plan slowly formed in his mind. Then he deliberately glanced toward Jiang Nannan, making a certain lovesick lapdog grind his teeth, just as expected.
Meanwhile, Xuan Zi swayed his way over to Yan Shaozhe. "Is everyone here?"
Yan Shaozhe put aside his usual arrogance, showing none of the dignity of the Martial Soul Department's dean. His manner was utterly deferential. "Everyone is here. The disciples from both the Martial Soul and Soul Tool Departments are all present."
"Then let's go in!"
With unsteady steps, Xuan Zi walked to the center of the Soul Fighting Zone before stopping. In a muffled voice, he said, "The core disciple assessment you're about to take is called a group Grand Melee. You may attack freely within the Soul Fighting Zone. There are no rules whatsoever, so fight however you like. Anyone who surrenders or gets knocked out of bounds will be eliminated. The last seven remaining will be the winners!"
The students had never heard of such a bizarre assessment. Nearly thirty people in a Grand Melee, all with different cultivation levels and specialties-what sort of result could that possibly produce?
The teachers were unfazed and withdrew from the fighting area, leaving the space clear.
True to his unreliable nature, Xuan Zi acted on whatever whim struck him. Raising the wine gourd in his hand, he bellowed, "Begin!"
With a whoosh, his figure vanished, leaving only the competing students in the arena, staring at one another in bewilderment.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, everyone reacted immediately, forming groups and scrambling to forge alliances for protection.
At the same time, towering walls rose from the ground, disrupting their positions and dividing the arena into a maze of square sections.
That was not all. Mechanisms beneath the walls began rotating incessantly, preventing anyone from staying in one fixed position. Enemies could appear from any direction, and the slightest lapse in attention could mean elimination.
Jiang Nannan, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, Lan Susu, Lan Luoluo...
Quite a few of Xiao Zi's acquaintances independently expressed a desire to ally with him, only for the high walls rising before them to interrupt and cut off whatever they said next. That saved him quite a bit of trouble.
It was rather like PUBG back on Earth, with the maze replacing the toxic zone and shrinking as time passed. Contestants had to work hard to stay inside the boundary while guarding against possible ambushes, ultimately completing the challenge in the central area.
In that brief span, Huo Yuhao and the others had already formed their teams. Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu had also allied with Ning Tian and the others instead of staying with their master.
To Xiao Zi, the chosen reserve Shrek Seven Devils amounted to a death list. The Death Messenger had slaughtered them single-handedly, and even when Xuan Zi, the Level 98 Taotie Douluo, personally gave chase, he had failed to take down a mere Soul King!
Even if Dai Huabin was selected, Xiao Zi would still make arrangements for the people he valued, ensuring their lives would not be endangered.
As he "outran the toxic zone," Xiao Zi surveyed his surroundings. He was in no hurry to carve a bloody path through the opposition, only continuing forward once the others had left. Once again, he made use of his faint presence, reducing his movements and heartbeat to a minimum as he waited for an opening.
Once enough time has passed, I'll find Dai Huabin and the others and join up with them. While I'm at it, I'll see what Xu Sanshi is doing...
While Xiao Zi calmly planned, someone had already been eliminated inside the maze, courtesy of He Caitou from the Soul Tool Department. He had stood in place since the match began, looking dull and slow-witted while secretly charging his soul tools.
Zhou Sichen and Cao Jinxuan were closest and had the misfortune to get caught in the attack. They were nearly struck by an enormous barrage of soul tool beams before Xuan Zi rescued them at the last moment, leaving them unceremoniously eliminated.
Rumble-
A high wall suddenly dropped, revealing Xu Sanshi's wary back. With Xiao Zi's true strength, he could clearly eliminate him with ease, but that would not serve his interests, nor was there any need.
After a moment's thought, he sent out a strand of soul power to trip Xu Sanshi, successfully drawing his attention.
Xu Sanshi turned and saw his attacker, instantly flying into a rage. "Li Lezi, I'm going to-"
Another sound rang out, and the maze swept in again, swallowing all his frustration and resentment without allowing him to pose the slightest threat.
Having achieved his aim of provoking him, Xiao Zi shrugged and continued along the edge of the maze, searching for targets-or rather, allies.
In his view, it would be best if Xu Sanshi advanced successfully and got a taste of the Death Messenger's oppressive might.
That was rather unlikely, however. The man's soul power was a little too low, and with Xiao Zi intending to guarantee Dai Huabin a place, the final lineup was still up for debate.
Perhaps he could sabotage Xu Sanshi during the Grand Melee and collect a little interest in advance...