"Don't panic, everyone! He's only one person, and his soul power is limited!" the burly student roared, trying to rally the others. "He might not be able to take all of us out before his soul power runs dry!"
"You're right." Gu Xingyue suddenly appeared in front of him, smiling at him.
The burly student's pupils contracted sharply. Looking at that smiling face right before his eyes, he felt a chill shoot from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head.
He opened his mouth and said, "Can we make peace?"
But Gu Xingyue had already slapped a hand onto his shoulder before saying, "At this point? You've got to be joking."
With that, a violent current instantly tore through his entire body. His eyes rolled back, and he toppled stiffly to the ground, his body still twitching now and then.
The remaining students exchanged looks, their eyes filled with despair.
How were they supposed to fight this?
This wasn't a battle at all!
Of course, the students weren't the only ones thinking that.
High in the stands, the teachers of Shrek Academy could no longer stay seated either.
They were on their feet, their gazes fixed on the scorched battlefield displayed on the soul tool screen, disbelief written all over their faces.
"Could it be... that this year's Freshmen Assessment is going to end just like this?" a middle-aged teacher murmured, a deep sense of unreality in their voice.
Wang Yan, dressed in a high-necked sweater and black-framed glasses, pushed her glasses up, their lenses reflecting a cold glint.
She nodded slightly and analyzed with certainty, "Gu Xingyue is simply too strong. Fighting the other freshmen puts him under no pressure whatsoever. Whether it's speed, strength, or soul power control, he's already far beyond the level a freshman should possess. It seems... the outcome is settled."
Beside her, however, sat someone with twin ponytails.
The child looked only twelve or thirteen, with exquisitely delicate features, and held a half-eaten skewer of candied hawthorn.
As she crunched away at the candied hawthorn, she delivered a pointed assessment in a worldly tone entirely at odds with her age:
"This is clearly an old man toying with mischievous children!"
She licked at the corner of her mouth before slowly saying, "That person isn't taking this seriously at all. Those students don't even qualify to let him enjoy himself fully. Sigh, how boring."
At those words, the corner of Wang Yan's mouth twitched, but she had no way to refute them.
Because that was indeed the truth-throughout that prison of lightning, Gu Xingyue had worn the same lazy smile from beginning to end, as though he were not taking part in the Freshmen Assessment but strolling through his own backyard.
Only a few minutes had passed, and Gu Xingyue was the only person on the field still standing.
Group Seven was far ahead in the rankings.
The boundary was still closing in farther away, but it no longer mattered.
It hadn't taken long-all three soul bones were already in Gu Xingyue's hands.
He lowered his head and glanced at the three soul bones in his hands. Each had a different luster, yet all gave off intoxicating fluctuations of soul power.
He raised his head and looked around. Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao stood at the edge of the clearing, the two of them simply standing there with a hint of boredom.
Huo Yutong approached from the other side with her two companions, but their faces likewise bore complicated expressions that said, "It seems there's nothing for me to do."
Huo Yutong walked up to him and glanced around.
"The assessment is over..." Gu Xingyue slipped his hands into his pockets and headed toward the woodland exit.
The five behind him followed silently, encountering no further obstacles.
When they emerged from the woodland exit, quite a few people were already standing in the square outside.
The eliminated students sat in twos and threes in the rest area along the edge of the square. Some hung their heads in dejection, while others were still discussing the fighting just now. Even more were still receiving treatment from a healing soul master, though with so many people, it would probably take quite some time.
Yan Shaozhe was already standing on the raised platform at the very center of the square.
Her gold-and-red dress was particularly striking in the afternoon sunlight, and the soul amplification tool in her hand glimmered faintly.
Seeing Gu Xingyue lead his team out of the exit, she curved her lips slightly, then nodded to Du Weiya beside her.
Du Weiya stepped forward and glanced at the roster, her voice spreading throughout the square through the amplifier. "The final results of the Freshmen Assessment-the championship team is Group Seven, which secured all three soul bones."
The square fell silent for a moment before a wave of discussion rose from every direction.
Some clicked their tongues, some sighed, and others applauded.
Whatever the case, the gap was plain to see. No one could claim this championship was undeserved.
Yan Shaozhe took the amplifier, her gaze sweeping over the hundreds of freshmen below the platform before finally settling on Gu Xingyue.
Her voice was clear and resonant, carrying the bearing befitting the dean of the Martial Soul Department. "Besides the three soul bones, there is one more reward for the Freshmen Assessment: Core Disciple places in the Martial Soul Department and the Soul Guidance Department."
"This year, because Group Seven's performance was so outstanding, the academy has decided to award Martial Soul Department Core Disciple places to Gu Xingyue, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao."
"Soul tool Core Disciple-Huo Yutong."
As her words fell, those below the platform went quiet for two seconds, clearly struck to their very souls by that announcement.
Then the students couldn't help wondering: Did only these three pass the Freshmen Assessment? In that case, we might as well not attend Shrek Academy!
"Of course, based on our analysis, some students with comparatively outstanding all-round abilities will also be retained. The list will be announced later."
Upon hearing this, the students' expressions instantly changed, and they enthusiastically cried out in unison, "May the dean stay up late!!!"
Yan Shaozhe coughed lightly and continued, "The students named above should report to their respective departments before noon tomorrow. The Martial Soul Department and the Soul Guidance Department will each be responsible for the day-to-day management of their Core Disciples."
After speaking, she let her gaze linger on Gu Xingyue for a moment, then shifted it away to everyone below the platform. "The Freshmen Assessment ends here. Everyone, you may disperse."
The crowd in the square began to move. Some headed toward the exits, while others gathered around Gu Xingyue, seemingly hoping to get friendly with him.
Gu Xingyue decisively pulled Huo Yutong along and waved to Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao. Then the two of them slipped through a gap in the crowd and hurried away along the path at the edge of the square.
Only after they had gone some distance did Huo Yutong speak, her voice still carrying a little dazed disbelief. "A Core Disciple... I never even thought about it."
Gu Xingyue turned his head to glance at her. "Now you have."
Huo Yutong raised her head, her gaze falling on the surface of Sea God Lake ahead, dyed gold and red by the setting sun. She took a deep breath, then forcefully let it out.
"Come on." She turned to look at Gu Xingyue. "I'll treat you to grilled fish. You can eat as much as you want. Today, I'm cooking for you alone."
Gu Xingyue smiled. "Really?"
There was a rare lightness in Huo Yutong's tone. "Let's celebrate. From now on, I'm a Core Disciple of the Soul Guidance Department."
"Sure." Gu Xingyue slipped his hands into his pockets and followed her forward.
Before you continue