After waiting in the office for a short while, Lin Mo left his luggage there and followed Director Xue out of the admissions office.
Director Xue led him through several teaching areas to an open-air sparring ground for Soul Masters.
The grounds were fairly large, with simple defensive measures around the perimeter. This was clearly a place the academy had specifically set aside for students to practice actual combat.
Five students who looked slightly older were already standing at the edge of the grounds, four boys and one girl, whispering among themselves about something.
When they saw Director Xue approaching with an unfamiliar child, their gazes all landed on Lin Mo at once.
Director Xue stopped, pointed at the five students, and said to Lin Mo, "Lin Mo, the entrance assessment is very simple.
"See those five students? They're all second-years at the academy. You only need to choose one of them to fight."
Lin Mo swept his gaze across the five students' faces one by one and asked calmly, "Director Xue, what are the criteria for passing?
"Do I need to defeat the person I choose, or... do I need to defeat all of them?"
He had not spoken loudly, but his words reached the five second-year students' ears clearly.
Surprise and a hint of amusement immediately appeared on their faces. They exchanged glances, all wondering whether this child, who looked so much younger than them, was talking a little too big.
The most muscular boy even let out a snort. Although he said nothing, the meaning in his eyes was plain: With that little body of yours, you want to beat all of us?
Director Xue, however, looked unsurprised and explained calmly, "Under the normal procedure, you don't need to defeat your opponent.
"You only need to hold out against your chosen student for a while and fully demonstrate your strength, proving that you're not a medicine jar that looks good but is useless in practice.
"Actual combat is the best measure of strength! Of course..."
His tone shifted, taking on a hint of amusement. "As long as you can defeat your chosen opponent head-on, that will prove your strength, and you'll naturally be admitted without any trouble."
At this point, he paused and pointed at the five students. "Their strength is arranged from lowest to highest, going from left to right.
"The one on the far left has level fourteen Soul Power, and the one on the far right has level sixteen Soul Power."
Then, as though remembering something, Director Xue added, his tone carrying a hint of fanning the flames:
"Oh, right. If you choose to challenge the strongest one and successfully defeat him...
"The academy will not only waive all your tuition and miscellaneous fees, but also provide an additional scholarship to support your future cultivation.
"Consider this a bonus question on your entrance test..."
Director Xue made this offer quite generously.
From the Soul Master's notes and recommendation letter Lin Mo had produced earlier, he already knew that Lin Mo had entered Nuoding Academy as a work-study student. His family was clearly not well-off.
Their Heaven Dou Intermediate Soul Master Academy had no shortage of such funds. What it truly lacked were exceptionally gifted Soul Masters like Lin Mo.
Using a few resources to attract and retain talent could not have been a better bargain.
Lin Mo's brows rose slightly at this. An additional scholarship on top of waived tuition and miscellaneous fees?
Those terms are quite practical, and the benefits have come knocking on my door. Why turn down something free?
His gaze immediately landed on the student standing on the far right, a boy who looked thirteen or fourteen.
He had sharp eyes, a lean, muscular build, and neatly cropped hair. Even standing there, his presence was noticeably different from the others'.
"In that case," Lin Mo said without any hesitation, raising a hand to point at the one on the far right, "Director Xue, I choose him as my opponent."
Seeing Lin Mo pick the strongest one outright, the other four second-year students all looked surprised.
They had thought Lin Mo would choose someone in the middle of the pack so he could at least hold out a little longer. They had not expected him to so decisively pick the toughest bone to chew.
The boy Lin Mo had chosen was also taken aback for a moment. Then his lips curved with fighting spirit, and he stepped forward, looking at Lin Mo with a burning gaze.
Director Xue nodded, unsurprised by Lin Mo's choice. "Xiao Lin, step forward. Lin Mo, he is your opponent."
At Director Xue's signal, the two walked to the center of the sparring ground and stopped ten meters apart.
The four students who had not been chosen withdrew to the edge of the grounds to watch alongside Director Xue.
As was customary in Soul Master sparring matches, both sides needed to announce their names and levels.
Xiao Lin spoke first. "Xiao Lin, Martial Soul: Demon Wolf. Level sixteen Power Attack System Battle Soul Master."
After announcing his information, he instinctively looked at Lin Mo. There was more curiosity than disdain in his eyes now.
He was very curious about the Soul Power Level of this child who looked several years younger than him.
Lin Mo replied calmly, "Lin Mo, Martial Soul: Charmander. Level sixteen Power Attack System Battle Soul Master."
"Level sixteen?!" Xiao Lin's eyes instantly widened when he heard the level Lin Mo announced, his face filled with disbelief.
He had originally thought Lin Mo was level twelve or thirteen at most, daring to challenge him because of a powerful Martial Soul. He had never expected the other's Soul Power Level to be exactly the same as his own!
Looking at Lin Mo's young face, just how old had he been when he cultivated to level sixteen?
Not only Xiao Lin, but the four second-year students watching from the sidelines also sucked in sharp breaths in unison. They exchanged looks, each seeing shock in the others' eyes.
Was this guy... really as young as he looked?
"Begin the assessment!" Director Xue gave them little time to digest the information before announcing the start of the match.
As soon as Director Xue finished speaking, Xiao Lin instantly reined in his astonishment and shouted in a low voice, "Demon Wolf, possess!"
His body rapidly transformed. His hair turned gray-black and coarse, the nails on both hands grew long and sharp, gleaming coldly, and a measure of a wolf's ferocity entered his eyes.
The presence of a level sixteen Soul Master spread out, and a yellow hundred-year soul ring immediately appeared beneath his feet.
He leaned forward slightly, taking a stance ready to pounce at any moment.
Almost at the same moment Xiao Lin completed his possession, Lin Mo willed it.
A flash of red light passed before him, and Charmander appeared at his feet, flicking his tail.
At the same time, a bright yellow soul ring rose from beneath Charmander's feet and revolved steadily around him.
Sensing the presence emanating from Charmander, Xiao Lin's pupils abruptly contracted. The slight disdain previously in his eyes vanished completely.
In a sense, he and Lin Mo were somewhat alike. Both came from commoner families and had only made it this far, gaining admission to Heaven Dou Intermediate Soul Master Academy, by awakening a fairly good Martial Soul and relying on their own hard work.
But his talent was clearly nowhere near as outstanding as Lin Mo's. He was already thirteen, yet his Soul Power Level was only sixteen.
Facing an opponent like Lin Mo, he immediately felt unprecedented pressure.