"Great job, Nannan!" Jiang Qingtong raised her hand to slap Jiang Nannan's palm.
Jiang Nannan smiled and replied, "If you hadn't helped me, I wouldn't have won so easily. It was you who did the great job."
Those who hadn't experienced Jiang Qingtong's spiritual-detection shared ability looked confused.
But Beibei, who had been watching Jiang Qingtong the whole time, suddenly remembered something: behind Qingtong, a purple soul ring had been faintly swirling—proof that she'd been using soul techniques from the start!
So it was her who secretly helped Jiang Nannan defeat Xu Sanshi?
No wonder Xu Sanshi—celebrated for his defense-type soul skills—had been easily overwhelmed by Nannan's agility-and-attack style. Mystery solved.
Beibei's face lit up with an understanding.
Elder Xuan and Wang Yan climbed down from the stands to the battleground, and Xu Sanshi's homeroom teacher rushed in.
Holding the unconscious Xu Sanshi, she glared fiercely at Jiang Nannan. "This was just an assessment! Nannan, why did you hit him so hard?"
Jiang Qingtong stepped forward, reasoning, "Teacher, it's not like Nannan was going too far. Nannan's soul-type is agility-attack, while Xu Sanshi's is defense—you don't know, he can't even block her strikes."
Her expression changed to sudden clarity. "Oh! I almost forgot — Xu Sanshi couldn't even withstand my attacks before, so of course he couldn't stand up to Nannan! If a student performs poorly, that's partly on the teacher."
Xu's teacher was angered and speechless.
Elder Xuan scanned Xu Sanshi's body with soul power, then told the teacher, "He's fine—just mentally shaken. Have him see a physician and rest for two weeks. Don't make a fuss here; you may escort him out."
The teacher dared not argue. She glared at Jiang Qingtong before biting her lip and nodding, carrying Xu Sanshi away.
"I'll call the names of those who stayed behind—those people may leave. Your grades will be issued by Wang Yan later."
Elder Xuan glanced at those left, reciting names: "Jiang Qingtong… Beibei… Dai Huabin… Jiang Nannan… Wang Dong… Xiao Xiao… and He Caitou!"
He Caitou and Dai Huabin beamed upon hearing their names; the rest looked disappointed.
Some voiced complaints about the assessment's logic.
Elder Xuan scoffed and replied, "On a real battlefield, your enemy won't care how fair your fighting is. Now, leave!"
Faced with Elder Xuan's stern tone and Wang Yan's respectful posture, no one argued.
"Wang Yan, escort them off." Elder Xuan gestured decisively.
"Yes, Elder Xuan," Wang Yan nodded and led the students away.
With only the select few left, Elder Xuan looked at Jiang Qingtong and asked, "Did you use your soul technique to help Nannan fight Xu Sanshi?"
Jiang Qingtong nodded and said: "I did—right from the start. Elder Xuan said this was a free-for-all, which means no restrictions on whom to help or attack, right? They didn't come for me, so I figured I should be involved!"
Hearing this, those unaware of her spiritual-shared technique realized: Nannan's incredible run was because Jiang Qingtong secretly assisted. A spiritual-type soul is mysterious—when combined with a powerful agile offensive soul, it's downright terrifying.
What an incredible gift… is she even human?
"You've got quite the mouth on you," Elder Xuan muttered, amused, without further comment. He'd designed the chaos test—if she wanted to help someone, that was her choice.
Knocking Xu Sanshi around a bit was okay. Elder Xuan knew Xu's background—his family—and what had provoked Nannan was obvious. He understood, and wasn't upset.
He moved on: "Do any of you know why I held such a strange assessment, and why you seven remained?"
Everyone looked skeptical—their grades weren't yet out, and they thought they were left for praise.
"You've heard of the All-Continent Elite Soul Master Tournament?" Elder Xuan asked.
Jiang Nannan looked up, surprised. "So this contest was to pick participants?"
Elder Xuan shook his head. "Not quite. With your levels—three or four rings—it would be a slaughter. Other academies' teams are weak, but the team from the Empire's Royal Soul Master Academy will be entirely Soul King-level and above."
"The Empire's Royal Soul Master Academy?" Dai Huabin frowned—he knew little about them. Among these seven, only he wasn't closely connected: the rest were bound to connections—family, nation, class.
Elder Xuan fixed his gaze on Dai Huabin and said, "Thousands of years ago, the Empire was defeated by Shrek Academy. They've never forgotten that, and they're seeking a chance to kickstart another war to destabilize the continent."
A war to shake the continent?
Jiang Qingtong looked thoughtful. Elder Xuan clearly didn't trust her people—but he was serious.
PS: Access advance chapters at
https://www.patreon.com/c/NanamiTL