The new students were chattering noisily in the vast classroom.
They sought out their close friends.
Some teams were already locked in—Cui Yajie smiled as she declined a polite boy, then sat by Zhu Lu to whisper. Dai Huabin turned, eyes fixed on that boy, a dangerous arc glinting there. Trying to poach right in front of him—courting death.
He silently took note, planning that if they met on the field, he'd at least take an arm or a leg—he'd go in hard.
He was a man who repaid every slight.
"Lulu, we've got strong rivals in this freshman assessment. Just not sure if we'll get second or third," Cui Yajie murmured with a touch of allure into Zhu Lu's ear. Her beautiful eyes drifted unconsciously to the back, where another little clique—like theirs—had formed, centered around Su Wen.
"Hard to say." Hesitation flashed in Zhu Lu's eyes.
That one's strength was still a mystery, like a mountain pressing on all the freshmen…
"Hmph!"
Dai Huabin's cold snort drew the two girls' eyes. Just as Cui Yajie expected some profound insight, he went quiet again.
Cui Yajie: "…"
"Let's hope we squeeze into the top three," Zhu Lu sighed.
"Hmph!" Dai Huabin's snort took on a hint of arrogance—meaning, easily done.
Cui Yajie: "…"
…
"Besides academy rewards, what else do we get for a standout performance?" Wu Feng asked with interest.
"The top few get core disciple slots, enter the higher-ups' view, and receive more resources," Xue Ling said. His father was an outer-court teacher, so his intel was better.
"What's good about being a core disciple?" Wu Feng raised a brow.
"Uh… higher permissions at the Treasure Pavilion, a larger annual line of credit in gold soul coins, priority for academy cultivation resources, and you can enjoy the same benefits as inner-court students—like being led by powerhouse teachers into Star Dou Forest for soul rings," Xue Ling mused.
"Some even call core disciples a mini inner court. Basically, seventy to eighty percent of those rated as core disciples will eventually enter the inner court."
"Tsk tsk. In that case, I'll reluctantly compete for it," Wu Feng puffed up with pride.
"Ow~"
The girl suddenly clutched her head, baring little tiger teeth and glaring at Su Wen.
"Why'd you hit me!"
"Keep it down." Su Wen jutted his chin; on the podium, Mu Jin shot a reproachful look and had begun collecting rosters.
"Oh…" Wu Feng sat back, unwilling.
"A quick intro to this assessment." Mu Jin gathered the lists and smiled at her New Class Two.
"First, the format. This year the academy has decided on three-person teams. Nearly a thousand students in the grade make roughly three hundred teams. The top 150 advance; the bottom 150 are eliminated. It's a strict assessment—where the strong stand out and the weak…"
She paused, then continued, "Rankings are based on match points. Each team plays ten matches. Win one, earn points; lose, earn none."
"When the assessment ends, there will be an elimination tournament."
Mu Jin's voice softened: "This elimination is only for the top 64 teams. Make top 4 and the academy has rich rewards prepared~"
She looked around; seeing confidence all around, she nodded with a smile. "Good. Spirits are high. In that case, let's confirm the rosters."
"Team One: Power Attack—Dai Huabin. Agility Attack—Zhu Lu. Control—Cui Yajie. Not bad—a classic trio. The White Tiger Martial Soul is excellent as a power attacker. The Nine-Tailed Fox excels in charm and control. Zhu Lu as agility attack handles harassment and timely protection for control. Near perfect!"
Mu Jin nodded in satisfaction.
She added praise, worried some kids might get fancy and squander their advantages—like picking two supports and a power attack, or three agility attacks.
"Team Two…"
"…"
"Team Twenty-Seven: Power Attack—Wu Feng. Support—Ning Tian… Summoning—Su Wen?"
Mu Jin pushed up her glasses, looking a bit embarrassed.
What the heck was a "Summoning" type?
She didn't think she'd heard of that.
The class fell silent.
Dai Huabin was stunned. He'd always assumed Su Wen was Power Attack—well, no kidding: with that terrifying physical strength, if he wasn't Power Attack, then what? So what on earth was this Summoning type?
"Teacher, Summoning means summoning soul beasts," Su Wen stood and explained.
"Summoning soul beasts…"
Mu Jin suddenly understood.
There was also a Summoning type in Zhou Yi's class next door—Zhou Si Chen, Martial Soul: Treasure Bible—able to summon soul beasts corresponding to his soul ring years.
She truly had no clue about Su Wen's martial soul.
The student file on Su Wen had always radiated mystery. And aside from showcasing raw physical power over the past three months, he'd revealed almost nothing else. The sheer weight of this kid's status in Shrek could be gleaned from how, in just the months she'd been subbing, several Elders, Dean Yan, and Xian Lin'er had all come to talk to her about him.
So only today had she planned to find time to ask what, exactly, his martial soul was…
She gestured for Su Wen to sit.
No matter the team, so long as Su Wen was in it, they were a lock for champion.
That thousand-year Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear she'd seen a year ago was already pushing the limits. So even if Su Wen were a one-man team, she wouldn't object.
Only Dai Huabin clenched his fists.
He felt insulted.
He'd just managed to accept that Su Wen probably had some top-tier, strength-based martial soul—he'd even considered the Golden Dragon. That he could barely accept; there might still be a chance to surpass him. But then the other side flipped the card—actually, physical strength was just the tip of the iceberg.
Then what did all his fear of Su Wen's strength amount to?
And those tactics he'd hashed out for months—what did they amount to?!!
Advanced chapter here: p-atreon.com/Sajaboyzzz
<><><><><>><>>><><><><>
Keep the Chapters coming - Support with Power Stones!
Every 200 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter!