"Hehe! That would be ideal," said Yu Beibei with a smile. "I've been wanting to spar with Ziyang for a while, just to see the difference between us."
"Count me in!" said Xu Sanshi.
"Anytime, I'm happy to oblige," Zhu Ziyang replied with a calm smile.
"I heard from Xiaoya... Beibei, have you already reached rank 28?" Jiang Nannan asked curiously.
"Yeah, just broke through a few days ago," Yu Beibei said, not hiding anything.
"Isn't that thanks to me?" Xu Sanshi boasted beside him. "If I hadn't given you that Essence Gathering Pill, you wouldn't have broken through so fast!"
"Yes, yes! Thank you, Young Master Xu, for your generosity," Yu Beibei countered with a grin, clearly amused by Xu Sanshi's smugness.
None of them noticed the subtle and strange expressions on Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan's faces.
"Sigh, both of you are nearly Soul Elders, while I'm still stuck struggling at rank 22... So hard!" Tang Ya sighed, her face downcast.
"Xiaoya..." Yu Beibei wanted to comfort her but didn't know how. He thought of what Mu En had told him, and a sense of urgency crept into his heart. He hoped he could get that item soon.
"Oh right! Beibei, since you're about to become a Soul Elder, why not ask Ziyang for advice on your next soul ring?" Tang Ya quickly forgot her earlier gloom and jumped to another topic entirely.
With a personality so unpredictable, it was no wonder she was so lively. Zhu Ziyang, Jiang Nannan, Xu Sanshi, and Xue Weiwei all silently sighed at the same time.
"There's no need to trouble Ziyang." Yu Beibei declined politely. "My family elders have already picked out the soul beast for my third ring. I just need to break through."
"I see, that makes sense," Tang Ya nodded thoughtfully.
"As far as I know, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's first three rings are all predetermined anyway. So there's no need for me, a half-baked advisor, to butt in," Zhu Ziyang said helplessly. Tang Ya really did treat him like family.
"Sigh! You noble kids sure have it easy—people help you find soul beasts. Unlike us, who have to go search for them ourselves," Xue Weiwei sighed from the side.
Jiang Nannan agreed and nodded earnestly.
"Haha." Yu Beibei could only chuckle in response to that kind of remark.
"Don't worry. As long as we place in the top three, we'll get that treatment too," Zhu Ziyang reassured her, gently holding Jiang Nannan's hand. "You're close to becoming a Soul Elder too. When the time comes, we'll ask the academy to help you find a Silvermoon Armored Beast for your next ring!"
For teams that ranked in the top three in the freshman assessment, every member would be allowed to request a soul ring from Shrek Academy. The academy would assist them in obtaining one soul ring from a soul beast of their choosing that they could safely absorb. This reward was incredibly valuable—it could be used at any point in the future, even after graduation. If they wanted a 100,000-year soul ring, the academy would do everything in its power to help. It was a privilege normally reserved for inner court disciples of Shrek.
"Mm!" Jiang Nannan immediately perked up, full of anticipation.
——
The freshman assessment was in full swing.
Zhu Ziyang's team had breezed through all six matches on the second and third days. With a record of eight wins and zero losses, they stood firmly at the top of Exam Field Twelve. Only one final match remained.
The fourth day marked the final day of the ranking tournament.
Early morning.
Zhu Ziyang and his team arrived at the exam field for the final match.
Since twelve matches were scheduled for the day, everyone had to get up especially early. After a quick breakfast, they rushed to the field. Most students at the sidelines looked sleepy and worn out. These past three days had been exhausting, but it was almost over.
The day's first match began quickly.
"Ranking Match Number Thirty-Four. Class Three: Lu Shaoyou, Du Shaofu, Wang Shaowei, versus Class Five: Ou Zeyu, Wang Bao'er, Li Xia." Liu Xue announced.
As the two teams entered the field, Zhu Ziyang's team moved to a corner to wait.
"Same rule as always. Unless the enemy team is all Soul Elders, I won't step in," Zhu Ziyang said to Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya.
"No problem. Leave it to us!" Tang Ya clung to Jiang Nannan's arm, full of confidence as she patted her chest.
Other than their first match against Lu Shaoyou's full Soul Elder team, their remaining seven matches—aside from the fifth—had only two teams with Soul Elders, and even then, they were newly advanced at rank 21. Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan had easily handled them without needing Zhu Ziyang's help.
So starting from the second match onward, Zhu Ziyang only participated in the fifth match. In the others, he stayed out, maintaining a bit of proud detachment.
Before long, it was time for their final match. They already knew who the opponents were—it was the only team among the nine they hadn't yet faced.
Liu Xue wasted no time and directly called out, "Exam Field Twelve, Ranking Match Thirty-Nine. Class One: Gao Hongyue, Qiu Ning, Jiang Yutong, versus Class Four: Zhu Ziyang, Jiang Nannan, Tang Ya. Teams, enter the field."
Zhu Ziyang's team stepped to the left side as usual, with Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya in front, Zhu Ziyang behind them.
Their opponents were three girls, their expressions tight with nerves. They had drawn strong opponents three matches in a row. Honestly, they were already numb from the pressure.
The girls lined up on the opposite side, looking distressed.
"Begin!" Liu Xue announced.
Gao Hongyue's team immediately released their martial souls. Though they knew the odds of winning were slim, if they lacked even the courage to fight, their class advisor would definitely expel them!
Gao Hongyue's martial soul was a Sharp-tailed Swift, and she had one yellow soul ring. Qiu Ning's martial soul appeared to be some kind of spider—eight legs with yellow lightning patterns revealed it was a Thunder-patterned Spider. She too had one yellow ring. The last girl, Jiang Yutong, had a plant-based martial soul, Water Vine, with water attributes—also a one-ring Soul Master.
Upon seeing their opponents, Zhu Ziyang took several steps back, retreating to the edge of the arena. Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya stepped forward, both releasing their martial souls. Four yellow rings rose behind them, facing off against their opponents' three.
"Hongyue, looks like Zhu Ziyang won't fight again!" Qiu Ning said, sounding hopeful.
"Then we'll take down Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya first. Maybe then we can try our luck against Zhu Ziyang!" Gao Hongyue replied, still serious. After all, even just Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya had more soul rings than their whole team combined.
"Yutong, control. Ningning, let's go!" Gao Hongyue shouted. Her first ring lit up, and she blurred into four copies of herself that surrounded the two girls—Sharp-tailed Swift's first soul skill: Phantom Image!
Qiu Ning and Jiang Yutong released their skills too. A web of electric spider silk and a net of flowing water vines flew toward Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya.
But neither girl panicked. Jiang Nannan activated her first soul skill, Moonshadow Body. Her speed doubled instantly, allowing her to easily escape the nets and the encirclement, then charge directly at Jiang Yutong. Tang Ya used her Ghost Shadow Steps to dodge the attacks. Her second soul ring lit up as a starry Blue Silver Grass wrapped around her and she dashed toward Gao Hongyue.
Jiang Yutong quickly tried to block with her Water Vine. Qiu Ning also rushed in with her eight electric spider legs. But Jiang Nannan didn't even glance at her, effortlessly dodging both her and the vines. In Jiang Yutong's panicked eyes, she suddenly appeared in front of her, grabbed her waist, and threw her out of the arena.
Liu Xue caught Jiang Yutong with practiced ease.
Meanwhile, Gao Hongyue stood frozen as Tang Ya rushed her head-on. 'Isn't she supposed to be a control-type Soul Master? Why does she fight like a power-type?'
She didn't dare take the hit. The Sharp-tailed Swift was famous for being fragile. Even ordinary people colliding at such speed would get hurt—let alone Soul Masters. She tried to sidestep and slow down, hoping to avoid the impact, but that hesitation gave Tang Ya the opening she needed.
"Haha, gotcha!" Tang Ya grinned, stopping mid-charge. Her first soul ring flared as a Blue Silver Net flew from her hand, instantly capturing Gao Hongyue. Then she tossed out another strand of Blue Silver Grass, tied it to the net, and flung the struggling Gao Hongyue out of the arena.
Only Qiu Ning was left, barely holding on. Faced with a two-on-one, she stood no chance with just one ring. After token resistance, she let herself be caught and was thrown out by Jiang Nannan.
"Match over! Class Four, Zhu Ziyang's team wins!" Liu Xue declared as she caught Qiu Ning.
She then recorded the results with a satisfied smile. 'As expected—nine straight wins. Looks like this year's freshman champions are almost certainly Zhu Ziyang's team.'
The three of them walked off the stage.
"Nice. Clean and sharp!" Zhu Ziyang praised Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya with a smile.
"Of course!" Tang Ya replied proudly, stretching. "Finally done! I'm exhausted!"
"Yeah, it's over at last!" Jiang Nannan echoed.
"Haha, not quite. We still have the elimination rounds ahead," Zhu Ziyang said, bursting their bubble.
"Yeah, yeah..." Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya rolled their eyes in unison.
(End of Chapter)
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