Of course, Huo Yutong had no idea that because of a single Dragon's Beard Tea, she had stirred up such a tremendous commotion throughout Shrek Academy.
Through the night, every member of the campus patrol was dispatched, combing the outer courtyard inch by inch. All the Elders convened in a grave emergency meeting within the Sea God's Pavilion.
Even some troublesome figures — the sort that even Shrek Academy usually found a headache to deal with — had taken an interest.
By the time morning broke…
The young girl felt utterly refreshed.
"I've broken through!"
The petite loli, Xiao Xiao, leapt up, her delicate face brimming with excitement.
"I broke through as well."
Huo Yutong nodded happily.
She had level 25 soul power. In just one night, she had advanced two whole ranks in succession, and yet her foundation wasn't unstable, and her realm wasn't hollow.
To know that she had only advanced to level 23 less than a week ago made it all the more astounding!
"Hurry, let's wash up and then go find Wang Dong. We mustn't be late today!" Xiao Xiao tugged Yutong by the arm, dashing toward the bathhouse.
After a bout of noisy chaos, the two finally finished washing and hurried downstairs from the dormitory, where Wang Dong was already waiting.
"You two— eh? Just one night apart and you've grown so much stronger!" Wang Dong gawked, eyes wide.
"What miracle elixir did you take? Hurry, confess honestly!"
"Dragon's Beard Tea. Neuvillette-sensei gave it to me yesterday. But since it was already late and I didn't know where you lived, I could only give it to you today."
Yutong pulled out a jade bottle and handed it to Wang Dong.
"Hehe, truly a good friend. Thanks!" Wang Dong grinned, accepting the bottle. "Let's go quickly — the freshman assessment is about to begin."
"Goodbye, Grandpa!"
Yutong bowed toward the elderly man lazily reclining on the steps in his chair before leaving with her companions, chatting and laughing.
"How do you view these three children?"
Neuvillette's figure slowly appeared, hands clasped behind his back, standing at the elder's side as he quietly watched the three vanish into the distance.
"Their talents are all extraordinary. Among their peers, few will be their match. But in terms of courtesy… that girl with the Spirit Eyes martial soul is the most commendable."
Mu En spoke lightly, eyes closed.
"Heh, that much is true…"
Neuvillette smiled, nodding.
"Speaking of which, today's freshman assessment should be quite entertaining with those little ones. You're their homeroom teacher, aren't you? Then I expect you'll bring us a few surprises."
Mu En opened one eye, glanced sidelong at Neuvillette, then closed it again with a faint smile.
His breathing slowed, long and steady, as if he had drifted back to sleep.
"There will be."
Neuvillette's lips curved slightly.
"Plenty of surprises."
The Shrek Academy assessment grounds were located in the northern part of the Martial Soul Department, right beside the Duel Arena. Compared to the Duel Arena, however, the testing grounds were much larger.
Oval was in shape, and it wasn't enclosed like a stadium. Instead, it was an open field, partitioned by movable walls into many separate areas.
These partitions could be dismantled or rearranged at will to change the size of the zones.
The freshman assessments every year were when the testing grounds were most heavily divided — not only because there were so many participants, but also because new students had relatively little destructive power.
After an intense morning of grouping, the actual tests began in the afternoon. Since this was only the first day, the Academy allowed each team to undergo just one match to acclimate themselves.
The Academy dispatched fifty teachers, each stationed in one of the fifty zones, to oversee and register the tests. Matchups had already been drawn at noon by lottery, with efforts made to avoid pitting classmates against each other in the ten rounds of round-robin.
Most class groups numbered around thirty students. Except for those who had performed egregiously poorly during orientation, every freshman would be given at least one chance to prove themselves.
Except for Zhou Yi's class…
Neuvillette did not intend to drag Zhou Yi through the mud again, but the contrast was simply too stark.
Atop the high judges' platform, the teachers had already taken their seats.
Yet all of them were restless.
Because just behind them, seated beside Neuvillette, was a strikingly handsome elder. The two were chatting casually, as if already friends.
Beside him sat Director Du Weilun, silent, but visibly tense.
The elder's identity was obvious even if the Dean was this nervous. Even those who had never seen Yan Shaozhe before could piece it together.
This was the Dean of the Martial Soul Department, the elusive true powerhouse of the Academy's upper echelon.
Yan Shaozhe.
And as for Neuvillette, who sat there with a calm expression, even laughing and talking as though on equal footing with him, this left all the other teachers in awe.
The ever-gentle, tranquil Neuvillette… Who exactly was he?
Speculation ran rampant.
"So then, where are these two prodigies you spoke of? My Dragon's Beard Tea has already been entrusted to you. Don't tell me you're deceiving your senior brother?" Yan Shaozhe said sternly, eyeing Neuvillette.
"Rest assured. Even Uncle Qian couldn't snatch them away from me."
Neuvillette's expression remained serene as he took a light sip of tea, gaze lowering toward the assessment grounds below.
The three little ones were itching for battle.
And the other students of Class One were no less eager.
Out of 322 participating groups, barely half would ultimately pass the assessment.
Students of other classes wore tense faces, terrified of being eliminated.
Only Class One brimmed with spirit.
Many of those who had been expelled by Zhou Yi but later recalled by Neuvillette were even more determined, their faces full of fighting will. Compared to being unjustly dismissed before even having the chance to fight, they preferred to throw everything into battle and prove themselves with strength.
Even if they were eliminated in the end, they would only feel guilty for disappointing Neuvillette's trust.
Neuvillette flipped through the roster booklet laid out before him.
At last, his hand paused.
Class One: Huo Yutong, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao
vs. Class Three: Ouyang Junyi, Chen Junfeng, Zhao Chenhao.
"So… these three are the promising seedlings you're recommending to me?"
Yan Shaozhe leaned closer, glancing at Neuvillette, then focused on the names written there. His eyes narrowed slightly, the corners of his lips curving.
"Match thirty-three, first bout. Let me see… Ah, it looks like it's already begun."
He directed his gaze toward the field below.
Soon enough, he spotted the three who had already engaged their opponents.
But a flicker of disappointment crossed his eyes.
Their martial souls: two with double yellow rings, and even one with a bizarre yellow-white combination. Such odd soul ring pairings left him puzzled.
Of course, this wasn't the main issue.
Rather, their opponents were mere rank-one Soul Masters. Victory was a matter of time, making it impossible to gauge anything meaningful.
On the stage—
Wang Dong unfurled into the Radiant Butterfly Goddess, wings flashing as he darted forward.
The girl's second soul ring lit up, a milk-white radiance spreading across the field, enveloping Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong both.