Senior Sister Qin knew it was impossible to keep hiding these matters any longer. She could only tell Nanmen Yuner everything in full detail, not even avoiding Xu Zihuang, who had quietly stepped away from the flowerbeds to stand at the staircase.
Her name was Qin Yin. Her ancestor was none other than the Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo, who had been infamous on the Douluo Continent ten thousand years ago. Though Dugu Bo's strength wasn't outstanding among Title Douluo, his feats of poisoning countless Spirit Empire soldiers had earned him a fearsome reputation.
Qin Yin's lineage also traced back to Yu Tianheng, one of the "Twin Stars" of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Xu Zihuang's maternal ancestor, however, was Yu Tianxin, Tianheng's cousin. By blood, they had once been of the same branch.
But her line had inherited the Jade Phosphor Serpent martial soul, and over time split away from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
A person's martial soul was directly tied to their parents'. The most common case was inheriting either the father's or mother's martial soul—family-style inheritance. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's quality was higher than that of the Jade Phosphor Serpent, but that didn't mean a child of two such soul masters could not awaken the serpent.
Of course, in most cases, the child would inherit whichever parent's martial soul was stronger.
But because cultivating the Jade Phosphor Serpent martial soul caused its venom to seep into the body, Qin Yin's branch declined rapidly over the centuries.
Through generations, the toxin accumulated. By her father's time, he had died young before reaching thirty, struck down by the serpent venom's backlash.
Thus she had been adopted into Nanmen Yuner's family since childhood. Thanks to the close ties between their parents, she had always been treated as one of their own.
Qin Yin did indeed know of the method to force venom into a soul bone. This was knowledge passed down from her ancestor, Dugu Bo.
But she refused to let Nanmen Yuner's family spend a fortune on acquiring a soul bone for her sake.
For soul masters, soul rings were already precious. Soul bones were a hundred times more so. Even the lowest quality soul bone would never sell for less than three hundred thousand gold soul coins. And they were always priceless beyond measure.
Whenever one appeared at an auction, it would inevitably spark frenzied bidding. Acquiring one almost always required paying far above its worth.
Leaning against the staircase rail, Xu Zihuang silently sighed in his heart.
The Icefire Yin Yang Well had originally been discovered by Dugu Bo. Yet now it had become the Tang Sect's private garden—his own descendants were barred from entry.
How pitiful.
Hearing Nanmen Yuner and Qin Yin move on to discussing their clans' private affairs, he casually picked a few flowers and returned downstairs.
This small gesture did not escape Qin Yin's notice. Her lips curved faintly.
Her admiration for Xu Zihuang deepened further.
Outstanding looks, peerless talent among his generation, careful and discerning. Such qualities were truly rare. Thinking so, she looked at Nanmen Yuner with an almost maternal fondness.
But Nanmen Yuner frowned, displeased. "Sister Qin, I'm talking to you!"
"I'm listening."
"..."
Xu Zihuang and Tuoba Yu sat in the flower shop's first floor for quite a while before Nanmen Yuner and Qin Yin finally came down arm in arm. She thanked the two boys for helping her sell flowers.
After a bit more chatting, the group parted ways.
Shrek Academy's assessment grounds were located in the northern part of the Martial Soul Department, adjacent to the Battle Soul Area. Compared to that arena, the assessment zone was far larger. For outer court students, this was both the paradise where outstanding talents shone, and the nightmare where weaker ones were culled. Every year, many were eliminated here.
The assessment area was oval-shaped, not like a walled stadium but rather an open space. A short wall enclosed it, and inside it was divided into sections by panels that could be rearranged to change their size.
The freshman assessment was always the time of year when the zone was most divided. Not only because of the sheer number of new students, but also because their destructive ability and attack range were limited. They didn't need much space to demonstrate their skills.
The total area was about 20,000 square meters. At this time, it had been split into fifty zones, each around 400 square meters—20 meters to a side. For freshmen with only one or two rings, this was more than enough.
That morning, Xu Zihuang arrived with Tuoba Yu and Nanmen Yuner at the grounds, preparing for the grouping ceremony.
Because of the large number of students, the grouping work lasted nearly the entire morning.
After another lavish meal in the cafeteria, the three returned to learn their assignments.
Since it was the first day, the assessment was designed to ease students in. Each team only had to fight once before leaving. The academy had dispatched fifty teachers to handle the fifty zones.
Only Class One, which had lost many students to expulsion, had just twenty teams. The other classes all had the full thirty-three teams. Any extra student beyond that number was assigned to the Soul Tool Department.
Each homeroom teacher held one recommendation quota to send a student into the Soul Tool Department directly. That student didn't even need to pass the assessment to remain in Shrek Academy.
Such quotas were always highly coveted.
In total, there were 317 teams in the freshman assessment, 951 students altogether. Of those, only 150 teams would remain, becoming full first-year students.
At Shrek Academy, competition was fierce and merciless. But precisely because of that tension, students worked harder and pushed their limits. It was this that had kept Shrek's legacy of victory alive for ten thousand years.
With fifty zones running at once, each was assigned six or seven teams. The next day, they would continue in the same zones, fighting until all teams had faced each other, then regrouping until each team had completed ten matches.
Xu Zihuang's group was placed in Zone 36. Other classes' students were already there—some nervous, some eager, glaring at each other with open hostility.
After all, only half would survive. Each match, of the ten they had to fight, could decide their futures.