The next day.
When Zhu Ziyang and the other two arrived at the classroom, their classmates were gathered in groups of three, discussing animatedly. It was clear that everyone had already formed their groups and were getting to know their teammates.
Team battles are not only an assessment of individual strength but also of teamwork, and the most important aspects of teamwork are mutual understanding and trust.
"Shouldn't we also get to know each other's information? I've known you two for so long, and I still don't know your Spirits and Spirit Abilities!" Tang Ya said, her gaze fixed on Zhu Ziyang.
She had long known Jiang Nannan's Spirit and Spirit Abilities. The Soft Bones Rabbit, a Spirit with deep ties to the Blue Silver Grass Spirit, once made Tang Ya exclaim that she and Jiang Nannan were truly natural best friends.
Given this, Tang Ya's words were clearly meant for Zhu Ziyang. Since Zhu Ziyang had only made one move since the start of school, and even then he won without releasing his Spirit, no one in the class, except for Jiang Nannan, not even Tang Ya who was often with them, knew Zhu Ziyang's Spirit and Spirit Abilities.
"Alright," Zhu Ziyang said with a smile, seeing Tang Ya's expression that seemed to say, 'If you don't tell me, I won't blink.' "My Spirit is a scythe. My first Spirit Ability is an attack skill, swinging out a blade aura that can hit targets up to ten meters away. My second Spirit Ability is an amplification skill that can increase my strength and Spirit characteristics. As for my third Spirit Ability, it's also an attack skill, one to two times more powerful than the first Spirit Ability."
"No, you're just going to say it like that!" Tang Ya was dumbfounded, looking at Zhu Ziyang with a speechless expression.
"Otherwise? Are you expecting me to release my Spirit and use Spirit Abilities in the classroom?" Zhu Ziyang also looked at Tang Ya, speechless, and replied.
"Oh right, this is a classroom!" Tang Ya finally realized, awkwardly scratching the back of her head and laughing sheepishly.
"Can't we just find a place to get familiar with each other later? No need to rush," Jiang Nannan said.
"Okay!" Tang Ya nodded.
Soon, Xia Yu appeared.
"I've already reported the participant list to the grade level. The assessment will begin this afternoon," Xia Yu said expressionlessly. "In the first stage of the points ranking competition, your opponents will not only be students from other classes, but you might also encounter classmates. However, you don't need to worry about classmate friendships. As long as you don't kill them, beat them as if you're trying to kill them. Do you understand?!"
Xia Yu's last sentence was full of killing intent. Of course, he wasn't encouraging the students of Class Four to kill, but rather purely wanted them to understand the seriousness of the situation.
"Understood!" Everyone in Class Four responded in unison, full of confidence. After all, they were the ones who had survived three months of practical combat classes!
It's just a fight, let's do it!
"Very good, very spirited!" Xia Yu nodded with satisfaction, then said, "Gather in the assessment area this afternoon. Now, dismissed!"
"Great! Let's quickly find a place to practice!" Tang Ya stood up directly and said to Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan.
"Alright!" The two nodded and also stood up.
What Shrek Academy had in abundance was forests. The three quickly found a relatively flat clearing in the forest.
"There's nothing better for practice than combat. Nannan, you and Xiaoya team up, and we'll have a sparring match," Zhu Ziyang said.
"Alright! I've wanted to beat you for a long time, Zhu Ziyang!" Before Jiang Nannan could speak, Tang Ya excitedly exclaimed and immediately agreed. "Nannan, you can't betray me!"
"Alright," Jiang Nannan could only agree.
"Very good, Zhu Ziyang, wait a moment, we need to discuss our strategy." Tang Ya pulled Jiang Nannan aside and began to whisper, discussing their strategy.
"Be my guest!" Zhu Ziyang said with a confident smile.
"Nannan, I'll be the main controller later, and you'll attack," Tang Ya said to Jiang Nannan. "You know all my Spirit Abilities, and I also have Tang Sect's unique skills, so you don't need to worry about me. Once I control him, you can directly use your second Spirit Ability to defeat him! We are two Spirit Grandmasters, Zhu Ziyang is definitely going to lose this time!"
"Xiaoya, actually..." Jiang Nannan looked at Tang Ya's excited expression, hesitating to speak.
"Alright, let's go!" However, Tang Ya didn't let Jiang Nannan finish her sentence. She directly pulled her towards Zhu Ziyang and said, "Zhu Ziyang, we're ready, we can start!"
"Okay, then let's begin," Zhu Ziyang said, his smile slightly receding, but still looking casual.
The three maintained a distance of fifty meters between them, and as they all turned around simultaneously, the battle officially began.
Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya simultaneously summoned their Spirits, and four yellow spirit rings shimmered.
Zhu Ziyang also released the Pacifying Life-Reaping Scythe, and the golden battle scythe appeared in his hand. However, no spirit rings appeared. Under Zhu Ziyang's intentional control, the Pacifying Life-Reaping Scythe looked like an ordinary scythe, without anything noteworthy. This was Zhu Ziyang's first time releasing his Spirit in front of others since entering Shrek Academy.
"Is this your Spirit, Zhu Ziyang?" Tang Ya, full of curiosity and anticipation, couldn't help but be greatly disappointed when she saw the Spirit in Zhu Ziyang's hand. She said, "It's nothing special, is it? Also, where are your spirit rings?"
"Hehe," Zhu Ziyang chuckled and said, "No rush, no rush."
The battle began.
Jiang Nannan's first spirit ring and Tang Ya's second spirit ring lit up simultaneously. Jiang Nannan's delicate body became illusory, and at the same time, a cyan-green vine coiled around her slender waist.
"Nannan, go!" Tang Ya shouted. She was the first to charge at Zhu Ziyang, while her two hands moved nimbly, throwing out darts that flew at tricky angles towards Zhu Ziyang. Jiang Nannan followed closely, moving swiftly, also charging towards Zhu Ziyang.
"Are these Tang Sect Hidden Weapons?" A sharp glint flashed in Zhu Ziyang's eyes. He waved his right hand, the Pacifying Life-Reaping Scythe danced, and he stepped forward, rushing towards the two girls. After easily dodging two darts, he spun the Pacifying Life-Reaping Scythe, knocking away several more darts that followed.
"So fast!" Tang Ya was surprised, not expecting Zhu Zi, an attack system Spirit Master, to be not much slower than Jiang Nannan. She threw out eight or nine more darts, but they still couldn't hinder Zhu Ziyang's speed. In just three seconds, Zhu Ziyang had already arrived in front of her.
Seeing this, Tang Ya threw daggers, darts, and other Hidden Weapons at Zhu Ziyang as if they were free. Zhu Ziyang's Pacifying Life-Reaping Scythe spun rapidly, and not a single flying Hidden Weapon could penetrate the barrier formed by the scythe. Tang Ya's face showed a dejected expression, and while shouting, "Damn it!" to try and confuse Zhu Ziyang, her first spirit ring quickly flew out, and then a two-meter-wide net made of cyan-green vines instantly lunged at him.
Blue Silver Grass's first Spirit Ability, Blue Silver Net!
A slight smile appeared on Zhu Ziyang's face. The Pacifying Life-Reaping Scythe directly slashed at the net woven from Blue Silver Grass. The blade quickly cut through the outer Blue Silver Grass, easily splitting the Blue Silver Net in half.
Just as Zhu Ziyang thought the Blue Silver Net was destroyed, the scythe blade was suddenly entangled by half of the Blue Silver Net, and the other half of the Blue Silver Net also took the opportunity to net Zhu Ziyang's arm, restricting his movements.
A look of surprise appeared on Zhu Ziyang's face. What was going on with this Blue Silver Grass? How could it still function so flexibly after being cut in half? Could the Sky Star Vine's enhancement of Blue Silver Grass be this terrifying?
"Haha! Nannan, it's your turn to strike!" Tang Ya cried out happily when she saw this. "Zhu Ziyang, you didn't expect this, did you? After my first Spirit Ability was enhanced, not only was the toughness of the Blue Silver Grass strengthened, but more importantly, every single one of them can be controlled by me, making you suffer without using your Spirit Ability! Hahahaha!"
Jiang Nannan, who had been circling around, also made her move at this moment. She directly pounced on Zhu Ziyang, who was bound by the Blue Silver Net, and instantly rushed to his front.
Zhu Ziyang suffered a hidden loss and finally became serious. The Pacifying Life-Reaping Scythe in his hand glowed, and three spirit rings—one yellow and two purple—rose behind him. This was naturally Zhu Ziyang's first time revealing his spirit rings since entering Shrek Academy, which completely stunned Tang Ya.
"This..." Tang Ya's eyes widened, looking at the two magnificent purple spirit rings. She didn't know what to do, and then she saw one of the purple spirit rings light up.
"Second Spirit Ability, Blessing of Light!" Zhu Ziyang silently chanted. His second spirit ring lit up, and the Pacifying Life-Reaping Scythe's light grew brighter, its blade shimmering with a cold gleam.
Blessing of Light, the Radiant Scythe evolved into the Pacifying Life-Reaping Scythe, and its effects were also enhanced: strength increased by 150%, the hardness and sharpness of the Radiant Scythe increased by 150%, and the Light Attribute increased by 100%.
He lightly swung a few times, and the Blue Silver Grass that had been entwining the Pacifying Life-Reaping Scythe was instantly cut into pieces. Immediately after, the Blue Silver Grass on his body was also severed, turning into fragments and falling to the ground.
At this moment, Jiang Nannan had already arrived in front of him, and her second Spirit Ability was about to be activated.
He dared not hesitate; he naturally knew how terrifying Jiang Nannan's second Spirit Ability was. He took a step back, narrowly dodging Jiang Nannan's delicate hand. If he wasn't caught by Jiang Nannan, then the suppression effect attached to Jiang Nannan's second Spirit Ability would not take effect.
And Jiang Nannan naturally wouldn't let go of this opportunity. She followed closely, reaching out to grab him again. Seeing this, Zhu Ziyang's Pacifying Life-Reaping Scythe instantly changed its posture. He grabbed the ring blade with one hand and held the scythe handle with the other, holding it horizontally across his chest. He directly changed his footwork and moved forward to meet Jiang Nannan.
Seeing this, a faint light flickered in Jiang Nannan's silver-red eyes, and the second spirit ring behind her glowed even more dazzlingly. The girl suddenly accelerated, attempting to grab his waist before Zhu Ziyang could make a move. However, Zhu Ziyang had no intention of engaging Jiang Nannan. His movements were purely a feint. As the girl was about to get close to him, he directly turned around, flipped the Pacifying Life-Reaping Scythe, and moved outside Jiang Nannan's body range, thrusting directly towards Tang Ya behind her.
All of this happened in an instant. By the time Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya reacted, Zhu Ziyang's blade was already resting against Tang Ya's fair neck.
"The match is over!" Zhu Ziyang said confidently. After dealing with Tang Ya, the control system Spirit Master, Jiang Nannan, the agility-attack system Spirit Master, would simply be no match for him.
"Ah! How annoying!" Tang Ya was extremely angry and also very helpless, she could only scream frantically, "Zhu Ziyang, are you a monster? How can your second spirit ring be a thousand-year one!"
The sparring had ended. Jiang Nannan put away her Spirit and walked over, her face showing helplessness, saying, "I wanted to remind you just now."
"Ah ah ah!" Tang Ya first cried out in annoyance, then suddenly started laughing, her pretty face full of the excitement of winning a big prize. She said, "Good thing you're my teammate! I feel like we have to win the championship in this freshman assessment, hehe!"
"That's a given," Zhu Ziyang said, accustomed to Tang Ya's erratic thinking, following her words with a confident expression on his face.
"That's right! We will definitely win the championship!" Jiang Nannan echoed.
The three exchanged smiles, filled with fighting Spirit for the freshman assessment that would arrive in the afternoon.
"However, I still need to point out the problems that were exposed in the battle just now," Zhu Ziyang said, his smile gone, his expression serious. "Your tactics just now were really terrible. Facing me, an attack system Spirit Master, you two—one control system and one agility-attack system—shouldn't you have been moving around and wearing me down? How dare you engage me head-on? Your tactics were too poor!"
Hearing Zhu Ziyang's words, Tang Ya's previously happy face instantly fell. She said somewhat unhappily, "Yes, yes, yes, I know I was wrong, Great Class Leader Zhu! From now on, you can decide our tactics!"
Meanwhile, Jiang Nannan stuck out her tongue, a playful look on her face that said, 'I know I was wrong.'