Inside the classroom.
The new disciples of Class One were chattering away, discussing the competition schedule.
"Teams of three. The over one thousand new students are divided into three hundred and forty groups. First, there is the elimination round, where the top one hundred and seventy advance and the bottom one hundred and seventy are eliminated. Following that is the advancement tournament, held among the top sixty-four from the previous matches. The top four will all receive rewards." Ning Cong stood to the side, explaining the rules with a smile.
For most students, an elimination rate of nearly half was both cruel and nerve-wracking, but for the three of them, reaching the top three was practically a done deal; the only variable was whether they would win the championship.
It is said that the rewards for winning the New Student Assessment are extremely generous every year, possibly even including precious items like a ten-thousand-year Spirit Bone.
"Our only competitor... is the team from Class Two: Yu Linglong, Sang Qi, and War Spirit. The former is a level thirty-one attack system Spirit Elder with the Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul, while the latter two are a level twenty-three support system Soul Master with a Mulberry Martial Soul and a level twenty-four agility-attack system Soul Master with a Hummingbird Martial Soul, respectively."
Ning Cong said.
"Aside from them, there are no other opponents worth noticing."
The young man seemed quite high-spirited, his handsome face with golden hair and golden eyes shining brilliantly, causing Xue Linger, who was standing nearby, to have her eyes light up. She rested her chin on her hands, staring at Ning Cong without blinking.
Meanwhile, Lu Cheng had a gentle gaze with a hint of a smile, though a touch of loneliness was mixed in the depths of his eyes.
Once upon a time, it seemed there was also a figure who looked at him with such near-adoration.
It was just a pity...
Suddenly, a broadcast voice pierced through the entire academy.
"Will all new students please proceed to the assessment area now to participate in the assessment? Being ten minutes late will result in disqualification from the assessment..."
"Let's go! The assessment will last for over half a month. In the early elimination rounds, we won't encounter classmates, but there is a chance of running into Yu Linglong and his team from Class Two." Feeling the atmosphere around him, even Ning Cong unconsciously clenched his fists, becoming nervous.
Walking out of the classroom, they realized the hallways were packed with a sea of new students in white uniforms. Noisy chatter rose to the skies as the students filed out of the teaching building and headed north.
The assessment area was in the north, adjacent to the Martial Soul Fighting Arena. It was a massive area similar to a gymnasium, divided into over fifty sections, each nearly four hundred square meters. For low-level soul masters, this distance was sufficient to display their standards.
"The assessment begins!"
Lu Cheng and his team were assigned to the seventh section. After stepping onto the arena, they all wore cold, arrogant expressions, facing the three trembling people opposite them.
The elimination round was not a one-time event; rankings were based on points from winning out of ten matches. However, encountering such a monster team right at the start caused them to almost lose their desire for victory.
While Ning Cong was gathering information on Hou Jie's team, all the other teams were naturally gathering information on these "monsters" as well. Ning Cong's team was naturally ranked at the top, belonging to the category of existences one would least like to encounter.
"Let's end this quickly."
Lu Cheng said indifferently.
"Fine." Ning Cong curled the corners of his lips, somewhat enjoying the gaze of everyone watching... Their section had the highest number of spectators, aside from the team led by Hou Jie.
Even many senior students from the Outer Academy had come to watch the match.
Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya also arrived at the spectator area.
"Go, Lu Cheng!"
Tang Ya was rather outgoing; she cupped her hands into a circle to act as a megaphone and shouted.
There were not many top-tier beauties in the Outer Academy. Jiang Nannan went without saying; she was the publicly recognized school beauty of the Outer Academy. Tang Ya had a tall figure and a beautiful appearance, only slightly inferior to Jiang Nannan, but she was definitely considered a rare beauty as well.
Thus, the appearance of these two flowers instantly triggered a commotion.
Jiang Nannan's pretty face turned red. Seeing the young man standing tall on the stage, nodding slightly at her, she also wanted to say something but held back. She simply bit her red lip gently, silently cheering him on in her heart.
She was more reserved and steady, not as outgoing as Tang Ya.
"Tang Sect Leader, Tang Ya?" Ning Cong was somewhat surprised. He naturally recognized this unfortunate person, but since the assessment was about to begin, he didn't say anything else and focused his attention on the opponents.
"Even if we lose, we must lose beautifully!"
The three people opposite them gritted their teeth and spoke.
"Hah! Hound Martial Soul, possess!"
The leader roared, his arms thickening, and sharp claws emerged from his fingertips. Like a black dog, he roared as he charged toward Lu Cheng and his team.
The other two, one support system and one agility-attack system, skillfully began to coordinate.
Looking at their Soul Ring configuration, they were all two yellow rings, two-ring spirit grandmasters. Looking across the entire competition area, they could be considered upper-middle tier. Therefore, this intense scene made many onlookers look solemn, anticipating how the three of them, Lu Cheng and his team, would respond.
To deal with such a team, they should at least be able to force out some trump cards.
But the next instant—
Lu Cheng's eyes narrowed slightly. A bow of crimson fire slowly emerged in his left hand, and endless scorching fire gushed from beneath his feet, lighting up the entire arena to some extent. He raised it and aimed at the Hound Martial Soul student who was sprinting towards him from afar.
A purple soul ring slowly rose from beneath his feet.
"First Soul Skill: Shoot the Sun!"
He raised his other hand, and between two fingers, two fiery red arrows condensed, and then he gently released them.
"Whoosh!"
One fiery red arrow, like a sharp sword, emitted a humming, vibrating sound and shot straight toward the hound.
The other one skillfully veered in a different direction, rushing toward the agility-attack system student who was flanking them from the other side.
"No!!!"
After the disciple's Martial Soul possession, his teeth had become incredibly sharp, but at this moment, he had a look of horror on his face. He wanted to dodge, but the speed of the arrow arrived in an instant.
Boom!
The roaring sound echoed through the clouds and spread across nearly half the gymnasium.
In countless other sections, disciples who were fighting were all looking with surprise, glancing toward the source of the sound.
This momentum... it doesn't look like something new students could produce.
Pfft-
As the mist dissipated.
After the teacher in charge of the seventh section rushed onto the assessment area with a bewildered face, they saw the charred hound martial soul student. The latter had dull eyes, spat out a ring of black mist from his mouth, and fell straight to the ground.
The agility-attack system Soul Master nearby didn't fare any better. Even though their speed was so fast it was hard for the naked eye to discern, they were still shot off the assessment stage by Lu Cheng's stray arrow. At this moment, their homeroom teacher rushed over, checking the injuries with a worried look.
Only the sole support system, Soul Master, was left standing on the stage, trembling.
"So strong..."
The students who had come to watch from the other side were dumbfounded.
And Yu Linglong looked even more solemn, quietly overlooking Lu Cheng, who was slowly lowering his arm below the stage, the fire bow in his palm gradually dissipating, his expression still calm and indifferent.
Lu Cheng also sensed the gaze from the other side. He raised his head and nodded slightly at Yu Linglong.
The two gazes collided, then quickly moved away.
After this battle, the spots for the top three were basically determined, and the only suspense left was who would take first place.
"So strong, Xiao Cheng!!!" Tang Ya stood up, her face unusually excited, waving her slender, fair arms.
A trace of heartache appeared on Jiang Nannan's beautiful, pretty face.
Who could have thought that such a young child was now carrying the pressure from the Xuanming Sect?
He seemed indifferent and calm, showing a different gap from children of the same age, but it wasn't deliberately acting cool to create a contrast; he was bearing a burden that would make an adult collapse. Because of her and her mother...
Notes:
(2/3)
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