Wang Dong was brimming with excitement as she turned to Xiao Xiao.
"Look, Xiao Xiao, this year's freshmen not only have the Lan sisters' martial soul fusion skill, but even Class 5 has the Nether White Tiger's fusion skill. Since we happen to be classmates, isn't it only natural that we should have a martial soul fusion skill too?"
After all, Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao already possessed a martial soul fusion skill. In a single freshman class, there were already three pairs of martial soul fusion skills. Wasn't that just outrageous?
Moreover, both Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao possessed twin martial souls, a rarity that hadn't been seen in decades.
The last person to have such a coincidence was Huo Yuhao. Since Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eye could produce a special reaction with both of Wang Dong's martial souls, it stood to reason that Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong should also have a fusion skill.
Especially considering Wang Dong's second martial soul, the Clear Sky Hammer, which was also a weapon-type martial soul. Its compatibility should undoubtedly surpass that of the Spirit Eye!
The more Wang Dong thought about it, the more convinced she became.
Without hesitation, she grabbed Xiao Xiao's hands, trying to sense the difference between her and Huo Yuhao when activating their martial soul fusion skill.
However, Wang Dong had forgotten one crucial detail in her excitement: she was currently in disguise and hadn't revealed her second martial soul. To others, her sudden actions seemed almost like harassment, completely out of line.
Xiao Xiao was startled by Wang Dong's abrupt move and immediately shook off her hands.
"Wang Dong, you idiot! Did you even pay attention in class? Teacher Zhou clearly said that martial soul fusion skills require an extremely high degree of compatibility between the martial souls of both parties. It's practically impossible for us!"
At that moment, Xiao Xiao was both embarrassed and annoyed. How could a beast-type martial soul like the Light Goddess Butterfly have a high degree of compatibility with her two weapon-type martial souls?
Besides, if two people's martial souls were highly compatible, they would naturally feel a sense of resonance upon meeting.
They had been classmates for so long, yet Xiao Xiao had never felt any sense of compatibility with Wang Dong. On the contrary, the Class 9 monitor, Huo Yuhao...
Well, their first meeting had been quite dramatic.
Okay, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration.
Although Xiao Xiao had been initially drawn to Huo Yuhao's appearance, what truly won her over was his cooking skills. As a self-proclaimed foodie, her life had been forever changed after tasting his grilled fish.
Especially a while back, when Huo Yuhao returned from a soul hunting trip, he hadn't forgotten Xiao Xiao and had specially shared the dark gold terror claw bear meat with them. The flavor had been unforgettable.
Whoever ended up marrying Huo Yuhao in the future would be incredibly lucky. Who wouldn't want a boyfriend with such exceptional cooking skills?
If it weren't for Zhou Yi's overly strict training regimen, Xiao Xiao might have even considered actively pursuing Huo Yuhao.
In Xiao Xiao's heart, Huo Yuhao scored much higher than Wang Dong. Inner beauty mattered, after all.
A clueless straight guy like Wang Dong was nothing more than an empty shell.
While he was a reliable teammate, the idea of getting along with him on a deeper level was better left forgotten.
"You're right, I was just wishful thinking," Wang Dong admitted, her face flushing with embarrassment.
At that moment, she recalled Huo Yuhao's recent advice:
'Just focus on improving your soul power level. The martial soul fusion skill is just one of the tools a soul master can use. True strength still depends on the soul master themselves.'
"Do your best in the freshman assessment. The title of core disciple is still very important for you. As long as you don't run into the Nether White Tiger's martial soul fusion skill from Dai Huabin's Class 5, the other teams are manageable."
"Me? I definitely won't let you down. But if you really want to match with me, I can give you the chance to prove yourself."
The two walked in silence for a while. Before parting ways, Xiao Xiao offered some encouragement:
"Try your best. At the very least, aim for the top three. The top three receive substantial rewards. Fourth place is nothing special."
Wang Dong nodded slightly. "Alright, let's work hard together!"
Bai Yan, who was absent from the conversation: 'What about me?'
Well, she was just a passing soul master who had been overshadowed.
…
After three days of intense and thrilling assessments, the freshman evaluation had essentially come to an end. The results and rankings were announced, and those with weaker strength had already begun packing their bags, preparing to leave the academy.
After a day of rest, the top 64 teams were required to participate in the subsequent knockout rounds.
This day of rest not only allowed the participants to recover their strength but also gave the eliminated students time to gather their emotions and belongings before departing the academy.
One day later, the elimination round for the top 64 teams in the freshman assessment began.
Although more than half of the freshmen had been directly eliminated, the atmosphere in Shrek Academy was far from subdued. In fact, the assessment area was livelier than ever, with many senior students coming to watch the excitement.
Outside the assessment area, a row of about 30 academy teachers stood ready, and the roll call had already begun.
As a team, Wang Dong and her two teammates gathered together, exchanging information in hushed tones.
Xiao Xiao spoke first, her expression tinged with worry: "It's not looking good. After Teacher Zhou's analysis yesterday, it's clear that winning the championship will be incredibly difficult. Shrek Academy never lacks geniuses, after all."
During yesterday's class, Zhou Yi had praised all 19 groups in the class for passing the freshman assessment, even offering a rare smile.
She had even rewarded Wang Dong's team for their flawless victory record. However, she also delivered some bad news: among the six other teams that had won all their matches in the round-robin tournament, four of them had three-ringed Soul Masters!
Wang Dong, however, remained unfazed. "So what if they're Soul Elders? What's the big deal? Even our twin martial soul geniuses are losing confidence now?"
Xiao Xiao pursed her lips and smiled bitterly.
"Those four Soul Elders are clearly not easy to deal with. Think about it—even our class monitor is only at level 24. To break through to the three-ringed realm before the age of twelve, how powerful must their martial souls be? Even Teacher Zhou isn't optimistic about our chances. I think we should aim for fourth place at best."
Hearing this, Wang Dong's face flushed red. It wasn't because she had been lazy in her training before. If she had worked even half as hard as she did now, reaching the Soul Elder realm would have been a breeze for her.
Bai Yan nodded in agreement. "I'm already satisfied with how far we've come. From here on out, we can only do our best and leave the rest to fate. Fortunately, since we won the round-robin matches, we'll have preferential treatment in the first two rounds. We won't have to face a Soul Elder team right away."
Seeing the low morale of her teammates, Wang Dong spoke seriously: "Maybe our overall strength isn't on par with the Soul Elder teams, but if we lose confidence now, we'll have no chance at all. Besides, we have our own advantages, and our hidden strengths haven't been revealed yet. For us, winning the championship may be difficult, but it's not impossible."
She paused, then added, "We have to cheer up."
Wang Dong had also learned about Huo Yuhao's unique situation from Zhou Yi the previous day. He had actually formed a team by himself!
She couldn't help but think that Huo Yuhao probably hadn't expected to be targeted by the academy in this way.
But this might just be her opportunity. That freak Huo Yuhao had broken through from level 27 to Soul Elder in just three months—it was truly outrageous.
Wang Dong had a hunch that this three-on-one battle might be her only chance in this lifetime to defeat Huo Yuhao head-on. The gap between them would only grow wider from here on out.
No matter how strong Huo Yuhao was now, he couldn't possibly take on three people at once, right?
As for the other teams with Soul Elders, Wang Dong wasn't too concerned. As Huo Yuhao had said, they just needed to be cautious of Dai Huabin's martial soul fusion skill from Class Five.
Aside from Huo Yuhao and Dai Huabin's team, Wang Dong wasn't afraid of anyone else. As long as they could hold off the opposing team's Soul Elder, Xiao Xiao and the others could definitely eliminate the rest.
And even if they faced Dai Huabin, as long as they took out the Netherworld Civet Spirit user early, victory would be within their grasp.
The advantage was theirs!
Although her soul power level was a bit low, Wang Dong still had confidence in her physical fitness.
Xiao Xiao's confidence seemed to be rekindled, and she nodded slightly.
"Then let's fight. No matter what, we'll give it our all. Let's work hard together!"
Bai Yan was also fired up. "The Class monitor is right. No matter who our opponent is, we'll just do our best. Making it to the top 16 is already a success!"
Wang Dong extended her hand. "Let's aim for the championship!"
The three of them placed their hands together. "Let's go!!"
…
Scenes like this were common among the freshmen. Huo Yuhao, on the other hand, stood alone, an oddity in a team-based competition. Fortunately, he had the encouragement of his senior sister.
Among the teachers on the high platform, a disciple from the inner courtyard, dressed in red, stood out.
Ma Xiaotao used her soul power to send a message to Huo Yuhao: "Yuhao, I skipped class to come cheer for you. How about coming back as the champion?"
Huo Yuhao replied via voice transmission: "Don't worry, Sister Xiaotao. Just watch my performance."
He gave a thumbs-up, his confidence unwavering.
Soon, Du Weilun, the teaching director of the Martial Soul Department of the Outer courtyard, finished the roll call, and the next step was the drawing of lots.
The freshman assessment was straightforward, without any elaborate ceremonies.
Representatives from each team drew lots to determine their opponents. All 64 teams were divided into 32 matches, competing against each other in a single-elimination format.
The students had been given a day of rest, and the assessment area had been modified to accommodate the knockout rounds. The partitions were rearranged, dividing the area into 16 larger sections to give the participants more space to showcase their abilities.
The rules for the knockout rounds were simple: one match in the morning and one in the afternoon each day. The losing teams would return to class, while the winning teams would stay to continue competing. The top three would be determined within three days.
After the draw, the round of 64 began immediately, with all 32 matches taking place simultaneously. This ensured that the assessment would be completed as quickly as possible, giving the winning students ample time to rest before their next match.
Huo Yuhao was assigned to the third area. The invigilator this time was a kind-looking female teacher in her thirties.
Since only numbers were drawn, Huo Yuhao had no idea who his opponent would be until he arrived at the venue.
His opponents were quite distinctive.
In the opposing team, there was a pair of female students who looked identical. Both had long blue hair, delicate faces, and flushed cheeks. They appeared younger than Huo Yuhao and looked utterly adorable.
Standing in front of the twins was a tall, burly male student. He introduced himself: "My name is Huang Chutian. On the left is Lan Susu, and on the right is Lan Luoluo. We look forward to learning from you."
Huo Yuhao nodded politely. "Huo Yuhao. I look forward to learning from you as well."
…
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