Chapter 19: Chapter 18 - District 33, 3 versus 3
Standing at the very back, Zhao Haochen bellowed, "Come, my roasted chicken legs." A yellow Soul Ring rippled up at his feet and two yellow glows flashed in his hands. Instantly, two roasted chicken legs appeared in his grasp and were swiftly handed to the two people in front of him.
Ouyang Junyi and Chen Junfeng both released their Martial Souls and quickly bit into the chicken legs, eating voraciously.
A food-class Martial Soul? This was the first time Huo Yuhao had seen a food-class Martial Soul, though he was unsure of the effect of those chicken legs. Zhao Haochen had only one Soul Ring, but it was a Centennial one, so its amplifying effect must have been quite significant. However, the sight of Ouyang Junyi and Chen Junfeng gnawing on the chicken legs was quite peculiar, prompting Xiao Xiao to laugh out loud. Her Three Lives Soul Suppression Cauldron was still hovering above her head, showing no intention of making a move.
Ouyang Junyi and Chen Junfeng finally made their move, one with a Beast Martial Soul and the other with a Tool Soul, both agile-attack class Battle Soul Masters.
Ouyang Junyi's Martial Soul was the Sword Beak Hummingbird. Upon its release, a spike rapidly appeared on the front end of his right arm. While his Martial Soul was a bird, he was not yet capable of developing wings due to his level of cultivation. This single detail highlighted the gap in the quality of his Martial Soul compared to Wang Dong's Bright Goddess Butterfly, a top-level Beast Martial Soul naturally endowed with wings.
Chen Junfeng's Martial Soul was a Soft Sword. All three of them were One-ring Soul Masters, but they each possessed a yellow Hundred Year Soul Ring. Among them, Ouyang Junyi was the strongest, with a cultivation of Level Nineteen Soul Power, while Chen Junfeng was Level Eighteen. Zhao Haochen, being a food-class Soul Master, progressed more slowly, with a cultivation of Level Seventeen.
After the two agile-attack class Battle Soul Masters ate the chicken legs, they pounced towards Wang Dong like two arrows shot forth, their speed so fast that even Wang Dong was taken by surprise. However, he quickly realized that the chicken legs they consumed must have enhanced their speed!
Not only could Zhou Yi divide the team, but so could teachers of other classes. With Zhao Haochen supporting Ouyang Junyi and Chen Junfeng, their speed advantage could be maximized, clearly aiming for victory through speed.
Unfortunately for Huo Yuhao and his team, the type of opponent they feared the least was the speed type, because Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection completely countered them.
A faint golden light sparked in Huo Yuhao's eyes, and the entire competition field appeared in Wang Dong's mind in a three-dimensional form. Despite their swift speed, the flight paths of Ouyang Junyi and Chen Junfeng, the pattern of their Soul Power operation, the direction of their soul skill detonation, and their flaws and vulnerabilities, were all revealed in Wang Dong's mind. For the first time, he experienced the exhilaration of Xiaoxiao and Huo Yuhao's earlier teamwork.
Ouyang Junyi and Chen Junfeng were highly purposeful in their attacks. Wang Dong charging forward alone fell right into their strategy. Confident that Huo Yuhao and Xiaoxiao wouldn't be able to come to his aid in time, they believed that by defeating Wang Dong first, the rest would be easy to deal with one by one.
In addition to the spike on his right hand, Ouyang Junyi's entire right arm was covered in feathers, and his body became incredibly light. As an agile-attack class Soul Master, he was faster than Chen Junfeng, with his yellow Soul Ring shining, his hand spike transforming into dozens of light shadows covering Wang Dong.
Though slower by a beat, Chen Junfeng was clearly well-versed in teaming up with Ouyang Junyi. Before he even arrived, his dagger had already been swung, with his first soul ring shining brightly, unleashing a sword beam cutting towards Wang Dong head-on.
Golden light patterns had already spread across Wang Dong's wings when they made their move, also releasing his first soul ring. His arms and front wings instantly overlapped, and the Wing Scythe Blades that Huo Yuhao and Xiaoxiao had witnessed reappeared.
Positioned mid-air, Wang Dong stood a few notches above Ouyang Junyi and Chen Junfeng, wearing a trace of pride on his face, looking down upon them as if from a high ground. Facing their onslaught, Wang Dong swept his left wing out to meet Ouyang Junyi's Sword Beak Hummingbird Martial Soul head-on, while his right wing cleaved forward, overtaking Chen Junfeng's sword beam with impeccable timing.
"Shiiiing…" A sequence of whooshing sounds filled the air as Ouyang Junyi watched in shock. His first soul skill Sword Beak Hummingbird Strike couldn't penetrate the Bright Goddess Butterfly's wing defenses, only causing ripples of gold light. To his horror, the sharpness of his Sword Beak Hummingbird was unable to break through the strength of those wings, and then the massive wing was upon him.
Ouyang Junyi was somewhat experienced in combat and instantly crouched down, hoping to duck under the wings. However, the Wing Scythe Blades of Wang Dong suddenly swooped down as if Ouyang Junyi had crouched just to set himself up for the strike. With a "bang," Ouyang Junyi was smashed into the dust. He face-planted, and the massive force from his back almost made him spit blood.
Chen Junfeng was even less fortunate. The swordlight from his Soft Sword clashed head-on with the sharpness of the Wing Scythe Blade. Chen Junfeng only saw a flash of gold before his own swordlight dissipated. Immediately after, his Soft Sword vibrated intensely and shattered explosively. He felt only a flash of golden and blue light before his body was swept away, flying backward at a speed faster than his approach. He crashed directly into Zhao Haochen, who was gnawing on a chicken leg, and the two instantly turned into rolling gourds on the ground.
Wang Dong spread his wings in the air, the blue and purple light on the Bright Goddess Butterfly wings alternating and shimmering as the golden patterns slowly retracted. At the same time, his body gracefully landed, and the pride on his face never faded.
Teacher Wang Yan at the sidelines watched with eyes full of amazement, while other three-member teams were also observing the match. After witnessing this battle, each of their faces turned serious, and the whole of Area 33 became as silent as the grave.
Too formidable. What a terrifyingly strong direct-attack class Battle Soul Master!
While the direct-attack class naturally restrains the agile-attack class to a certain degree, everyone here was a new student. How could the difference be so vast? Relying on his own strength, Wang Dong managed to defeat two agile-attack class Battle Soul Masters with one strike, and that was even when they had the assistance of a food-class Tool Soul Master.
Indeed, having two rings conferred a huge advantage over having just one, but to prevail in a one-to-three situation revealed just how overwhelmingly powerful this Goddess of Light Butterfly Soul Master was.
Moreover, there was another person with two rings like Wang Dong—this team had two Soul Masters above level 20! As for Huo Yuhao, he was directly overlooked by everyone, only Teacher Wang Yan faintly noticed the faint gold flicker in his eyes.
In fact, although Ouyang Junyi's team had a significant strength gap compared to Huo Yuhao's team, Wang Dong alone wouldn't have been able to win so quickly. But, don't forget, he had the assistance of Huo Yuhao's Shared Spiritual Detection, which was equivalent to a 600-year Soul Ring!
Shared Spiritual Detection wasn't a single skill but two, assisted by the skills of two 600-year soul rings. The help Wang Dong received was far superior to the opponent's.
Moreover, with the same centennial soul rings, Wang Dong's soul power had reached Level 24. His cultivation far exceeded his opponents', and with the second soul ring, his first soul ring's offensive power was also stronger. Combined with the complete suppression from his martial soul, this led to their overwhelming victory.
Wang Dong retracted his wings, turned, and returned to Xiao Xiao and Huo Yuhao. The three of them high-fived in celebration. Xiao Xiao chuckled, "Our class leader is really powerful, Wang Dong. How about letting me have some fun next time?" She was confident that if it were her in the previous fight, she could have crushed the opponents just as well. The more she experienced the marvel of Huo Yuhao's Shared Spiritual Detection, the more she found it irresistible. Thus, her praise was directed toward Huo Yuhao, not Wang Dong.
Wang Dong chuckled, "Nah, you should conserve your strength. The first ten rounds of this assessment are just an appetizer for us. It's okay for me to show off alone; we can't let our opponents figure out our strength."
Huo Yuhao laughed, "Wang Dong has a point, Xiao Xiao. You're our trump card after all."
After hearing their discussion, Xiao Xiao also laughed and nodded in agreement.
"Class One, Huo Yuhao Team achieves one victory," Wang Yan announced and then recorded it on the documents in his hands.
On the other side, Ouyang Junyi and his two companions had already gotten up. Wang Dong had shown mercy, so they hadn't truly been injured but they wore expressions of humiliation and anger. Being defeated so effortlessly, they couldn't stand to stay even a second longer and quickly ran away.
After registering the results of the match, Teacher Wang Yan once again glanced at Huo Yuhao and his two teammates, thinking to himself that this team must be the ace of the first class. Students taught by Teacher Zhou Yi really are extraordinary!
However, he was still puzzled about Huo Yuhao's situation. Unlike the students, he was very aware of the subtleties when each team registered.
The freshman team was named the Huo Yuhao Team, which meant that Huo Yuhao was the captain of this team. But in terms of cultivation, both Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao far surpassed him. To put it more bluntly, with Huo Yuhao's first soul ring being just a 10-year soul ring, and without even having broken through to level 20 in cultivation, he shouldn't even qualify to enter Shrek Academy as a freshman.
Yet, he was the captain of the team, which meant that this seemingly 10-year soul ring student was at the core of the team. Why was that?
Wang Yan was a representative of the theoretical and gentle approach at Shrek Academy. His theoretical knowledge was solid, and his teaching ability was strong. Despite being only in his forties, he was a leading senior teacher in the outer court.
In Shrek Academy, advancing in teacher rank was even more difficult than for students, and it was also clearer. Zhou Yi was just a middle-level teacher, of course, which was related to her terrifying teaching methods. Wang Yan, having become a senior teacher, was qualified to teach the inner court students, which showed how formidable he was in theory. Yet, he still couldn't understand the situation of Huo Yuhao's team, and hadn't even figured out what kind of soul master Huo Yuhao was.
After their assessment was over, the trio of Huo Yuhao did not leave, but instead watched the other two matches at the side of the arena. Only after all three matches were over did they bid farewell to Teacher Wang Yan and left.
Teacher Wang Yan didn't call Huo Yuhao back to ask questions; he believed that he would be able to see Huo Yuhao's abilities in the upcoming matches.
The first round of the freshman assessment ended quickly. Today's assessment was mainly to let the new students adapt to this combat-style assessment method. The assessment density would increase significantly the next day, with two rounds in both the morning and the afternoon, for a total of four rounds. The third day would be even more intense, with each team going through five rounds of assessment. The entirety of the freshman assessment would last only three days.
This was not only an exercise of the students' combat abilities, but also their endurance in prolonged battles.
When the assessment started on the second day, all the students from class one of the new students had already started to sincerely thank their Teacher Zhou Yi. Four matches in one day were not just a matter of soul power consumption; physical exhaustion was equally severe. The students of class one, after undergoing Zhou Yi's devilish special training, had a noticeably greater ability to adapt to this competition system compared to other classes.
After the first day of matches and observation, Huo Yuhao and his team were fully confident that within their group there truly were no opponents who could threaten them; aside from them, there was only one other new student above level 20.
In a dense competition schedule, other groups of new students were not fools either; to achieve better results, when facing Huo Yuhao and his team, they simply took it easy.
As a result, unlike the other new student teams that were completely exhausted, Huo Yuhao and his two teammates easily won all four matches on the second day, thus achieving a perfect record of five wins in five matches. With this score, they could essentially say they had already passed the freshman assessment. Moreover, these five victories also gave them ample confidence.
As the assessment teacher for Zone Thirty-Three, Wang Yan was somewhat frustrated. After five matches, Huo Yuhao's team fought in the same way every time, with Wang Dong acting, Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao watching, and then ending the battle quickly. He still hadn't been able to discern what Huo Yuhao's capabilities were, which was quite disconcerting for him as a theory-oriented teacher.
"Huo Yuhao, you three, come here." The day after the second day of the competition, Teacher Wang Yan called Huo Yuhao and the other two over.
"Miss Wang." Huo Yuhao walked in the front, with Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao on his left and right respectively.
Indeed, Teacher Wang Yan thought to himself, Huo Yuhao truly was the core of their team!
"You three have achieved a splendid record of five victories in the first five matches. You'll need to continue to work hard in the later matches and strive to enter the top sixty-four to participate in the ranking competition. However, the five matches tomorrow will definitely not be as relaxed as today's. After today's matches, there will be a re-draw, and those teams who have lost all five matches will be directly eliminated. Furthermore, aside from ensuring that teams from the same class don't compete against each other in the draw, considerations will be made regarding previous records. It is almost certain that tomorrow your matches will still be in our Zone Thirty-Three, but you are likely to encounter one or maybe two teams that pose a strong challenge."
Huo Yuhao nodded and said, "Thank you, Miss Wang. We'll keep up the effort."
Teacher Wang Yan smiled slightly and said, "That's good, go back and rest early." He still hadn't asked about Huo Yuhao's Martial Soul; he had his pride and believed that as soon as they faced a strong opponent, there was no way Huo Yuhao's team could keep it hidden.
"That was so cool! It was like chopping vegetables and slicing melons, and we won." Walking back to the dormitory, Wang Dong exclaimed excitedly. Today had been particularly thrilling for him.
Xiao Xiao said, "I should step onto the stage tomorrow, right? Here is what I think, Wang Dong. Up to now, you have only used your first soul skill. If we encounter a much stronger opponent tomorrow, you might have to use your second soul skill. And your second soul skill comes from a thousand-year soul ring, which can be said to be the strongest attack method in our team. We should avoid letting others easily notice it. Let's save it for the ranking competition. If we meet a strong opponent tomorrow, I'll fight alongside you, and we'll both mainly use our first soul skills. Even if the opponent is powerful, I will be the one to use my second soul skill, and we'll keep your second soul skill hidden. This way we'll have two aces up our sleeve, how about that?"
Wang Dong chuckled and said, "Xiao Xiao, you've said so much, but isn't it just because you're itching for a fight? Alright, we'll do as you say. I've had my fun, so it's only fair to let you enjoy yourself too."
Luckily, there were no adults passing by at that time; otherwise, Wang Dong's words could have led to misunderstandings.
Huo Yuhao laughed and said, "Let's go; I'll treat you to grilled fish. I ordered extra yesterday."
Just as the three had left the assessment area, they bumped into two people head-on. Upon seeing them, both Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong were taken aback.
It wasn't just anyone, but the inner court disciple dressed in red, Ma Xiaotao, and Xu Sanshi, whom she had taken away a few days prior.
Compared to his usual spirited self, Xu Sanshi now looked ashen-faced, as though all of his energy had been drained. His entire demeanor was listless, with his clothes crumpled, his appearance completely dejected.
Ma Xiaotao was as gorgeous as ever, but there was an abnormal flush on her pretty face, and the light pink in her eyes had deepened a few shades.
"There you are—I've found you, Sister Xiao Tao. I can go now, right?" Xu Sanshi said with a wry smile on his face. After being tormented for several days and enduring intense agony, he had finally made it through. But with the excessive toll on his spirit, physical strength, and soul power, all he wanted was to return to his room and sleep deeply.
Ma Xiaotao nodded and said, "Alright, you can go."
Xu Sanshi gave Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong a look that said 'you're on your own' and turned to leave, his disloyal manner causing a tightness in the hearts of both Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong. What did Ma Xiaotao want with them?
Ma Xiaotao spoke indifferently, "You two, come with me. Little junior sister, you go back first."
Xiao Xiao was about to say something, but Huo Yuhao immediately shook his head at her, signaling her to leave first and indicating that he and Wang Dong would be fine.
It seemed that Ma Xiaotao had ill intentions, and Huo Yuhao didn't want to involve Xiao Xiao. Besides, this was the academy, and both Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong believed that Ma Xiaotao wouldn't really do anything to them.
Xiao Xiao walked away reluctantly, while Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, led by Ma Xiaotao, headed toward the lakeside path. After walking for a while, they arrived at the lakeside where they had been previously attacked.
Ma Xiaotao walked right up to Sea God's Lake before she stopped, with Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong maintaining a clear distance from her. Wang Dong wore a vigilant expression, and Huo Yuhao felt anxious as well.
"Sister Ma, what did you call us here for?" Huo Yuhao tentatively asked.
Ma Xiaotao, with her back to them, said, "I know you must have recognized me. Yes, I am the student who almost hurt you when I ran out of the Inner Court. I had my reasons for doing so. Here, I would like to apologize to you both first."
Wang Dong snorted and thought to himself, What kind of apology is this? There's no sincerity at all!
After exchanging a glance, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong said, "Sister Ma, the past is the past. Besides, the academy has compensated us."
Ma Xiaotao suddenly turned around, and her pink eyes deepened in color as an indescribable oppressing force instantly settled upon Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong.
"However, for me, this matter is not over yet," Ma Xiaotao said solemnly.
"That day, there must have been an ice attribute Soul Master who stopped me, so I didn't injure you. That person is very important to me. Tell me everything you know. Or say if he is the protector of any of you. I must find him."
Wang Dong said somewhat bewilderedly, "Sister Ma, I don't understand what you mean. When you lunged at us that day, the high temperature from your body made us pass out, and we have no idea what happened after that. As for any ice attribute Soul Master, that's even more out of the question."
Huo Yuhao also nodded repeatedly; he couldn't possibly reveal the secret of the Skydream Ice Silkworm.
Seeing their expressions, which didn't seem to be feigned, Ma Xiaotao hesitated in her eyes.
She had come to find Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong because, after returning that day, she suddenly remembered why these two students looked familiar to her; she had seen information about Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong in the Inner Court.
Over the past three months, she used the cold energy left in her body by the Skydream Ice Silkworm to suppress the evil fire. Her cultivation improved significantly in those three months. After the cold energy disappeared, she had no choice but to seek Xu Sanshi's help again. However, she found out that Xu Sanshi's Profound Nether Tortoise Martial Soul was top-grade, but embodied a water property rather than ice, and was becoming less and less helpful to her.
Without the suppression of the evil fire, she had to stop her cultivation. Moreover, the evil fire could erupt at any moment, causing her to lose her mind.
After thinking it over, she decided to look for Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong. If she could find the person who stopped her with their ice property that day, then her problem would be solved.
"Are you really clueless?" Ma Xiaotao asked in a heavy tone.
Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong shook their heads in unison.
Ma Xiaotao's expression suddenly changed, and she said coldly, "Then don't blame me for being rude. If you don't know, then I'll force him to come out." As she spoke, a wave of intense heat burst forth, and crimson flames exploded from her like a volcanic eruption.
Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong had felt uneasy since Ma Xiaotao called them over, and thus had remained on guard. Adding to that the lessons learned from their previous plight, the moment Ma Xiaotao made her move, they were ready to react—after all, they couldn't just sit there waiting for doom.
The wings of the Bright Goddess Butterfly burst out from Wang Dong's back, spreading instantly with golden patterns shining on them. The Wing Scythe Blade was unleashed without hesitation.
Huo Yuhao simultaneously released his Shared Spiritual Detection and Soul Shock.
In just three months, both Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong's cultivations had improved significantly, and their coordination was very in sync. They flew up suddenly, with Wang Dong from behind grasping Huo Yuhao, retreating rapidly backward.
Ma Xiaotao was obviously too complacent; it was impossible for her to take seriously a one-ring and a two-ring Soul Master. Just as her Martial Soul was released and her body began to be covered with bright red feathers, Wang Dong had already flown up with Huo Yuhao and started drifting backward.
Then, Ma Xiaotao saw the flickering purple light in Huo Yuhao's eyes. In that instant, she felt as if two sharp needles pricked her, causing her to subconsciously shut her eyes and feel a momentary dizziness in her mind.
After the advancement of the Purple Demon Eyes, Huo Yuhao's Soul Shock became even more powerful, affecting even Ma Xiaotao with her level six rings, rather than her being direct immune to it.
Although it was just a moment, Wang Dong had already rushed out of the woods with Huo Yuhao, returning to the lakeside path.
"Back to the teaching building." Huo Yuhao shouted, and at the same time, his hands waved toward Ma Xiaotao's direction, sending a series of cold glimmers shooting towards Ma Xiaotao, the hidden weapons given to him by Tang Ya. The simplest but also the quickest throwing arrow technique made the weapons whizz through the air with a piercing sound.
Wang Dong's wings erupted in a powerful airflow, propelling his body swiftly into the distance.
Ma Xiaotao was unwilling to let them escape. Ignoring Huo Yuhao's hidden weapons, she flashed and pursued them, a pair of massive fire wings unfurling behind her. All the metallic hidden weapons that reached her melted instantly, dripping to the ground as liquid. The terrifying heat was like a giant hand covering Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong from behind.
While Huo Yuhao's Shared Spiritual Detection was almost a game-changing skill among his peers, it was far too insufficient against an opponent of Ma Xiaotao's level. What good was accurate prediction when he couldn't stop the attack?
Wang Dong flew with all his might, but the heatwave behind them seemed to engulf their bodies in an instant. From above, one would see Ma Xiaotao's figure flash as she caught up with Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, then her huge fire wings surged and suddenly folded inward, enveloping Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, making them disappear.
One in each hand, Ma Xiaotao gripped the collars of Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao. Her terrifying Soul Power left them powerless to resist. Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong were shocked to see their surroundings engulfed in red, with no sight of the outside world. They couldn't even speak.
With a solemn expression, Ma Xiaotao quietly waited. After a whole thirty seconds, she frowned, "Could it really have been a coincidence last time?"
Her only purpose in attacking Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong was to force that Soul Master with the ice property who had suppressed her to appear. But contrary to her hopes, from the outside, it appeared she had entirely engulfed Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, yet that Soul Master still did not show up.
The blaze receded, and all the redness dissipated. Ma Xiaotao returned to normal, loosening her grip and pushing Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong away. They both stumbled and fell to the ground.
Ma Xiaotao said indifferently, "Since it has nothing to do with you two, then let it be. I know you're not convinced, but if you're not convinced, then cultivate properly. If one day you can enter the Inner Court, I will give you a chance for a challenge." After speaking, she turned and left without sparing a glance at the aggrieved Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong.
"This crazy woman." Wang Dong exclaimed angrily.
Huo Yuhao got up from the ground, then pulled up Wang Dong, "That's enough, ranting at her won't help. Better to go back and cultivate. She's not wrong, after all—our strength doesn't match hers. Let's go." Huo Yuhao had watched the whole process of Ma Xiaotao being repelled by the Skydream Ice Silkworm before, so he had a vague idea of her purpose.
In her lucid state, Ma Xiaotao was unlikely to kill them in the academy; she merely wanted to force the Skydream Ice Silkworm out. But knowing her purpose, Huo Yuhao knew the Skydream Ice Silkworm wouldn't show up. The old man was sleeping soundly, and he'd already said that he couldn't help Huo Yuhao by taking over his body for a year.
The next morning, when Xiao Xiao saw Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, surprise showed on her pretty face, "What happened to you two? Both with long faces, that Inner Court senior didn't do anything to you yesterday, did she?"
Wang Dong quickly responded, "Of course not, she just asked us some questions. Let's go, to the assessment." They wouldn't admit something so embarrassing.
Since they had the best results in the previous five rounds of competition, they stayed in Area 33. After drawing lots for the new grouping, they faced another five rounds of assessment with new students.
These newcomers definitely wouldn't be the top performers from other areas, so the upcoming five round-robin matches surely wouldn't pit them against the strongest opponents. However, compared to the previous matches, it might not be so easy either.
Teacher Wang Yan looked at Huo Yuhao's trio with a meaningful gaze before announcing, "Alright, everyone is here. Since in the previous five rounds, the Huo Yuhao Team from Class One achieved the best results in this area, they will be our area's seeded team. According to the competition order, they will compete first. For the thirty-third area's sixth round first match, the newcomer Class One Huo Yuhao Team and the newcomer Class Seven Huang Chutian Team will undergo assessment."
Both teams entered the arena at the same time, and Huo Yuhao's trio immediately noticed to their surprise that there was a pair of girls who looked identical on the opposing team.
Both female students had long blue hair and delicately cute, rosy-cheeked faces that looked extremely adorable. They seemed to be a bit younger than them.
Twins?
In front of the two female students stood a tall and burly male student, clearly the Huang Chutian they were referring to—the leader of their three-person team.
"My name is Huang Chutian, on my left is Lan Susu, and on my right is Lan Luoluo. Please give us your guidance."
"Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, please give us your guidance," Huo Yuhao responded.
Both teams took their positions, and on Huo Yuhao's side, they followed the original sequence with Wang Dong in front, Xiao Xiao in the middle, and Huo Yuhao in the back corner.
On the other side, Huang Chutian stood at the forefront with Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo behind him. Each team could have at most one direct-attack class battle soul master. Clearly, the twin girls were unlikely to be direct-attack class battle soul masters and were very likely to be either double auxiliary or similar to Huo Yuhao's team with dual control.
Teacher Wang Yan's voice resonated firmly, "The assessment begins."
Both sides quickly released their martial souls. With a roar, Huang Chutian fiercely pounded his fists against his chest. Definitely not yet twelve years old, but he was already over 1.5 meters tall. Upon releasing his martial soul, his height instantly shot up to around 1.8 meters as his muscular build burst through his school uniform, revealing skin that had turned a metallic black.
His eyes changed from their original black to yellow, and two fangs protruded below his thickened lips. His limbs were exceptionally thick, and each muscle looked as solid and powerful as steel.
Two yellow soul rings simultaneously rose from beneath him, marking him as a direct-attack class grand soul master above level 20.
The twin girls standing behind Huang Chutian also released their martial souls at the same time, which unexpectedly turned out to be their hair...
To Huo Yuhao's surprise, Lan Luoluo and Lan Susu each had two soul rings appear beneath them, both yellow as well. With a toss of their heads, their blue hair immediately flew into the air, swiftly unfolding and turning into strands over ten meters long that swayed in the air without touching the ground.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone