A few people looked bitter. How could it be this coincidental? If they didn't perform well, who knew how that old woman would torment them afterward?
What they didn't know was that the teacher responsible for the 27th assessment area wasn't originally Zhou Yi, but she had requested the change herself.
Bei Bei patted Ho Yuhao's shoulder in consolation, but the sly smile on his face betrayed him. It turned out that Zhou Yi had previously been their class teacher before being demoted. They had been tortured mercilessly by her, and now, seeing the new little freshman encounter her, it was like watching a young man just out of school getting battered by society. They couldn't help but feel a little schadenfreude.
"Understood." The students replied in unison, bowing respectfully to Zhou Yi. In just three months, more than fifty students had been eliminated from Class One, and everyone in the outer courtyard knew about it. These new students had learned to behave, as they didn't want to provoke her—if she wasn't happy, she could make life difficult for them.
Besides, after the assessment, the classes would be reorganized. If they ended up in her class, that would be troublesome. It was better to stay low-key.
"I'll state this again: no maiming opponents during the assessment. Otherwise, the academy will investigate thoroughly. Believe me, that's not the outcome you want."
"Are you all ready? Then let's have the first match of the first round—Ho Yuhao, Xiao Xiao, Dong Xinyi, Yan Xiaobo, Yan Xiaolang, and Yan Tongtian." When Zhou Yi reached the last name, even her normally stern expression shifted slightly.
The students whispered among themselves, some laughing softly. That name—what was that person's father thinking when he named him? Didn't he worry his son might get killed out there?
"Old man, you really did me in." Below, a young boy in white clothing had a bitter expression, cursing inwardly. Hearing the discussions around him, he wished he could just disappear into a crack in the ground. Because he was Yan Tongtian, the one they were all talking about.
"Xiao Tian, it's our turn!" A boy beside him reminded.
Reluctantly, although Yan Tongtian was unwilling, he couldn't delay the assessment. He gritted his teeth and followed his two companions onto the arena.
Meanwhile, Ho Yuhao and his team had already taken their positions, waiting.
"Xiao Xiao, 22nd-level Battle Soul Master."
Ho Yuhao twitched his mouth. There was no requirement for self-introduction in the assessment, but once Xiao Xiao spoke, the opponents had to introduce themselves too—otherwise, they would be seen as disrespectful, which was considered a breach of the unwritten rules in the Soul Master world.
Xiao Xiao clearly had a purpose: she wanted to see who Yan Tongtian was.
The students fell silent, their eyes all focusing on Yan Tongtian's team. They wanted to see who this person, with such a powerful name, really was.
"She's Dong Xinyi, 21st-level Battle Soul Master." Since Dong Xinyi couldn't speak, Xiao Xiao introduced her.
"Ho Yuhao, 29th-level Battle Soul Master, please enlighten me." After Xiao Xiao, Ho Yuhao introduced himself as well. He didn't want to draw attention, but since Xiao Xiao and Dong Xinyi had already introduced themselves, not doing so would make him seem pretentious.
Zhou Yi shot a hard glare at Ho Yuhao's group. How could she not see through their little tricks? After getting stared at by Zhou Yi, Xiao Xiao quickly shrank behind Ho Yuhao and Dong Xinyi, quietly making a face.
"Yan Xiaobo, Soul Beast: Green Wolf, 23rd-level Battle Soul Master." A sturdy youth in their team spoke up, his eyes locked on Xiao Xiao. It was Xiao Xiao who had embarrassed them so much.
"Yan Xiaolang, Soul Beast: Green Wolf, 19th-level Soul Master." Another boy beside him spoke. He looked very similar to Yan Xiaobo, and was his younger brother. He also had an impressive physique.
At this point, everyone knew who Yan Tongtian was. All eyes were on the chubby boy standing next to Yan Xiaobo. He looked like an oval-shaped ball, with a sullen expression that completely clashed with his fierce name.
"Wow, he's so fat. His Soul Power is probably under level 20. And his name is Tongtian? Hahaha, this is so funny."
The students whispered, occasionally laughing, but since Zhou Yi was present, they kept their voices down.
"Yan Tongtian, Soul Beast: White Wolf, 17th-level." Under the stares of everyone, the chubby boy grew timid, shrinking behind Yan Xiaobo.
"Alright, enough wasting time. Let's start." Zhou Yi's timely voice urged them on, saving Yan Tongtian from further embarrassment.
"Ha!"
With Zhou Yi's command, Yan Xiaobo roared. Two yellow soul rings rose from beneath his feet. As they appeared, his nails grew long, and his body sprouted thick green fur. His height increased by 20 centimeters, and long tusks emerged from his upper and lower jaws. His eyes glowed with a cold green light, staring fixedly at Ho Yuhao's team, as though they were his prey.
The intimidation was impressive, but the students observing shook their heads. It wasn't hard to see that the opponents were much stronger. There were three high-level Soul Masters on Ho Yuhao's team, one of them being a 29th-level Battle Soul Master. They were facing off against two two-ring Soul Masters and one one-ring Soul Master. How were they going to win?
The other two also summoned their soul beasts, and after doing so, their appearances were similar to Yan Xiaobo's, except that Yan Tongtian's fur was white, while the others had green fur.
The three of them looked grim. Not only the students watching, but they themselves didn't see much hope of winning. The gap in power was too large. They could only fight with everything they had, but the outcome wasn't up to them.
As expected, three minutes later, with a loud crash, Yan Xiaobo was knocked to the ground by a black cauldron. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, gasping for air. He looked at his opponent with a defeated gaze, heart bitter. They had only sent one person to defeat all three of them.
"We... concede." Yan Xiaobo said with difficulty. Though he didn't want to say it, he could see that his two teammates were already unconscious, and they had no chance of winning. Moreover, the other side still had two players who hadn't even made a move.
"Ho Yuhao's team wins." Zhou Yi announced, her face neutral, though a trace of a smile appeared in her eyes. Xiao Xiao's performance made her admit that she had previously underestimated this little girl. "Now, as the captain, what surprise will you bring me?"
The students who had been watching didn't mock Yan Tongtian and his team. After all, the power gap was too big. This outcome was completely expected.
"First round, second match, please step forward: Shen Qianwen, Yuan Hun..."
The assessment continued, and Ho Yuhao's team had already exited the assessment area. In the early stages of the assessment, the students were a mix of strong and weak, and it was hard to see any truly exciting battles. The three of them didn't bother watching any longer, which was also a sign of their confidence in their own abilities.
(End of Chapter)