It's not like Ning Tian, whose Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda is an auxiliary-type spirit weapon, could just challenge the examiner to a duel, right? How could she possibly smash someone with that little tower that doesn't really have any offensive power?
Team assessments were also categorized. For one-on-one duels, the examiner would send out a senior student from the outer academy whose spirit power level was close to the candidate's. For two- or three-person teams, the examiner would be a Level 30 Spirit Sovereign. For five-person teams, the examiner would be a Spirit King, and for teams of up to seven, the examiner had to be a Spirit Emperor.
If the candidate was defeated by the examiner, they could still earn between 10 and 20 points based on their performance. If they managed to stalemate the examiner, they could score between 20 and 40 points. Suppressing or even defeating the examiner would guarantee a score above 40—an excellent result.
If they could instantly kill the examiner, they would get a full score.
New students who passed the entrance test would be treated differently and assigned to different classes based on their total score.
Having witnessed the terrifying mental power of Huo Yuhao, Ning Tian did not hesitate and decisively chose to register as a three-person team, which happened to align perfectly with Huo Yuhao's plans.
Only by fighting as a support in a team could he keep his true strength from drawing too much attention.
While the assessment group assigned suitable examiners to Huo Yuhao's team, Mu Jin backstage obtained Huo Yuhao's physical fitness test scores.
The scores? Big sixes all around—6, 6, 6, 6, 6!
This kid was definitely hiding his strength! Mu Jin was so angry she nearly ground her silver teeth. If they gave him another physical test, would he hand them a perfect string of sixes again?
Every spirit master usually starts determining their development path after obtaining their first spirit ring: whether offensive, control, agile attack, auxiliary, or sustenance type. It was rare to see a perfect hexagon-shaped distribution like a "six-sided warrior." For example, Tang Wulin was originally a control-type spirit master but later went up personally to smash a group of offensive-type enemies—a rare exception.
Huo Yuhao had no idea Mu Jin was keeping an eye on him. When he and Wu Feng arrived at the training arena, a Level 39 Spirit Sovereign examiner was already waiting.
"State your level, name, and development direction."
Wu Feng loudly announced, "Wu Feng. Level 25 offensive-type Spirit Master."
Ning Tian was much more calm: "Ning Tian, Level 31 auxiliary-type Spirit Sovereign."
Finally, Huo Yuhao lazily responded, "Huo Yuhao, uh… Level 29 auxiliary-type Great Spirit Master."
How awkward, Huo Yuhao thought to himself.
Two auxiliaries? The examiner furrowed his brow. It seemed only the red-haired girl in front of him had a chance to spar. He decided to see how much help the two auxiliaries could provide.
"Begin."
The examiner activated his spirit weapon, a powerful Demon Bear—known for its brute strength.
Wu Feng let out a sharp cry and sprang into the air, a heavy heat radiating from her body. A faint dragon's roar echoed as her slender form suddenly lengthened. While airborne, she looked like a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old girl whose development had just finished. Her elongated figure stretched her outerwear until it tore.
She was clearly prepared—underneath was a form-fitting leather outfit revealing a pair of smooth, shapely thighs. The suit extended upward, tightening around her, making Huo Yuhao quietly admire how much more attractive she looked compared to Ning Tian.
A faint red glow shimmered on Wu Feng's skin. Starting from the left side of her face, dense dragon scales spread down her neck, over her shoulder, all the way down her left arm and hand.
Though Wu Feng looked slender and stunning, she exuded an explosive power. In a flash, she reached the examiner and swung her left arm in a heavy blow aimed at his body.
The examiner didn't use a spirit skill outright. Instead, his body twisted midair, and his right leg struck like lightning, colliding with Wu Feng's left arm.
Bang!
A muffled sound echoed as the examiner's body swayed and slid half a step, while Wu Feng fell toward the ground and retreated several steps. Clearly, Wu Feng took the brunt of the first clash. Though both were offensive-type spirit masters, their spirit power levels differed.
Meanwhile, Ning Tian raised her right hand and shouted, "Seven Treasures Manifest, Glazed Tower!"
She spun lightly on the spot, and dazzling seven-colored light burst forth from her body. In her right palm appeared a colorful seven-layered treasure pagoda about a foot tall.
The tower shimmered with flowing colors, seemingly inlaid with countless gems. It instantly caught the examiner's attention.
Three spirit rings—two yellow, one purple—rose from Ning Tian's hand and rhythmically orbited the seven-layered tower.
From the observation platform, Mu Jin's face lit up with surprise: "It's the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect's Seven Treasures Glazed Tower!"
At the moment the tower appeared, Ning Tian's clear voice rang out:
"The Seven Treasures are famous. The first is: Speed."
The first spirit ring on the tower lit up, glowing with a rich yellow light that made the tower even more magnificent. A brilliant beam shot from the tower and struck Wu Feng, who was still fighting the examiner.
With the enhancement, Wu Feng moved much faster than before. A fierce diagonal kick nearly overwhelmed the examiner, forcing him to retreat several steps.
"The first spirit skill: Air Cannon!"
The examiner, who was no pushover even as a part-time staff at Shrek Academy, activated his century-old yellow spirit ring. Clenching his right fist, he violently compressed the air around it before striking out.
Seeing this, Ning Tian quickly chanted another soul spell: "Seven Treasures are famous. The third is: Strength."
The purple spirit ring flashed quickly. The strength boost granted by the millennium spirit skill instantly raised Wu Feng's attack power to Spirit Sovereign level.
"The first spirit skill: Dragon Fire!"
"The second spirit skill: Dragon Fury!"
Ning Tian and Wu Feng worked in perfect harmony. Just as Ning Tian unleashed her skill, Wu Feng's body suddenly radiated a red glow as her second spirit ring lit up. The dragon fire on her body turned a deep crimson, and her half-armored scales thickened. Her eyes flared with red light, and her left hand transformed completely into a dragon claw.
In Dragon Fury state, her offensive and defensive power surged dramatically, enhancing all her other spirit skills. The temperature of the dragon fire shot up by hundreds of degrees instantly, causing the surrounding air to warp violently.
Seeing this sudden explosion of power, the examiner no longer held back. He simultaneously activated his second and third spirit skills, Frenzy and Bloodthirst, amplifying the power of his Air Cannon.
As Wu Feng's fiery dragon claw swung to collide with the examiner's ultra-compressed air punch, Huo Yuhao finally acted. Using two other skills from his million-year first spirit ring—Mental Disturbance and Soul Impact.
The examiner, a battle-hardened Spirit Sovereign, suddenly felt his vision blur. The Air Cannon lost its target and narrowly missed Wu Feng. The Soul Impact blanked out the examiner's mind.
Not good! The examiner, though experienced, instinctively rolled sideways. Unexpectedly, Wu Feng's fiery fist, like a sticky piece of taffy, still slammed heavily into his chest, sending him tumbling backward.
Wu Feng restrained her strength a bit during the punch—otherwise, she might have broken several ribs.
The two girls looked at Huo Yuhao in admiration once again. From the beginning of the fight, everything had been under his mental detection sharing. Each action anticipated the enemy's moves, placing them in an unbeatable position. The examiner's missed punch must have been caused by Huo Yuhao's second skill.
Throughout the fight, Huo Yuhao had maintained the color and brightness of his spirit rings as if he wasn't using any skills at all, just standing at the back.
The entire arena was deathly silent.
"We won!" Wu Feng jumped up and hugged Ning Tian, excitement pouring out.
"Yes, we won…" Ning Tian didn't expect victory to come so easily. Huo Yuhao's shared mental detection made it incredibly convenient. They only needed to follow his mental commands to use their skills.
But from an outsider's perspective, Huo Yuhao was just a lucky guy hiding at the back, winning without really fighting. Whether he contributed was something only the unconscious examiner knew.
"Defeated examiner! Team Ning Tian's scores: Ning Tian 50, Wu Feng 55, Huo Yuhao 40!"
Because the main examiner was unconscious, other officials watching announced the results.
Hearing the scores, Ning Tian and Wu Feng were about to cheer but froze when they heard Huo Yuhao's score.
Right—the one who contributed most got only the lowest passing score of 40. Did the other officials fail to notice his real ability?
"That's unfair!" Impatient Wu Feng tried to confront the officials but was held back by Ning Tian. After all, Huo Yuhao, the one wronged most, hadn't spoken yet. Who knew what he was thinking?
Sure enough, after the score announcement, Wu Feng saw Huo Yuhao looking dejected and muttering to himself, completely out of sorts. Feeling sorry, she approached to comfort him, only to hear him muttering:
"Why give me 40 points? If only they'd given me 30, I could have just barely passed…"
This guy must have some kind of masochistic tendency! Wu Feng angrily turned away, not wanting to bother him anymore.
At that moment, a refreshing breeze swept over. Wu Feng and Ning Tian looked up to see Mu Jin walking over with a smile.
"How was the test? You passed, right?"
"Ugh… roasted… smells so good…" The dejected Huo Yuhao bumped into Mu Jin's arms and was squeezed from both sides. He inhaled deeply, groaning in pain.
Wu Feng and Ning Tian watched, their faces twitching in disbelief.
(End of chapter)
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