Shrek Academy.
After returning to the academy, Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan immediately reported to Xia Yu. At the same time, Zhu Ziyang formally requested to participate in this year's Inner Court assessment.
Xia Yu wasn't surprised at all by the request and agreed on the spot. He even joked, saying that if Zhu Ziyang failed the test, he'd have to return to Class One and continue being class monitor.
Zhu Ziyang simply smiled. How could he possibly fail? In truth, he was just going through the motions. If it weren't for the sake of upholding the Inner Court's procedures, he wouldn't have bothered to take the test at all.
The Inner Court assessment was held at the same time as the Outer Court's recruitment. Generally, both first-year Outer Court and first-year Inner Court students were considered new students, though nearly all first-year Inner Court students came from the Outer Court. Very few skipped straight into the Inner Court, and only truly extraordinary talents could do so.
On the day of the assessment, Zhu Ziyang arrived at Sea God Island's drill field. This was the designated arena for the Inner Court trials. The content of the assessment was simple—actual combat. One-on-one duels. Only those who met the performance threshold were considered to have passed.
In the arena, students taking part in the assessment were already gathered. Zhu Ziyang, dressed in a yellow second-year uniform, stood out starkly among the black and purple uniforms. Many participating students cast curious glances his way. He ignored their stares completely.
At that moment, a duel was already in progress. One of the candidates, a tall boy wearing a black uniform, stood in the ring. His blond hair gleamed, and he wore a wild, arrogant smile. His body bulged with exaggerated muscles, and his hands had transformed into massive tiger claws covered in white fur. However, Zhu Ziyang's attention was focused not on his physique but on his heterochromatic pupils.
The boy's name was Dai Yueheng, a sixth-year Outer Court student and a level 51 Power Attack-type Battle Soul King. His martial soul was the White Tiger. As the eldest son of the Duke of the White Tiger from the Star Luo Empire, he was known for his overbearing arrogance. Although he had qualified for the Inner Court long ago, he had deliberately waited until he reached the Soul King level in sixth year before choosing to participate.
It was worth noting that he had been Ma Xiaotao's classmate in the Outer Court and had once been a reserve member of the team that competed in the Continental Elite Youth Soul Master Tournament.
His examiner was a senior from the Inner Court—a Soul Sage with seven soul rings. Dai Yueheng needed to last a full quarter-hour without being defeated in order to pass the assessment and become an Inner Court student.
"Roar!" Dai Yueheng let out a deafening tiger roar as his first, third, and fifth soul rings lit up at once. His body expanded visibly, muscles bulging across his arms and chest. A terrifying aura radiated from his body, dispersing the surrounding air like a wave.
"So this is the soul skill forged through thousands of years of cultivation by the White Tiger Clan? Impressive!" Zhu Ziyang's expression changed slightly, secretly impressed.
The Dai Clan's White Tiger martial soul had undergone generations of refinement, forming a complete and well-structured soul skill system. From the first to the seventh soul skill, it encompassed both offense and defense. While not necessarily the most powerful combination in existence, it was undoubtedly one of the most versatile. So long as a clan member had decent talent, they were almost guaranteed to reach Soul Emperor or even Soul Sage.
As expected of a Dai clansman, Dai Yueheng was aggressive by nature. He took the initiative and launched an attack at the examiner. With a leap, he soared into the air, raising his massive tiger paw and swinging it toward his opponent.
The examiner remained calm. He retreated swiftly and released his martial soul—a long spear as black as ink, etched with the image of a menacing serpent. The serpent's maw was open wide, its tongue shaped like a jagged spear blade that glinted with chilling cold.
The Blackwater Serpent Spear!
Seven soul rings rose behind the spear-wielding Soul Sage—two yellow, two purple, and three black. His first ring lit up, coating the blade in a wave of sinister, rippling water. He thrust the spear forward, sending it flying straight at Dai Yueheng's tiger claw.
Claw met blade with a ringing metallic clang. Dai Yueheng retracted his paw and twisted into a spinning kick that struck the Blackwater Serpent Spear. The Soul Sage tightened his grip, the spear moving like a living serpent in his hands, its blade jabbing rapidly like a serpent's fang toward Dai Yueheng.
Annoyed by the unrelenting attacks, Dai Yueheng leapt backward, opening up space. But the Soul Sage pursued relentlessly. His second ring lit up, enhancing his speed. The spear, like a venomous snake, lashed forward again. Forced to stop retreating, Dai Yueheng advanced instead. His second soul ring glowed as he released a blazing white energy wave—the White Tiger Fierce Light Wave—which engulfed the spear.
Before Dai Yueheng could relax, the Blackwater Serpent Spear pierced through his light wave and shot toward his nose. Alarmed, he leaned back instinctively, collapsing to the ground to narrowly avoid the strike.
Lying on the ground, Dai Yueheng's eyes lit up. Taking advantage of the brief moment his opponent needed to retrieve the spear, he flipped upright and launched a high kick. The Soul Sage calmly raised his left hand, caught Dai Yueheng's leg, and gently pushed him away.
Still undeterred, Dai Yueheng stabilized himself and activated his fourth soul skill. Fist-sized golden orbs erupted around him, raining down like a storm onto the Soul Sage. In response, the Soul Sage spun his spear into a dense barrier that effortlessly deflected the golden barrage.
The two continued their battle, evenly matched. One gave his all, while the other held back just enough. In no time, the fifteen-minute mark passed.
Dai Yueheng passed the assessment and was officially recognized as an Inner Court disciple. None of the spectators objected—his strength was evident. Everyone knew the Inner Court test was more about appearances than true difficulty. Taking it too seriously would just make you look foolish.
Several more sixth-year students followed. Though none had reached the Soul King level like Dai Yueheng, they were all impressive in their own right. The strongest among them, Chen Zifeng, had soul power at level 45. The weakest, Yao Haoxuan, was at level 42. All were elite students from the Outer Court.
Time flew by, and it was finally Zhu Ziyang's turn.
All eyes focused on him. Everyone was curious—just what kind of genius was this second-year student, capable of taking the Inner Court assessment at only twelve or thirteen years of age?
With a calm expression, Zhu Ziyang stepped into the arena. From the group of examiners, one person stepped forward. Upon seeing who it was, Zhu Ziyang's face turned slightly odd—he knew this person.
"Ziyang, you really didn't let your big sister down! I'm so proud of you!" the examiner greeted him with a gentle smile. It was Han Ruoruo!
"Sister Ruoruo? You're my examiner?" Zhu Ziyang laughed helplessly. "Shouldn't my examiner be a Soul Emperor? You're a Soul Sage… are you really going to make a little Soul Ancestor fight a Soul Sage?"
"Giggle, don't worry! How could your big sister make things difficult for you? Your test is simple—just get within one meter of me within five minutes and you pass," Han Ruoruo said with a wink and a soft laugh.
"Oh? That's it? Then this will be easy!" Zhu Ziyang grinned.
"Very well, then let's begin." Han Ruoruo summoned her martial soul, and golden binding ropes appeared, instantly slicing the space around her into numerous sealed zones.
"Sister Ruoruo, watch closely!"
Zhu Ziyang didn't hesitate. The Stillness Fate Ending Scythe appeared in his hand. One yellow, two purple, and one black ring flared dazzlingly, shocking the surrounding students. His right leg shimmered with faint light as he stepped forward and began walking through the air. With each step, the surrounding space rippled.
When he reached a height of three meters, Han Ruoruo looked confused—she couldn't tell what Zhu Ziyang was planning.
But the moment he took his final step, she understood.
As his foot gently landed in the air, a shockwave of spatial disturbance rippled outward, striking Han Ruoruo's area. Her focus wavered, and the golden ropes around her slackened slightly.
Zhu Ziyang seized the opportunity. Activating his second soul skill, he leapt into the air with the Stillness Fate Ending Scythe held high and cleaved through the barrier of ropes, landing steadily right beside Han Ruoruo.
Han Ruoruo's expression turned wry. She had completely been played.
(End of Chapter)
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