Earth Dragon Beast, go catch me a hedgehog!"
After sending this thought in his mind, Shangguan Mo returned to his home.
Half an hour later.
In the courtyard outside his room, a circular wooden board was gently pushed up, and the Earth Dragon Beast skillfully used its proboscis to suck the back of the board and move it aside, then fully emerged from the underground hole.
Seeing it with a spiky, curled-up ball-like object tucked under its rear, Shangguan Mo nodded in satisfaction.
"Iron" + "Hedgehog" = ???
compatibility: 70%
Material: Iron, Quality (White)
Creature: Hedgehog, Level (E)
Synthesis Success Rate: 90%
Chakra Required: 100
Synthesize?
Confirm Synthesis
A 90% success rate, Shangguan Mo nodded, which meant his idea was correct.
As the synthesis progressed, Shangguan Mo clearly felt as if something within his body was almost completely drained, the iron block in his left hand disappeared, and the hedgehog at his feet was enveloped in a layer of cold, sharp light, looking as if it was evolving!
Shangguan Mo curiously touched the silver-gray light with his hand, and a message appeared.
"Synthesizing, please wait..."
But after only a few seconds, the silver light slowly vanished, revealing the greatly transformed hedgehog.
Its original grayish-black skin now had a shimmering metallic sheen, and its entire body was noticeably larger than before, with the quills on its back standing erect, reflecting the silvery-white Gekko, appearing sharp and formidable.
Summoning Beast: Iron Hedgehog
Level: E
Species: Carnivorous Mammal (Hedgehog Subfamily)
Attribute: Metal Affinity
Ability: Myriad Arrows Volley (The Iron Hedgehog's entire body has undergone metal modification; its back quills have become as hard as iron and can be launched like hidden weapons. Additionally, the quills have extremely strong regenerative abilities. When attacking, waves of quills continuously launch, like a volley of myriad arrows.)
System Evaluation: In terms of shooting, my system deems it the strongest!
"Not bad, not bad, it really is an attack skill!"
Shangguan Mo expressed his satisfaction, then shifted his gaze downwards.
"What the heck?!"
Seeing the final system evaluation instantly made him a bit flustered.
This system is a bit playful!
...
The next day, the Ninja School training ground.
Wooden Shuriken flew towards Shangguan Mo from all directions.
Facing the Shuriken that almost filled his entire vision, Shangguan Mo's expression remained unchanged, his body slightly bent, and the Kunai in his right hand rapidly sliced through the air, deflecting all the Shuriken covering his body.
"Shangguan Mo's strength has grown stronger again!"
"Who says it isn't? After all, he was specially recruited..."
The classmates gathered in a circle nearby began to whisper.
Just then, their homeroom teacher's somewhat relieved voice rang out.
"Deflecting and dodging all the Shuriken, Shangguan Mo gets full marks for this practical lesson!"
After speaking, he looked at the composed Shangguan Mo.
"Don't get arrogant, keep it up, understand!"
Shangguan Mo nodded faintly, but felt a very strange sensation in his heart.
"So familiar, why does it sound so much like what teachers in my previous life would say to the good kids in the class..."
It looked easy for him to get full marks, but in fact, deflecting all those Shuriken was a very difficult task.
At least, he had never heard of any student in the third or even fourth grade getting full marks in the Shuriken throwing practical lesson.
As the students in the class all completed their practical lesson, their homeroom teacher dismissed them early for the first time.
In the end, he still urged them.
"Tomorrow, there will be a school-wide assessment. I won't announce the content yet; just perform normally!"
Except for Shangguan Mo, no child noticed the hint of complexity that flashed across the homeroom teacher's face.
"Why is there such a sudden assessment? Did something happen in the Village?"
A hazy fog rose in Shangguan Mo's heart; he had a premonition that tomorrow's assessment would definitely have extraordinary significance!
...
The next morning.
Ninja School, third-grade classroom.
"Good morning, Mo-kun."
As soon as he sat down, Shangguan Mo heard the gentle voice of his deskmate, Li.
"Morning."
Shangguan Mo smiled and nodded.
After half a year of getting along, he knew that Li's parents had passed away long ago, and like him, she was an orphan.
"Mo-kun, do you know why there's such a sudden assessment?"
Li suddenly asked.
Shangguan Mo shook his head slightly.
"I don't know either. I guess something happened in the Village, but it's not something we students who haven't graduated yet can know."
"Hmm, but no matter what, the assessment should be no problem for Mo-kun."
Whether it was cultural lessons or practical lessons, Shangguan Mo's grades gradually became more and more outstanding, and by now, he was among the top students in the class.
As for Li, this somewhat shy girl, she was relatively less noticeable.
In theoretical exams, throwing techniques, and physical tests, Li's scores were all quite average, always hovering in the middle of the class.
"You'll be fine too!"
Shangguan Mo thought for a moment, then encouraged her this way.
Soon, the homeroom teacher came and called all the third-grade students out.
The school's training ground was now bustling with people and deafening noise.
Nearly two hundred students whispered to each other, gathering in class units, all discussing this inexplicable assessment.
Such a grand occasion where all the teachers and students of the school gathered together was a rare occurrence, making these young children's faces show a mix of nervousness and excitement.
Only Shangguan Mo frowned.
"Something's wrong! Very wrong!"
Looking at a kind-faced middle-aged man respectfully surrounded by Ninja Academy teachers, he was utterly puzzled. Students aside, even the Tang Yin Village leader, who normally never showed up at school, was now present on the training ground.
Before long, the teachers of each class organized the students into assessment order, and then many unfamiliar Ninja carrying scoreboards suddenly appeared.
The assessment was conducted by class, with two-on-two battles.
Each class area had two unfamiliar Ninja holding scoreboards, seemingly to record something.
Shangguan Mo's opponent happened to be his deskmate—Li!
In the battle assessment, the equipment given to them was still only wooden Kunai and Shuriken.
Moreover, neither the Shuriken nor the Kunai were sharpened, with rounded edges, making it basically impossible for them to injure anyone in the hands of these students; at most, it would just sting a bit if hit.
"Mo-kun, remember to go easy on me then!"
Li, beside him, said with a smile, a playful look flashing across her face. Having been assigned to battle Shangguan Mo, one of the top students in the class, she was quite open-minded about it.
The students' battles were quick, mostly ending in one or two minutes. Some first and second-grade students even embarrassed their classes; in one first-grade match, the two opponents were actually pulling each other's hair.
"Let go of me!"
"No, why don't you let go first!"
"Alright then, let's count to three and let go together, okay!"
"One!"
"Hahahahahahaha..."
All the students watching the school laughed, including the kind-faced leader who also couldn't help but chuckle. Only the first-grade teacher wasn't laughing...
They were utterly disgraced!
"What are you doing!"
The first-grade homeroom teacher roared with a livid face.