Chapter 22 Ranking Tournament Begins.
In stark contrast to the all-out efforts of other freshman teams, Wu Xuan barely made a move in the following matches.
With a speed boost from his second soul skill, Qian Gu Ming and Nan Men Yun'er easily defeated their opponents, securing a perfect 5-0 record.
Because of their best performance in the previous five rounds, they remained in District 32. After a re-draw, they were reassigned to five other groups of freshmen for further assessment.
However, only two of these groups possessed Great Soul Masters, posing no threat to Wu Xuan and his companions, who easily won.
It's worth noting that besides the two teams with Great Soul Masters, the other three teams were all from Class 1, Zhou Yi's students, whom Wu Xuan naturally wouldn't hold back against.
Thus, the freshman assessment concluded in just three days.
In Du Weilun's office on the top floor of the faculty office building,
Du Weilun carefully reviewed ten documents before looking up at the ten people before him.
These ten were the class advisors for the ten classes of this year's freshmen.
"The statistics for this year's freshman assessment are out. All of you class teachers, please take a look." Du Weilun smiled and handed over ten reports.
The ten teachers each received their reports. Unlike the other nine teachers, Zhou Yi's expression grew increasingly grim.
"Mu Jin, your Class 9's assessment results are particularly good. They have the most students making it into the top 64 out of the ten freshman classes. Prepare for your promotion to senior teacher after the ranking competition."
"Yes, thank you, Director Du." Mu Jin replied respectfully, glancing at Zhou Yi with a smug look. She wasn't particularly concerned about the senior teacher title, but being able to outdo Zhou Yi made her feel exceptionally pleased.
Zhou Yi's livid face instantly flushed with anger. She could disregard everything else, but she couldn't accept her students being inferior to Mu Jin. Mu
Jin ignored Zhou Yi's livid expression and left Du Weilun's office chatting and laughing with the other freshman class teachers.
In the ranking competition, the team Wu Xuan and his two companions faced in the round of 64 to 32 wasn't strong, and they easily won.
It's worth mentioning that in the round of 32 to 16, Wu Xuan and his two companions encountered the team from Class 1 again. This team was ranked third in Class 1, and their strength was naturally no match for Wu Xuan and his group, so they easily won the match. Nearly a third of the students in Class 1 were eliminated by Wu Xuan's group, a result that naturally made Zhou Yi's face contort with anger.
After the match, the three walked out of the Soul Arena and went to the rest area.
They saw Ning Tian sitting weakly on the viewing platform.
Li Ya next to him asked with a frustrated look, "Teacher Mu, what exactly happened? How did we lose the match?"
Wu Feng next to him also looked grim, still not understanding how their team had lost.
Mu Jin's face was solemn, and she remained silent. She had been watching Wu Xuan and his companions' match before, so she hadn't paid attention to Ning Tian and his group. How could she answer now?
Wu Xuan stroked his chin and couldn't help but think, "It seems that the hundred-year soul bone dropped by the Twin Cyclops, combined with the Tang Sect's Purple Demon Eye, is very suitable for Huo Yuhao. He was even able to defeat Ning Tian's team."
The freshman assessment elimination round, the round of 16 to 8, officially began in the assessment area when the afternoon class bell rang.
Compared to the morning, the number of trainees participating in the elimination rounds had halved. After another draw, they immediately headed to their assigned areas to compete.
To the north of the assessment area, a high platform had been erected, twenty meters above the ground, supported by six metal pillars. Looking up, it was impossible to see the number of people it could accommodate; only shadowy figures could be seen observing the matches. From this height of twenty meters, one could overlook the entire assessment area and clearly see the competition in each arena.
This time, Wu Xuan and his two companions were assigned to area number three. When they arrived, another team that had also drawn area number three was already there.
The draw concluded, and the sixteen-to-eight elimination round of the freshman assessment officially began.
The three opponents lined up horizontally as soon as they entered the arena. Standing in the center was a large, overweight boy. He looked like a small mountain of flesh.
The other two beside him were remarkably slender in comparison. They were not only a head shorter but also somewhat bony. The two looked somewhat alike; they seemed to be brothers.
If viewed from a distance, the two thinner students would likely be completely overlooked.
"Say your names. Prepare for the match," the proctor announced in a deep voice.
The mountain of flesh-like boy slapped his chest, causing his bulky body to jiggle. "My name is Xie Huan Yue, from Class 2 of the freshmen."
"Class 2 of the freshmen,
Luo Tianlong." "Class 2 of the freshmen, Luo Tianba."
The two thinner students announced their names.
"Class 9 of the freshmen, Wu Xuan!"
"Class 9 of the freshmen, Qian Gu Ming!" "Class 9 of the freshmen, Nanmen Yun'er!"
Wu Xuan and the other two also announced their names. With the proctor's command to begin, the sixteen-to-eight competition officially commenced.
The freshman named Xie Huan Yue from Class 2 possessed three spirit rings—a perfect combination of two yellow and one purple—and their movement on his massive body made them even more pronounced.
He pounded his chest with both fists, producing muffled "thump, thump" sounds. He strode towards Wu Xuan and the other two.
Luo Tianlong and Luo Tianba didn't immediately release their martial souls. Instead, they flashed behind Xie Huanyue, hiding behind his massive body.
"Second Soul Skill, Light Breeze!"
As a gentle breeze rippled around Wu Xuan, the second purple soul ring quietly lit up. The breeze attached itself to them, and Nanmen Yun'er and Qian Guming instantly became lighter, their speed increasing dramatically once more.
Xie Huanyue seemed unconcerned about Qian Guming and Nanmen Yun'er, who had circled behind them in the blink of an eye. He stomped his left foot heavily on the ground, but this time, the previous "bang, bang" sounds didn't repeat themselves.
Xie Huanyue's body shot into the sky like a soul-guided projectile, leaping a full ten meters high. Then, his body curled up, resembling a giant ball of flesh, crashing down on Wu Xuan below.
Luo Tianlong and Luo Tianba, clearly brothers, also launched their attack simultaneously, intercepting Qian Guming and Nanmen Yun'er who had circled behind him.
Both possessed two yellow soul rings, and their forearms had turned silver-white, each sprouting a massive mantis blade. They were not only fast but also appeared incredibly agile.
Seeing the ball of flesh hurtling towards him, Wu Xuan's eyes narrowed. He raised his left leg and kicked Xie Huanyue in mid-air. A cyan whirlwind instantly shot out.
This move was the skill granted by the Wind God Winged Dragon's external soul bone: Shadow Whirlwind!
With the second soul skill amplifying his hurricane power by fifty percent, the Shadow Whirlwind's power more than doubled.
The ball of flesh crashed into the whirlwind, its powerful impact trapping it inside and sending it plummeting straight to the ground.
Xie Huan Yue seemed completely unfazed. His first spirit ring lit up, and his already massive body expanded again, this time like an inflated balloon, becoming perfectly round, and he effortlessly broke free from the whirlwind's restraints.
Wu Xuan frowned, raised his left leg, and launched another kick from a distance.
While in mid-air, Xie Huan Yue's second spirit ring suddenly lit up. His originally short, thick right arm swung out with incredible force, using momentum to dodge Wu Xuan's second whirlwind kick.
Xie Huan Yue extended his arm again, aiming a lash at Wu Xuan.
"Finger Wind Dragon!"
A crisp clang rang out, and a turquoise breeze flew from Wu Xuan's fingertips.
The moment it flew out, the turquoise breeze began to expand rapidly. In just a few breaths, the breeze swelled into a lifelike wind dragon over five meters long.
"Whoosh!"
The wind dragon's tail lashed out, deflecting Xie Huan Yue's swinging arm. But this brief moment of parrying gave Xie Huan Yue an opening, and the entire fleshy ball suddenly began to spin rapidly, shifting more than half a meter to the left.
The wind dragon whistled past, grazing the edge of the fleshy ball.
Xie Huan Yue, landing back on the ground, felt a buzzing in his head; clearly, the wind dragon attack had taken its toll.
Wu Xuan's eyes widened. Was Xie Huan Yue's Puppet Elephant Martial Soul really this strange? It had rendered him ineffective with three consecutive attacks.
He sighed, realizing that the Wind Dragon technique was ultimately too limited, only capable of linear attacks.
While Wu Xuan's side didn't have an overwhelming advantage, Qian Gu Ming and Nanmen Yun'er were overwhelming their opponents.
The Luo brothers were agility-type Soul Masters, but their speed had become their disadvantage.
The Luo brothers immediately changed their strategy, their Mantis Blade conjuring dozens of blade beams to attack the two.
The Luo brothers' idea was simple: to use a full-force attack to hold off Qian Gu Ming and Nanmen Yun'er.
However, this idea proved futile against Qian Gu Ming and Nanmen Yun'er's uncanny speed and perfect teamwork.
"Second Soul Skill, Azure Blade Slash!"
"Second Soul Skill, Crimson Flame Strike!"
Both unleashed their second soul skills, instantly plunging the Luo brothers into a desperate situation. The proctor entered the arena like a ghost, grabbed the two, and then swiftly withdrew from the competition area.
Seeing his eliminated teammates, Xie Huan Yue's expression suddenly changed. He couldn't win against three against one, but he was also helpless against the person in front of him. He would take down these two first, then focus on dealing with Wu Xuan.
Thinking this, Xie Huan Yue didn't hesitate any longer. The third soul ring on his obese body finally shone brightly, the purple light instantly illuminating his body, making Xie Huan Yue appear like a giant purple ball.
With a low roar, a strong purple halo erupted from his body, charging towards Qian Gu Ming and Nanmen Yun'er.
"Third Soul Skill, Jade Wind!"
At this moment, Wu Xuan finally stopped holding back. His third soul ring shone brightly, and the emerald wind within the arena seemed to gain substance.
Xie Huan Yue's body, which had transformed into a purple ball and was charging forward, was instantly blocked by the materialized wind, greatly reducing its speed.
"Snap!"
Wu Xuan clasped his hands together, and the jade-colored wind instantly solidified, covering Xie Huan Yue's entire body in a few breaths, transforming it into a piece of sharply defined jade crystal.
Qian Gu Ming and Nan Men Yun'er rushed forward, about to unleash their soul skills to send Xie Huan Yue off the stage, when the referee quickly stepped onto the stage to stop them and announced the result:
"The assessment is over! Wu Xuan's team wins."
"Ding!"
Upon hearing this, Wu Xuan lightly clenched his left fist, and with a crisp sound, the crystal binding Xie Huan Yue shattered, turning into a gentle breeze.
Xie Huan Yue had now released his martial soul possession state and was kneeling on the arena, panting heavily.
Seeing Xie Huan Yue's disheveled appearance, Wu Xuan breathed a slight sigh of relief. As expected, none of those who could cultivate to the Soul Venerable level before the age of twelve were simple characters.
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