Chapter 25 The Finals.
In the afternoon, accompanied by Du Weilun and respectfully greeted by a group of teachers, Yan Shaozhe arrived at his designated spot in the stands.
This was a spacious, protruding area. The assessment area was very quiet; Shrek Academy's assessment system prioritized the privacy of each student's abilities, so after the top 32 in the rankings, other students were never allowed to watch.
Of course, the absence of students watching didn't necessarily mean there were few people. Almost all the teachers from the outer academy who weren't teaching had gathered in the assessment area to watch.
Don't underestimate this annual freshman assessment, held three months after the start of the semester. Almost all of Shrek Academy's inner academy students had distinguished themselves in the freshman assessment and were subsequently given comprehensive training by the academy.
Dean Yan Shaozhe's personal attendance was due to the exceptional strength of this year's freshmen. Generally, even for Shrek Academy students, reaching the third ring cultivation level required around their third year. Furthermore, the third ring cultivation level was a necessary condition for advancing from the third to the fourth year. Yet, this year's freshmen already had four third-ring cultivators—a level of strength that almost guaranteed their entry into the inner academy. Yan Shaozhe also wanted to see who the final champion among this year's freshmen would be.
But the main reason was Wu Xuan, a genius with two thousand-year soul rings. It was no exaggeration to say that Wu Xuan was now fully qualified to become an inner court disciple.
Both sides arrived at the arena early, preparing while observing each other in the distance.
At this time, the referee had already entered the spacious assessment area. All the partitions had been removed at noon, revealing the huge assessment area.
The referee waved to both sides, signaling them to enter.
Wu Xuan and his two companions entered with their heads held high, Wu Xuan still walking in front, with Qian Guming and Nanmen Yun'er on either side.
On the other side, Dai Huabin led the way, bringing the two girls into the arena as well.
The referee called both players to his side and said in a deep voice, "The rules for the upcoming final match have been changed. Listen carefully. You can move freely within the playing area. To allow you to unleash your full potential, you can attack with all your might during the match. Don't hold back; I will control the pace of the game. Anyone rescued from the playing area by me will be considered out of the match. Do you understand?"
"Understood," both players answered in unison.
"State your names."
"Dai Huabin." Dai Huabin's voice was icy, as if an invisible killing intent emanated from him.
"Zhu Lu." The black-haired girl said.
"Cui Yajie." The pink-haired girl said.
"Wu Xuan!"
"Qian Guming."
"Nanmen Yun'er."
The referee stretched out his arms to the sides and said, "Each of you move to the edge of the playing area. You may attack only after I announce the start."
Both players slowly retreated, a fierce glint in Dai Huabin's eyes. Wu Xuan remained calm throughout, but in terms of aura, he completely overwhelmed Dai Huabin.
Soon, both sides reached the edge of the arena. The entire assessment area was vast, and at this moment, each other appeared extremely small in their eyes.
The referee raised his right hand and then brought it down sharply, the word "Start" clearly reaching the ears of all the participating students.
Both sides moved in unison, charging towards each other simultaneously after the announcement.
"Second Soul Skill, Light Breeze!"
Wu Xuan's second purple soul ring instantly shone brightly, and with wisps of gentle breeze attached, the speed of the three suddenly increased dramatically.
Wu Xuan headed directly for Dai Huabin, while Qian Guming and Nanmen Yun'er each found their own opponents.
Nanmen Yun'er faced Zhu Lu, also a speed-attack type battle soul master, while Qian Guming faced Cui Yajie.
On the other side, Dai Huabin and his two companions continued their frantic advance, maintaining their formation. Dai Huabin led the charge, shouting as he ran, "White Tiger, Possess!"
A powerful, pale white light erupted from his body. As he sprinted, he simultaneously stretched his arms to the sides, and a black-and-white phantom of a tiger instantly appeared behind him.
His hands were also enveloped in milky-white soul power, forming tiger claws. Each claw was like a blade, gleaming with a chilling, eerie light. A surge of soul power surged forth like a tidal wave.
The two girls beside Dai Huabin also underwent different transformations. The black-haired girl on the left, Zhu Lu, had her different colored eyes deepen in color, her ears perked up, and her slender, powerful body became more elongated. Each finger seemed to have a sharp blade extending from it. Unlike Dai Huabin, who was fierce, she possessed an ethereal lightness. Although her speed did not surpass Dai Huabin's for the time being, her fleeting movements created a series of afterimages around her.
The transformation of the other pink-haired girl was even more bizarre. After releasing her martial soul, her long pink hair grew even longer, developing large waves that cascaded down like a pink waterfall. Her eyes were clear and bright, and her ears became pointed, even more so than Zhu Lu's. Most peculiarly, two large, illusory yet solid tails appeared behind her.
In this brief moment, the two sides had already closed to within fifty meters of each other.
The first to collide were Wu Xuan and Dai Huabin, who were at the forefront of their respective teams.
A hint of confusion appeared in Dai Huabin's eyes. He had watched Wu Xuan and his two companions compete many times before, and based on past matches, he didn't understand why Wu Xuan, a control-type soul master, would rush over to fight him in close combat.
In a flash, his attack was instinctively unleashed.
"Second Soul Skill, White Tiger Blazing Light Wave!"
Dai Huabin roared, and intense white light instantly gathered at his head. Immediately afterward, a ball of white light spewed out towards Wu Xuan.
"Third Soul Skill, Jade Wind!"
"Condense!"
Facing Dai Huabin's attack, Wu Xuan remained calm. A jade-colored breeze gathered, and with a flick of his left arm, a spear shimmering with jade luster, its blade taking up nearly half of the entire length, appeared in his hand.
The spear spun and thrust forward, and to everyone's astonishment, Dai Huabin's White Tiger Blazing Light Wave was shattered by the spear.
Both sides were already clashing at full strength, and after this instant of exchange, Wu Xuan had already regained his footing. Dai Huabin's pupils contracted slightly, his steel teeth clenched, and despite his unsteady stance, he forcibly twisted his body to the side.
"First Soul Skill, White Tiger Protective Barrier!"
The first soul ring lit up, a white light shield covering his entire body, and a pair of menacing claws slammed heavily towards Wu Xuan.
Such combat prowess even impressed Wu Xuan.
Despite his admiration, Wu Xuan showed no mercy in his attack.
With a sweeping thrust of his spear, Wu Xuan knocked Dai Huabin's attacking claws back a step.
Wu Xuan spun around, the spear blade rotating, his entire being seemingly becoming one with the spear. He thrust the spear forward, its light striking Dai Huabin squarely in the chest.
"Crack!"
A crisp cracking sound rang out as the white light shield surrounding Dai Huabin shattered. His first soul skill had been forcefully detonated by Wu Xuan's spear.
Having withstood Dai Huabin's full-force attacks, Wu Xuan clearly felt that his spear, formed from wind elements, had reached its limit.
After turning and sending Dai Huabin flying with a flick of his spear, Wu Xuan's hands trembled slightly, and the jade-green spear in his hands vanished into the breeze.
Wu Xuan looked at the somewhat disheveled Dai Huabin and smiled faintly, "Use whatever else you have. If you keep hiding, you'll have no chance."
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(End of Chapter)