In the afternoon, all the new student classes had assembled in the assessment area.
Shrek Academy's assessment area was located in the northern-central part of the Martial Soul Department, adjacent to the Soul Dueling Area. However, compared to the cramped Soul Dueling Area, the assessment area was several times larger. For Outer Courtyard students, this was a paradise for excellent students to showcase themselves, and a nightmare for those who lagged behind. In this assessment area, nearly ninety percent of all assessments each year were held here, and countless students had sadly left Shrek Academy due to failing assessments.
The assessment area was oval-shaped, not like the Soul Dueling Area which resembled a standard arena, but rather a flat, spacious open ground. Only the outermost perimeter was a low wall, and the interior would be divided into many equally sized zones as examination venues, according to need.
The annual new student assessment was when the assessment area had the most examination zones, not only because of the large number of new students, but also because their destructive power and attack range were limited, so they didn't need too large an area to display their abilities. The assessment area spanned over 20,000 square meters, and at this time, it had been divided into twenty examination zones. Each zone was a square area with sides of thirty meters. A 900-square-meter venue was already sufficient for new students whose cultivation generally only reached one or two spirit rings. With the average movement speed of a Spirit Grandmaster, 15 meters per second, it was more than enough to maneuver within a 900-square-meter venue. However, for agility-attack system Spirit Masters, it was very unfriendly.
This new student assessment involved a total of two hundred new student teams. After drawing lots, every ten teams would be assigned to one examination zone, and then round-robin battles would commence within each zone. Thus, in the first stage of the points ranking competition, each participating team would need to battle nine other teams within the same examination zone. Each team would undergo nine rounds of combat, meaning each examination zone would host forty-five battles.
However, the time for the new student assessment was limited, and the first stage of the points ranking competition only had three and a half days, meaning this afternoon plus the next three days. In other words, within such a short period, forty-five matches needed to be completed, which was a challenge for the examiners of the zones, and an even greater challenge for the students.
Time was tight, tasks were heavy, and there was no room for error!
"Attention all new students, attention all new students, please enter the assessment area immediately to prepare for the new student assessment. There are only ten minutes left for entry; anyone late will be considered to have forfeited this assessment." A loud broadcast sounded, heard by all students, and the new students' expressions all turned serious.
The new student assessment had begun!
"Let's go," Zhu Ziyang said with a slight smile on his face.
"Okay! Champions, here we come!" Tang Ya cheered loudly, her voice drawing glances from the surrounding new students, but none of the three paid any attention.
"Yes! We will be champions!" Jiang Nannan also cheered, a rare occurrence for her.
Zhu Ziyang's team was assigned to Examination Zone Number Twelve, located in the second row, second position of the assessment area. The three walked towards the zone.
At Examination Zone Number Twelve, when Zhu Ziyang and his two teammates arrived, the other nine teams were already there. Some of these teams recognized Zhu Ziyang, and their faces immediately fell. Others did not know Zhu Ziyang's reputation, so they maintained calm expressions.
A female teacher, approximately thirty years old, arrived at Examination Zone Number Twelve. The teacher had a delicate appearance and a friendly smile that made people feel close to her. When she saw Zhu Ziyang and his five teammates, she subconsciously nodded and said with an apologetic tone, "Oh dear, I'm late! Hello everyone, my name is Liu Xue, and I am the examiner for Examination Zone Number Twelve."
"Hello, Teacher Liu!" All the students in Examination Zone Number Twelve immediately bowed and greeted her.
"No need to be so polite. Time is pressing, let's start directly," Liu Xue said with a smile, taking out a list and reading, "Examination Zone Number Twelve, first match of the ranking competition: New Student Class Three's Lu Shaoyou, Du Shaofu, Wang Shaowei, against New Student Class Four's Zhu Ziyang, Jiang Nannan, Tang Ya. Both teams please enter the arena."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Ziyang and his two teammates did not hesitate and directly walked onto the field. They stood in a triangular formation, with Zhu Ziyang at the front, and Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya on either side.
Their opponents were three male students. The three students from Class Three clearly recognized Zhu Ziyang; they exchanged bitter smiles and, after a glance, their captain Lu Shaoyou shouted, "Face the difficulties, fear nothing!"
"Face the difficulties, fear nothing!" The other two also shouted.
Then, the three walked to the other side of the field. The bitter smiles and helpless expressions on their faces vanished, replaced by intense fighting Spirit. They adopted an inverted triangular formation, with Lu Shaoyou and Du Shaofu at the front, and Wang Shaowei at the back.
Liu Xue observed this scene and couldn't help but nod, very satisfied with their performance. As Shrek students, they needed this Spirit of not fearing difficulties. She said, "The assessment begins."
Both sides simultaneously released their Spirits.
On Zhu Ziyang's side, rabbit ears appeared on Jiang Nannan's head, and two yellow spirit rings emerged. Greenish-blue Blue Silver Grass swirled around Tang Ya's hand, and similarly, two yellow spirit rings appeared behind her. Zhu Ziyang extended his right hand, and the Pacifying Life-Reaping Scythe appeared, but no spirit rings lit up behind him.
Liu Xue was startled by Zhu Ziyang's display. Her Spirit was the Tool Spirit Autumn Water Sword, and she hadn't reached such a level of Spirit control, yet a first-year student had achieved it. How could she not be surprised? She was a Spirit Emperor! Moreover, she vaguely felt that her Spirit seemed to fear that student's Spirit. Was it a top-tier Tool Spirit?
On Lu Shaoyou's side, although full of fighting Spirit, their eyes still held gravity and caution. Behind them, six yellow spirit rings were evenly distributed among the three. Lu Shaoyou's Spirit was the Earth Violent Bear, a Level 25 attack system Spirit Grandmaster. After releasing his Spirit, his physique became much stronger, and his hands transformed into giant bear paws. Du Shaofu's Spirit was the Golden Eagle, a Level 22 agility-attack system Spirit Grandmaster. After releasing his Spirit, golden feathers appeared on his arms, and his hands also became eagle claws, flapping as he floated in the air. As for Wang Shaowei, his Spirit was surprisingly the Red Bean, a Level 21 food system Spirit Grandmaster. His two spirit rings flashed rapidly, and six red beans appeared in his hand, two of which he handed to each of his two teammates.
A team entirely composed of Spirit Grandmasters was undoubtedly Class Three's seeded team.
"Nannan, prioritize taking care of that food system Spirit Master! Xiaoya, you deal with that Golden Eagle Spirit Master!" Unexpectedly, their first opponents were three Spirit Grandmasters. Zhu Ziyang quickly made his deployment and then charged towards them first.
Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya also followed, charging forward.
Lu Shaoyou and his two teammates also reacted quickly. Lu Shaoyou and Du Shaofu swiftly swallowed the red beans. Lu Shaoyou shouted, "Shaofu, let's attack Zhu Ziyang together! Shaowei, be careful yourself!"
His first and second spirit rings lit up simultaneously, and his body glowed with an earthy yellow light. His two bear paws instantly doubled in size, and he charged towards Zhu Ziyang. Du Shaofu's spirit rings also lit up simultaneously; his fingernails instantly became long and sharp, and feathers even grew on his calves. With a light leap, he jumped five meters into the air, swooping down on Zhu Ziyang from above.
"Hey, aren't you looking down on us too much!" Tang Ya was very displeased with her opponent's deployment. She shouted, then her first spirit ring lit up, and a huge Blue Silver Net flew from her hand, rushing towards Du Shaofu in the air.