"Alright, boy—it's about time."
Inside the spiritual sea, Electrolux spoke.
"Elder Electrolux, I've troubled you enough these past days," Chen Junting replied.
His consciousness gently returned to the physical world—and in the dorm room, his eyes slowly opened.
Three months had passed since he'd arrived at the academy. In just a few days, the Freshman Assessment would begin.
During these months, he'd not only broken through to the peak of Level 35—thanks to the Life Gold—but also made tremendous strides in spiritual power. Every night, he'd entered his spiritual sea to study magical runes and soul-guided arrays under Electrolux's tutelage.
Truly, an exceptionally fulfilling period.
"Dugu Xin, we should go."
Gathering his thoughts, Chen Junting's expression sharpened. He roused Dugu Xin from meditation, and the two hurried off to grab breakfast before heading to class.
Today was the day of Freshman Assessment team assignments.
…
In Freshman Class Nine's classroom—
Though class hadn't started, nearly every seat was filled.
Amidst the chatter, excitement about the upcoming assessment was palpable—but many faces also bore clear anxiety. These were the weaker students.
But the moment Chen Junting and Dugu Xin stepped inside, all conversation ceased. As if by unspoken agreement, every eye turned to Chen Junting.
The message was obvious.
With Chen Junting on their team, victory wasn't guaranteed—but surviving in the elimination rounds? Absolutely.
Right now, Chen Junting was the most sought-after teammate in class.
Yet he ignored the stares completely. He and Dugu Xin walked straight through the aisles and sat beside Ning Tian.
"You're quite popular," Ning Tian teased, flicking her now shoulder-length golden hair—grown noticeably over three months.
"As long as Teacher Mujin assigns the teams, I don't mind," Chen Junting said coolly.
His mere glance across the room made onlookers snap their heads forward. Only then did he turn back to Ning Tian.
"This assessment is the perfect chance to scout talent. Shrek might overlook them—but our Nine Treasures Glazed Sect is vast and welcoming. We take all comers."
"Mm." Ning Tian nodded. This had always been one of their core missions at Shrek—she wouldn't forget.
Just then—
"How are you all planning to choose your cultivation paths?" Wang Dong suddenly leaned over, Huo Yuhao at his side.
"You five will likely end up in the same class," Ning Tian said with a knowing smile. She felt no sadness about the impending split—after all, it was inevitable.
"You five?" Wang Dong blinked, glancing at Huo Yuhao—who, like him, intended to pursue the Control System. His mind scrambled. "Wait—you're all choosing Control?!"
The class collectively froze.
All Control?
Are you delusional?
But Chen Junting instantly understood. A slow smile spread across his face—growing wider by the second.
"Wang Dong… you didn't think each specialization gets its own class, did you? And since Yuhao chose Control, you decided to follow?"
He added the final, devastating blow:
"Attack and Control go hand in hand."
Pfft!
At Chen Junting's words—and Wang Dong's instantly crimson face—Ning Tian's group instantly grasped the truth. Ning Tian and Dugu Xin barely held back laughter, while Wu Feng burst out laughing.
"Stop! Stop it!" Wang Dong panicked as the whole class turned curious eyes his way. He lunged at Wu Feng, clamping both hands over her mouth. "I just didn't want to be separated from Yuhao! I didn't know how the Martial Soul Department's class division worked!"
But his frantic explanation only made things worse. Huo Yuhao wished the floor would swallow him whole—and several love-struck girls shot Huo Yuhao death glares, their hearts shattering into pieces.
Just then—
"Wang Dong! What are you doing?!"
The entire class fell dead silent.
At the doorway stood Mujin, arms full of thick assignment sheets—and eyes blazing with fury at the sight of Wang Dong pinning Wu Feng down in a… compromising position.
One on top, one below—
It looked like harassment.
"Ah! Teacher, let me explain!" Wang Dong yelped, scrambling to stand—but Mujin waved him off.
"I don't have time for this now. Get back to your seat." She strode in and handed the sheets to Ning Tian for distribution—forms for students to declare their chosen cultivation paths.
Once everyone had theirs, Mujin continued:
"As you know, the Freshman Assessment is next. Those who pass will officially become first-years and be **re-sorted into four specialized classes:
- Class One: Assault & Control
- Class Two: Speed Assault & Defense
- Class Three: Direct Support (e.g., amplifiers)
- Class Four: Hybrid types (e.g., food or healing specialists)"
Students listened intently—class placement would shape their cultivation paths.
Then Mujin's tone shifted. "Of course, ten classes becoming four means many will be eliminated. But I expect none from Class Nine to fail. Now, I'll explain the rules: the assessment has two stages—Round-Robin and Elimination. The Round-Robin determines who gets expelled…"
Under Mujin's guidance, the assessment's structure quickly took shape in their minds. No one wanted to be kicked out of the continent's premier soul master academy.
Yet many faces paled—they lacked confidence in their strength.
But to leave now… after coming this far? Unthinkable!
Just as despair set in, Mujin offered hope:
"There's another path."
All eyes snapped to her.
She smiled. "If you lack confidence in the Martial Soul Department's assessment, you may take the Soul Engineering Department's instead. I don't know the details—but given how hard it is for them to recruit, their test is surely easier."
At the words "Soul Engineering Department," conflicted looks spread across the room—students who scorned soul-guided devices… yet desperately wanted to stay.
Chen Junting shook his head inwardly. These guys still thought that they had a high probability of passing the Soul Guidance System assessment, but they still don't realize that with their attitude towards the Soul Guidance System, it would be difficult for them to even accept it, let alone study.
With the briefing over, students finalized their path selections.
Mujin scanned the forms, confirmed her preparations were sound, and began announcing teams:
"Team One: Chen Junting…"
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