Now that Tang Wulin is a real freak. He got full marks in six trials. I canât make heads or tails of him. His martial soul is plain old Bluesilver Grass, but that golden soul ringâŚItâs definitely unrelated to his martial soul. He hasnât had any trouble so far either. Throughout the entire exam, he has steadily progressed, getting one full score after another.
Though his talents arenât great, his strength is formidable. This isnât the fruit of just his potential, but his potential combined with his temperament.
Gu Yue is far ahead of the rest of class zero in talent and potential. But in overall strength and temperament, Tang Wulin shines the brightest and fully deserves the position of captain.
Senior brother, your insight is so great!
Thoughts weighing on her mind, Shen Yi led the four students into a small room.
This room was different from the rest so far. The lighting was dim and the surroundings lacked lavish decorations, with only a single large screen hanging from the metal walls.
A sense of familiarity flooded the four students. This place seems similar to the spirit ascension platform! Is the ninth trial like that?
âYour goal for the ninth trial is to survive. I believe youâve all been in the spirit ascension platform before. Well, this is similar to that. In a sense, all the soul beasts in it are real. If you kill one and are at a bottleneck, then youâll be able to gain a soul ring. Alright. Prepare to enter.â Shen Yi pressed a button and several metal capsules slid out of the walls.
Survive?
When Gu Yue, Xie Xie, and Xu Xiaoyan had heard this, they shifted their gazes in Tang Wulinâs direction, eyes brimming with confidence.
After receiving a paltry three points from the previous trial, Xie Xie had felt anxious. The details of the ninth trial blew away all his insecurities.\nThey had spent countless days in the spirit ascension platform over the years, so anything that resembled that would be a walk in the park. As long as they didnât jump head-first at a high-level beast, of course.
In that case, Tang Wulinâs leadership and the teamâs coordination would pull through splendidly. Together, they were unbeatable.
âTeacher Shen, will we be taking this trial together?â Tang Wulin asked.
Shen Yi eyed him. âYes. No matter the number of participants, they will all take the trial together. This trial tests your coordination in addition to your ability to survive. You all came together, so you have an advantage here. Good luck.â
âThank you, Teacher Shen.â
The four examinees split up and entered the metal capsules. This marked the start of the ninth trial.
Unknown to the four, two people entered the room after the capsules slid back into the walls. Among them was a cranky old lady they were all too familiar with, the Silver Moon Douluo!
An old man was by her side. His nose was high and his deep-blue eyes sunken. He stood tall with gray hair down to his shoulders, accenting his unyielding aura. Just his presence could stifle others. .
âTeacher,â Shen Yi respectfully greeted the old man.
The old man nodded. âHow have these kids done so far?â
After a long moment of contemplation, Shen Yi found the right words. âTheyâre unbelievable.â
The Silver Moon Douluo laughed. âThatâs right! Theyâre really unbelievable! I didnât let them take the fifth trial, but thereâs actually someone who managed to score full points so far! That Tang Wulin is marvelous! His blood essence is strong, almost a bit like yours, Zhou Shi. Let me be frank. I donât care about the other three, but Iâve already set my eyes on that Gu Yue.â \nZhuo Shi shot her a look. âWhat do you mean youâve set your eyes on her? Donât forget that theyâre all my granddisciples. They donât have anything to do with you.â
âWhat?â The Silver Moon Douluo arched her brows. âAre you trying to go back on your word?â
Zhuo Shi smirked, the domineering air around him receding. âIâm not going back on my word! Iâm just stating a fact. Iâm saying you eye them as much as you want, but that doesnât mean Iâll just hand them over to you. They have to be willing too. Youâll need to ask Gu Yue if she wants to be your disciple first. If she rejects you, then thereâs no use in forcing it.â
âThatâs nonsense! I like how stubborn she is.â She stomped with fury. âWhat would separate kids from walking corpses if they didnât have such strong wills? Her temperament is precisely what attracts me.â
Shen Yi silently watched from the sidelines. She dared not speak out of turn in front of these two elders.
Zhuo Shi said, âWe can talk about this after they finish this trial. If they canât pass it, then it doesnât even matter how high they scored on the other ones.â
Unexpectedly, the Silver Moon Douluo reigned in her vexation and nodded. It seemed she held the ninth trial in high regard as well.
âTeacher, what test level are they taking?â Shen Yi softly asked.
Zhuo Shi contemplated for a moment. âThe highest level.â
Dumbstruck, Shen Yi tried to steady her thoughts. The highest level? Even adults find that level hard! ThatâsâŚ
âHurry up now,â Zhuo Shi urged when he noticed her hesitation.
âYes.â
â
Space warped around him, a minor matter to Tang Wulin who had experienced the spirit ascension platform countless times. With his sturdy body and sharp mind, this sudden sensation didnât affect him at all. \nIn a flash of light, the four examinees found themselves in an empty space. A world came into view in a blink of an eye.
Class zero appeared in this world together, and after exchanging glances, they immediately shifted into their usual battle formation.
Bluesilver Grass sprang out from beneath Tang Wulinâs feet, slithering out to probe their surroundings.
Their environment was similar to the spirit ascension platform. That said, the lush forest here seemed more ancient.
âSo the ninth trial tests our ability to survive. Fantastic. Isnât this the easiest possible trial for us?â Xie Xie rejoiced.
Tang Wulin raised his hand, silencing him. After a moment, he said in a hushed voice, âThis place is different from what weâre used to. At least from the elementary one, anyway. Iâve been in the intermediate level once before with Teacher Wu, and I can say for a fact that the plants here and there are similar. Donât forget that this is still part of the Shrek Academy entrance exam. Teacher Shen said that we have to survive, but she never mentioned for how long. We need to be careful. If my guess is right, and this place is like the intermediate spirit ascension platform, then weâll run into a lot of thousand-year soul beasts. Maybe even some at the ten-thousand-year level.â
Ten-thousand-year soul beast? His three teammates sucked in a deep breath at the thought.
Xu Xiaoyan said quietly, âCaptain, if I can breakthrough to rank 30, then canât I get a soul ring here? If thereâs a ten-thousand-year soul beastâŚâ
âDonât even think about it,â said Tang Wulin, frowning. âWith your current abilities, itâs impossible to absorb a ten-thousand-year soul ring, let alone kill a ten-thousand-year soul beast. Donât forget, this would just be your third ring. Normally, soul masters donât get a ten-thousand-year soul ring until rank 50. Your body isnât that strong to begin with, so donât think so wishfully. Otherwise, you might encounter a problem. Like the time I evolved my spirit soul to the thousand-year level.â \nHearing the severity in his voice, Xu Xiaoyan stuck out her tongue. âGot it!â
Tang Wulin said, âLetâs go. We should find a vantage point to survey the land first. Once we have a good line of sight, weâll rest and recover the energy spent on the previous trials.â
âAlright.â
The four proceeded cautiously. Gu Yue was in charge of scouting, sending off wind birds further into the surrounding thicket. On the other hand, Tang Wulin monitored their immediate vicinity.
When the wind birds discovered nothing, as if this was just a normal forest, Tang Wulin didnât believe it for a second. This was part of the Shrek exam after all.
A while later, they chanced upon a hill with a large field of view. Tang Wulin took out the steamed buns from his storage device and began handing them out to everyone. After eating, they took turns resting.
All was tranquil without the slightest hint of trouble.
Two hours later, they were fully recovered.
âCaptain, somethingâs strange! Itâs been two hours already yet we still havenât met any soul beasts, â Xie Xie said in a low, nervous voice. âDo you have any idea whatâs going on?â \n