Time flies like an arrow, and days pass like a shuttle.
In the blink of an eye, the day of the grade challenge match arrived, with the first and second grades teaming up to challenge the third grade.
This match was undoubtedly the most significant internal competition of the year at Shrek Academy, as the current first grade was hailed as the strongest in a century. Their class committee team had even represented the academy and defeated the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy during last year's final exams, making their reputation in the Outer Academy extremely prominent.
Now, led by them, the first and second grades were challenging the third grade, which was considered the strongest in the Outer Academy in terms of overall strength. Just the hype alone was enough to spark heated discussions throughout the Outer Academy.
On the day of the match, nearly all the students from the Outer Academy gathered at the sparring arena. Not only students but also teachers from the Outer Academy came together, packing the arena to the brim, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.
The VIP seating area was also filled with high-ranking academy officials who had come to watch the match. The most prominent figure was naturally the Vice Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion, Holy Spirit Douluo Yali, followed by the Outer Academy's Dean, Silver Moon Douluo Cai Yue'er, Sea God Pavilion Elder Crimson Dragon Douluo Zhuo Shi, Blazing Dragon Douluo Feng Wuyu, and several other Sea God Pavilion Elders who taught in the Outer Academy.
In the preparation areas on both sides of the sparring arena, the students from the first and second grades occupied one side, while the third-grade students occupied the other. On the side of the first and second grades, Wu Zhangkong was calmly arranging the order of participants for the upcoming matches.
"For the first one-on-one match, Yuanen Yehui will take the field," Wu Zhangkong said. "We don't know the opponent's arrangements, but in this match, you must give it your all. Don't worry about the subsequent matches, understand?"
Although Jing Shaoyu had already informed him about the results of their previous interactions with the second grade, as a teacher, he still had to consider the implications. After all, this challenge match was nominally a joint effort between the first and second grades, so it wouldn't be appropriate to completely sideline the second grade. Therefore, he chose the second-grade class monitor for the first match.
"Understood!" Yuanen Yehui replied firmly. As the class monitor of the second grade, she had initially thought that her grade would be relegated to a supporting role throughout the match. However, she was unexpectedly assigned to the first match. She understood Wu Zhangkong's intentions, so she knew she couldn't afford to lose this match; otherwise, the second grade would become a complete laughingstock.
"For the second match, Ye Xinglan will take the field, and for the third match, Wu Siduo will go. Any issues?" Wu Zhangkong then looked at Jing Shaoyu and the other six, asking.
"No issues," both girls nodded simultaneously.
Listening to Wu Zhangkong's arrangements, Jing Shaoyu narrowed his eyes but didn't voice any objections. Balancing things out like this was understandable, as the subsequent two-on-two and team battles were the main events.
Ye Xinglan, Wu Siduo, and Yuanen Yehui all sat cross-legged on the ground, beginning to adjust their states.
On the side of the third grade, the assistant homeroom teacher was a middle-aged woman named Song Lin, a Soul Saint and a Two-Word Battle Armor Master. She was a senior teacher in the Outer Academy and had reportedly stayed on as a teacher immediately after graduating, having been in the academy for over twenty years. This third-grade class was the second group of students she had taught.
"You're all aware of the strength of this year's first grade—they're very strong. So, don't underestimate them," Song Lin first cautioned, then looked at an eighteen or nineteen-year-old boy and said, "For the first match, I'll leave it to you, Wu Rui."
"Yes, Teacher Song!" Wu Rui replied.
He was one of the top five students in terms of individual strength in the third grade, a forty-eighth-level control-type Soul Master with the Martial Soul of the Heavenly Book.
Once both sides had confirmed the participants for the first one-on-one match, Cai Yue'er took a step into the void, and with a flash of silver light, she appeared on the sparring platform.
"Both participants, step forward," Cai Yue'er announced.
As two figures simultaneously leaped onto the platform, the surrounding students erupted in cheers, and the match began.
Wu Rui, relying on his bizarre Heavenly Book Martial Soul, immediately suppressed Yuanen Yehui. Yuanen Yehui, with her powerful Titan Giant Ape Martial Soul, couldn't gain any advantage against Wu Rui. Instead, she was completely outmaneuvered, and the rhythm of the battle fell entirely under Wu Rui's control.
It wasn't until Yuanen Yehui chose to reveal her second Martial Soul and her true gender that she managed to turn the tide. Utilizing the agility and high burst damage of her Fallen Angel Martial Soul, she successfully reversed the situation, defeated Wu Rui, and secured the first victory.
Jing Shaoyu noticed that when Yuanen Yehui revealed herself, the second-year students showed expressions of shock and disbelief. Among the first-year students, Tang Wulin and Xie Xie, who had interacted with Yuanen Yehui a few times, also looked as if they had seen a ghost. However, Mo Hentian, who had the most contact with Yuanen Yehui, didn't seem surprised at all.
"Xiao Mo, did you know early on that Yuanen Yehui was a girl?" Jing Shaoyu leaned close to Mo Hentian and whispered in her ear.
"Yes," Mo Hentian nodded.
After a brief rest, the second one-on-one match began. Naturally, Ye Xinglan stepped forward from the first and second-year side, while a young man named Ye Wu from the third-year side took the stage.
Ye Wu's Martial Soul was called the Flame Body, a very unique Martial Soul that could be considered a body-type Martial Soul in some sense. However, the fire element made it even more aggressive. Despite being a Martial Soul that balanced offense and defense, Ye Wu had trained it into a speed-attack type. Sometimes, it had to be said, too much ingenuity could be a hindrance.
Even though he had taken the wrong path, the Flame Body Martial Soul still displayed considerable strength. Ye Wu's speed was incredibly fast, so fast that he himself struggled to control it, lacking flexibility. This flaw was immediately spotted by Ye Xinglan, and it didn't take long before Ye Wu was defeated by Ye Xinglan's Star God Sword.
With two consecutive losses, Song Lin's expression turned extremely grim, and the third-year students fell into silence. In contrast, the first and second-year side was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
"Mo Jue!" Song Lin's eyes flashed with determination as she began to call out her next participant.
"Understood, Teacher Song!" replied a sweet-looking woman named Mo Jue. She was the vice-class monitor of the third year and one of the two strongest students in her grade. It was expected that she would be promoted to the Inner Academy before the end of the third year.
Mo Jue calmly walked up the steps to the sparring platform. Her appearance immediately reignited the fighting spirit and hope of the third-year students, who cheered enthusiastically.
"Maomao, your opponent is a fifty-first-level Soul King. Be careful!" Xu Xiaoyan, upon seeing Mo Jue, immediately grabbed Wu Siduo's hand and warned her.
"A Soul King? Perfect!" Wu Siduo, upon hearing this, showed no fear at all and even seemed excited.
Wu Siduo's current Soul Power had reached level 48, making her the most likely candidate in their team to become the second Soul King. Therefore, when Xu Xiaoyan mentioned that their opponent, Mo Jue, was a Soul King, Wu Siduo wasn't worried at all—instead, she was excited.
She immediately stepped onto the sparring platform, her aura brimming with confidence as she watched Mo Jue approach from the opposite side. Seeing Wu Siduo's overwhelming fighting spirit, Mo Jue responded in kind, and the third one-on-one match erupted instantly.
Mo Jue's Martial Soul was the Black Swan, a unique variant among swan-type Martial Souls or Soul Beasts. While swan-type Martial Souls typically wield healing abilities or powers of light, the Black Swan Martial Soul was of the dark attribute and even possessed curse abilities. It could be said that this was a Martial Soul that could easily turn someone with a slightly unstable mind into an Evil Soul Master.
The battle between Wu Siduo and Mo Jue immediately escalated into a fierce clash. Wu Siduo relied on the agility and elusive movements of her Nether Spirit Cat to constantly harass Mo Jue, occasionally landing a heavy blow that left Mo Jue thoroughly annoyed.
In response, Mo Jue directly donned her One-Word Battle Armor, instantly turning the tide of the battle. Wu Siduo's plan to exhaust Mo Jue's Soul Power using the Nether Spirit Cat's mobility was thwarted. However, Wu Siduo adapted quickly. Seeing Mo Jue use her One-Word Battle Armor, Wu Siduo immediately switched her Martial Soul, transforming from the Nether Spirit Cat to the White Tiger Spirit, and the Nether White Tiger made its grand appearance.
The Nether White Tiger clashed head-on with the One-Word Battle Armor Master, and the outcome was self-evident. The Nether White Tiger proved superior, and Wu Siduo narrowly defeated Mo Jue, securing victory in this one-on-one match.
With three consecutive wins, the morale of the first and second years soared to an unprecedented level. On the other hand, the third years, with Mo Jue's defeat, saw their hard-earned morale crumble instantly, sinking even lower than before.
Song Lin's expression had turned extremely grim, while Shen Yi and Wu Zhangkong remained calm and composed.
For the upcoming two-on-two match, the first and second years sent Xu Xiaoyan and Gu Yue, while the third years fielded a pair of siblings named Li Mengyang and Li Mengtian.
The two-on-two match was the least suspenseful. Although the tacit understanding between Gu Yue and Xu Xiaoyan wasn't as strong as their tacit understanding with Jing Shaoyu, it was still quite high, given that they had been companions for four or five years.
Xu Xiaoyan's Glittering Starlight combined with Gu Yue's Blizzard instantly overwhelmed the Li siblings, who possessed a Martial Soul Fusion Skill. They were forced to retreat almost immediately after summoning their Martial Souls, ending the match at an astonishing speed.
For the final seven-person team battle, the third years simply gave up. What was the point of continuing? If they kept going, their Cultivation Mind would shatter completely.
The grade challenge ended with the first and second years utterly dominating the third years. Honestly, this was a result no one had anticipated. The outcome of this competition firmly established the first years as the strongest in a century.
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