Faced with Zhu Ziyang's arrogant display of refusing to release his martial soul, the freshmen in the stands immediately erupted in an uproar—some were angry, some shouted in protest, some were in awe, and others simply wore solemn expressions.
Wang Qiao, meanwhile, was red in the face, rage boiling in his chest. He glared at Zhu Ziyang and shouted,
"Despicable commoner, are you provoking me? You'll pay for your arrogance!"
Zhu Ziyang's expression didn't change—calm and unmoved.
In the stands, Teacher Xia Yu furrowed his brow slightly but said nothing. As a seasoned instructor at Shrek, he was no stranger to the proud and eccentric personalities that came from all over the continent.
"Die!" Wang Qiao roared. Feeling utterly humiliated by Zhu Ziyang's indifference, he launched his first soul skill.
"First Soul Skill—Blazing Fireball!"
Flames burst from his claws, quickly forming two searing red fireballs the size of volleyballs. Fueled by his fury, he hurled them like meteors toward Zhu Ziyang.
Zhu Ziyang could hardly hold back a laugh when he heard Wang Qiao shout the name of his soul skill out loud.
"Seriously? Who yells out their skill names in real combat? Is he performing for an audience? Does he think his opponent is deaf?"
Still, his reaction time didn't suffer. As the fireballs streaked toward him, he sidestepped one gracefully, then dashed forward to dodge the second—his movements agile yet composed.
Wang Qiao growled in frustration and hurled fireball after fireball in rapid succession. Zhu Ziyang calmly dodged each one with nimble footwork, steadily closing the distance.
All the while, he was silently criticizing Wang Qiao's lack of battle sense.
Realizing his opponent was getting too close, Wang Qiao finally sensed danger. He stopped his barrage and shouted,
"Second Soul Skill—Fire Lion Blast!"
In the stands, Xia Yu couldn't take it anymore. He covered his face, muttering,
"This kid... we seriously need to teach him some battle etiquette after this is over."
Oblivious to how ridiculous he looked, Wang Qiao began condensing a fiery lion head between his claws. Due to intense compression, the lion head turned dark red, radiating a powerful and ominous heat.
Zhu Ziyang's expression sharpened. He suddenly accelerated, sprinting forward like a flash of lightning.
Though Wang Qiao lacked combat experience, he wasn't completely clueless. He stepped back instinctively and launched the Fire Lion Blast directly at Zhu Ziyang.
The blazing lion shot forward, heat warping the air around it. A few seconds later, it exploded in midair with a thunderous boom, releasing waves of scorching flame in all directions.
But it was already too late.
Zhu Ziyang had surged forward before the blast, closing the distance in an instant. He appeared right in front of Wang Qiao—untouched by the explosion.
"Ah!" Wang Qiao gasped in disbelief as Zhu Ziyang grabbed him by the collar and flipped him effortlessly over his shoulder, slamming him to the ground. He followed up by pinning a hand to his opponent's throat.
Match over.
"Whoa!"
The stands erupted again. The freshman audience was stunned by what they had just witnessed.
"Holy crap! Zhu Ziyang didn't even use his martial soul and still beat a level 23 soul master!"
"His speed and strength are insane. He must have a beast martial soul, right?"
"No way Wang Qiao lost that badly. What a waste of a high-quality martial soul and decent soul power."
"Nah, the class president is just built different. I'm declaring right now—Zhu Ziyang is my new idol!"
Excitement buzzed through the air as students debated and speculated.
"Nan Nan, what is Zhu Ziyang's martial soul anyway? How can he be this powerful?" Tang Ya asked, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Hehe, of course my Ziyang-ge is the strongest among his peers!" Jiang Nannan replied, blushing and beaming with pride.
"Okay, okay—but what's his martial soul?" Tang Ya asked again.
"Hmm…" Jiang Nannan paused, then grinned mischievously.
"Not telling!"
"Ugh! Are we even best friends?!" Tang Ya howled dramatically.
"Don't worry—you'll find out eventually. Just be patient!" Jiang Nannan said, laughing as she hugged her.
—
Back in the ring.
Zhu Ziyang let go of Wang Qiao's throat and offered him a hand, helping him to his feet.
"You've got a great martial soul," Zhu Ziyang said with a smile. "But why abandon the advantages of a beast soul for long-range elemental skills? Lions are brawlers—they excel at close combat and brute strength. Your training path is flawed. It's not too late to change direction."
Wang Qiao's angry expression faded as he listened. A thoughtful look took its place. After a pause, he nodded sincerely.
"Thank you."
In the stands, Xia Yu also heard Zhu Ziyang's comment and couldn't help but nod in agreement. His impression of Zhu Ziyang rose even higher.
High talent, wide knowledge, great battle awareness, and a humble, composed demeanor.
If he didn't know better, Xia Yu would've assumed Zhu Ziyang was the disciple of some hidden elite sect.
But the fact that Zhu Ziyang was born a commoner only made him more impressive.
A true genius.
Xia Yu considered whether he should report this to Director Du. Even though sixth-year graduation assessments were important, a student like Zhu Ziyang—an eleven-year-old Soul Elder—was much more valuable.
Zhu Ziyang and Wang Qiao exited the ring and walked up to Xia Yu.
"Wang Qiao, Zhu Ziyang gave you good advice—you should consider it," Xia Yu said first.
"Also, your combat instincts and experience need serious work. From now on, train them intentionally. I'll tell you now: the freshman assessment is entirely combat-based. Your talent is good, but don't be overconfident. High soul power doesn't equal strength. In real battles, that's what truly matters."
Then he turned to Zhu Ziyang.
"You are outstanding—the most impressive student I've ever seen."
Finally, Xia Yu raised his voice.
"Alright, duel's over. Everyone back to class!"
The freshmen dispersed in small groups, heading back to the teaching building.