Douluo Dalu 2: Reincarnated as the Auspicious Beast

The next afternoon, at Shrek Academy's assessment area.

The assessment area is located to the north of the Martial Soul Department, adjacent to the Combat Arena, but much larger.

Most students at Shrek Academy's outer campus refer to this area as the "Nightmare Zone"—after all, which student actually likes exams?

Especially at Shrek Academy, where the bottom 50% are directly eliminated. Even the most pressure-filled high schools wouldn't play such a ruthless game.

You could say this is a unique feature of the fantasy genre, but it doesn't feel all that fantastical.

The competition here is fierce and brutal, and the students in the academy are only at the age of middle or high schoolers... In the end, the fact that no major incidents have occurred in ten thousand years is simply a matter of the author's word.

However, the impact such an environment has on the minds of children at that age is undoubtedly very negative.

Moreover, Shrek's assessment method itself is extremely unfair. By having students randomly draw opponents for battles, it's certainly convenient, but it lacks any systematic or scientific approach.

Wang Rui, mingling among the freshmen, looked at the towering structure of the assessment area and sighed softly.

It's no wonder that people from Shrek often seem a bit unhinged... What kind of normal plants can grow from such twisted and deformed soil?

The novel naturally wouldn't depict this... For example, some of the surrounding kids were so nervous they were on the verge of tears.

Shrek believes that a tense atmosphere pushes students to work harder and unlocks their potential, thus maintaining the academy's undefeated legacy for ten thousand years.

Admitting over a thousand freshmen and then eliminating half of them does indeed filter out the stronger students. But such a system is essentially built on the shattered dreams and bleeding hearts of countless young children.

Even if some students manage to advance, they'll likely wake up in the middle of the night, haunted by nightmares of losing to their opponents and being eliminated from the academy.

From the perspective of self-preservation, there's nothing to criticize. But if you don't want to accept the remaining 500 students, why give them hope in the first place?

Admitting them only to eliminate them later... What kind of grudge is this?

Honestly, it's quite mentally taxing.

Wang Rui averted his gaze. Well, human matters have nothing to do with the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.

As for Shrek's issues, if there's a chance in the future, he'll address them.

Ning Tian hurried through the crowd and joined the Class 9 team, with Wu Feng and her team following behind.

Wu Feng's teammates included Nanmen Yun'er, a 24th-level agility-type soul master with the Jade Green Bird martial soul from the original story, and another teammate, a tall, thin boy named Yu Lan, whose martial soul was the Skyblue Vine. With 25th-level soul power, he was a rather rare support-type soul master leaning towards healing.

Everyone was on friendly terms and exchanged warm greetings.

The team's configuration was quite good. Although not as strong as Wang Rui's team, Mu Jin clearly had high expectations for this group.

As for Class 1, Wang Dong and An Wen, though sharing a dorm and having a good relationship, were both strong attack-type soul masters and couldn't be on the same team.

Zhou Yi, determined to drive An Wen out but unable to directly expel her, assigned her two one-ring teammates—one a food-system soul master and the other a support-type. But Wang Rui wasn't worried about her... If An Wen could be eliminated under these circumstances, she might as well return to Star Dou Forest to sleep.

Soon, the broadcast announced the examination rooms for each group.

There were ten freshman classes in total. Since Zhou Yi hadn't expelled any more students, each class had around a hundred students. After excluding those specially recruited into the Soul Tool Department, a total of 342 groups were formed, divided into 50 examination rooms.

The assessment would last three days. Each three-person team would undergo ten matches, with the bottom 50% being eliminated based on their scores. The first day would have two matches, while the second and third days would have four each. After that, the top 64 groups would advance to the next round.

Wang Rui's group was assigned to Examination Room 23.

After announcing the examination room arrangements for the three days, the freshmen followed their teachers into the assessment area.

The assessment area was oval-shaped, an open space surrounded by a low wall. The area was divided into different examination rooms by partitions, each roughly a 20-meter square.

Most freshmen only had one or two soul rings, and their destructive power was limited, so this size was more than enough for them to go wild.

The examiner was a male teacher in his early thirties, with a handsome but expressionless face. After announcing the rules, he called the first group to begin their match.

There were eight teams in this examination room, none from Class 9 or any familiar faces. Wang Rui's group was scheduled for the last match, so they had to wait quite a while before it was their turn.

"First round, fourth match: Freshman Class 9—Wang Rui, Ning Tian, Huo Yuhao; Freshman Class 6—Qiao Zhaoxing, Luo Ling, Zhou Yi. Enter the arena and stand at your respective corners. You may release your martial souls only after I announce the start of the match. Begin."

Unlike the relaxed demeanor of Wang Rui's group, the expressions on the faces of their opponents could only be described as utterly dejected.

Facing a team with two Soul Elders in the very first match was truly an unlucky start.

Qiao Zhaoxing's team consisted of two one-ring soul masters and one two-ring soul master, a configuration that was safe enough to pass the assessment. But against Wang Rui's team, they were clearly outmatched.

Both sides entered the arena, announced their names, and released their martial souls as soon as the teacher announced the start.

Luo Ling underwent the most dramatic change. Originally a petite and pretty girl, after her martial soul, the Wild Sand Golden Antelope, possessed her, she grew curved golden horns on her head, and her lower body transformed into a light yellow, four-legged antelope form, resembling a centaur. A yellow soul ring hovered behind her.

Meanwhile, Qiao Zhaoxing held a slender, bladeless sword in his hand. As his first yellow soul ring flashed, a layer of cyan-green wind blades extended from the sword, and his entire figure took on a light and agile quality, like the wind. He was actually an agility-type soul master.

He quickly darted past Luo Ling at the front and charged straight toward the opposing team.

Finally, Zhou Yi held a delicate dice in his hand. He tossed it into the air, and a stream of light attached itself to Qiao Zhaoxing, instantly boosting his speed.

This guy was actually a support-type soul master, and his martial soul was quite peculiar—it determined the amplification value based on the number rolled on the dice.

...A rather luck-based martial soul, you could say.

On Wang Rui's side, Huo Yuqing released her Spirit Detection Sharing the moment the teacher announced the start.

"Seven Treasures Turn, Glazed Pagoda, First: Speed!"

As Ning Tian softly chanted, three streams of light flew out from the exquisite pagoda in her right hand and landed on the three of them.

Meanwhile, a blazing red light erupted from Wang Rui's body. His red hair grew slightly longer, and a pair of backward-curving dragon horns appeared on his head. His golden eyes narrowed, their pupils turning vertical, exuding an ancient and primal and majestic.

Scales of crimson appeared on his cheeks and arms. Unlike the fine red scales that appeared when Wu Feng's Red Dragon martial soul possessed her, Wang Rui's scales were thicker and more solid.

A pair of broad dragon wings unfolded behind him. The outer edges of the wings were covered in hard scales, but the membranes were adorned with short, fiery red fuzz, resembling a warm coral fleece blanket—though perhaps a bit too warm, as small sparks continuously drifted off the wings.

With a flap of his wings, Wang Rui soared into the air.