As expected, just after Lin Yun finished asking, Xiao Xiao and Zheng Xiaolong both shook their heads, indicating they had no objections.
"I'll follow the boss," Zheng Xiaolong decisively said.
"Me too," Xiao Xiao nodded.
Although it was supposed to be a 3V3 battle, in reality, the two of them were just there to make up the numbers and coast along. Given that, why not agree?
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go, the Soul Fighting Arena!" Wu Feng eagerly waved her fist. She had been wanting to fight Lin Yun for a long time, not just because of Ning Tian, but also because of their martial souls.
Let her see how much her Red Dragon fell short compared to Lin Yun's Golden Dragon!
'Hmph, it's the soul master who's strong, not the martial soul. I refuse to believe I, Wu Feng, am inferior to you, Lin Yun!'
...
An hour later.
After going through layers of procedures and paying the fees, the soul fight began and ended in less than three minutes, faster than Ultraman defeating a monster.
Lin Yun was the first to walk out of the Soul Fighting Arena, stretching lazily with a calm expression. Xiao Xiao and Zheng Xiaolong followed behind him with strange expressions, their faces filled with the urge to laugh but unable to, clearly struggling to hold it in.
Behind them, Ning Tian and Nanmen Yun'er supported Wu Feng by her arms on either side. Ning Tian looked helpless, while Nanmen Yun'er's shocked mouth remained wide open.
Only Wu Feng's face was pale, her entire body trembling, her teeth chattering audibly.
"What a thrilling fight!" Lin Yun said cheerfully after stretching.
"Pfft—" Xiao Xiao completely lost it, one hand clutching her stomach, the other resting on Lin Yun as she burst into laughter.
Zheng Xiaolong was also stunned, utterly impressed by Lin Yun.
Wu Feng, walking behind them, was so furious that her pale face turned three shades darker.
"Thrilling? Pah! Is that how you fight? That was clearly against the rules!" Wu Feng's mentality was shattered.
"Oh? Then tell me, where did I cheat?" Lin Yun turned around, looking at Wu Feng with a calm expression. "The hard rule of the freshman assessment is that a team cannot have two strong attack-type soul masters, and soul tools are not allowed. Our fight just now was simulated under the freshman assessment rules. From a rules perspective, I didn't break any rules."
"But..." Wu Feng's face darkened further, opening her mouth but unable to retort.
"No buts. The Tang Sect can use their hidden weapons, so why can't I use my special skills?" Lin Yun spread his hands, his face full of mockery.
"You should know, special skills are also part of one's strength."
Wu Feng wanted to say more, but Ning Tian stopped her: "Alright, Feng, Lin Yun is right. According to the freshman assessment rules, he didn't break any rules. Besides, even if he didn't use his 'special skills,' you still wouldn't be able to beat him with just strength..."
"Fine..." Wu Feng awkwardly shrunk her neck, backing down.
In short, Lin Yun's 'special skills' gave these five youngsters a huge shock. These rigid-minded friends probably couldn't figure out even if they racked their brains that the freshman assessment could be played this way.
But Lin Yun wasn't so rigid.
Aren't rules meant to be exploited? As long as the rules don't explicitly forbid something, it's fair game. How to operate within those rules is up to the individual.
That said, although Wu Feng was thoroughly beaten by Lin Yun's special skills, she couldn't help but feel a desire to see others suffer the same fate.
Having been drenched by the rain, how could she not want to tear someone else's umbrella?
She was already looking forward to seeing the shocked expressions on others' faces.
"Since we're all together and it's about time, let's go eat. My treat!" Lin Yun said with a smile.
"Hmph, at least you have some conscience. This girl is going to eat you poor today!" Wu Feng stubbornly said.
Ning Tian helplessly shook her head, reaching out to flick Wu Feng's forehead with her slender fingers.
"Feng, stop messing around."
No wonder they say Lu Tong is the most terrifying. With just four simple words, Ning Tian tamed Wu Feng, whose entire body was nothing but stubbornness.
If it were Lin Yun, even if he crushed all the bones in Wu Feng's body, her mouth would still be stubborn.
No comparison!
The next day, the freshman assessment arrived as scheduled.
Ten thousand years ago, Shrek Academy had four checkpoints during enrollment: testing bone age and soul power, assessing combat ability, and so on. Ten thousand years later, Shrek Academy had eliminated these procedures. As long as the bone age and soul power level met the standards and one had a recommendation letter, they could enroll.
However, after enrollment, there was an additional screening mechanism: the freshman assessment.
Each year, there were about a thousand new students. Of these, only one-third would pass the freshman assessment. Divided into groups of three, over three hundred teams would be formed, with the majority being eliminated.
On the day they submitted their team forms, Mu Jin had already explained the rules of the freshman assessment to them.
Except for those in the same group, all class teams would be scattered across various assessment zones to fight against teams from other classes.
On the first day, they only needed to fight once. Each zone would be assigned six teams, which would then battle in pairs. On the second day, they would fight four times, twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon. On the third day, they would fight five times, three in the morning and two in the afternoon.
The entire freshman assessment lasted three days, with ten matches determining elimination based on the number of wins. The bottom two-thirds would be disqualified.
Of course, Mu Jin didn't go into the finer details, such as how teams with the same number of wins would be decided for advancement or elimination. These were matters for the higher-ups to consider and had little to do with the teachers and students.
After the freshman assessment came the freshman ranking tournament. The top sixty-four teams from the one-third that passed the assessment would compete.
Sixty-four to thirty-two.
Thirty-two to sixteen.
Sixteen to eight.
Eight to four.
Semifinals and finals.
It's no wonder that besides being known as the Continent of Love, Douluo Dalu is also called the Continent of Competitions. There's no shortage of competitions everywhere.
It was precisely because Mu Jin meticulously explained the rules of the freshman assessment that Lin Yun came up with the idea of pulling off his special skills during the assessment.
After all... aren't rules meant to be exploited?
As long as the rules don't explicitly forbid something, it's fair game. Having him fight kids on the field would be a bit boring. Stirring up some fun during the competition was more in line with his mischievous tastes.
(End of Chapter)
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