Shrek Trials ( Part 2 )
After five minutes had passed, Shen Yi reappeared with three individuals in her company. Nero was surprised as the old hag who made the most trouble in the original book was not amongst the three people. Instead, there was a middle-aged man who seemed to radiate a relaxed and friendly aura. Once they were all seated, the middle-aged man addressed Shen Yi in a kind manner, "Little Yiyi, let them know that they can begin."
Nero left the decision of arranging the order to Tang Wulin and just like the original timeline Xie Xie was selected to go first. Xie Xie stood up from his seat and walked towards the center of the room. "Hello teachers," he said , addressing the examiners with a respectful bow. The middle-aged man nodded in acknowledgement. Xie Xie summoned both his martial spirits and then closed his eyes, seemingly lost in deep concentration.
After a brief pause, a radiant light enveloped Xie Xie's martial souls. When the light dimmed, a transformation became evident in Xie Xie's martial soul. The daggers he wielded were now slightly elongated, featuring Dragon heads engraved at the handle. Thanks to Nero's prior intervention, Wu Zhangkong was aware of the true nature of Xie Xie's martial soul. Thus, he made Xie Xie cultivate daily with Tang Wulin, alongside he also prompted Xie Xie to consume Dragon-related elixirs. While this didn't lead to a complete awakening of Xie Xie's martial soul, it did allow him to transition his martial soul into Space-time Dragon through deep concentration.
Xie Xie took a deep breath and thrusted his hand forward. Under the curious gazes of the examiners Xie Xie's hand disappeared like it was cut off and emerged some distance away. This was the innate ability of Xie Xie's Space-time Dragon martial spirit which allowed him to travel through void. In Nero's perspective, Xie Xie's martial spirit should be called Void Dragon considering its focus on travelling through space and Void rather than controlling space and time themselves.
" Your martial spirit is certainly unique and powerful as it allows you to travel through void but I would suggest you to focus on mental power as it would lessen the time you need to fuse both your martial spirits and enter the void " the middle-aged man acknowledged Xie Xie's martial soul potential and advised him on how to further utilize his power. Grateful for the guidance, Xie Xie respectfully bowed, recognizing the valuable insight the middle-aged man.
As the proceedings continued, it was time for Xu Xiaoyan, Tang Wulin and Gu Yue to demonstrate their individual specialties. Their performance were same as the original timeline, The middle aged man acknowledged their uniqueness and gave advice according to his insights. It was finally Nero's turn, Nero however was confused about what to showcase as there were too many things in his arsenal which were certainly unique. ' What should I show them Aria? ' Nero finally asked Aria as he couldn't finalize on a choice. [ I think your sword cultivation and Portal opening ability is enough to shock them ] Nero heeded Aria's suggestion and decided to demonstrate his sword cultivation and Portal opening ability.
As Nero stood in the center of hall, every examiner's gaze was filled with anticipation as they looked forward to what the monster who overwhelmed every trial till now would display. Taking on the stance of a classic sword draw, Nero's aura transformed, resembling that of a sharp sword out of its sheath. The sound of air being cleaved echoed through the whole room even without Nero even doing anything.
The middle-aged examiner uttered "Sword soul" with disbelief evident in his voice , while the other examiners were rendered speechless to say anything else. The sight before them was a spectacle unlike anything they had ever seen , a twelve-year-old soul master attaining a level of sword comprehension that even an experienced Titled Douluo might not be able to achieve.
With a resounding "clink," Nero unsheathed Yamato with a blinding speed, and the room erupted into a whirlwind of slashes which were imbued with Nero's sword intent and Yamato's law of separation. Sword marks materialized on every surface, from walls to floors and tables, However, neither class zero nor the examiners bore any signs of the sword mark which was a testament of Nero's precision and control over each and every slash. Just by observing the sharpness of these sword marks the middle-aged main examiner could discern the danger behind the technique– an attack like that could potentially gravely injure even a soul sage who dared to face it head-on without his soul avatar. { It was Judgement cut, Since it is real life then Judgement cut's range is not limited thus whole room was covered in it }.
Before anyone could fully process what they had just witnessed, Nero turned around and executed a precise slash through the air, opening a space rift. The middle-aged examiner, exclaimed "Astounding!" as he praised Nero's remarkable display of power, precision, and control. He continued with sincere admiration, "I'm at a loss for words to describe your performance. It was flawless in every aspect, from your extraordinary power control to the uniqueness of your martial soul. Your only limitation may be your spirit energy, but considering your age, even that surpasses your peers. I've encountered numerous geniuses, yet they all had one common flaw – their focus on spirit rank rather than their skill development. You, however, have mastered your abilities to near perfection. Keep following the path you've taken; that's the best advice I can offer ".
The middle-aged man rose from his seat, addressing Shen Yi with a warm smile. "Little Yiyi, I award full marks to all of them. They truly are a group of remarkable little monsters " He then turned his attention to Class Zero, his gaze holding a mix of admiration and amusement. "Since you're undergoing a series of tests, allow me to assist a little." Summoning his martial spirit, a silver specter inlaid with a vibrant green gemstone appeared. Radiant clusters of light emanated from the specter and merged with each member of Class Zero. Though Nero sensed only a subtle change, Tang Wulin and Xie Xie, who spent the most energy, felt revitalized both physically and mentally. With a gesture of his hand, the middle-aged man bid them farewell and exited the room. In gratitude, Class Zero respectfully bowed before he departed.
" Congratulations, Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan have 38 points while the three of you have 40 points; from the looks of it you all won't have any problem in passing the exam " Shen Yi came near and congratulated sincerely, she was also genuinely happy for them after all every one of them was like a student to Wu Zhangkong.
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In a separate room, a virtual screen displayed Class Zero's performance. Inside the room, a white-haired elderly lady turned to a red-brown haired old man and declared, "In the final round, I've decided to take that elemental girl as my disciple."
The red-brown haired man warned, "You can try, but don't you dare exert your power to pressure them. Remember, I won't stand for it ". The elderly lady retorted, "Do I seem like someone who would resort to such tactics? And even if I did, what can you possibly do?"
The room was soon filled with their spirited argument, their voices echoing in a heated exchange.
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In fifth trial which was a test of secondary profession, Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan scored 9 points while Tang Wulin, Gu yue and Nero scored 10 points. Although Nero didn't study a secondary profession, but guidance from Aria was more than enough to satisfy the requirements.
In the Sixth trial, Nero and everyone else dumped all their dumplings into Tang Wulin's plate whose stomach was like a bottomless hole. Shen Yi's lips twitched as she watched Tang Wulin devour everyone's food. At this point, Nero, Tang Wulin, and Gu Yue had already accumulated enough points to successfully pass the trial. Meanwhile, Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan needed only three more points to meet the requirement. The Seventh trial which was the three-part endurance test was more or less similar to the original timeline where Tang Wulin instructed Xu Xiaoyan and Gu yue to only score two points and preserve their combat power for later rounds. As for Nero, the tests didn't even make him sweat let alone affect his performance in later stage.
As Shen Yi led Class Zero towards the eighth trial, she began explaining its details, "The eighth trial is a comprehensive battle. You will face a current student of Shrek Academy as your opponent. The selection of opponents is random, so luck will play a role. You must last for at least ten minutes against your opponent to pass. If you defeat them, you will receive full points. Alternatively, your performance will be graded between six and ten marks based on how you fare."
Tang Wulin, noticing the gradual approach of night, raised a question, "Teacher Yi, can we choose the order in which we fight?" Shen Yi confirmed his inquiry with a nod and elaborated, "There will be ten opponents for you to choose from, adding an element of strategy to the test. Some opponents may naturally counter your strengths, while others could be countered by you. Your performance will largely depend on your choice of opponent " Xu Xiaoyan's mood instantly blossomed like a spring, knowing that her true power would shine during the night.
After five minutes, Class Zero found themselves within a spacious circular room, its center being an arena. Standing along the periphery were ten students wearing Shrek Academy uniforms, They were the students who joined Shrek last year. Shen Yi conveyed to Class Zero that they had ten-minutes to select their opponents and once a choice was made, then she herself can't change it.
"Nero, who do you think we should choose, and in what order? " Tang Wulin inquired as Nero was always able to assess opponent's danger levels just by looking at them. Nero used his demon eyes to scan the ten Shrek students. ' Huh! ' a certain student caught Nero's eye, he was a boy with fiery raid hair and lean build but Nero could tell it was a disguise and in reality that student was a beautiful girl with slim build and long rosy red hair. What specifically caught Nero's attention was the dark purple aura around her left hand. ' Interesting ' Nero smirked as he could tell that the aura was somehow related to Demons, { Nero didn't recognize her because he only remembers only major information }.
[ Want me to show her status ] Aria offered to reveal her status, but Nero declined. He had come to understand that relying on status information could potentially leave him vulnerable to enemies who are extremely capable at concealing their information wave.
"Xie Xie, choose number four. Tang Wulin and Gu Yue, you both can select anyone except number two. Xu Xiaoyan, go for number five when it's your turn," Nero directed Class Zero after assessing the auras of the opponents. Gu yue and Tang Wulin were first and second in order, they both easily defeated their opponents after wasting as much time as they could. Tang Wulin managed his victory without even using his Dragon Claw as unlike the original timeline he had three soul rings. Next was Xie Xie, he only evaded his opponent's attack for the first fifteen minutes and once the stars emerged in the night sky, he instantly used his double dragon storm to defeat his opponent.
Xu Xiaoyan's turn came next, her opponent was an agility type soul master. Xu Xiaoyan first summoned a spinning ice wheel behind her and encased it with icicles of ice. She then used her long range attacks to lure her opponent into a specific position, and once he was within that designated area, Xu Xiaoyan unleashed her starlight shackles to immobilize him. Simultaneously, she sent the ice wheel hurtling toward him effectively defeating her opponent.
Finally it was Nero's turn, as Nero approached the arena four black soul rings surrounded him and Yamato manifested in his hands. Shock rippled through the crowd, including Shen Yi. She thought maybe she had seen Nero's limits but once again she was proven wrong and realized that Nero was in a league of his own. Nero raised an eyebrow at his opponent, the disguised girl before him. Unlike the others who stared at him in shock, she looked at him with wide eyes and trembling clenched fists, as though she new him.
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