Chapter 273: Survive

Now that Tang Wulin is a real freak. He got full marks in six trials. I can't make heads or tails of him. His martial soul is plain old Bluesilver Grass, but that golden soul ring...It's definitely unrelated to his martial soul. He hasn't had any trouble so far either. Throughout the entire exam, he has steadily progressed, getting one full score after another.

Though his talents aren't great, his strength is formidable. This isn't the fruit of just his potential, but his potential combined with his temperament.

Gu Yue is far ahead of the rest of class zero in talent and potential. But in overall strength and temperament, Tang Wulin shines the brightest and fully deserves the position of captain.

Senior brother, your insight is so great!

Thoughts weighing on her mind, Shen Yi led the four students into a small room.

This room was different from the rest so far. The lighting was dim and the surroundings lacked lavish decorations, with only a single large screen hanging from the metal walls.

A sense of familiarity flooded the four students. This place seems similar to the spirit ascension platform! Is the ninth trial like that?

"Your goal for the ninth trial is to survive. I believe you've all been in the spirit ascension platform before. Well, this is similar to that. In a sense, all the soul beasts in it are real. If you kill one and are at a bottleneck, then you'll be able to gain a soul ring. Alright. Prepare to enter." Shen Yi pressed a button and several metal capsules slid out of the walls.

Survive?

When Gu Yue, Xie Xie, and Xu Xiaoyan had heard this, they shifted their gazes in Tang Wulin's direction, eyes brimming with confidence.

After receiving a paltry three points from the previous trial, Xie Xie had felt anxious. The details of the ninth trial blew away all his insecurities.

They had spent countless days in the spirit ascension platform over the years, so anything that resembled that would be a walk in the park. As long as they didn't jump head-first at a high-level beast, of course.

In that case, Tang Wulin's leadership and the team's coordination would pull through splendidly. Together, they were unbeatable.

"Teacher Shen, will we be taking this trial together?" Tang Wulin asked.

Shen Yi eyed him. "Yes. No matter the number of participants, they will all take the trial together. This trial tests your coordination in addition to your ability to survive. You all came together, so you have an advantage here. Good luck."

"Thank you, Teacher Shen."

The four examinees split up and entered the metal capsules. This marked the start of the ninth trial.

Unknown to the four, two people entered the room after the capsules slid back into the walls. Among them was a cranky old lady they were all too familiar with, the Silver Moon Douluo!

An old man was by her side. His nose was high and his deep-blue eyes sunken. He stood tall with gray hair down to his shoulders, accenting his unyielding aura. Just his presence could stifle others. .

"Teacher," Shen Yi respectfully greeted the old man.

The old man nodded. "How have these kids done so far?"

After a long moment of contemplation, Shen Yi found the right words. "They're unbelievable."

The Silver Moon Douluo laughed. "That's right! They're really unbelievable! I didn't let them take the fifth trial, but there's actually someone who managed to score full points so far! That Tang Wulin is marvelous! His blood essence is strong, almost a bit like yours, Zhou Shi. Let me be frank. I don't care about the other three, but I've already set my eyes on that Gu Yue."

Zhuo Shi shot her a look. "What do you mean you've set your eyes on her? Don't forget that they're all my granddisciples. They don't have anything to do with you."

"What?" The Silver Moon Douluo arched her brows. "Are you trying to go back on your word?"

Zhuo Shi smirked, the domineering air around him receding. "I'm not going back on my word! I'm just stating a fact. I'm saying you eye them as much as you want, but that doesn't mean I'll just hand them over to you. They have to be willing too. You'll need to ask Gu Yue if she wants to be your disciple first. If she rejects you, then there's no use in forcing it."

"That's nonsense! I like how stubborn she is." She stomped with fury. "What would separate kids from walking corpses if they didn't have such strong wills? Her temperament is precisely what attracts me."

Shen Yi silently watched from the sidelines. She dared not speak out of turn in front of these two elders.

Zhuo Shi said, "We can talk about this after they finish this trial. If they can't pass it, then it doesn't even matter how high they scored on the other ones."

Unexpectedly, the Silver Moon Douluo reigned in her vexation and nodded. It seemed she held the ninth trial in high regard as well.

"Teacher, what test level are they taking?" Shen Yi softly asked.

Zhuo Shi contemplated for a moment. "The highest level."

Dumbstruck, Shen Yi tried to steady her thoughts. The highest level? Even adults find that level hard! That's...

"Hurry up now," Zhuo Shi urged when he noticed her hesitation.

"Yes."

☀

Space warped around him, a minor matter to Tang Wulin who had experienced the spirit ascension platform countless times. With his sturdy body and sharp mind, this sudden sensation didn't affect him at all.

In a flash of light, the four examinees found themselves in an empty space. A world came into view in a blink of an eye.

Class zero appeared in this world together, and after exchanging glances, they immediately shifted into their usual battle formation.

Bluesilver Grass sprang out from beneath Tang Wulin's feet, slithering out to probe their surroundings.

Their environment was similar to the spirit ascension platform. That said, the lush forest here seemed more ancient.

"So the ninth trial tests our ability to survive. Fantastic. Isn't this the easiest possible trial for us?" Xie Xie rejoiced.

Tang Wulin raised his hand, silencing him. After a moment, he said in a hushed voice, "This place is different from what we're used to. At least from the elementary one, anyway. I've been in the intermediate level once before with Teacher Wu, and I can say for a fact that the plants here and there are similar. Don't forget that this is still part of the Shrek Academy entrance exam. Teacher Shen said that we have to survive, but she never mentioned for how long. We need to be careful. If my guess is right, and this place is like the intermediate spirit ascension platform, then we'll run into a lot of thousand-year soul beasts. Maybe even some at the ten-thousand-year level."

Ten-thousand-year soul beast? His three teammates sucked in a deep breath at the thought.

Xu Xiaoyan said quietly, "Captain, if I can breakthrough to rank 30, then can't I get a soul ring here? If there's a ten-thousand-year soul beast..."

"Don't even think about it," said Tang Wulin, frowning. "With your current abilities, it's impossible to absorb a ten-thousand-year soul ring, let alone kill a ten-thousand-year soul beast. Don't forget, this would just be your third ring. Normally, soul masters don't get a ten-thousand-year soul ring until rank 50. Your body isn't that strong to begin with, so don't think so wishfully. Otherwise, you might encounter a problem. Like the time I evolved my spirit soul to the thousand-year level."

Hearing the severity in his voice, Xu Xiaoyan stuck out her tongue. "Got it!"

Tang Wulin said, "Let's go. We should find a vantage point to survey the land first. Once we have a good line of sight, we'll rest and recover the energy spent on the previous trials."

"Alright."

The four proceeded cautiously. Gu Yue was in charge of scouting, sending off wind birds further into the surrounding thicket. On the other hand, Tang Wulin monitored their immediate vicinity.

When the wind birds discovered nothing, as if this was just a normal forest, Tang Wulin didn't believe it for a second. This was part of the Shrek exam after all.

A while later, they chanced upon a hill with a large field of view. Tang Wulin took out the steamed buns from his storage device and began handing them out to everyone. After eating, they took turns resting.

All was tranquil without the slightest hint of trouble.

Two hours later, they were fully recovered.

"Captain, something's strange! It's been two hours already yet we still haven't met any soul beasts, " Xie Xie said in a low, nervous voice. "Do you have any idea what's going on?"