Yan Shaozhe took the match record and began reading it carefully.
After a moment, he asked, "Weilan, this Zhu Ziyang—is he the only Soul Elder among the new students this year?"
Du Weilan stepped forward, glanced at the report, and replied, "Yes. He's from Anyang City in the Heavenly Soul Empire. His soul power was already at level 35 during the entrance exam."
"Eleven years old, and already at level 35! What a rare talent!" Yan Shaozhe couldn't help but show a trace of amazement in his eyes.
The other teachers present also revealed expressions of envy. It was clear—Zhu Ziyang had caught the attention of Shrek Academy's upper echelons.
Yan Shaozhe didn't care about the others' reactions. Instead, he furrowed his brow slightly. "His martial soul… 'Scythe of Life and Death'? What kind of martial soul is that?"
"According to our investigation," Du Weilan explained, "it's a mutated martial soul. His father is a Soul Elder with the Dimlight Scythe, a fairly ordinary Tool Soul. His mother is also a Soul Elder with a common Beast Soul. Based on Zhu Ziyang's innate full soul power, we believe his martial soul is a positive mutation, and it's at least of high quality."
"A mutated martial soul…" Yan Shaozhe repeated thoughtfully. Then he asked, "Do we know its specific attributes?"
"Our intel suggests it's a Light-attribute martial soul," Du Weilan answered, glancing at Xia Yu as he spoke.
"Light attribute?" Yan Shaozhe's eyes flashed with understanding.
Could it be that my teacher sent me to observe the outer court just because of this student?
An 11-year-old Soul Elder, with a mutated Light-attribute martial soul—more than enough to become a disciple, perhaps even of his own teacher.
So he really doesn't intend to take on students anymore, Yan thought to himself. Why else would he send me instead?
"Dean Yan," Liu Xue suddenly spoke up, "I believe Zhu Ziyang's martial soul might be a top-tier Tool Soul."
"Oh? And why do you say that?" Yan asked gently, seeing her excitement.
"Because when he released his martial soul, my own martial soul reacted with pressure," Liu Xue explained seriously.
"Liu Xue's martial soul is the Qiushui Sword," Du Weilan helpfully added.
"I see." Yan Shaozhe nodded. "For a high-grade Tool Soul to feel pressure… that certainly suggests Zhu Ziyang's is a top-tier Tool Soul."
His interest deepened. He had already made up his mind: once the freshman assessment ended, he would take Zhu Ziyang as his disciple.
If he could win the freshman championship, even better.
A top-tier Tool Soul, Light attribute, innate full soul power, level 35 at age 11… this talent surpasses even Xiao Tao!
Yan then glanced at two more names on the report. "This Jiang Nannan also has impressive talent. And Tang Ya—if I'm not mistaken, she's from the Tang Sect, right?"
"Yes," Du Weilan replied. As the Martial Soul Department's academic director, he naturally paid attention to all outstanding students.
"Jiang Nannan is also from Anyang City in the Heavenly Soul Empire. She and Zhu Ziyang are childhood friends. Her soul power was level 25 at enrollment, and her martial soul is a mutated Soft-Boned Rabbit with the Moon Bloodline."
"A Moon Bloodline mutation?" Yan raised an eyebrow. "That's the first I've heard of such a thing. So she's Zhu Ziyang's childhood friend? That Anyang City seems full of surprises."
Du Weilan didn't disagree and continued, "As for Tang Ya, her soul power was level 19 when she enrolled. She obtained her second soul ring two months ago and is now likely at level 22. Her martial soul is Blue Silver Grass—and, interestingly, she's the current head of the Tang Sect."
"Is that so?" Yan was momentarily stunned, then sighed. "To think that the once-great Tang Sect has declined so far… The sect's founders were closely tied to Shrek Academy. And now…" He trailed off.
After about ten minutes in the assessment area, Yan Shaozhe—having accomplished his purpose—left quietly, leaving Du Weilan and the other teachers standing respectfully behind.
—
Meanwhile, Zhu Ziyang had no idea he had drawn the attention of both Mu En and Yan Shaozhe. He, Jiang Nannan, and Tang Ya had already arrived at Arena 3, where Yu Beibei was competing.
As they arrived, the final match in Arena 3 had just ended, and they spotted Yu Beibei and his teammates exiting.
"Beibei!" Tang Ya called out.
"Xiao Ya?" Yu Beibei was surprised to see them. "You guys finished so early? Well, with Ziyang's strength, I guess it's not surprising."
"Hehe!" Tang Ya beamed. "We were the first team to finish all our matches! And we won two out of two! How about you?"
"Impressive! We only had one match so far—barely scraped a win," Beibei smiled and nodded to Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan. "Congrats to both of you."
"Same to you," Zhu Ziyang replied.
"Aren't you going to introduce us?" asked one of Beibei's teammates as he approached and threw an arm around Beibei's shoulder.
He was a stocky boy with thick eyebrows and tiger-like eyes, smiling broadly.
"This is Xu Sanshi, my roommate and teammate," Beibei said, chuckling as he pushed his arm away.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Xu Sanshi," the boy greeted the group.
Another familiar name! Zhu Ziyang recognized him—Xu Sanshi was a character from Douluo Dalu II: Unrivaled Tang Sect, though he only had brief mentions in the original novel.
"So you're Beibei's roommate? Why are you so dark-skinned?" Tang Ya blurted out with her usual boldness.
"Wha—!?" Xu Sanshi froze, struggling to respond. After a pause, he stammered, "This isn't dark—it's bronze!"
Everyone burst out laughing.
Beibei quickly moved on. "This is Xue Weiwei," he said, introducing a delicate-looking girl. Though not as stunning as Jiang Nannan or Tang Ya, she was still quite pretty.
"Hello," Xue Weiwei said softly. Her voice matched her gentle appearance.
"Hi! I'm Tang Ya, Beibei's teacher," Tang Ya said cheerfully. She then gestured to her companions. "This is Zhu Ziyang, and this is Jiang Nannan."
"I've heard a lot about you—the only Soul Elder among the new students!" Xu Sanshi said, his eyes gleaming with competitive spirit.
"You're Zhu Ziyang? So handsome…" Xue Weiwei whispered, glancing briefly at Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan before focusing on Zhu Ziyang. Her eyes sparkled slightly. "I hope we don't run into your team."
"I doubt we will during the ranking matches," Zhu Ziyang replied calmly. "As for the knockout rounds… that's hard to say."
"Right, Beibei," Tang Ya added with a grin. "Don't expect us to hold back!"