Douluo Continent: I can overdraft the future in advance

The day after the freshman assessment points competition ended, Zhou Yi stood on the podium, holding a score sheet in her hand, looking at the audience with a blank expression.

The atmosphere in the classroom was much more tense than usual. More than forty people sat upright, and no one dared to whisper to each other.

"You all know the results of the freshman assessment." Zhou Yi's voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear. "I'll just say a few words."

She opened the report card, her eyes scanning the first page.

"There were thirteen teams in the class. One team didn't make it and was eliminated." She paused, "The three people on that team have already dropped out of school."

The classroom was so quiet that you could hear the wind rustling through the leaves outside the window.

"The remaining twelve teams have all advanced, which means you have successfully stayed at Shrek Academy." Zhou Yi's tone was flat. "Among them, one team stood out and ranked in the top three."

Her gaze fell on Luo Yun.

"Team Luo Yun has won all ten of their matches and is tied for third place in the standings."

A murmur rippled through the classroom. Although everyone knew the class monitor was formidable, the undefeated victory and third-place ranking still sent a chill down many spines.

Zhou Yi did not stop the discussion; she waited until the noise subsided before continuing.

"The knockout stage starts next week, single-elimination. Winners continue, losers are eliminated. How far you go depends on your own abilities." She closed the report cards, her gaze sweeping over everyone. "I don't care which team you're on, as long as it's our class's team that wins the championship—"

She paused for a moment.

"I will prepare an extra reward, and it will certainly be no worse than the academy's reward."

Zhou Yi glanced at Luo Yun, then said, "get out of class dismissed. Luo Yun, Chen Jiyong, and Su Xiaowan, stay behind."

The other students left the classroom one after another. As someone passed by Luo Yun, they whispered, "Good luck, class monitor!" Someone else patted Chen Jiyong on the shoulder. Chen Jiyong grinned from ear to ear, while Su Xiaowan remained expressionless, sitting quietly in her seat.

After everyone left, Zhou Yi stepped down from the podium and sat down in the chair in front of Luo Yun, facing the three of them.

"I asked you to stay because I want to tell you some honest things." Her tone was a little softer than in class, but still direct. "The team I have faith in is yours."

Luo Yun remained silent. Chen Jiyong and Su Xiaowan were more agitated.

"I can explain the academy's rewards to you," Zhou Yi said. "The champion team—" she paused, "will be rewarded with a soul bone."

Chen Jiyong gasped, his eyes widening like saucers. Su Xiaowan's eyelashes trembled slightly, but she quickly regained her composure. Luo Yun's expression remained unchanged, but a thought flickered in his mind.

Soul bones? Shrek Academy is still quite wealthy.

She took out a small box from her bosom, about the size of a palm, made of wood, with simple patterns engraved on its surface.

"I can also say that I've prepared one myself." She placed the box on the table without opening it. "It may not be as old as the one from the academy, but I guarantee it will be more suitable for you."

---

In the corridor, Chen Jiyong finally couldn't hold back any longer.

"Soul bones! Two soul bones!" He lowered his voice, but couldn't hide the excitement in his tone. "Brother Yun, did you hear that?!"

"I heard you." Luo Yun walked ahead, his pace neither hurried nor slow.

"That's a soul bone! I've never even seen a soul bone before!" Chen Jiyong caught up, his expression a mixture of excitement and nervousness. "Can we really win the championship? There are sixty-four teams, and two of them have Soul Masters—"

"Yes," Luo Yun interrupted him.

Chen Jiyong was taken aback.

Luo Yun stopped and turned around to look at him and Su Xiaowan.

"Do you two want that soul bone?"

Chen Jiyong answered without hesitation: "Yes!"

Su Xiaowan hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"Then watch me carry you to new heights." Luo Yun's tone was calm, but every word carried an undeniable confidence. "We'll bring back the championship, and we'll bring back the soul bone too."

Chen Jiyong nodded vigorously, and Su Xiaowan's eyes brightened as well.

"Let's go eat." Luo Yun turned around and continued walking forward. "You need to be well-fed to have the energy to train."

Chen Jiyong caught up with him, muttering as he walked, "Brother Yun, when you said 'I'll carry you guys to new heights,' I felt like you were practically glowing..."

"Shut up."

"Okay, okay, I won't say anymore."

---

Meanwhile, in the inner courtyard.

Wang Yan stood in front of Elder Xuan, holding a stack of documents in his hand.

Old Master Xuan sat on a rock, holding a chicken leg in his hand. He took a bite and mumbled, "How are the new students this year?"

"The overall quality is slightly higher than last year." Wang Yan flipped through the data. "In the Martial Soul Department, there are a few promising talents. There are also a few worth paying attention to in the Soul Guidance Department."

Elder Xuan nodded, signaling him to continue.

Wang Yan turned to the second page and pointed to a line of text: "This student is worth your attention."

"Luo Yun, eleven years old, from Wuyun City, Douling Empire. Martial Soul: Ice Falcon, second soul ring: quasi-thousand-year-old—deep yellow on the outer ring, dark purple on the inner ring."

Old Master Xuan paused for a moment while eating his chicken leg.

"Nearly a thousand years old? Yellow on the outside and purple on the inside?"

"Yes." Wang Yan nodded. "Moreover, he never used his second soul skill during the points competition. He won all ten matches using only his first soul skill, Ice Mist, and his physical attributes. His physical attributes far surpass those of his peers, and the strength of his arms is comparable to that of a power-attack type soul master of the same level."

Old Master Xuan wolfed down the chicken leg, wiped his hands on his clothes, and took the documents to look at them.

"That's interesting." Elder Xuan handed the documents back to Wang Yan. "Anything else?"

Wang Yan hesitated for a moment.

"What's wrong?" Elder Xuan glanced at him. "Speak your mind."

"His ice-attribute temperature," Wang Yan said. "When I was an examiner in the assessment area, I experienced his ice mist up close. The temperature was very low, much lower than that of a normal ice-attribute martial soul."

"I suspect..." Wang Yan paused, "His martial soul isn't just a simple Ice Falcon. It might be some kind of higher-level ice-attribute martial soul, which wasn't fully revealed during awakening due to insufficient innate soul power. After absorbing the soul ring, the martial soul began to evolve, and the temperature of the ice also increased."

Elder Xuan remained silent for a long time.

He picked up the chicken leg, took a bite, and chewed it slowly.

"So his martial spirit grade might be much higher than we expected," Wang Yan continued.

"There's another possibility: his ice isn't ordinary ice," Elder Xuan said. "When ultimate ice awakens, if one's innate soul power is insufficient, it can indeed be suppressed, manifesting as an ordinary ice-attribute martial soul. However, with the increase in soul power and the stimulation of opportunities, the ultimate attribute will slowly awaken."

He paused, then looked at Wang Yan.

"Keep an eye on Luo Yun. I'll check him out during the knockout stage."

Wang Yan nodded: "I've already had someone keep an eye on his match time."

"Hmm." Elder Xuan took out another chicken leg, took a bite, and said, "Go down."