Douluo Dalu II: The Peerless Tang Sect

Chapter 54 On the Eve of the Freshman Assessment! (Part 2) (3.6k)

the next day.

When Zhu Ziyang and his two companions entered the classroom, the students were gathered in pairs, engaged in a lively discussion. Clearly, everyone had already formed their own groups and was getting to know their teammates.

Team battles are not only a test of individual skill, but also a test of teamwork. And the most important aspects of teamwork are mutual understanding and trust.

"Shouldn't we also find out about each other? I've known you guys for so long, and I still don't know your martial souls and soul skills!" Tang Ya said, her gaze fixed on Zhu Ziyang.

Tang Ya already knew Jiang Nannan's martial soul and soul skills. The Soft Bone Rabbit, a martial soul with a deep connection to the Blue Silver Grass martial soul, once made Tang Ya sigh that she and Jiang Nannan were truly natural best friends.

Since that's the case, Tang Ya's words were obviously meant for Zhu Ziyang. Because Zhu Ziyang has only made one move since the start of the semester, and won without even releasing his martial soul, no one in the class except Jiang Nannan, including Tang Ya who is usually with them, knows about Zhu Ziyang's martial soul and soul skills.

"Okay." Zhu Ziyang smiled as he looked at Tang Ya's defiant expression. "My martial soul is a scythe. My first soul skill is an attack skill, unleashing a blade of energy that can hit targets up to ten meters away. My second soul skill is an amplification skill, increasing my strength and martial soul characteristics. As for my third soul skill, it's also an attack skill, one to two times more powerful than my first soul skill."

"No, you said that!" Tang Ya was dumbfounded, looking at Zhu Ziyang speechlessly.

"Otherwise, are you planning to make me release my martial spirit and use my soul skills in the classroom?" Zhu Ziyang looked at Tang Ya speechlessly and replied.

"Oh right, this is a classroom!" Tang Ya realized, awkwardly scratching the back of her head and smiling sheepishly.

"Can't we just find a place to familiarize ourselves with it later? There's no rush," Jiang Nannan said.

"Okay!" Tang Ya nodded.

Soon, Xia Yu appeared.

"I've already submitted the participant list to the grade level, and the assessment will begin this afternoon," Xia Yu said expressionlessly. "In the first stage of the points ranking competition, your opponents won't just be students from other classes; you might also encounter classmates. But don't worry about friendships. Just fight to the death, understand?!"

Xia Yu's last words were filled with murderous intent. Of course, he wasn't encouraging the students of Class Four to use lethal force, but simply wanted to make them understand the seriousness of the situation.

"Understood!" the entire Class 4 answered in unison, full of confidence, after all, they were the ones who had survived three months of practical training!

It's just a fight, let's fucking get it over with!

"Very good, very impressive!" Xia Yu nodded in satisfaction, then said, "Meet at the assessment area this afternoon. Now, dismissed!"

"Great! Let's find a place to practice together quickly!" Tang Ya stood up and said to Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan.

"Okay!" The two nodded and stood up.

Shrek Academy has plenty of forests. The three of them quickly found a relatively flat clearing in the forest.

"Nothing is more effective at building teamwork than a battle. Nan Nan, you and Xiao Ya, let's have a friendly match," Zhu Ziyang said.

"Great! I've wanted to beat you up for ages, Zhu Ziyang!" Tang Ya exclaimed excitedly before Jiang Nannan could even speak, immediately agreeing, "Nannan, you can't go back on your word!"

"Alright." What else could Jiang Nannan say? She had no choice but to agree.

"Great, Zhu Ziyang, wait a minute, let's discuss a plan." Tang Ya pulled Jiang Nannan aside and began to whisper and discuss a plan.

"Go ahead!" Zhu Ziyang said confidently with a smile.

"Nannan, I'll take control, you attack," Tang Ya said to Jiang Nannan. "You know my soul skills, and I also have the Tang Sect's ultimate techniques, so you don't need to worry about me. Once I've got him under control, just use your second soul skill to defeat him! We're two Great Soul Masters, Zhu Ziyang is definitely going to fail this time!"

"Xiaoya, actually..." Jiang Nannan looked at Tang Ya's excited appearance, hesitating to speak.

"Alright, let's go!" However, Tang Ya didn't let Jiang Nannan finish speaking. She directly pulled her towards Zhu Ziyang and said, "Zhu Ziyang, we're ready, we can begin!"

"Okay, let's begin." Zhu Ziyang's smile faded slightly upon hearing Tang Ya's words, but he still maintained a casual demeanor.

The three maintained a distance of fifty meters between them, and as they all turned around simultaneously, the battle officially began.

Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya simultaneously summoned their martial souls, and four yellow soul rings shone brightly.

Zhu Ziyang also unleashed his World-Soothing Scythe, a golden scythe appearing in his hand. However, no spirit rings materialized. Under Zhu Ziyang's deliberate control, the World-Soothing Scythe resembled an ordinary scythe, offering nothing particularly noteworthy. This was the first time Zhu Ziyang had released his spirit in public since entering Shrek Academy.

"This is your martial soul, Zhu Ziyang?" Tang Ya, who had been full of curiosity and anticipation, was greatly disappointed upon seeing the martial soul in Zhu Ziyang's hand. She said, "It's nothing special. And where are your spirit rings?"

"Hehe." Zhu Ziyang chuckled and said, "No rush, no rush."

The battle begins.

Jiang Nannan's first spirit ring and Tang Ya's second spirit ring lit up at the same time. Jiang Nannan's delicate body became ethereal, and at the same time, a green vine wrapped around her slender waist.

"Nannan, go!" Tang Ya shouted, charging towards Zhu Ziyang first. At the same time, her hands moved nimbly, throwing darts at Zhu Ziyang with tricky angles. Jiang Nannan followed closely behind, also rushing towards Zhu Ziyang with swift movements.

"Is this the Tang Clan's hidden weapon?" Zhu Ziyang's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He waved his right hand, and the Jing Shi Xiu Ming Scythe danced. He took a step forward and rushed towards the two women. After easily dodging two darts, he spun the Jing Shi Xiu Ming Scythe and knocked away several more darts.

"So fast!" Tang Ya was surprised. She hadn't expected that Zhu Ziyang, a power-attack type Soul Master, would be almost as fast as Jiang Nannan. She threw out eight or nine more darts, but they still couldn't stop Zhu Ziyang's speed. In just three seconds, Zhu Ziyang was already in front of her.

Seeing this, Tang Ya threw flying knives, darts, and other hidden weapons at Zhu Ziyang without restraint. Zhu Ziyang's Jing Shi Xiu Ming Scythe spun rapidly, and none of the flying weapons could penetrate the barrier formed by the scythe. Tang Ya's face showed a discouraged expression. While shouting "Damn it!" she tried to confuse Zhu Ziyang. At the same time, her first spirit ring flew out quickly, and then a two-meter-long net made of green vines instantly pounced on him.

Blue Silver Grass's first soul skill: Blue Silver Net!

A smile appeared on Zhu Ziyang's face. He used the Jing Shi Xiu Ming Scythe to slash directly at the net woven from Blue Silver Grass. The blade quickly cut through the outer Blue Silver Grass and easily split the large Blue Silver Net in two.

Just when Zhu Ziyang thought the Blue Silver Net was useless, the scythe was suddenly entangled by half of the Blue Silver Net, and the other half of the Blue Silver Net also wrapped around Zhu Ziyang's arm, restricting his movements.

A look of surprise appeared on Zhu Ziyang's face. What was going on with this Blue Silver Grass? How could it still function so flexibly even after being split in two? Could it be that the Heavenly Star Vine's enhancement of the Blue Silver Grass was this terrifying?

"Haha! Nan Nan, it's your turn!" Tang Ya shouted happily upon seeing this. "Zhu Ziyang, you didn't expect this, did you? After my first soul skill was enhanced, not only was the toughness of the Blue Silver Grass strengthened, but more importantly, I can control each and every one of them. You'll have to suffer without using your soul skill, won't you! Hahaha!"

Jiang Nannan, who had been circling around, also made her move. She pounced directly on Zhu Ziyang, who was bound by the Blue Silver Net, and instantly rushed in front of him.

Having suffered a setback, Zhu Ziyang finally got serious. The Jing Shi Xiu Ming Scythe in his hand glowed, and three spirit rings—one yellow and two purple—rose behind him. This was naturally the first time Zhu Ziyang had revealed his spirit rings since entering Shrek Academy, which completely stunned Tang Ya.

"This..." Tang Ya stared wide-eyed at the two magnificent purple spirit rings, completely at a loss for what to do. Then she saw one of the purple spirit rings light up.

"Second Soul Skill, Blessing of Light!" Zhu Ziyang silently chanted in his heart. His second soul ring lit up, and the light of the World-Saving Scythe shone even brighter, with the blade flashing with a cold light.

With the blessing of light, the Radiant Scythe evolves into the World-Soothing Scythe, and its effects are enhanced: its power is increased by 150%, the hardness and sharpness of the Radiant Scythe are increased by 150%, and the light attribute is enhanced by 100%.

He swung the Blue Silver Grass that was originally wrapped around the Jing Shi Xiu Ming Scythe a few times, and it was instantly shredded. Then, the Blue Silver Grass on his body was also cut off and turned into fragments that fell to the ground.

At this moment, Jiang Nannan had already arrived in front of him, and it looked like she was about to activate her second soul skill.

He dared not hesitate. He was well aware of how terrifying Jiang Nannan's second soul skill was. He took a step back and barely dodged Jiang Nannan's jade hand. If he was not caught by Jiang Nannan, then the suppression effect attached to Jiang Nannan's second soul skill would not take effect.

Jiang Nannan, naturally unwilling to let this opportunity slip by, followed closely and grabbed at him again. Seeing this, Zhu Ziyang instantly changed the posture of the Jing Shi Xiu Ming Scythe in his hand, gripping the ring blade with one hand and the scythe handle with the other, holding it horizontally in front of his chest and changing his stance to meet Jiang Nannan head-on.

Seeing this, Jiang Nannan's silver-red eyes gleamed, and the light from her second spirit ring shone even brighter. The girl suddenly accelerated, trying to grab Zhu Ziyang's waist before he could make a move. However, Zhu Ziyang had no intention of fighting Jiang Nannan at all; his actions were purely deceptive. Just as the girl was about to approach him, he turned around, his Jing Shi Xiu Ming Scythe flipping to avoid Jiang Nannan's reach, and thrust straight at Tang Ya behind her.

All of this happened in a flash. By the time Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya reacted, Zhu Ziyang's blade was already pressed against Tang Ya's fair neck.

"The match is over!" Zhu Ziyang said confidently. Having dealt with Tang Ya, a control-type Soul Master, Jiang Nannan, an agility-type Soul Master, was no match for him.

"Ugh! I'm so angry!" Tang Ya was furious and helpless, and could only shout in frustration, "Zhu Ziyang, are you a monster? How come your second spirit ring is already a thousand years old?!"

The sparring session was over. Jiang Nannan put away her martial spirit, walked over, and said with a helpless expression, "I was just about to remind you."

"Aaaaah!" Tang Ya exclaimed angrily at first, then suddenly burst into laughter, her pretty face beaming with the excitement of winning the grand prize. She said, "Luckily, you're my teammate! I feel like we're practically guaranteed to win the freshman assessment this time, hehe!"

"That's inevitable." Zhu Ziyang was already used to Tang Ya's unconventional thinking, and followed her words, his face full of confidence.

"That's right! We will definitely win the championship!" Jiang Nannan echoed.

The three exchanged a smile, filled with fighting spirit for the new student assessment that would arrive that afternoon.

"However, I still have to point out the problems exposed in the battle just now." Zhu Ziyang's smile faded, and he said seriously, "Your tactics just now were really terrible. Facing a power-attack type Soul Master like me, one of you is a control type and the other is an agility type. Shouldn't you be trying to harass and wear me down? How dare you engage me head-on? Your tactics were awful!"

Upon hearing Zhu Ziyang's words, Tang Ya's initially happy face fell, and she said somewhat unhappily, "Yes, yes, I know I was wrong, Class Monitor Zhu! From now on, you'll decide our tactics!"

Jiang Nannan stuck out her little tongue, looking playful as if she knew she had done something wrong.

Seeking investment! Seeking monthly votes!

(End of this chapter)