Chapter 33: Shrek Trials ( Part 1)
"Clap..Clap..Clap. What a little monster," a voice echoed from behind Class Zero. They turned around to find an elderly man in a green robe accompanying Shen Yi. Shen Yi herself was still in shock from Nero's feat. She had seen people resist the pressure emitted by the mural, but never before had she witnessed someone utterly suppress it. Class Zero may not have known the origin of the mural, but Shen Yi knew that it was painted using the authentic blood of the Beast God Di Tian. Yet, in front of Nero's bloodline power, the mural's pressure seemed insignificant, like an ant crawling.
" Elder Li their score..? " Shen Yi who finally came back to her senses asked the elderly man in hesitation as rest of the Class Zero technically hadn't faced the pressure head-on from the mural.. "Besides this little monster," the elderly man or Elder Yi addressed Nero, and then continued after a moment of consideration "give that Blue Silver Grass boy and Elemental girl full marks, as they weren't even affected by the aftermath of the Black Dragon King's pressure. As for the other two, give them an eight; after all, luck is also a part of strength,".
Shen Yi and Class Zero bowed to Elder Li in appreciation. In response, Elder Li waved his hand and remarked, "They all deserve it, and besides, I don't want to be annoyed by that old guy." With an approving nod to Class Zero, he left the scene.
"You guys were lucky. The exam is split into many trials, and each trial has a maximum score of ten points. To pass, you need a minimum of six points, and your points will be totaled at the end of the exams. Points will be deducted for failed sections and added for full-score sections. Getting almost full marks in the first trial is the best start you could get," Shen Yi turned towards Class Zero and explained the structure of the entrance exam.
Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan looked at Nero with gratitude. They realized that they might have been able to pass the test, but after that even standing up would have been a luxury for them. As Class Zero followed Shen Yi towards the second trial, Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, Xie Xie, and Xu Xiaoyan formed a formation, with Wulin at the forefront and Nero assuming a position at the back. "Your second trial will commence shortly," Shen Yi informed Class Zero as they entered another hall, and then she exited leaving the group on their own.
The hall darkened suddenly, creating a night-like atmosphere even though it was still daytime. Silver lights appeared on the ground, forming intricate patterns that were both mesmerizing and dazzling. The domed roof above turned into a realistic night sky, giving the feeling of being under the stars.
' Aria ' Nero called out to Aria inwardly as he felt space energy fluctuating in the surroundings. This situation seemed familiar, [ Yes, this is similar to hall of heroes and spirit ascension pagoda ] Aria's statement also confirmed Nero's guess. It also confirmed why Spirit Pagoda ruling board was so eager to bomb Shrek. It was simply fear, Spirit Pagoda feared that Shrek academy would one day replace them. ' It most likely wouldn't have happened as Shrek is an academy but it is nature of human beings to doubt something that even slightly threatens them ' Nero's thoughts were interrupted as Class Zero was suddenly teleported to a vast space with a starry sky.
"Vrrr," a sound resonated as Nero swiftly teleported to Xie Xie's side, intercepting a tail-like attack with Yamato's sheath. Class Zero also got alert at the sight of the tail especially, Tang Wulin particularly as he realized that his momentary distraction could have gotten Xie Xie eliminated and that would have been his fault considering his role as the captain of team. Which extended to everyone except a certain Demon King among them.
" Grrrr, " a growling sound echoed as the soul beast that had attempted to sneak attack Class Zero was revealed. It appeared to be a Red Dragon with magma lines running along its chest and black barbs protruding from its back { photo in comments }. " It's a Ridgeback Inferno Dragon " Tang Wulin who recognized the soul beast said in a serious voice. ' From which angle is this beast a Dragon, It looks like a Dinosaur with mohawk hairstyle at its back ' Nero found it amusing as how nearly every soul beast with a lizard-like mouth has dragon in its name.
Tang Wulin was the first to act as dozens of blue silver grass vines entangled the beast. Xie Xie also immediately used his third spirit ability to summon three clones and direct their attack toward the beast. However, the beast's resistance was fierce as the vines trapping it immediately incinerated. No one was surprised at this as no matter how tough Tang Wulin's blue silver grass was, it was still a plant type martial soul at its core.
The magma lines on the beast's chest soon began to illuminate, Observing this Xu Xiaoyan reacted and immediately conjured a ice wheel above the beast's head. Gu yue followed the suit, enveloping the wheel with a blizzard, effectively stopping the beast from unleashing its flame attribute attack. As the blizzard subsided, Tang Wulin seized the timing, unleashing his dragon claw he delivered a powerful punch to the ice-encased beast with full force. A resounding " Boom! " sounded as the strike connected.
Once the smoke caused by the impact dissipated, The beast emerged battered with injuries and frostbites all across its body. Tang Wulin got ready to attack once more as he knew that Beast wasn't seriously injured and it's injuries were superficial at best. However, he paused in his tracks after hearing Nero's voice from behind him. " Don't waste your spirit energy at the second round, Conserve it " Nero advised and shifted his gaze towards the dinosaur.
The members of Class Zero, along with the onlookers from outside, only saw Nero unfasten Yamato, his figure becoming a blur and appearing behind the beast. " Shiiing, Thud " In an instant, the sound of Yamato returning to its scabbard coincided with the beast's body being split apart at its middle and collapsing onto the ground.
With the beast defeated, the surroundings returned to normal and Class Zero found themselves back in the hall. Shen Yi reappeared before them, astonishment evident on her face as unlike class zero she was able to observe what just transpired due to the recording function of Beast Arena. Nero himself didn't directly attacked the beast; instead, he used his teleportation ability to appear behind it, and in the blink of an eye, his afterimage sliced through the beast as it reunited with him. Neither Class Zero nor the Beast were able to see this because the afterimage reunited with Nero at an extremely fast speed. It was like the concept of a shadow emerging in sunlight, the afterimage was so fast because technically it was part of Nero . Shen Yi, in particular, was most astounded by Nero's ability to command his afterimage to execute such a complex action as it wasn't a matter of Spirit Rank, but of skill and mastery.
Under the expectant gazes of Class Zero, Shen Yi proceeded to announce the results of the second trial in the beast arena. "The results for the second trial, the beast arena: Nero, ten points; Tang Wulin, ten points; Xie Xie, ten points; Gu Yue, ten points; Xu Xiaoyan, ten points ".
Xie Xie couldn't hide his surprise at the high scores. "Wow, how did we score so high?" he asked, baffled as only Nero had managed to instantly defeat the Ridgeback Inferno Drake. Shen Yi explained, nodding as she spoke "You scored highly because you killed the Ridgeback Inferno Dragon together. The criteria for passing didn't involve killing it, so you all got a high score. We shall now continue. Follow me. "
As they made their way to the third trial, Tang Wulin and rest of the Class Zero expressed their gratitude to Nero for eliminating the beast as they would have expended much more energy in killing the beast which could have affected their performance in upcoming trials. In response, Nero shook his head, indicating that there was no need for that.
Shen Yi opened a sliding door, revealing the space where the third trial was to take place. Rows of gates were set up, numbering at least a hundred in total. These gates were referred to as "guillotine gates," and they were equipped with massive guillotine blades. Each gate featured a two-meter wide, one-meter tall, and half-a-meter thick blade, capable of slicing through objects with ease.
Shen Yi explained the mechanics of the third trial to Class Zero. They would be tested on their adaptability and speed. They were given one minute to prepare, and once the command to start was given, they needed to navigate through all the gates. Finishing within thirty seconds would earn them six points. Additional points were awarded for every three seconds they finished early, while one point would be deducted for every three seconds they were late. Shen Yi emphasized two crucial aspects of the trial: the closer they were to a gate, the faster its guillotine blade would descend, and the guillotines were very real, capable of causing lethal injuries.
As Shen Yi completed her explanation, she motioned to the side, causing the sound of metal clanking to fill the air. The guillotine blades began to ascend, signaling the start of the trial.
" All of you Put your hands on my shoulder " Nero wasted no time and instructed Class Zero, Tang Wulin who instantly realized what Nero was going to do paced his hands on Nero's shoulder and gestured others to do it to. " Begin! " before Shen Yi could even finish speaking Nero activated his demon eyes and launched mirage blade toward a point on the other side of the guillotine gates at an astonishing speed. " Vhrr " Class Zero instantly vanished from their original place and reappeared beyond the guillotine gates with the mirage blade now in grasp of Nero.
Shen Yi's was speechless at Nero's operation as he didn't even wait for her to finish speaking Begin. She really wanted to open his brain and see what was inside of it as how come he was completely unaffected by the guillotine blades when even 15 year old examinees were fear stuck in front of this trial. She sighed at this monster class and announced the result " 0.75 seconds, which means you all score 10 points ". Xu Xiaoyan cheered as this test would have been most difficult for a long-range soul master like her.
Shen Yi then guided Class Zero into a building, and after navigating through corridors, ascending stairs, they arrived on the second floor. The interior was decorated with pristine white walls adorned with intricate gold lines, resembling blueprints of soul devices. The significance of these designs wasn't lost on Xu Xiaoyan, who instantly recognized them due to her choice of becoming a mecha designer as a secondary profession.
As they stepped into a spacious room, Shen Yi gestured toward some chairs along the side and instructed them to wait. "Stay here. I'll go fetch the administrators for this trial. Your personal strength will be assessed in this trial, focusing on one of your specialties. Choose wisely, as your highest specialty is directly linked to your strength," she explained before leaving the room. This left Xie Xie in a state of bewilderment.
Observing Xie Xie's puzzled expression, Nero stepped in to clarify, "In this trial, they'll likely evaluate something unique about each of us—like Gu Yue's elemental control or Xu Xiaoyan's star power." He paused briefly, as if contemplating something, and then added a word of caution, " and don't try to offend them as they are Titled Douluo, it might cause some problems ".
Everyone in the class Zero nodded seriously as Nero wouldn't usually advice them unless it is absolutely necessary.
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