Caelus's gaze swept across the uproarious spectator stands, finally meeting briefly with the profound gaze of Yan Shaozhe on the high platform.
He knew that the shock brought about by this strike had only just begun to ferment.
And the true power of his Regent of Time Martial Soul had finally revealed its tip of the iceberg to the world in this match.
This battle ended in a way that far exceeded everyone's expectations.
The Caelus team advanced strongly to the finals.
And the discussions and speculations about Caelus's mysterious first Spirit Ability would surely sweep through the entire Outer Court, and even reach the Sea Gods Pavilion.
Meanwhile, the other semi-final match also ended, with the Lan Susu team ultimately defeating the Cao Jinxuan team and advancing to the finals.
Compared to the treacherous and climactic semi-final between the Caelus team and the Dai Huabin team, the final championship match seemed rather calm, even a bit dull.
The team containing the sisters Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo was able to reach the finals, and their luck and unique Martial Soul Fusion Skill, "Net of Heaven and Earth," played an indispensable role.
However, when they faced the three from Caelus's team, all their advantages turned into powerlessness.
As soon as the battle began, the sisters did not hesitate to activate their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, and a huge blue hair net covered the sky and earth, attempting to capture the three from Caelus's team in one fell swoop.
This move had been invincible in previous matches; once bound, it was extremely difficult to break free.
But this time, they encountered a true nemesis.
Facing the incoming hair net, Gu Yuena just took a light step forward, a silver halo flashed around her body, and her figure appeared outside the coverage range of the hair net; short-distance spatial Teleportation made her completely immune to such restrictive skills.
And Caelus was even more direct, not even needing to use his more taxing third Spirit Ability.
"Empty Dream Shadow Flit" would have been overkill for evading an attack of this speed.
He merely relied on "Future Prediction" to accurately judge the trajectory of the Net of Heaven and Earth, combined with his own agile movement, to calmly weave through the gaps in the sky-filling hair, and the dense blue hair could not even touch the corner of his clothes.
As for Ye Guyi, she was even more direct and domineering.
Her holy Sword Qi was incomparably sharp, breaking the situation with pure force and shattering the Entanglement of the hair net.
Having lost their greatest reliance, the Lan Susu team had almost no power to fight back against the three Soul Elders.
The battle ended quickly under the pressure of the rock confinement raised by Gu Yuena with a wave of her hand and the brilliant sword light of Ye Guyi.
With this, the Freshman Assessment was completely over.
The championship title was without suspense—freshman class six, the Caelus team.
When Director announced this result loudly, enthusiastic applause erupted from the spectator stands, but mixed into it was more of a sigh of "as expected."
In fact, before this Freshman Assessment began, the higher-ups of Shrek Academy, especially the Dean of the Martial Soul Department Yan Shaozhe, already had an estimate of who would win the championship.
A team composed of three Soul Elders was simply too "overpowered" among freshmen whose average Rank was only around twenty.
This was no longer a simple gap in talent, but a crushing dominance in Soul Power Rank.
If it weren't for the academy's intention to promote teaching reforms and attempt to train Outer Court Disciples to go on missions, specifically having the excellent teacher Han Ruoruo, who came from the Inner Court, concentrate on leading a group of gifted freshmen, top-tier seedlings like Caelus, Gu Yuena, and Ye Guyi would never have been assigned to the same class.
According to old customs, the three of them would inevitably have been broken up and inserted into different classes to balance the overall strength of each class.
In a sense, freshman class six was exactly what benefited from this wave of "welfare" from the academy's policy reform, which allowed it to gather such a luxurious lineup and sweep all the way to the final victory.
In the early morning, sunlight shone through the thin clouds onto Shrek Plaza.
Benefiting from the nourishment of the Sea God Lake on campus, the air in the academy was always exceptionally fresh and moist, refreshing to the heart.
All the freshmen who passed the assessment, totaling over three hundred people, had already lined up solemnly on the plaza.
Compared to the scale of nearly a thousand people when school first started, the team appeared much more streamlined, but every one of those remaining was an elite left after strict screening.
At this moment, they were waiting with excitement or nervousness for the class assignment ceremony that would determine the direction of their future Outer Court careers.
Not long after, the Academic Affairs Director of the Martial Soul Department, Director, brought a dozen teachers to the front of the students.
He held a document in his hand, wearing a gentle yet dignified smile, and his gaze swept over the young and vibrant faces below.
"I believe everyone already knows that the Freshman Assessment has completely ended, and the final top three have been determined."
Director's voice clearly spread throughout the plaza.
"Next, I will formally announce these three teams and the rewards they will receive."
His gaze first turned to one side: "Third place in the Freshman Assessment, the Dai Huabin team. Team members: Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, Cui Yajie. Step forward."
Led by Dai Huabin, the three stepped forward as instructed.
It was just that Dai Huabin's face was so gloomy that water could almost drip from it, and there was no joy at all about entering the top three.
This was also normal; he had originally been full of confidence, thinking that relying on the Hell White Tiger would be enough to sweep his opponents and wash away his previous shame, but he did not expect to be instantly defeated by Caelus in an unimaginable way in front of everyone.
Missing the championship and even failing to secure the runner-up spot, for him, who was arrogant and proud, this third-place result felt more like a mockery, making it hard for him to accept.
Despite this, enthusiastic applause still rang out throughout the venue; this was the respect that should be given to the strong.
"Second place in the Freshman Assessment, the Lan Susu, Lan Luoluo, and Huang Chutian team. Step forward."
Applause rang out again.
The twin sisters Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo walked out of the team excitedly, their faces brimming with irrepressible joy.
For them, being able to win the runner-up spot was already an unexpected joy.
After all, apart from the Caelus team, they had no certainty of victory against the other teams with Soul Elders, so luck indeed played a significant part in them being able to walk all the way to the finals.
Finally, Director's voice suddenly rose a few notches, carrying obvious approval:
"Next, please use the most enthusiastic applause to welcome the final champions of our Freshman Assessment to the stage. They are—the Caelus team: Caelus, Gu Yuena, Ye Guyi. Step forward."
"Wow—!"
In an instant, the entire venue erupted into the most enthusiastic cheers and applause since the start of the tournament.
Countless gazes focused on the three of them, filled with admiration, envy, and curiosity.
Caelus's unfathomability, Gu Yuena's cold strength, and Ye Guyi's brilliance; they used one indisputable victory after another to cement their unshakable top status among the new batch of students.
Watching the three of them walk to the front with composure, a smile of satisfaction that could not be concealed appeared on Director's face.
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