Douluo: The Peerless Tang Sect - The Ordinary Life of a Supporting Character

Chapter 9: Mechanisms and Numbers

Shrek Academy has over a thousand new students, divided into about three hundred teams. Six teams are assigned to each region, and teams within the same region compete against each other. The final score is based on the number of wins. Wang Nan and his two companions were taking their exams in Region Nine.

When the three arrived at the examination room, the other teams were already there; after all, no one wanted to be late for this assessment. Not long after, a proctor in his thirties, who appeared to be short, also came over, carrying the list of competing teams.

"We won't repeat the assessment rules; shall we begin?"

The examiner glanced around and, seeing that no one raised any questions, began reading the names from the list.

"First round, first assessment: Class 9 freshmen: Chen Zifeng, Wen Mozhu, Qu Sheng; Class 1 freshmen: Wang Nan, Ling Luochen, Gongyang Mo."

After stepping onto the ring, Wang Nan stood at the front, sizing up his opponent.

The most eye-catching of the three was the student named Qu Sheng, who had four gourds hanging from his waist, two large and two small, and it was unclear what kind of medicine they contained.

As for Chen Zifeng… Wang Nan pondered the name. After becoming roommates with Gongyang Mo, he had thought he would encounter these characters from his past life, but he didn't expect to meet one in the very first round. As one of the Shrek Seven Devils, he was bound to be a formidable opponent.

"The assessment begins!"

"I have a gourd of wine to soothe the weariness of travel."

As soon as the examiner finished speaking, Qu Sheng gave a light shout, raised the gourd at his waist, and with a flash of his soul ring, a wisp of clear wine appeared out of thin air and landed steadily in the gourd. Then he threw it with force, and the gourd drew an arc in the air and was caught by Chen Zifeng, who was standing at the front.

"A food-type Soul Master?" Wang Nan instantly understood the gourd's purpose.

Without further hesitation, he gripped the Panlong Staff in his hand, and with a flow of azure light, his body surged forward like a gust of wind. The arena for the freshman assessment wasn't large to begin with, and almost instantly, he was in front of Chen Zifeng.

Wang Nan swung his staff, only to be met by a slender sword about three feet and six inches long, with three blood grooves carved on it. It was Chen Zifeng's martial spirit, the Soul-Chasing Sword.

Chen Zifeng held a sword in one hand and raised a gourd in the other, putting the wine inside into his mouth. When Wang Nan's stick fell, although it hit the Soul-Chasing Sword, he could clearly feel that the force of the stick was diverted to other places and did not cause any substantial impact.

On the other side, Wen Mozhu also activated his martial spirit. With a wave of his right hand, a black dot suddenly appeared under Wang Nan's feet. At first, it was only the size of a fist, but it quickly spread outwards, enveloping Wang Nan.

Wang Nan dared not be careless. He took two quick steps to retreat from the black dot's range. However, under Wen Mozhu's control, the black dot continued to move forward, its speed even faster than Wang Nan's.

This is Wenmozhu's first soul skill - splashing ink.

However, Wang Nan also had teammates. Just as the ink dots were getting closer, Ling Luochen waved his ice staff in the distance, and the ink dots that were sticking to Wang Nan stopped in place and then turned into ice crystals that scattered all over the ground.

After the initial probing, Wang Nan roughly understood his opponents' abilities. Qu Sheng was a food-type Soul Master, and his first Soul Skill should be able to absorb damage or enhance defense. Wen Mozhu, on the other hand, was more focused on control. Together with Chen Zifeng, they formed a team with one strong attacker, one controller, and one support.

"The three opponents all have two spirit rings, and the two spirit skills they've already used are quite effective. It seems they're a top team from Class 9," Wang Nan thought to himself.

Each class will have one or two teams composed of freshmen with relatively high strength and good teamwork. Their overall strength is much higher than that of other teams. These teams are called seeded teams and are prepared for the knockout stage.

Wang Nan roughly assessed his opponent's strength, then looked at Gongyang Mo behind him.

Gongyang Mo understood immediately, and finally revealed his martial soul after holding back his attack. A pair of wings unfurled behind him, their dazzling colors and the three spirit rings—yellow, yellow, and purple—instantly drawing the attention of everyone present.

Wang Nan had anticipated this. Among all martial souls, the Rainbow Dragon martial soul is famous for its splendor. Coupled with the pressure brought by the Soul Master, the opponent's attention would inevitably be diverted.

This was the opportunity Wang Nan had been waiting for. His first spirit ring flashed, and with the boost from Wind Control, he charged towards the opponent's back row.

At the same time, Gongyang Mo also unleashed his soul skill, a yellow halo landing on Wang Nan, making him even faster. When the Rainbow Dragon Martial Soul uses its soul skill, it releases a halo according to the colors of the rainbow; the yellow halo was his third soul skill.

The flashing purple spirit ring brought Chen Zifeng and the other two back to their senses. However, in just two breaths, Wang Nan, with the boost from two spirit skills, crossed half the arena and arrived beside Qu Sheng.

Chen Zifeng quickly returned to defend, but was interfered with by Ling Luochen's ice element, and it was too late to rescue him immediately.

"Enjoy the wine in your cup, who cares about worldly fame?"

Although Qu Sheng was flustered, he still managed to recite the second soul incantation. As his second soul ring flashed, a large amount of wine was splashed onto Wang Nan.

Wang Nan tried his best to dodge, but he still couldn't avoid getting a few drops on him. The moment the liquor touched Wang Nan, a rich aroma wafted into his nostrils. For a fleeting moment, he really wanted to put down his weapon and enjoy a good drink.

Wang Nan had a backup plan, and so did the opponent. Who knew that a food-type soul master would also have a control soul skill? If Wang Nan hadn't used his speed to dodge most of the attacks with the help of his two soul skills, he would have actually succeeded.

Seeing Wang Nan break free of control in an instant, Qu Sheng shouted that he was admitting defeat and jumped off the stage. His plan had been seen through by his opponent, and he didn't want to face a powerful attack-type Soul Master alone.

Seeing his side suffer losses, Chen Zifeng calmed down. Although Qu Sheng had stepped down, his soul skill was still active. Now that Wang Nan was on his side, wasn't this also his opportunity?

Thinking of this, Chen Zifeng slashed his left hand across the blade, leaving a wound, and a drop of blood fell into the blood groove of the Soul Chaser Sword. Then, he threw the sword up with his right hand, and the Soul Chaser Sword actually stopped steadily in the air.

The first and second soul rings flashed simultaneously, the Soul Chasing Sword trembled slightly, and its tip emitted three inches of light before flying towards Gongyang Mo.

Since Wang Nan was able to think of breaking into the opponent's formation, he was naturally wary of the other side making this move. The moment Qu Sheng stepped off the stage, he was already rushing back, and at this moment he happened to be next to Chen Zifeng.

"Ink Bamboo!" Chen Zifeng shouted.

"Second Soul Skill, Leave Blank!" Wen Mozhu's second soul skill responded to him. With his voice, Chen Zifeng's entire body turned into a white outline, and his hands, feet and facial features were no longer distinguishable. He was like a blurry white shadow left in place.

Wang Nan was puzzled, but his hands didn't stop moving. He swung his stick, scattering the shadow in front of him. Looking around, Chen Zifeng was nowhere to be seen.

Ling Luochen, who had been watching this scene closely, looked around when she saw Chen Zifeng disappear. She quickly swung her ice staff, and tiny ice crystals fell like raindrops. Although they had no offensive power, they revealed Chen Zifeng's location.

"Good!" Wang Nan praised in his heart, then quickly locked onto the target.

As Gongyang Mo moved away from Chen Zifeng, he unleashed his first soul skill, a red halo descending upon Wang Nan, along with Wang Nan's second soul ring.

"boom--"

Wang Nan's dragon-shaped staff did not land on Chen Zifeng, but was stopped by the assessment teacher next to him.

"Chen Zifeng is out."

Compared to Chen Zifeng's team, Wang Nan's soul skill was much simpler, but the power it provided was real. Even the examiner barely smiled after receiving the blow.

"I concede." Seeing his two teammates leave the stage, Wen Mozhu stopped insisting. After all, there were still matches to come, and there was no need to waste his soul power.

"The winner of this match is Wang Nan's team from Class 1 of the freshmen."

(End of this chapter)