Chapter 35: New Student Assessment

Dou Beast Area.

As the largest exclusive zone of Slake Academy, and also the academy's biggest building, the Dou Beast Area covers an area as large as all the teaching and dormitory buildings of the martial soul department combined with Shrek Plaza.

Across the entire Douluo Continent, those capable of using an academy's power to raise soul beasts are truly rare, and achieving a scale like Slake Academy's Dou Beast Area is absolutely unique— even the royal families of the great empires would never attempt it.

Raising soul beasts is not easy; one must preserve their wild nature, accommodate each beast's distinct diet, ensure safety, and also drive them. The investment required is beyond what ordinary soul master academies even dare to imagine.

All of Shilaike City's annual tax revenue goes to Slake Academy, and a third of that massive sum is poured into the Dou Beast Area. One can imagine how exorbitant the required investment is.

Newly enrolled students usually think the tuition is expensive, but anyone who has visited the Dou Beast Area no longer feels that way.

Compared with their tuition, Slake Academy's investment is like fireflies versus a bright moon.

When this beast enclosure was built, over a hundred Soul Guide Instructors worked alongside the craftsmen.

Various powerful Soul Guide Devices were used to restrain the captive soul beasts, and strong soul masters and Soul Guide Instructors must also garrison here year‑round.

It is said that even ten‑thousand‑year‑old soul beasts are raised here; as for one‑hundred‑thousand‑year beasts, that's impossible.

Capturing a living one‑hundred‑thousand‑year soul beast is extremely difficult, but not utterly impossible.

Nevertheless, a one‑hundred‑thousand‑year soul beast is a massive fortune for any soul master.

Without exaggeration, a one‑hundred‑thousand‑year soul beast can launch a soul master skyward.

A hundred‑thousand‑year soul ring plus a hundred‑thousand‑year soul bone with four powerful skills—how formidable!

The Dou Beast Arena is a venue specifically for Slake Academy students to conduct combat training and assessments.

At this moment, second‑year students are gradually entering the Dou Beast Arena, preparing for their promotion assessment.

Inside the oval Dou Beast Arena, Mu Jin stands before a class of students, repeatedly stressing the importance of this assessment and various cautions.

After all, it's just an assessment—dropping out is minor, but dying here would be a huge loss!

After filling out the forms, Su Yun Tian and the others stood still, waiting quietly. Su Yun Tian's gaze swept around and spotted Dai Huabin and Huo Yuhao standing together not far away, their expressions decidedly vivid.

Su Yun Tian stroked his chin, pondering, "They must be betting with each other, right?"

"Interesting. Dai Huabin is, after all, a future comrade; perhaps I should help him…" Su Yun Tian chuckled, already having a mischievous idea.

The three Tianmeng inside the Spirit Sea, after grasping Su Yun Tian's thought, gave him strange looks.

"You kid, you're truly boundlessly wicked.

But I like it!"

Tianmeng Ice Silkworm chuckled.

On the field, Director of Instruction Du Weilun is the chief examiner for this assessment, with four additional judges beside him handling scoring.

In a corner unseen by the crowd, Yan Shaozhe and Xuan Lao sit upright, waiting quietly.

"Let's see Su Yun Tian's performance over this period,"

On the Dou Beast Arena.

"Yun Tian, you go first," Mu Jin said, glancing at Su Yun Tian beside her.

After all, Su Yun Tian is the top student of Class One; his first battle must display great momentum.

"Alright." Su Yun Tian nodded, unsurprised.

Upon entering the Dou Beast Arena, the judge on the left asked, "What's your major?"

"Strong Attack." Su Yun Tian replied softly.

"Alright, choose the soul beast you wish to challenge. Remember to act within your limits; even if you lose, it doesn't mean elimination—your battlefield performance is what matters," the judge said gravely.

"Hmm, I'll choose a thousand‑year soul beast." Su Yun Tian nodded.

"Alright." The judge wasn't surprised by Su Yun Tian's choice of a thousand‑year soul beast; after all, he's the first to appear and surely the strongest in the class.

As for the exact age, that depends on luck.

But it won't exceed five thousand years.

"The assessment begins." The judge signaled afar; a clanking of mechanisms rang out, a massive iron gate in the distance slowly opened, and the dark tunnel echoed with the sound of a frantic sprint.

Immediately, a blinding white flash erupted from the tunnel entrance.

A lion, its foot stepping on flame, its body cloaked in golden fur, over three meters long, charged out.

"Bright Holy Lion King! And it looks like its age exceeds three thousand years!" Mu Jin's expression changed on the viewing platform.

The Bright Holy Lion King, an extremely rare soul beast, possesses both light and flame attributes, with especially formidable attack power.

If it were a dark attribute, Su Yun Tian's Six-winged Angel could easily suppress it, and even other attributes would be manageable.

But never did anyone expect it to be light and flame.

When the attributes match, there's absolutely no chance of suppression!

At that moment, the Bright Holy Lion King roared, its lion's roar shaking the on‑lookers, turning the students' faces pale with shock.

This is their first close‑range encounter with a thousand‑year‑level soul beast!

Nevertheless, Su Yun Tian remained unflustered; three violet soul rings lit up behind him, a massive angelic illusion materialized, enveloping him within his palm.

Three pairs of wings also unfurled behind Su Yun Tian, blending with the surrounding light attribute.

One should know that even among identical attributes, there is hierarchical suppression!

Even light can suppress itself, right?

Then, Su Yun Tian, wielding the Angel Holy Sword, stood atop the angelic illusion's twin palms, unleashing several sword qi strikes toward the Bright Holy Lion King, only to be surprised by the beast's extreme agility—it leapt away with a few jumps.

Su Yun Tian squinted, pondering a way to break the stalemate.

Undoubtedly, besides the attribute's unsuppressibility, its speed is its greatest advantage.

By employing the angel's petrifying gaze together with powerful single‑target damage, the deadlock can be broken.

With that in mind, he leapt down from the angelic illusion, creating an opening.

The Bright Holy Lion King, seeing this, thrust its legs and surged forward with a howling gale.

Seeing it take the bait, Su Yun Tian's mouth twitched upward; as the Bright Holy Lion King vaulted, a sliding shovel swept along the ground beneath it.

At the same time, he used the Angel Holy Sword to thrust a fierce strike into its abdomen.

The Radiant Holy Lion King winced in pain, its eyes turning blood‑red, and leapt forward again.

But it was already too late; Su Yun Tian's first soul ring had already ignited.

With a low shout, Angel Gaze activated instantly.

Bathed in golden light, the figure of the Radiant Holy Lion King was suddenly fixed in mid‑air.

Then Su Yun Tian's wings behind him beat rapidly, lifting him into the sky as he raised the Angel Holy Sword aloft.

In an instant, boundless divine aura spread outward from his body, and angel soul power continuously gathered onto the Angel Holy Sword in his hand.

The blade, originally platinum‑colored, now shone even more brilliantly.

The lower‑level disciples in the audience platform could barely keep their eyes open.

"Angel Vast Creation!"

(End of Chapter)