The morning mist over Shrek's training fields shimmered faintly with spirit energy. Rows of new students stood in formation, nervous yet excited — this was their first combat assessment.
Lan Tianyi stood quietly beside Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, his guqin strapped across his back. Though calm, the faint ripple of spiritual energy surrounding him made a few nearby students shift uneasily. It wasn't oppressive — it was harmonious, as though the air itself wanted to move to his rhythm.
Instructor Zhou Yi stood at the front, hands behind her back. "Combat assessment will test not only your strength but your control, teamwork, and composure. You may forfeit if you cannot continue. Begin when your names are called."
She scanned her tablet. "First match — Huo Yuhao and Lan Tianyi versus Jing Fei and Zhou Lan."
Yuhao blinked. "Together?"
Tianyi smiled faintly. "Seems fate agrees we make a good pair."
They stepped into the sparring field. Across from them, the opponents summoned their martial souls — a Stone Wolf and a Thunder Chain. Lightning flickered, and the crowd murmured.
Yuhao's eyes glowed faintly gold. "I'll use Spiritual Detection."
"Then I'll provide rhythm," Tianyi replied, fingers resting gently on his guqin.
The first strum came like a whisper — soft yet rippling with energy. The melody spiraled outward, synchronizing with Yuhao's mental scan. His perception sharpened, the music steadying his breathing and heart rate.
The wolf lunged.
Yuhao dodged — barely. "Left side, now!"
Tianyi shifted tones, each chord creating pulses that slowed their opponents' momentum. Frost began to bloom under the Thunder Chain wielder's feet — the result of Tianyi's Resonant Ice.
Zhou Yi's eyes widened slightly. "That's not ordinary control…"
Yuhao unleashed his Spirit Eyes' burst of mental interference just as Tianyi's guqin struck a deep final note.Fire and ice surged from the guqin's strings — not as blasts, but as harmonic waves, engulfing their opponents in a swirl of opposing elements that collided midair.
When the energy settled, the other team lay on the ground, groaning.
The crowd broke into murmurs."Was that dual-element control?""Is that even possible at his level?"
Tianyi exhaled softly and set his guqin down. "Forgive me — my music tends to get carried away."
Yuhao grinned. "Remind me never to fight you."