Ch 7 - Tournament Start

"I want you all to pass the new student exam. Fail, and I'll give you something to remember, understand?"

"""""Yes!"""""

Class 5 responded to teacher Zhou's threat in the only way they could. The class was only half its original size due to Huo Yuhao not being here to motivate the lesser determined students. Teacher Zhou's willingness to make good on her threats was all the motivation the remaining students needed.

"Adlet Myers, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao stay behind."

The teacher had already informed the class of the new student examination, subsequent tournament, and the teams her students will comprise right before class ended. Adlet wasn't surprised at being called to stay afterwards considering they were the top three of class 5.

Once the other students rushed out, Adlet walked to the teachers desk calmly. Wang Dong was a nervous wreck, unable to hide her shaking. Xiao Xiao was far more composed, even if a bit stiff. Her dark hair looked like it was starting to fray from anxiety, despite her clear green eyes looking straight forward with confidence.

"Xiao Xiao, explain why you put down control department. Your torment vessel spirit is good for attack or support, not necessarily both."

"Teacher, I have a mutated spirit. It is called three life torment vessel. It has a strong compatibility with both attack and defense. Also.." She took a large breadth, to strengthen her resolve. No one likes exposing their secrets, but what she had to say needed to be said for the team's benefit. "Also, I have a second martial spirit that offers both support and control."

Adlet turned towards her, grinned and nodded. Wang Dong and Zhou were clearly shocked, but recovered as the implications of her words became apparent. She was an all but guaranteed future powerhouse.

"You have only one goal for this tournament, complete victory! Become the champions of the new student exams!" She gave them a few moments to revel in the imagined feeling of being champions before she threatened them again. "If you don't win, remember you'll still be under me for a long time to come."

With a threatening smile on her face, she let them leave. Even Adlet had a chill go down his spine from that smile. He walked out with the other two and decided to address their ignorance.

"We're not likely to win the tournament. Are you two aware of the other classes top students?" He asked without looking at them. Even though he spent most of his free time making spirit guide devices and sparring with the girls, he still knew about the freshmen spirit elders (3 rings): Dai Huabin, class one at rank 36. Ning Tian, class nine at rank 31. Xie Huan Yue, class two at rank 32. And of course Mirellia and Skydream.

Why they allowed two spirit elders in class four is beyond understanding, but it meant that this tournament wasn't likely to go smoothly. Adlet explained the uphill battles they were heading into, shocking his unaware teammates.

"That's not fair at all!" Wang Dong screamed while holding his head with both hands.

"I thought...*sniffle*... I thought we had a chance." Xiao Xiao cried a few feet away while drawing circles in the ground.

"Alright you two, stop acting silly. Here's the game plan so pay attention. Let's go to the woods and start practicing our teamwork now. Then, during the examination, we will show as little of our capabilities as possible. Once we pass the examination, we will be in the tournament. As long as we don't face class four, I think we can win."

Adlet led them into the nearby forested area to begin some team exercises. He wanted to do well in this exam because, amongst other thing, this will determine their standing in the school. Ma Xiaotao had explained to him previously that standing determined a lot in Shrek: How easily they could use certain facilities, what benefits the school periodically gives out, what offers outside forces make to students, etc.

Once he found a good clearing, he turned around and addressed the two girl's following him. "You two, attack me together."

"Huh? Did you forget I'm the power attack? Idiot. You two should be fighting me, not that you'll stand a chance."

"Okay. Stay here Xiao Xiao, I'll make quick work of this brat."

"What did you call-ahhh" Before Wang Dong could finish complaining, Adlet rushed her. He had waited for her eyes to blink before kicking off the ground. Her attempt to snarl at him quickly changed into shock as he grabbed her wrist, kicked out her feet and slammed her face first into the dirt. Then he grabbed her other hand and fully positioned her beneath his weight.

"Your skin is so smooth, body lithe, and the faint aroma about you is intoxicating. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were a girl on the cusp of budding into a beautiful lady." It was impossible to not tease the woman dressed as a man. Not in this compromising position.

Looking up, Xiao Xiao was blushing furiously at Adlet's words. Only slightly less red from embarrassment than Wang Dong herself. After getting her surrender, they got up for a proper round two. Adlet on one side of the clearing, them on the opposite side. All three brought out their rings. Adlet always had his spirit active, but that didn't mean his rings were out. An innate skill of most spirit masters, so long as they consciously work to hide them and don't use their ring skills.

Xiao Xiao had had the ideal two yellow rings while Wang Dong was beyond the ideal with one yellow and one purple ring. Adlet was the real monster with two purple rings and no second spirit essence to justify that.

"Alright, come at me." He spread his legs slightly apart and planted his feet on the ground, lowering his center of gravity, to maximize the support he could get from the ground below. A common stance for defense specialists.

Xiao Xiao sent her sirit essence cauldron straight at Adlet before splitting it in three to surround him. Before she could activate her first ring ability, Wang Dong rushed him with her superior speed. Two of the four wings of her Bright Goddess Butterfly became scythes as she slashed into both of Adlet's shoulders.

Adlet grabbed both wings after they slammed into him and kicked up into Wang Dong's gut. His first ring transfered the force of her winged strikes, adding them to his kick, straight into her gut. She was out for the fight.

Xiao Xiao watched as Adlet threw the limp Wang Dong at her. Unable to use her shock attack beforehand because Wang Dong would have been hit as well, and unable to use it now without being hit by her teammate. She dodged out of the way only to discover Adlet had left her encirclement, following being the flung Wang Dong.

"I surrender." She sputtered right as Adlet got into punching distance. "There's nothing I can do at this range without my cauldrons except getting beaten up. Are you alright Wang Dong?"

Xiao Xiao was more than happy to put her hands on the beautiful 'boy' while checking to see if they were well. Wang Dong didn't appreciate that at all.

"Get..*koff*... off" It was difficult for her to regain her barrings and speak after that kick, keeping her down for almost half an hour as she recovered. Adlet didn't care about her complaints though, and sat down in such a way as to put her head in his lap. He massaged her shoulders and pretended to not noticed her tomato red blush at his intimate actions and position.

"You should have formed a plan with Xiao Xiao or at least asked her what her abilities are once you teamed up. Since you two weren't in sync, it was clear from my perspective that you got in her way. This is double true for you little Xiao, as the control spirit master, you need to take control."

He let his hand roam all over Wang Dong's scalp and shoulders, acutely familiar with the pressure points in the human body. In less than three minutes she was beginning to drool, and Xiao Xiao was the one turning tomato red.

'I'm going to have fun messing with these two.'

*** Raven ***

"Alright, everyone has arrived. This is the fourteenth examination area. Two teams will fight in the chalked ring on my command while everyone else must stay in the resting area. Attempts to kill or seriously injure are strictly prohibited, remember that you are still classmates after the exams are over. If I stop the fight, you all must stop or you will be penalized accordingly. Team Hack-n-Slash and team Burple enter the ring."

No one objected to Raven naming the team Hack-n-Slash, much to her enjoyment. Mirellia and Skydream walked into the rest area while she stood facing three very confused opponents. "As our team is class four's ace team, none of you have a chance at beating all three of us together. I, will be more than enough."

The teacher beamed at her words and told them to call out their spirits. "Chan Che, 19th rank-"

"I don't care even a little. This pertains to all of you." Raven said a she looked around. "Survive even one of my attacks and I'll let you say your biography."

If they weren't pissed before, they were now. Then to add insult to injury, she didn't even summon her spirit. She drew her wooden sword, previously tied to her waist, and held it to her side as though to draw it again.

She was in full 'Raven Branwen mode'. Confident, overbearing and ready to kick-ass.

As soon as the teacher said begin, she swung horizontally, sword qi arcing outward and into each opponent. All three were knocked out of the ring and struggled to even stand afterwards. Their marital spirits didn't matter, sword qi cutting passed all their defenses. Only Raven holding back allowed their meager spirit power to protect them from being literally cut.

"The match is over. Winner, team Hack-n-Slash."

The fight ended in a single attack, so fast only the teacher and winning team understood what just happened. Only one other team challenged her, getting injured and wasting their energy in the process. The rest forfeit as that was the obvious strategy given the circumstances.

The examination took place over two days, with six teams fighting round robin style each day. Their team suffered no hardships or challenges either day. Same as Adlet's team, Patchwork. Both teams decided it would be best to hide as much of their abilities as possible. That's why only Raven fought for her team and only Adlet for his.

'Its not that our team needs to hide its power, but the teachers will probably note students who have the common sense to do more than think with their fists.'

Adlet's a tank with a mean counterattack and the ability to use the tang sect's spiritual shock. A combination none of his opponents could hope to fight against, giving team Patchwork a perfect win streak like themselves.

With the examination passed, it was time for the main event: The Tournament. The sixty-four teams with the best win-to-loss ratio from the examination automatically entered the new student tournament. Their were nine freshman classes, each having at least three teams in the tournament.

In the following morning, after the completion of the exams, the top teams were summoned outside Shrek Academy's fighting arena. About thirty staff members of the outer courtyard stood in a line, this includes all their teachers. A plain box stood in the middle, filled with numbered sheets of paper.

As each team approached, the teachers confirmed who would be participating in the tournament from their class. Once they were confirmed, the team leader grabbed a random numbered piece of paper and went into the subsequent fighting area. Despite all sixty-four teams fighting at once, this was considerably less than during the examinations, allowing the fighting area to be expanded upon.

The fights would take place once in the morning and once at night over the course of three days, the fighting area expanding after each fight. Participating students are encouraged to watch the other fights if they finish their's quickly.

Raven, Mirellia and Skydream went to the fourth arena and didn't have to wait long for their opponents. Raven dialed back her overbearing attitude and settled for disinterest, same as her teammates.

All three opponents had two yellow rings and their marital spirits consisted of a poisonous spider, a lance, and a pair of boots. Raven drew her wooden sword expecting the fight to play out as all the others.

Boots and Lance came at her from two sides as soon as the match began, noticing she was the only one planning to fight. When they came withing striking distance she swung, sword qi arcing out at a speed they couldn't dodge. Or so she thought.

The first spirit ring of boots lit up and his feet split apart. His body bent and contorted, narrowly missing the sword qi. Lance activated his second ring, letting the strike hit him. It definitely hurt, but the boost in power he received was worrying. He's a berserker.

Lance had the reach advantage and thrust forward, parried easily by Raven's sword. He spun sideways building up momentum, safe in his movements as boots kicked from behind. She twisted and spun, unable to strike back a he sidestepped backwards out of reach. Maintaining a position perfectly opposite his teammate, who followed up with his swing.

Raven danced in circles as the two struck and circles around her. She dodged, parried and whiffed in her counterattacks, the two synchronized in maintaining their opposite positions around her. If not for her purple eyes, she wouldn't have noticed the spider's webbing trailing her circling opponents.

Raven slowly built up the power in her shadow as she danced to her opponents tune. Closing her eyes as a tiny luminescent eye appeared on her forehead. When the spider finally activated both his spirit abilities, she was ready.

Lines of webbing, circled on the ground around her, sprung up and tightened in an attempt to mummy wrap her. The eye on her forehead opened, letting her, and only her, see the eight phases of the moon circled around her. She had just enough shadow qi to step backwards, towards the new moon. The only phase of the moon she had learned to access.

Boots was caught completely off guard when she struck him from behind. Teleportation was a rare ability, and not easily dealt with.

She took out Boots first because he could actually dodge her. He went down, followed shortly by Lance who couldn't keep taking hits. She didn't know exactly what spider's abilities were, but he was exhausted after using them both on his failed attack.

"You used your Lunar Turn, guess we won't be refraining from fighting along side you anymore."

Mirellia spoke after the match. She had spent years developing the Hidden weapon hundred separation technique and various spitting techniques to supplement her goblet spirit. Adlet focused more on the ghost perplexing tracks, jade hands, and purple demon eyes. Raven specialized in using the jade hands, controlling crane catching dragon, and her own original technique called Lunar Turn.

Every morning they cultivate the rising sun and at night, the moon. Unlike the sun, they could only cultivate the power of the moon once per phase. About two times a week. Of the three of them, only Raven has found a use for that power yet.

"That was awesome! I didn't know you could do that. Can you teach me?" Asked a starry eyed Skydream.

"I don't see why not, but it'll be a lot of hard work." She said with a sadistic grin. That was a lie, it's just another form of cultivating, but watching the lazy beast squirm was just too temping a teasing to pass up.