The Beast Fighting Area didn't just contain the arena they were about to enter; it also included the true Beast Pens—a vast expanse partitioned by high walls that made it impossible to see its boundaries from the outside.
On the Douluo Continent, powers capable of captive-breeding Soul Beasts were few and far between.
Soul Beasts were not livestock; they required specific living environments and followed unique habits and diets formed over tens of millions of years.
Attempting to keep hundreds or thousands of Soul Beasts with different habits together was no less difficult than building a new city.
Yet, Shrek Academy had not only achieved this but had even accomplished something more incredible—they maintained the wild nature of these Soul Beasts to the maximum extent while keeping them captive.
The resources, knowledge, and energy required behind this were beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
It was said that Shrek City, as a neutral city, invested a full third of its massive annual tax revenue into the maintenance and expansion of this Beast Fighting Area.
This was enough to prove that for Shrek Academy, the Beast Fighting Area was far more than just an assessment venue; it was the most direct manifestation of its heritage and strength.
The Beast Fighting Area was strictly divided into two major parts.
One part was that mysterious "Beast Pen" where any Outer Court Disciple was strictly forbidden from stepping foot; that was the Soul Beasts' true habitat.
The other part was their destination for this trip—the Beast Fighting Arena.
A gladiatorial venue specifically built to provide students with actual combat against Soul Beasts.
"Oh my god... I heard there are actual Ten Thousand Year Soul Beasts kept inside this Beast Fighting Area. I wonder if it's true."
Standing in the queue, Lan Susu looked up at the endless high walls and couldn't help but let out a gasp of wonder.
Her eyes were full of curiosity as she looked toward the isolated Beast Pens, as if trying to see through the thick barriers.
"It should be true. After all, this is Shrek Academy."
Standing beside her, Caelus gave a faint response.
At the same time, he cast an inconspicuous glance at Gu Yuena.
Gu Yuena's peerlessly flawless face still bore a cold expression, but deep within those beautiful purple eyes, a flash of coldness flickered for a brief moment.
Caelus understood clearly.
Seeing her own subjects being kept by humans like livestock for people to watch and slaughter, she, as the Co-ruler of Soul Beasts, was likely very unhappy.
That fleeting coldness quickly returned to calm, and Gu Yuena reverted to the cold and aloof silver-haired girl once more, as if nothing had happened.
Under the guidance of the teachers, the students passed through a massive archway and finally entered the interior of the Beast Fighting Arena.
The sight before them left everyone dazed.
This was a massive structure whose grandeur was impossible to describe in words.
The entire Beast Fighting Arena was a perfect oval. Looking at it from the outer perimeter where they stood, the main body of the building was divided into four levels.
The bottom three levels were of a majestic vaulted structure. On either side of each tall archway were thick stone pillars carved with ancient patterns acting as supports, filled with the beauty of strength and history.
The highest fourth level was decorated with finer pilasters, appearing solemn and dignified.
Facing the four radii of the oval were four exceptionally large archways; those were the main entrances leading to the interior spectator galleries.
The interior of the Beast Fighting Arena consisted of tiered circular spectator stands rising upward.
The stands were clearly divided into four groups of areas from low to high. In certain special circumstances, Shrek Academy would designate specific areas based on the spectators' status.
The magnitude and spectacle of the entire project could no longer be simply described as brilliant or magnificent.
It was like a giant beast crouching on the earth, silently displaying its majesty to all visitors.
It was said that this massive Beast Fighting Arena could accommodate nearly ten thousand spectators at the same time.
And what such a massive seating area surrounded was an even larger beast-fighting zone at the very bottom.
Just like the Soul Dueling Area of Shrek City, this place could be divided into several smaller fields to conduct multiple beast-fighting matches simultaneously.
Alternatively, all partitions could be removed to form a peerlessly massive arena for a single, earth-shattering beast fight.
For the upperclassmen of the Martial Soul Department, this place was certainly not unfamiliar.
The strong among them longed to come here, using the blood and roars of Soul Beasts to hone their combat skills and seek opportunities for a Breakthrough.
But for those students with slightly lesser strength, this place was simply a lingering nightmare.
Because starting from the fourth year, every class would have at least one actual combat course in the Beast Fighting Arena every week.
And the results of every course would be used as the most important assessment standard, recorded in the students' personal files, directly determining the academy's evaluation of them and their future fates.
At this moment, all the students of Class One and Class Two of the Second Year stood at the edge of this massive arena filled with blood and sand.
Beneath their feet was specially treated yellow sand, capable of absorbing impact and blood to the maximum extent.
The faint scent of iron in the air became even more concentrated here.
They could even see that the sand in some areas was darker in color, as if it had been repeatedly soaked by the blood of countless Soul Beasts and humans, having long since settled into a dark red.
The massive Beast Fighting Arena was empty of people; only these hundred or so students stood on the vast grounds, appearing incredibly small.
Their voices were swallowed by the grand architecture, leaving only hollow echoes.
A sense of insignificance and oppression swept in from all directions, causing everyone's heartbeats to quicken involuntarily.
Under the instructions of the academy teachers, several long tables were quickly lined up on one side of the massive Beast Fighting Arena.
Several upperclassmen sat behind the tables, with thick stacks of yellowish cardstock paper printed with the Shrek Academy emblem neatly piled in front of them.
Those were the Promotion Assessment Forms that would decide their upcoming fates.
"All students, line up in order by class to collect your assessment forms."
Wang Yan's voice echoed in the empty Beast Fighting Arena.
The students of Class One and Class Two of the Second Year immediately took action, and the originally scattered formation quickly turned into two long lines.
An oppressive tension permeated the air. Almost no one spoke; only the sound of clothes rubbing and heavy breathing intertwined above the sand.
The design of the form was simple. Besides filling in one's name, class, and Martial Soul, there were two key columns: the challenged Soul Beast and the assessment order.
At the very bottom of the form was a vast blank space left for the judging teachers to give scores, as well as a bright red stamp column for the final verdict of pass or fail.
Every student who received a form felt as if they had caught a heavy, red-hot iron.
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