"Even when Orpha eliminated apprentices, she never did so early on. She had her own set of standards for whether an apprentice was 'high-quality' or an 'Inferior Product': combat strength, wealth, career achievements, progress toward their dreams... You could call her cruel, cold-blooded, or excessively harsh, but she was never narrow-minded."
"That was more than just harsh..." Zhuri disagreed with Tian Huhaoqi's assessment. She said, "Aihao, you, Cuo Da, Rong Shan—were her standards really something ordinary people could meet?... But Mistblade would be fine at least until graduation, since she won the Fun Match championship in her fifth year."
Yu Xunge's breathing slowed as she listened. She asked anxiously, "What about Maple Syrup? Didn't you say her teacher, Rong Shan, was excellent? You even said that if he were willing to teach at any Magic School, every school would fight to have him."
"Because Rong Shan really was exceptional. His talent was not particularly outstanding, yet through his own effort, he reached Orpha's combat power assessment standard. Someone like that would be the teacher every Magic Academy dreamed of having... But Rong Shan..." Zhuri even slowed her speech, as though weighing how to evaluate him.
In the end, Zhuri concluded, "Rong Shan was a madman with stable emotions."
Tian Huhaoqi took over. She did not refute Zhuri's conclusion, instead trying to explain the root of that assessment to the apprentice. She said:
"Although Rong Shan survived under Orpha's standards, he only barely met them. Ah, I have to admit, that was what made Orpha formidable. She only cared about her own standards and never considered whether her apprentices loved or hated her.
"Even if an apprentice was willing to die for her, as long as they were an 'Inferior Product' in her eyes, she would still eliminate them without hesitation.