Quarterly Assessment, Grandpa's Kindness!

"Sorry for making you worry, Grandpa."

Ning Wuque first took the initiative to apologize, offering the old man some reassurance. Then he was surprised that he had actually communicated with his spirit soul for so long?

That didn't seem right.

The two of them had only exchanged a few hundred, maybe nearly a thousand sentences. That shouldn't have taken a month, right? Or was the concept of time in the spiritual world different from that in the material world?

After all, deep meditation was, in a sense, like taking a nap—completing a series of previously impossible things while being unable to feel the passage of time at all.

That was what enlightenment was like.

But nothing like this had happened when he first tried it before. Could it be...

The process of establishing a connection with his spirit soul was itself a form of deep meditation? His half-deep meditation was merely the Bridge that completed that process!

"Wuque, did you discover something new?"

Zhang Can noticed something was off. From Ning Wuque's answer, he knew his unusual grandson far too well. The hidden meaning behind that reply was that Ning Wuque had had no idea what he was doing would trigger deep meditation!

Following that logic, it meant he could enter deep meditation on his own! That was insanely awesome!

What was deep meditation? It was one of those opportunities that even Titled Douluo could only encounter by chance!

"Yes, I do have a new theory, Grandpa. I don't know whether it would work for others, because it's actually very difficult to achieve."

"It's fine, Wuque. If you write down this method and contribute it to the clan, Grandpa guarantees that I'll get you the authority to pick a treasure from a higher-level vault!"

"I'll do my best."

The reward was highly tempting. Ning Wuque might even be able to use the truly good stuff in the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's vaults to achieve a ten-thousand-year third ring.

But... honestly, he didn't think the clan had the ability to verify his method.

It wasn't that he was arrogant. His understanding was simply too far ahead of its time. At least within the next five years, no one would be able to understand what the theories he wrote truly pointed toward. Even if he personally guided them, it would be the same.

It was like building Big Ivan. Everyone knew you had to add white sugar, but even if you went there yourself and someone taught you step by step, you still wouldn't be able to learn it, would you?

Besides, his deep meditation had its limitations. It could only communicate with his own spirit soul. So its value was great, but perhaps not overwhelmingly great.

Still, that was one thing, and earning this money was another. He was badly short on resources right now—he wouldn't turn down however much came his way!

"Good child! Oh, right, Wuque. The academy's Quarterly Assessment is coming up soon. Do you have any thoughts about it?"

"Quarterly Assessment?"

Ning Wuque scratched his head, utterly bewildered. He kept stuffing food into his mouth, occasionally washing it down with a gulp of water, then asked Zhang Can in confusion.

"Grandpa, what's a Quarterly Assessment?"

"Uh..."

Zhang Can had not expected Ning Wuque to truly pay absolutely no attention to his studies. Though for a genius like him, paying attention would have been a waste of time anyway.

After thinking it over, he explained while Ning Wuque replenished his body's energy.

"The Quarterly Assessment... you can think of it as a special internal placement system unique to our Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.

Although nearly all the children in the clan attend the clan's own junior academy, their spirit souls and Soul Power determine the paths they will take in the future..."

Through Zhang Can's explanation, Ning Wuque came to understand what the so-called Quarterly Assessment was.

Like Shrek's annual exams, the entire academy gathered in the arena and fought. Their rankings were used to determine their potential, future assignments, and early training for their careers.

Those with high rankings went without saying—they would be trained directly as guards, talented personnel, or even future elders, protecting the clan. They might even be assigned a direct-line husband or wife.

Children with good spirit souls and high Innate Soul Power, but no background whatsoever, could rise to the top in one leap through this. They could become engaged to the clan's wealthy and beautiful young ladies or handsome young masters, then reach the peak of life!

Those with low rankings who had talent in combat would become caravan hands. Those without combat talent would study specialized skills such as "service," "accounting," "cooking," and all sorts of other fields, then be assigned directly to work in the clan's businesses after graduation.

It was a complete package—job placement and a future guaranteed. As long as one wasn't lazy, they might not become fabulously wealthy, but they could absolutely live an ordinary, happy life.

As a famously lavish clan, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan offered benefits and treatment that were definitely among the best on the entire Douluo Continent.

Only the Body Clan's fierce protectiveness of its own could compare.

"Wuque, what Grandpa means is that I want to secure a good future for you. The assessment only looks at rank, not background or Soul Power. With your strength, first place is absolutely beyond dispute!"

Zhang Can spoke with immense pride. Just thinking about his grandson bringing him honor made him nearly hum with delight.

How strong was Ning Wuque now? Before obtaining a soul ring, his body alone could brutally beat the weakest thousand-year soul beasts. He was comparable to an ordinary predatory soul beast between seven hundred and nine hundred years old!

And he was only nine years old! Only possessors of spirit souls such as the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, Clear Sky Hammer, and White Tiger could reach such strength at that age, provided they possessed Innate Full Soul Power!

At two rings, possessors of those spirit souls could also rival high-level hundred-year soul beasts. Innate Full Soul Power ensured that they would reach at least Level 20 by the age of nine.

But what about the students in this cohort?

To put it bluntly, Ning Wuque wouldn't even need a second punch to beat them! Once he took off all his weighted training gear, they wouldn't even be able to touch his shadow before having to type GG.

And Ning Wuque was even stronger now. He had obtained his First Soul Ring—and it was a thousand-year one!

What could the others use to fight him? Huh? What could they possibly use!

So Zhang Can wanted to secure Ning Wuque a good future and better treatment. Ideally, he would be assigned a direct-line girl with a Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.

Older or younger didn't matter. As long as he could completely become part of the clan's core!

As for Ning Tian? That was a joke. What the clan's Sect Master valued was stable talent, and Ning Wuque clearly did not meet that criterion.

"But Grandpa still wants to hear what you think."

Although following Zhang Can's plan would certainly be better, he ultimately chose to respect his grandson's opinion instead of acting unilaterally.

Ning Wuque was moved by that. Then he shook his head and replied.

"I'll leave the arrangements to you, Grandpa. I don't have any opinions for now. You know that I'm not very concerned with such things."

The one place Ning Wuque wanted to visit outside was neither Shrek nor Mingdu.

It was—the Body Clan!

He desperately wanted the Body Clan's various martial techniques. He no longer had any energy to create his own attack methods. Otherwise, he would be neglecting the essential for the trivial.

But honestly, he didn't particularly want to use these fists to basic-attack his way through the entire Douluo Continent.

Showing off was human nature.

And the Body Clan happened to have ready-made techniques!

Ning Wuque wanted to wait until he grew stronger, or gained more influence, before seeking out the Body Clan for a deal.

After all, he didn't possess a Body Spirit Soul. In the eyes of those lunatics, he would receive no preferential treatment. He might even get driven away before he got to meet anyone.

Better not make a fool of himself.

The cover features the female lead, so I'll mention this in advance. Different people have different tastes, but most Douluo II stories these days have multiple female leads. I imagine many readers are tired of that?

So this little author will do something different—something more pure-love, okay?

Besides, Ning Tian is a pure support type. Making her the female lead is practically like having an independent multiplier built in, which is pretty nice.

But this little author thinks the anime version of Ning Tian is a bit too... unbearable. So I used the manga version's appearance to make an AI image. Mm, and I'll also put up an image at the end that would never pass review, but which I personally think looks the best.

Qidian's cover review isn't like that certain hedgehog site's. It's a little stricter.