Selection Competition

The girl leading the way had a graceful figure, her steps light as she walked ahead. Upon entering the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, an aura of luxury rushed to meet them. The golden hall was a display of pure extravagance.

The three were guided to the second floor of the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, where the Treasure Appreciation Fair was being held.

The girl in the white dress led them to a display stand. "Respected guests, this is where the Treasure Appreciation Fair is held. If you find any items you desire, you may register to purchase them. If you require credit, we can conduct an assessment; the results will determine your discount and credit limit."

Lin Shuo led the other two through the assessment. Along the way, Wang Dong'er's gaze was drawn to a golden-red arm bone. This display case was significantly larger than the others, and its value was apparent at a glance.

Lin Shuo took a look and remarked, "A ten-thousand-year Golden Earth Dragon King left arm bone; it is indeed very suitable for you. The Golden Earth Dragon King possesses the bloodline of the Bright Sacred Dragon. The only pity is that this soul bone is only ten thousand years old."

"To be able to display such a soul bone, it seems this Treasure Gathering Pavilion is inseparable from the Academy."

Just then, a gentle voice reached their ears: "The little fellow guessed correctly; this place is an industry of the school. Regardless of what rating you receive later, do not be surprised, and do not reveal the relationship between this place and the Academy." Elder Lin, watching from afar after transmitting her voice, looked at Lin Shuo with some surprise. To deduce the connection between the Academy and the Treasure Gathering Pavilion from such small clues—this Lin Shuo not only possessed peerless talent, but his intelligence was also second to none.

After the three filled out the forms and submitted them, their assessment results were ready in no time.

The girl in charge of registration looked at Lin Shuo and Huo Yu'er with a dazed expression, her eyes glowing with a newfound, fervent light.

She spoke with extreme respect and a soft tone, "Respected Mr. Lin and Ms. Huo, welcome to the Treasure Gathering Pavilion. You two have no credit limits here. Furthermore, Ms. Huo may take one item from the Treasure Gathering Pavilion for free every year, while Mr. Lin may take five items annually."

"As for Ms. Wang, you may take up to one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins in credit each year, and you are entitled to a ten percent discount on all purchases."

A staff member in the distance saw that the three had finished their assessment and handed them three cards—one gold, one red, and one purple.

"These are your credentials. Ms. Huo's VIP card grants a forty percent discount on purchases here, while Mr. Lin's grants a fifty percent discount."

Wang Dong'er looked at the two beside her in shock. When school started, she had harbored delusions of becoming the leader of the three; now, how was she really going to end up as the "little sister" Wang?

Lin Shuo nodded at the girl, took the credentials, tossed them into his Storage Soul Tool, and said to the two, "Let's go, let's see what good things are here."

With that, he took the lead and walked toward the Golden Earth Dragon King left arm bone, with Wang Dong'er and Huo Yu'er hurrying to catch up.

"Nine point five million Gold Soul Coins?" Wang Dong'er stared at the price in shock.

Lin Shuo said, "The dragon bloodline is inherently a grade higher than other soul beasts, not to mention it is the pure bloodline of the Bright Sacred Dragon. It is not surprising to see this price."

"Do you have enough money? Do you need me to buy it for you? Although the age of this soul bone is a bit low, its quality is quite good."

Wang Dong'er looked at the soul bone in silence. She remembered the fifty-thousand-year Heavenly Dragon Horse Right Leg Bone she had just absorbed not long ago. That soul bone also possessed the bloodline of the Bright Sacred Dragon. She knew it was precious, but it seemed she had still underestimated its value.

"Do you not need it?" Wang Dong'er looked at Lin Shuo curiously. She knew that Lin Shuo's martial soul could manipulate the seven elements; this soul bone should have been suitable for him to absorb as well.

Lin Shuo shook his head. "The quality of this soul bone is too low; absorbing it would only tarnish my bloodline."

Huo Yu'er, standing beside them, nodded in agreement. She had witnessed the power of the bloodline Lin Shuo displayed at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, and since she now possessed a True Dragon Martial Soul herself, she naturally knew that what Lin Shuo said was true.

Wang Dong'er twitched her lips. This top-tier ten-thousand-year soul bone, which would cause an uproar in the outside world, was actually being dismissed by Lin Shuo for having too low a quality.

She fell silent for a moment, then suddenly realized something.

The Academy gave Huo Yu'er and Lin Shuo such great privileges precisely to bind them to the school. As long as they used these privileges, they would owe the Academy favors. And these owed favors would eventually bind them.

Just as she was about to speak her mind, Lin Shuo, as if he had anticipated her words, raised his hand and flicked her forehead lightly.

"Don't overthink it." Lin Shuo withdrew his hand and said in a flat tone, "Since you have the opportunity to improve your strength, don't let it slip away easily. As for the favors—do you think I can't pay them back?"

After saying this, Lin Shuo turned and walked toward the counter.

Wang Dong'er clutched her forehead, staring blankly at Lin Shuo's back.

Huo Yu'er, standing to the side, saw Wang Dong'er's expression and wanted to say something, but in the end, she remained silent.

"Let's go, it will be delivered directly to the school later. Is there anything else you want?" Lin Shuo returned to their side after completing the exchange.

The three continued to browse the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, but apart from a chance encounter with Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and Jiang Nannan, they found nothing else they particularly needed.

When Xu Sanshi saw Lin Shuo, he acted like a mouse seeing a cat; he hadn't forgotten what happened before. Upon seeing Lin Shuo, he immediately hid behind Bei Bei.

After wandering a bit more, the three returned to their dormitory.

The next morning, the three arrived at the classroom. Wang Yan summoned the core disciples of the class directly to his office. Aside from Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu, everyone else greeted the three of them.

"I brought you here today because there will be a Core Disciple Selection Tournament in three days." Wang Yan paused, scanning the crowd, his gaze lingering only on Lin Shuo.

"There is no penalty for failing this assessment. All core disciples under fifteen in the outer courtyard will participate. Out of about thirty core disciples, only seven will emerge victorious. If there are no questions, the others may return first. Lin Shuo, Huo Yu'er, and Wang Dong'er, please stay behind."

After the others left, Wang Yan looked at Lin Shuo and asked with a smile, "Lin Shuo, do you know why I asked you to stay?"

"To let me choose my own teammates?" Lin Shuo answered without hesitation.

"Selecting seven people is nothing more than preparation for the upcoming Soul Fighting Tournament. This competition is being held to select the contestants for this year. But even if all the other core disciples in the outer courtyard were added together, they couldn't defeat me."

Wang Yan looked at Lin Shuo with some surprise upon hearing this.

"Correct. The others in the second year might not even know what this assessment is for. This is indeed to select the Shrek Seven Devils Reserve Team. Although you are only in your second year, your cultivation alone is likely already the highest in the outer courtyard."

"Given your strength, the Academy is quite confident in you. However, they are also afraid that you might sweep away some of the more excellent core disciples, so I am here to give you a reminder. I hope you will choose some teammates you can get along with."