Distraction Control Technique

With the end of the round-robin matches, the results each team had achieved during this period had become an unchangeable fact. Quite a few students who had failed to pass the Freshman Assessment had already received expulsion notices from Shrek Academy's Academic Affairs Office, leaving this sacred land of Soul Masters in batches as soon as the round-robin matches ended yesterday afternoon.

Those people were not the first group of students to be expelled. Setting aside certain teachers who expelled students in large numbers to protect their advancement rates, the largest loss of students had occurred on the second day after the Freshman Assessment began, when the first five matches had concluded.

Although the odds of losing all five matches were not particularly high, there would always be people like that. Those students had been the first to be expelled during the Freshman Assessment. The total number expelled in those two large-scale removals accounted for half of all freshmen.

The entire freshman teaching building had become much quieter after the end of the first stage of the Freshman Assessment. After all, there were suddenly far fewer people.

The number of students in every freshman class had dropped sharply, leaving behind many empty seats. Of course, there were exceptions. For instance, not a single person from Class One, taught by Zhou Yi, had been eliminated during the Freshman Assessment.

The freshman Class One, which had originally had the fewest students, had transformed into the largest class among the ten freshman classes.

And since the Elimination Round would begin tomorrow, there were no real lessons today. It was mostly a day for giving some concluding remarks.

With the end of the round-robin matches, the four Soul Elders among the freshmen had also become known to everyone else. Some teams that considered themselves fairly strong had begun investigating the four of them, hoping to see whether they might have a chance of winning.

Defeating a team led by a Soul Elder was something they could brag about for an entire year.

As a result, those people tragically discovered that the teams led by the four Soul Elders were all quite formidable, not opponents they could easily crush.

The only teams that seemed relatively promising were Wang Dong, who possessed a thousand-year second soul ring, and the Lan Sisters, who possessed a Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

However, Wang Dong had a one-ring teammate, while the Lan Sisters' Martial Soul Fusion Skill had already been exposed. Any student with a functioning brain would be on guard when facing the sisters.

Compared to everyone else, Jiang Yue was in quite a good mood.

Judging by his team's combat strength compared to the others who had entered the Elimination Round, the only real danger would be encountering Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu, with the two of them using Hell White Tiger right at the beginning of the match.

Furthermore, according to Shrek Academy's rules, teams that had remained undefeated during the round-robin stage would not meet at the very beginning of the Elimination Round. There were five undefeated teams this year, four of which were teams led by Soul Elders like Jiang Yue's.

In other words, the four of them would not encounter each other at the start of the competition. The schedule arranged by the academy was not something students like them could know, so some of them might meet in the second match, or they might not become opponents until the semifinals.

Inside the Psychological Counseling Room in Shrek City, two people who had not visited before arrived today: Ning Tian and Wu Feng.

Regardless of their status outside, once they entered the Psychological Counseling Room without any intention of causing trouble, they became Jiang Yue's potential clients. Naturally, he treated them courteously.

After pouring tea for the two of them, Jiang Yue sat down and looked at the mistress and servant before him. Their emotions were still within a relatively normal range, and they did not need psychological treatment for the time being.

As the Young Sect Master of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Tian had come to Shrek Academy to recruit more outstanding young talents for the sect. Ideally, she hoped to directly find a partner with enough talent to become the next guardian Douluo of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

But leaving aside how few geniuses could become Super Douluos in the first place, even if there was one, what kind of person would they be? Why would they join the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect? Why would they fall for her? These were all matters Ning Tian needed to consider.

Of course, those were matters Ning Tian would need to consider under normal circumstances. According to the news coming from the Outer Court, the students Ning Tian and Wu Feng had been interacting with were mostly girls. Aside from Jiang Yue, they had not approached a single boy.

Perhaps they had approached some before Wu Feng ruined things. The process was unknown, but the result—that they only interacted with girls—was right there.

The reason for this was already obvious. It was all caused by Wu Feng beside her, who wanted to usurp her mistress.

Wu Feng was the sort of person who could not hide anything, much less someone who had never intended to conceal her preferences.

Jiang Yue felt that the atmosphere within the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was simply too good, or perhaps Ning Tian valued the bond of growing up with Wu Feng too much. Otherwise, based on Wu Feng's current thoughts and actions, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect could have dealt with her internally.

Death was certainly unlikely, but being removed from Ning Tian's side was inevitable. She might even be forcibly transferred to some remote backwater.

Jiang Yue suppressed his smile. Whenever he thought about what would happen to Ning Tian and Wu Feng in the normal timeline, he could barely stop himself from laughing.

To make both straight women and lesbians feel despair at the same time—he wondered whether that method of handling things had been devised by that staunch feudal warrior up in the heavens, or by the nominal ancestor of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Ning Tian lightly sipped her tea, then looked at Jiang Yue with some curiosity.

"Jiang Yue, you really are quite leisurely. Shrek Academy's courses aren't easy, yet you still have time to open a shop like this in Shrek City."

"I can't help it. Life forces my hand. Not everyone comes from a great family like you, Ning Tian. Naturally, people like us have to work for our livelihood. I've had decent luck, and business at this shop is flourishing for now."

"Not bad. To be honest, even I had never heard of the profession of psychologist before. Did you create it yourself, Jiang Yue?"

"Mm... more or less. There's nothing wrong with thinking of it that way."

"How novel. I wonder if you still remember what you told me a few months ago."

"You mean the Distraction Control Technique? It looks like you've brought me good news, then?"

Seeing the smile at Ning Tian's lips and sensing her faint delight, Jiang Yue could tell that what Ning Tian was about to say would not be bad news.

From the looks of it, the matter of the Distraction Control Technique had been settled.

Under Jiang Yue's gaze, Ning Tian slowly nodded and took two small booklets from her Storage Soul Tool. The cover of one was inscribed with the five words, "Distraction Control Technique."

There was no need to doubt it. This Distraction Control Technique was definitely the complete version passed down within the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect—the complete version that could ultimately allow its practitioner to attain the Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart.

The other booklet had not a single word on its cover, making it impossible to know what was inside.

"The sect has sent its decision. The complete Distraction Control Technique can be given to you, but Jiang Yue, you must guarantee that you will not pass this complete Distraction Control Technique on to anyone else. You may only practice and use it yourself."

"And this," Ning Tian said, pointing at the nameless booklet. Her eyes were full of solemnity as she explained its origin without waiting for Jiang Yue to ask, "contains some insights and experiences from disciples of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect who practiced the Distraction Control Technique. It should help you get started more quickly. If there is anything you don't understand about the Distraction Control Technique later, you can come to me. My strength is inferior to yours, but I can still offer some useful advice on this technique."

Taking the two booklets Ning Tian handed over, Jiang Yue was somewhat surprised by how generous the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had been. They had even given him cultivation insights. It had to be known that Jiang Yue had not shown any intention of joining the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect at all. In other words, the complete Distraction Control Technique and these cultivation insights were entirely gifts offered by the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to recruit him.

Jiang Yue was once again astonished by the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's generosity. This was merely to recruit him—what would happen if he truly expressed a desire to join them?

"There's no need to be surprised. This was the sect's decision and has nothing to do with me. As the Young Sect Master, I'm merely delivering the message."

"Moreover, the sect asked me to request that if you graduate from Shrek Academy in the future and wish to join a sect or other faction, please give the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect priority consideration."

"Come to think of it, your Martial Soul is a sword, right, Jiang Yue? I was very excited when I heard that you possessed a Sword Martial Soul. Since Sword Douluo Chen Xin ten thousand years ago, our Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has always placed great importance on cultivating Sword Martial Souls. If we are talking about where on the Douluo Continent there are the most experts with Sword Martial Souls, it would definitely be our Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

Something else appeared in Ning Tian's eyes. It was excitement—excitement over Jiang Yue, a genius with a Sword Martial Soul.

After the round-robin matches ended, the identities of the several Soul Elders had become known throughout the entire grade, and their Martial Souls had more or less been figured out as well.

There was no other reason. The White Tiger Martial Soul and Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul were simply too famous in the Soul Master world. This was Shrek Academy, and far too many people recognized those two Martial Souls.

On the other hand, not much information had been revealed about Xie Huanyue's Pippi Elephant Martial Soul.

As for Jiang Yue, the only information available was that he was a control-type Soul Master with a Sword Martial Soul. Honestly, that information was useless. No one could understand how a Sword Martial Soul was connected to the control type.

A Soul Elder with a Sword Martial Soul who had reached this level without extensive resource cultivation, and who was not merely a decorative vase with nothing but cultivation—when Ning Tian and Wu Feng heard that news, both were quite surprised.

Their purpose in coming to Shrek Academy was to recruit geniuses. Even if those geniuses did not join the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, they still wanted to leave them with a good impression of the sect. The talent Jiang Yue had revealed perfectly matched their requirements.

And just as Ning Tian had said, ever since the Sword and Bone Douluos from ten thousand years ago had their sword broken and bones shattered, and Sect Master Ning Fengzhi had personally collected their bodies, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's obsession with the Seven Kill Sword Martial Soul and Bone Dragon Martial Soul could only be described with the words "utterly possessed."

Unfortunately, Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong had not left behind any bloodlines. No matter how much the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect valued those two Martial Souls, it could only search throughout the Douluo Continent for their bearers.

Yet without bloodline inheritance, the odds of those two Martial Souls emerging through mutation from other Martial Souls, or awakening through ancestral bloodline reversion within a Soul Master, were simply too low. A full ten thousand years had passed, and the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had still not found a single Soul Master whose Martial Soul was the Seven Kill Sword or Bone Dragon.

Although it had failed to find either of those Martial Souls, over the past ten thousand years, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had still cultivated quite a few experts with Sword Martial Souls and dragon-type Martial Souls. At the very least, it had extensive experience nurturing those two categories of Martial Souls.

"Thank you, Ning Tian. If I get the chance in the future, I will definitely visit the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. I only hope your sect will not find me unwelcome then."

"Of course not. When that time comes, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will welcome you with open arms. Oh, and after the Freshman Assessment class assignments, you and Sister Feng will be classmates. When I'm not by Sister Feng's side and she causes trouble, please tell me immediately. Would that be possible?"

"Mm... Ning Tian, you know I don't have that much time to babysit people. And you know Wu Feng's temper..."

"Is that so? Sorry, I was being presumptuous. You're currently the only person our age besides me who can get along normally with Sister Feng."

Ning Tian's watery blue eyes darkened slightly. She had always been very worried about the sister she had grown up with. Apart from Ning Tian herself, Wu Feng obeyed almost no one and constantly wanted to prove herself to others.

She also understood that Wu Feng had remained relatively stable in Class Nine only because Ning Tian herself was also in Class Nine. After the class assignments, however, there was no way Ning Tian, a Support System Soul Master, and Wu Feng, a strong attack-type Soul Master, would be placed together.

Under such circumstances, Ning Tian feared that Wu Feng would cause trouble. That was why she wanted to find someone to keep an eye on Wu Feng after the class assignments. Whether he could restrain her was another matter; at the very least, Ning Tian wanted to know what Wu Feng was doing every day.

"You may have misunderstood what I meant. You can't possibly ask someone to do something for you with words alone, can you?"

"Oh, I understand. I can give you five thousand Gold Soul Coins every month. You won't need to do anything—just tell me whenever Sister Feng causes trouble."

"Fine! Your offer is acceptable, but I need to establish a few things with Wu Feng."

Hearing Ning Tian's offer, Jiang Yue was very satisfied. He turned his gaze toward Wu Feng, who was still staring wide-eyed at Ning Tian.

At this moment, Wu Feng had somewhat recovered from the shock of her Young Master's outsourcing her to someone else. Their eyes met, and although Wu Feng felt aggrieved and wanted to lose her temper, Ning Tian was right there, so she could only suppress her anger.

Jiang Yue felt that he would merely be keeping an eye on Wu Feng during classes for Ning Tian. It was not a difficult task. Five thousand Gold Soul Coins per month was an excellent price for Jiang Yue, who urgently needed to save up one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins.

Of course, that was on the condition that Wu Feng did not go looking for trouble. Otherwise, Jiang Yue would never accept this side job.

"Let's make this clear first. I'm not your servant. If Wu Feng makes me angry, I won't put up with it."

"Of course."

"Second, I have the right to end this arrangement at any time, and Wu Feng can't go looking for trouble."

"No problem. These three thousand Gold Soul Coins will count as a deposit. Once the class assignments are over, our arrangement will officially begin. At that time, I'll settle the entire year's compensation in one payment."

Just as Ning Tian placed a Gold Soul Card in front of Jiang Yue, Wu Feng, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly slammed her hand onto the table and rose to her feet. Low pressure constantly radiated from her body. One look was enough to tell that she was in an extremely bad mood.

"I refuse! I don't want anyone other than you, Young Mistress, controlling me! So what if he's stronger than me?! I'm not someone who needs others to control me!"

"Sister Feng! Rein in your temper! It's precisely because you're always so impulsive that I asked Jiang Yue to keep an eye on you! What if you cause trouble at the academy otherwise? When will you ever grow up? Our purpose in coming to Shrek was never to study!"

"Young Mistress, I..."

Seeing Ning Tian's expression, Wu Feng, who had been about to say something else, instantly deflated like a punctured ball. She silently turned and left without another word.

Ning Tian also seemed to feel that her words had been too harsh. She wanted to explain herself, but Wu Feng had already slammed the door and stormed out.

"Enough. I'll go. If I'm not mistaken, you should have known about Wu Feng's feelings for a long time, right?"

Silence. Ning Tian did not know how to answer Jiang Yue's question.

"I have some experience dealing with troubled children like this, but psychological treatment costs extra. And I can't change the feelings Wu Feng has for you."

"Cut it off quickly. Otherwise, when the two of you grow up and the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect needs you, if they discover this matter, someone will probably resolve it for you without even needing you to step in. That won't be good for either you or Wu Feng."

"Mm, I understand. I'll keep this matter in mind."

"As long as you remember. That'll be five hundred Gold Soul Coins from you. Wu Feng's side will be charged separately. Will you be paying by Gold Soul Card or cash?"