Ling Luochen's Condition: New Student Assessment Champion

Ling Luochen stood by the window, quietly lost in thought.

She knew that Yuwen Tuo had always wanted to leave Shrek. He was even willing to use his final bargaining chip just to gain a chance to temporarily leave Shrek.

She did not know what exactly he was planning, so she hesitated.

"What meaning is there in temporarily leaving Shrek? They won't truly let you go. Even if you get out, someone will still be watching you," Ling Luochen murmured. "If you truly want to leave this place forever, you should use your bargaining chip to obtain enough cultivation resources. Perhaps one day, when you become strong enough, you'll have a real chance to leave."

Though Ling Luochen was a genius, she was still young. She was not a shrewd old hand like Mu En, and she could not see the future in Yuwen Tuo's eyes. Like Zhou Yi, she only thought he had given up on himself. Otherwise, why would he use his last bargaining chip merely for a chance to leave the academy for a stroll?

If that was the case, she would rather Yuwen Tuo remain at Shrek like this. At least here, he could be assured of food and clothing, living out his life safely and without danger.

"Ling-xuejie, I haven't given up on myself, and I never will." Yuwen Tuo saw through Ling Luochen's thoughts. He placed his hands on her shoulders and spoke with firm resolve.

Ling Luochen looked into his eyes. Indeed, these were not the eyes of someone who had given up on himself. They were so resolute and decisive. "Fine. Since that's the case, I'll test you. Your plan can't be carried out until the end of the half-term anyway. As long as you place in the top three in the New Student Assessment, I'll go to the dean for you and personally take you out on this trip."

"No problem. Deal!" Yuwen Tuo smiled and nodded. It was only the New Student Assessment. It would not be difficult for him.

Forget the top three—even winning the championship would not be hard.

Though he only appeared to have one ring, he actually had two: one for each of his two martial souls. Furthermore, after six years of Evil Fire Body Tempering, his physical strength far surpassed even that of a Three Rings Soul Elder. Even a four-ringed soul master might not match him.

As long as his teammates did not hold him back too badly.

At that thought, Yuwen Tuo suddenly felt a chill run through his heart.

He was doomed!

He had definitely angered Xiao Xiao to death again today. In New Student Class One, there were not many people who could truly be considered combat powerhouses.

The main ones were Wang Dong, Huo Yuhao, and Xiao Xiao. In the original story, the three of them had won the New Student Assessment championship.

Among them, Wang Dong had the strongest direct combat power, with a top-tier assault-type martial soul and an outrageously powerful soul ring. Huo Yuhao had the strongest support abilities. Though he only had one soul ring, that ring provided him with four soul skills. Other spiritual-type support soul masters, even with four rings, would most likely not have soul skills better than those provided by his single ring. After all, it was a million-year soul ring. As for Xiao Xiao, she was well-balanced and capable on both fronts. She could assist Wang Dong in direct combat or provide support alongside Huo Yuhao.

After all, she possessed Twin Martial Souls, and both martial souls had soul rings. Her fighting style was highly versatile.

Yuwen Tuo was not very interested in Wang Dong or Huo Yuhao, because those two would definitely form a team together. That meant the teammate he could consider was naturally Xiao Xiao. He absolutely could not let them lure Xiao Xiao away again, or he would be left isolated and helpless.

As long as Xiao Xiao helped him, Yuwen Tuo believed that winning the New Student Assessment would not be difficult. As for the third teammate, they were practically optional.

With that in mind, he immediately bid Ling Luochen farewell and returned to the teaching building.

It happened to be the end of class. He saw Xiao Xiao walking out of the classroom with a dark expression, her lips pursed in a pout.

Yuwen Tuo waved. "Xiao Xiao, class is over? I came specially to pick you up after school."

Seeing Yuwen Tuo, Xiao Xiao planted her hands on her hips. "What do you mean, pick me up after school? Classmate Yuwen Tuo, if I remember correctly, we're in the same year and the same class, and we attend the same lesson. Don't you think the very idea of you coming to pick me up after school is completely absurd? You even dared to skip Teacher Zhou's class. You've really set a new academy record."

Yuwen Tuo pressed his palms together. "Xiao Xiao, I promise this is the last time. I really had something urgent to do, so I had no choice but to leave. Look, Teacher Zhou didn't punish me, did she?"

Xiao Xiao froze. "That's true. Why didn't she punish you? Could it be that Teacher Zhou has changed?"

The reason she had been so angry was not that Yuwen Tuo had skipped class, but that she was worried he would be punished for it, or even expelled.

Yet until class ended, Zhou Yi had not mentioned Yuwen Tuo even once.

"Of course, it's because I reported it to her beforehand. I didn't skip class—I took leave." Yuwen Tuo lied without batting an eye. Xiao Xiao's innocent little face practically had the words I'm easy to fool written all over it.

Sure enough, faced with the crafty Yuwen Tuo, straightforward Xiao Xiao was fooled at once. "So that's what happened. But you should have told me earlier. I worried about you for the entire class."

"I know. Sorry, Xiao Xiao. I'll be more careful from now on. Come on, I'll treat you to something tasty as compensation."

"Really? I heard Shrek Outer Courtyard Snack Street is really famous. I'm going to eat my fill there tonight." Xiao Xiao's eyes immediately lit up. She was not born into some great noble family, and her spending money was not much, so she was usually quite frugal. Now that she had a chance to mooch off someone, she naturally would not miss it.

After knowing him for so many days, she had also realized that Yuwen Tuo seemed fairly wealthy.

"No problem. Let's go!"

To make sure Xiao Xiao agreed to team up with him, Yuwen Tuo would not neglect her.

The two strolled to the dazzling snack street. Xiao Xiao drooled at the sight of all the food by the roadside, feeling as though she wanted to try everything. So this little girl was quite the foodie.

Suddenly, she noticed someone. "Huh? Isn't that the class monitor? Why is he running a stall too?"

Following the direction she pointed, they saw Huo Yuhao.

Yuwen Tuo asked in confusion, "Class monitor?"

Xiao Xiao nodded. "Yes. During class today, Teacher Zhou appointed him as the temporary class monitor of our New Student Class One. She said his willpower was the strongest in the class and hoped we would learn from him. I never expected he could grill fish too."

Huo Yuhao's grilled fish stall had a custom-made metal grill, iron racks, all kinds of seasonings, cleaned and prepared black carp, even perilla and more—everything was there.

Huo Yuhao shredded the perilla, mixed it with several other seasonings, then stuffed it into the black carp's belly and skewered the fish with bamboo sticks.

His movements were so practiced that he was clearly an old hand at grilling fish, and his control of the heat was just right.

"Yuwen Tuo, I want this—the class monitor's grilled fish!" Xiao Xiao was captivated by the aroma of the grilled fish. Since they were classmates, she could also show the class monitor some support.

Yuwen Tuo recalled that in his previous life, one of Huo Yuhao's nicknames had seemed to be Huo Grilled Fish.

Now that he was in this world, it would indeed be a pity not to try this famous dish. Besides, this should be Huo Yuhao's first time setting up a stall. According to the original plot, there would be quite a show to watch later.