It was the final day of the Freshman Tournament. Although students who were not competing had to attend classes, the spectator stands were packed. Every teacher in the Outer Court was there except those who had classes to teach.
Of course, besides the Outer Court teachers, a heavyweight had also arrived.
Yan Shaozhe, dean of the Martial Soul Department, walked up into the stands surrounded by Du Weilun and a group of teachers.
Although this competition was the Freshman Assessment, it was also a competition through which Shrek selected its monsters. Students who performed well would almost all enter the Inner Court, and following the usual practice, the champions of the Freshman Tournament would also receive focused training.
"Weilun, introduce this year's two teams of little monsters to me."
Yan Shaozhe had naturally come to look at the promising candidates they would be nurturing this year and make suitable adjustments to their funding. After all, there were many disciples from great families this year, and these people certainly would not remain at Shrek Academy in the future. A token share of the academy's benefits would suffice for them.
"Dean Yan, of the two teams in this year's finals, one consists of Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, and Cui Yajie from Class Five. Their Martial Souls are the White Tiger, Hell Spirit Cat, and Nine-Tailed Fox, respectively."
Du Weilun pointed them out to Yan Shaozhe one by one from the stands.
"Oh, the Dai Family's second son, with someone from the Zhu Family accompanying him. It seems the White Tiger Duke sent his second son to Shrek Academy as well because he intends to have him inherit the title."
Yan Shaozhe stroked his chin. The White Tiger Duke's Mansion and Shrek had been on good terms for generations, so he still had to show the man some respect. That meant the funding could only be deducted from the others.
"What about that Cui Yajie? Does she have any backing?"
"She's from a small family. But according to their homeroom teacher, her relationship with Dai Huabin is somewhat ambiguous."
"Hmph, already letting his heart wander at such a young age. He's bound to amount to nothing when he grows up. He'd better still be able to unleash the Hell White Tiger in the future."
"We've already given the Dai Family two core disciple spots. There's no need to give this Cui Yajie one."
"Yes." Du Weilun noted it down before continuing his introductions to Yan Shaozhe.
"The other team is from Class One..."
Yan Shaozhe frowned. "Students from Class One? Weren't those students handed over to Zhou Yi to ruin? How did anyone from there reach the finals?"
"Mu En learned about Zhou Yi's conduct and dismissed her. Class One's homeroom teacher is now Senior Teacher Wang Yan."
"Wang Yan? I remember him-the one with a very good grasp of theory. Could he be the reason Class One's poor students reached the finals?" Yan Shaozhe frowned. Class One's students were all students without potential. If students like that won the championship, even giving them resources would leave them destined to accomplish little in the future.
They might as well give those resources to sects to cultivate some connections.
"It probably has little to do with Wang Yan. There's a genius whose second Soul Ring is a Thousand-Year Soul Ring. She carried two deadweights into the finals."
"Oh?" Yan Shaozhe's interest stirred, but his expression immediately turned angry, and he snapped.
"What is your admissions office doing? How could a genius like that be dumped into Class One? If that Zhou Yi had expelled her, wouldn't it have been a loss for Shrek? This calls for punishment!"
"Yes, yes, yes... I'll expel the student responsible for this right away."
"Mm."
Seeing the matter pass just like that, Du Weilun felt a bead of sweat trickle down his forehead. He had no idea which bastard had been so clueless as to throw a genius like that into Class One, nearly getting him punished by that iron rooster, Yan Shaozhe.
After all, that iron rooster Yan Shaozhe's favorite thing to do was cut off people's resources. Although Du Weilun was getting on in years, he still had room to improve. Losing his resources for a few months would leave him suffering for a long time.
It was all that blind bastard's fault. May his Martial Soul reject him, his cultivation stagnate, his love life fail, and his family be ruined and perish.
"Dean Yan, Class One's competing students are Xiao Xiao, Lu Yu, and Huo Yutong. Their Martial Souls are the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron, Blue Silver Grass, and Spirit Eyes."
"Blue Silver Grass, Spirit Eyes?" Yan Shaozhe felt a hint of familiarity. Oh, right, weren't those the two useless students he had personally thrown into Class One? He remembered throwing three people in there at the time. To think two of them had stumbled into a pile of dog-shit luck, latched onto someone powerful, and reached the finals.
"I remember the reward for these finals is a Soul Bone, correct?"
Du Weilun nodded. "The department felt that this year's students were exceptionally good and specially offered a Soul Bone as a reward. Dean Yan, you personally approved a Thousand-Year Voidlight Demon Leopard Left Leg Bone from the inventory."
Wasn't giving a genius a Thousand-Year Soul Bone a little...
Of course, he did not dare say that aloud. Everyone knew how petty Yan Shaozhe was.
"Which team do you think will win this Soul Bone?" Yan Shaozhe felt a little pained. Right now, he desperately hoped that genius from Class One would come through; otherwise, his Soul Bone would be handed to the Dai Family for nothing. It would be better for that Soul Master with the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron to absorb it. She happened to be short, so absorbing it could help her grow a little taller.
Just as the match was about to begin, Yan Shaozhe heard footsteps behind him. Turning around, he saw a burly figure standing two meters twenty tall walking toward him, step by step.
"Hmph, I was wondering why I could smell the stink of copper from so far away. So it was coming from you."
Hearing Yan Shaozhe play the villain who lodged the complaint first ruined Qian Duoduo's good mood for the entire day. But remembering Fan Yu's report about his wager with a genius Soul Engineer, he still spoke with a smile.
"Congratulations, Dean Yan. There are quite a few geniuses this year. Two more students used a Martial Soul Fusion Skill yesterday, and the academy has also discussed that Tome Martial Soul-it can consistently provide the combat strength of a ten-thousand-year soul beast. Add in those three from the champion and runner-up teams, and you'll have eleven core disciples this year, won't you?"
"I wonder whether your purse can bear it, Dean Yan. Would you like our Soul Tool Department to take a few off your hands?"
Qian Duoduo spoke with a beaming smile.
"And here I wondered what you wanted to say. Trying to poach people from our Martial Soul Department again? Not a chance!" Yan Shaozhe said. "And I certainly won't let those who merely fill out the numbers become core disciples of our Martial Soul Department!"
"Oh? Then who are you planning to exclude, Dean Yan? That Nine-Tailed Fox Martial Soul does look quite good. Our Soul Tool Department would also take the Tome Martial Soul and Clock Martial Soul. Of course, if you're willing to give us those twins who can use a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, that works too."
"Hmph! Don't even think about it. Students don't officially split off into the Soul Tool Department until their third year. Even if they aren't chosen as core disciples of the Martial Soul Department now, they'll still be chosen as core disciples when they reach their third year!"
Of course, that was impossible. How could Yan Shaozhe let someone with a Ten-Year Soul Ring and a Blue Silver Grass Soul Master become core disciples of the Martial Soul Department?
The Spirit Eyes Martial Soul was indeed acceptable, but having a Ten-Year Soul Ring as her first Soul Ring had already doomed her to be useless. As for Blue Silver Grass, it was a Martial Soul that was trash among trash. As for why it was trash, a certain sect that had once been the continent's greatest could give you the answer.
Of course, even for these two pieces of trash, he would still occupy the latrine without taking a shit. Even people his Martial Soul Department did not want could not be stolen out of the rubbish bin by the Soul Tool Department!
As for what would happen if those people's futures were held back-what futures could possibly be held back? Being able to attend Shrek Academy was already their good fortune. Even if they were expelled later, they could still puff out their chests proudly wherever they went: I was once a member of Shrek Academy!
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