Assessment rewards, singled out

"A-Cheng... what's wrong with you?"

Inside the dormitory, Ning Cong stared blankly at Lu Cheng, who had dark circles under his eyes and was yawning constantly.

"It's nothing. Sister Xiaotao from the inner courtyard asked me to help her cultivate. My Fire of Essence Sun can help her Martial Soul Evolution." Lu Cheng yawned and said.

After hesitating for a moment, Ning Cong spoke earnestly, "A-Cheng, for our age group, it's better to focus on cultivation and development... otherwise it might severely damage our foundation."

Lu Cheng: "..."

What are you saying, you bastard!

What do you mean by "his mother's driving..."?

However, subconsciously recalling the scene of the two cultivating together in the bathroom, the ambiguous and entangled atmosphere, Ma Xiaotao wished she could make up for everything she lost to Zhang Lexuan back then, except for exhausting Lu Cheng.

That body, as ripe as a peach, was indeed somewhat...

"Cough cough cough."

Lu Cheng's face flushed red. "No, really no."

"Sigh." Ning Cong shook his head.

His gaze hardened. Yan Shaozhe had actually dared to send such a powerful weapon to seduce Lu Cheng; he'd made a mistake. He'd initially thought Shrek didn't value Lu Cheng, but now...

I need to send another letter to the family to urge them.

If the marriage alliance is truly confirmed, it needs to be done quickly.

Or... we could start from other angles; offering help in times of need is far more useful than adding to someone's existing success.

The rest of the competition went smoothly.

After Lu Cheng defeated the Yu Linglong team, the outcome of the freshman assessment was no longer in doubt. Lu Cheng's team successfully swept all other teams and won the first championship of the qualifying round.

On the college square.

Many new disciples stood still, their eyes either burning with fervor or filled with emotion as they observed the scene unfolding on the stage.

The four teams were the winners of this assessment.

The three at the very front were especially dazzling.

At the height of his youthful vigor, under the watchful eyes of nearly five hundred people, Du Weilun walked onto the stage with a smile, his hands clasped behind his back.

What made Lu Cheng uneasy was that the old man's smile seemed off... it had a hint of forced smile. What did that mean?

"Today we gather here to witness the birth of a new generation of Shrek's elite. Like that Golden Ancient Tree, the will of the Shrek Academy is everlasting..."

After beginning with a formula, Du Weilun cleared his throat and began announcing the rewards.

"Fourth place, Zhang Bailin's team, all members are core disciples, and they are also awarded three Coiling Dragon Fruit..."

Third place...

"Second place goes to the Yu Linglong Team. All members are core disciples. They will also be given a Sinking Immortal Herb and three Coiling Dragon Fruit. The Future Academy will help them acquire the most suitable next Soul Ring."

"First place, Lu Cheng's team, all members are core disciples, three Coiling Dragon Fruit, two Sinking Immortal Herb, and with the help of the Future Academy, they will obtain the most suitable Soul Ring..."

Let's give them a round of applause.

Du Weilun, with a smile in his eyes, was the first to clap.

Many of the new disciples clapped, looking completely bewildered.

Is that correct?

Ning Cong was completely stunned. He had known Shrek Academy Shrek Academy might be stingy, but he had never imagined it would be this stingy...

In previous years, why did the new disciples fight so hard to win the championship? It wasn't just a symbol of status and honor, but also the tangible rewards. The champion's rewards in previous years were at least a world ahead of the runner-up's. Not to mention the thousand-year or ten- Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone, but...

The so-called reward now seems stingy, and it's only one more Sinking Immortal Herb than the second place winner.

Even if he sold it on the black market, he could get his hands on it for a little over two thousand Gold Soul Coin. The entire team's championship reward combined was only a little over twenty thousand Gold Soul Coin.

So don't tell me that the most valuable thing here is your status as a core disciple?!

They really don't treat the outer court disciples like human beings.

Ning Cong of great wealth and influence, turned pale. Was this really not a deliberate attack? Who were you insulting by giving this as a reward?!

"After a unanimous decision by the higher-ups of the Martial Soul Department, Shrek Academy disciples need to undergo rigorous training. This training is meant to temper their minds and strengthen their bodies. You kids are too impetuous these days. Elder Nian Shrek Academy, the environment was incredibly harsh... hundreds of people were vying for one toilet. You're much better off now; you only have to fight for one toilet per floor. The training resources back then were even more... cough cough." Du Weilun noticed Ning Cong and the bewildered expressions of many of the new disciples, coughed twice, and spoke with some displeasure.

He was well aware that this was a form of disrespect towards geniuses like Lu Cheng.

But Shrek Academy is never short of monsters!

The name itself is a golden brand. As long as Shrek Academy stands here, it will attract a steady stream of geniuses, and year after year, it will remain the number one academy on the continent.

This is why every Shrek member looks at others sideways.

Do we need another genius like you? Do you really think you're something special?

Of course, he was referring to Ning Cong, whose dark expression made him feel somewhat offended... even though he was already a little insecure to begin with.

As for Lu Cheng, he still hoped that the child could understand the Dean's good intentions. Giving him Soul Bone in the early stages could easily raise his threshold, but later he would inevitably have higher expectations of the Shrek Academy. It was necessary to take it step by step to make him more loyal to the Shrek Academy.

"We..." Ning Cong, his face dark.

But Lu Cheng stopped him.

"Thank you for your kindness, Dean. We will accept these resources." Lu Cheng looked up, his face full of a bright smile.

fine.

Now he finally saw things clearly.

These guys aren't treating him like a human being. In the original story, even Huo Gua and Wang Dong'er, that pair, received two Soul Bone. Now they're giving him this piece of junk, and they call it tempering his character?

Does that mean we have to be grateful to the Shrek Academy for being their lackeys?

But it's alright now.

The brighter Lu Cheng's smile, the more disappointed he became with the Shrek Academy.

Yan Shaozhe... he really is petty and short-sighted.

If someone like that can become the dean, there's no reason why the Martial Soul Department in the original story wouldn't have declined.

That's good, though. You can train your dogs all you want. When I'm discovered and removed by the Body Sect, don't bring up any grand principles anymore.

"Hahaha, look how insightful this kid is!" Du Weilun was overjoyed.

It still has to be Dean Yan.

I was worried that the child would be dissatisfied, but I didn't expect that everything was within Dean Yan's plan.

After all, Dean Yan had hesitated to grant Lu Cheng the status of a core disciple, intending to first grant him a probationary core disciple status, but this was sternly rejected by Vice Dean Cai Mei'er.

"A-Cheng, why are you stopping me?" Ning Cong frowned slightly.

"This is clearly targeting them. If Shrek Academy can't afford to hold one, then don't. My Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect holds a small internal competition, and the rewards are much more generous than what they're offering. I don't want their measly charity; isn't this an insult to me?"