Seeing that Amona had calmed down, Kui said, "Amona, I need to remind you of something. Right now, your relationship with those two isn't great, and you barely talk to each other, but that might change in the future. So, you need to maintain your persona and be careful not to reveal unnecessary information. I suggest you use the previous offense as a reason to maintain a cold and distant attitude towards them, speaking as little as possible."
Amona was surprised, "Really? Even after I've been giving them such a cold shoulder, they'd still try to get close? Kui, you're not talking nonsense, are you?"
Kui replied indifferently, "There are two reasons. Genn isn't stupid, and secondly... it's because of benefits."
...
"Big brother, that bastard can represent our family in the fight for the throne, and you still want me to suck up to him!?"
After leaving the council hall, hearing his elder brother's words, Geta looked incredulous, as if he was seeing his brother for the first time.
Genn was too tired to correct Geta's language and explained, "Geta, I know you've always been hostile towards Monaldo, but he actually has no conflict of interest with us."
"How can there be no conflict—"
Geta widened his eyes.
With Monaldo's talent, wouldn't he be the biggest threat to their inheritance rights!?
Seeing that Geta still didn't understand, Genn shook his head and directly gave the answer: "He is going to participate in the royal selection to compete for the throne, and there are only two outcomes. If he fails, there's nothing to say, as the winners of past royal selections have had to kill all the losers to ascend to that position. Then we naturally have no reason to be hostile to a dead man. And if he succeeds? Think about it again!"
Geta was stunned. This was something he had never thought of or analyzed before. Substituting Genn's words, he finally understood.
He blurted out, "If he becomes the emperor, then we will be the new royal relatives! Ah... right, whether he wins or loses, it won't affect the marquis title."
Geta was shocked.
Genn nodded, "Even if we don't support him, at least we need to maintain a good relationship on the surface. This way, if he really has a one in ten thousand chance of becoming the emperor, we can enjoy benefits far beyond just a marquis. Otherwise... we must be careful not to be dealt with by him later."
Hearing this, Geta's body trembled slightly, followed by a flash of coldness in his eyes, "Big brother, we've already had a falling out with him, and he hasn't become a candidate yet, so why not take action in advance..."
"Idiot!"
Genn scolded angrily, looking at him with disappointment, "Have you forgotten what father reminded us about his strength surpassing ours? Don't seek your own death! Put away those unnecessary thoughts! Looking at the history of Star Luo, in this fight for the throne, if we choose to stand by, we can ensure our own safety. If we recklessly get involved, we might die without knowing how!"
Just like in feudal times, where noble children and aristocrats, even if defeated, were rarely executed directly, mostly captured instead.
In the fight for the throne, the candidates are directly hostile to each other, but the families behind each candidate also leave room for maneuver.
As long as it's not a situation where the family bets everything, today's enemy might become tomorrow's subordinate or friend.
"I understand, big brother..."
Although Geta couldn't grasp all of this, seeing Genn's serious expression, he eventually just pursed his lips and nodded.
...
While undercurrents were surging in the Star Luo Empire, the Heaven Dou Empire's Shrek Academy also welcomed its recruitment season.
Ning Rongrong was also among the new students.
In the original timeline, Ning Rongrong initially looked down on Shrek Academy. Now, with preconceived notions, seeing the academy's recruitment methods, the kind of scamming for a few gold soul coins, she felt even more disdainful.
But on the surface, she maintained the demeanor of an elegant young lady.
This year, among the new students, there was no Tang San, Xiao Wu, or Zhu Zhuqing, but the assessment items were almost the same as in the original timeline.
Without the original timeline's teammates, there were others who barely reached the fourth level of combat assessment.
And Zhao Wuji was just an ordinary examiner, with Dai Mubai conducting the combat assessments.
Ning Rongrong came to Shrek Academy with the intention of completing her father's task. After the previous visit, she had little interest in the academy itself, but there were still things she cared about and was interested in.
Among them, what she cared about the most... was naturally Dai Mubai's situation after that.
While the teammates were still discussing strategies, Ning Rongrong curiously looked at Dai Mubai, who had a gloomy face, 'Did he fight with that Tang San again later?'
The answer was naturally yes.
With Dai Mubai's personality, how could he swallow this anger?
However, after Tang San shed his own shackles and truly showed his ruthless side, how could Dai Mubai make Tang San suffer?
Every time Dai Mubai set a trap, Tang San would return it tenfold later!
The only area where Dai Mubai could be considered to have the upper hand was in regular combat sparring.
But during this period, Dai Mubai's vitality had significantly declined, and he was physically and mentally exhausted by Tang San's schemes, greatly reducing his combat ability.
Moreover, Tang San had finally grown up, relying on his exceptional combat talent, gradually narrowing the gap with Dai Mubai and starting to hold his own.
Dai Mubai's anger, unable to be vented, accumulated more and more, no longer the spirited figure he once was.
Now, his back slightly hunched, stubble on his face, dark circles under his eyes, he gave off the impression of a neglected low-level blonde gangster in gang struggles, rather than a genius.
Unable to find his place, he just muddled through, living day by day.
In the past, if he noticed a beauty like Ning Rongrong watching him, Dai Mubai would confidently look back, walking over in a few steps to strike up a cheerful conversation. But now, he had no reaction, just wanting to quickly complete the assessment task and then go back to sleep.
"Ning Rongrong, do you have anything to add?"
A boy from the same assessment group looked at her with hopeful eyes.
Seemingly calm and steady, but when Ning Rongrong looked over, she noticed a brief flicker in his eyes.
Not just this boy, the other two in the group were the same.
Such attention was not unfamiliar to Ning Rongrong.
"I also want to hear your suggestion."
"Tsk, you two... no need to be so cautious, that senior with the dark circles doesn't look that impressive."
The other two boys also expressed their opinions, showing either gentle and elegant or domineering and confident attitudes.
Ning Rongrong smiled in response, "You guys discuss it, after all, I'm just here to assist, the key is still your performance."
Seeing the three boys looking as if they had been energized by her smile and words, Ning Rongrong felt a sense of boredom.
Her thoughts drifted, recalling that it had been a long time since she last saw You Chen.
Compared to these boring peers, she naturally missed the times spent with the mysterious, powerful, and interesting senior, the Beast Soul Master.
'Thinking carefully, it seems that after I received my father's reply, the Beast Soul Master rarely appeared.'
Ning Rongrong's eyes turned, murmuring in her heart, 'With the Beast Soul Master's spiritual attainment, could he have peeked at my father's letter, hence the reduced appearances?'
She speculated.
Otherwise, Ning Fengzhi didn't have any messages for her to relay, just a few words of encouragement, so You Chen had no reason to change his attitude so drastically.
And then he rarely appeared.
Ning Rongrong felt there must be a causal relationship here, that her father's certain responses didn't align with the Beast Soul Master's thoughts, making him unhappy.
And this thought, indeed, couldn't be said to be wrong.
Could You Chen not understand what Ning Fengzhi's reply indicated?
He naturally understood, but that didn't mean he was satisfied.
What he wanted was for Ning Fengzhi to act swiftly and decisively, fully supporting and cooperating with him to consolidate the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, not like now, thinking of handing it over peacefully to Ning Rongrong.
Pushing the matter to the next generation, to ten or twenty years later? Not to mention whether things would change, he didn't have the patience to wait.
But You Chen had already decided not to remind or warn Ning Fengzhi again.
He had withdrawn most of his focus, fully concentrating on the final step of his physical cultivation.
After breaking through, he would be the true top combatant of this lower realm.
The next time he visited, it would be time for a reckoning. If Ning Fengzhi was still indecisive and not understanding the times, then for You Chen, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School would no longer need to exist.
Ning Rongrong didn't know any of this, she just felt bored now.
'I already told Dad what Shrek Academy is like, why did he still make me come here? Might as well just go easy and get screened out by the assessment~'
Of course, such thoughts were just thoughts.
Not to mention being screened out by such a shabby school, she didn't really intend to disobey Ning Fengzhi's orders.
"Looks like you're ready?"
Zhao Wuji's voice suddenly came.
The scene quieted for a moment, Zhao Wuji squinted his eyes and said indifferently, "Then let's begin."
As soon as the words fell, Dai Mubai, with lifeless and dejected eyes, immediately entered his Martial Soul Fusion state and charged forward.
The powerful aura of a top-tier Martial Soul made the three boys who had been bragging earlier gasp for breath.
Even Ning Rongrong's expression became serious, 'So fast!'
Although she had watched Dai Mubai and Tang San's fight before, facing him directly was a completely different experience.
This speed wasn't to say Dai Mubai was as fast as a speed-type Soul Master, but among power-type Soul Masters, he was definitely among the best.
Dai Mubai targeted Ning Rongrong, the support-type Soul Master, and charged straight at her.
As a support-type Soul Elder, Ning Rongrong's speed was probably only on par with a defense-type Soul Master of the same level, but she immediately enhanced her speed with a boost, shielding the other three in front of her, and hurriedly said, "Don't just stand there, stop him!"
Although she had been distracted during the discussion, Ning Rongrong had been practicing the split mind control technique for years. While not as proficient as You Chen in multitasking, she hadn't missed the three boys' discussions.
"Ah, okay!"
Under Ning Rongrong's reminder, the three boys, intimidated by Dai Mubai's aura, finally reacted and, under the boost of Ning Rongrong's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, met Dai Mubai.
After several exchanges, the three boys were secretly suffering.
They had originally looked at Dai Mubai's weak appearance and hadn't taken him seriously, but now, in direct confrontation, they realized it was nothing like that.
All three were Great Soul Masters, and with Ning Rongrong's enhancements, they could barely match the top-tier Great Soul Masters.
But Dai Mubai, even though weakened during this period, was still a top-tier Soul Elder, comparable to a weaker Soul Ancestor.
The three Great Soul Masters' interception was shaky.
Ning Rongrong frowned tightly, as tactics were no longer meaningful. She had to continuously maintain triple Soul Skill enhancements for the three to barely withstand Dai Mubai's attacks.
"Roar!"
Dai Mubai suddenly roared, his body swelling, and with a swipe of his claw, he sent one of the boys flying, while a White Tiger Light Wave pushed another back.
The remaining one couldn't effectively intercept.
Dai Mubai charged straight at Ning Rongrong.
Even though his spirits were low, his combat instincts were ingrained in his bones. Without needing to think, he knew that to dismantle this group, he had to deal with Ning Rongrong first.
After all, this assessment had a time limit.
No matter how strong the suppression, if he couldn't achieve a complete victory within the time of a stick of incense, it would be his loss.
'Oh no!'
Seeing Dai Mubai charging straight at her, Ning Rongrong's eyes widened.
...
Just a few minutes later, the temporarily formed group of four was completely defeated.
Ning Rongrong glanced at the three dejected boys and silently sighed.
After all, it was a temporary team, and she had done her best. But as a support, the real determinant of victory or defeat was still the combat Soul Masters.
The gap in hard power between the four and Dai Mubai was too large, and even with her maintaining her Soul Skill enhancements, it was impossible to turn the tide.
'Well, this isn't too bad. I did my best and still couldn't pass the assessment, so Dad can't say anything when I go home.'
Thinking that she could soon leave this backwater and go home, Ning Rongrong couldn't help but hum softly.
However... things clearly wouldn't go as Ning Rongrong expected.
Zhao Wuji glanced at Ning Rongrong sideways, then said indifferently to the three boys, "Unfortunately, you didn't pass the assessment. The gold soul coins are non-refundable, you may leave."
Then he looked at Ning Rongrong, showing a pleased expression, "Ning Rongrong, right? As a support-type Soul Master, you performed very well, you passed the assessment!"
Ning Rongrong: "Huh?"
"Ning Rongrong, we held you back."
The three boys expressed their apologies and unwillingness to Ning Rongrong in turn.
Regarding Ning Rongrong passing the assessment, there was no jealousy or cursing.
After all, Ning Rongrong's performance, strength, and her renowned Martial Sou
l were all evident.
And she was beautiful, speaking kindly.
Even though they failed the assessment, they held no resentment towards Ning Rongrong, only regret and unwillingness that they couldn't deepen their relationship with her.
Thus, in the end, Shrek Academy only had Ning Rongrong successfully pass the assessment that year.
(End of Chapter)