Douluo: The Unrivaled Demon Lord

Chapter 37: Dinner with Seniors, Freshman Assessment (Please Read!)
In the blink of an eye, more than a month has passed.

That evening, Shu Yan sat lazily on the sofa, watching several figures busying around the house and the kitchen.

He had not expected to be able to participate in a gathering of the most senior and powerful female students in the inner courtyard, but it was quite interesting to see a group of senior students who usually acted so majestic in the inner courtyard playing around with each other.

As the kitchen door was opened from the inside, Zhang Lexuan, the senior sister from the inner courtyard, came out carrying a plate of washed fruit. She glanced at Shu Yan, who was sitting idly on the sofa, and then said unhappily:

"Junior Shu Yan, are you planning to sit here until dinner is served?"

The Lotus Fairy Hua Yao, who was busy setting the table, followed suit and chuckled:
"Yes, everyone is busy, but you, Shu Yan, have been slacking off. If you continue like this, the seniors will kick you out..."

Shu Yan spread his hands helplessly after hearing this, and then said:

"Senior Sister, Senior Sister Huayao, I really want to help, but as you can see, there's really not much I can do. If all else fails, I'll go to Poseidon Lake and catch some fish to make soup for us."

Zhang Lexuan rolled her eyes, raised her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, then pointed in the direction of the kitchen and said:

"Go help Ruoruo wash the vegetables. Don't tell me you can't even do this little job."

Shu Yan got up reluctantly, then opened the door and walked into the kitchen.

……

In the kitchen, Han Ruoruo was methodically processing the century-old silver-striped venison in her hands. Seeing Shu Yan come in, she chuckled and said:
"I told you not to do it, and now Le Xuan and Sister Yao Yao are disgusted with you. Since you are here, come and help me watch the fire of the soup."

Shu Yan rubbed his eyebrows and then nodded in agreement.

It has to be said that even in two lifetimes, Shu Yan may have entered the kitchen no more than ten times. In his opinion, this is much more difficult than asking him to win ten consecutive games in the Fighting Spirit Zone, especially since if he doesn't handle it well, he will be criticized by three people at the same time. What's more important is that he has no room to talk back.

Speaking of which, these four leading female students in the inner courtyard would get together from time to time to cook and have meals together. In the past, they had their meals at Han Ruoruo's house, but this year Shu Yan was added here, so they would feel embarrassed to come here for the meal without bringing Shu Yan along.

Even though Shu Yan had clearly stated that he didn't need to be brought along, he was eventually dragged into the discussion by Wu Ming and the most enthusiastic Hua Yao, because they didn't want Shu Yan to think too much.

This time, the four girls' dinner was naturally moved to Shu Yan's place, because to be honest, Shu Yan's room was larger and had more complete supporting facilities. More importantly, the four girls all liked his decoration style.

……

After working hard for more than half an hour, the dusty Wu Ming finally rushed back from Shrek City.

It was already dark outside, and the moonlight and starlight were invisible in the mist, but the atmosphere inside the room, illuminated by the soft soul-guided light, was extremely warm and pleasant.

The four of them sat around the dining table waiting for Han Ruoruo to bring the last dish to the table. Then Han Ruoruo sat down. Wu Ming, who had been impatient for a long time, quickly picked up the chopsticks the moment Han Ruoruo sat down, and then picked up a piece of steaming rice cake and put it into his mouth.

"The spiritual corn from the Star Luo Empire still tastes so sweet. Speaking of which, several of the chefs in our inner courtyard cafeteria are from the Star Luo Empire. After eating their food for so many years, I can't get used to it even when I go back home."

Wu Ming chewed the rice cake and spoke incoherently.

Han Ruoruo glanced at her, snorted lightly, and then said:

"So many dishes can't fill your mouth. Aren't you afraid of choking to death..." Zhang Lexuan and Hua Yao also chuckled. Only Shu Yan, who was sitting next to Han Ruoruo, was concentrating on eating the whole time. It was very difficult for him to join in the conversation between the seniors.

Hua Yao seemed to notice this. Her beautiful eyes, which seemed as tranquil as a midsummer night, blinked, then looked at Shu Yan and said:

"By the way, Junior Shu Yan has been in the inner courtyard for almost three months, right?"

Shu Yan was stunned at first when he heard this, then nodded slightly.

"It'll be three months in a few days, isn't it? What's up, Senior Huayao? Is there something wrong?"

Hua Yao supported her head with one hand, a smile in her eyes, and then said:

"It's not me who's in trouble, it's you, Shu Yan, who's in trouble."

"Didn't Ruoruo and Senior Sister tell you that the Inner Court also has a similar freshman assessment system as the Outer Court? Freshmen entering the Inner Court need to complete a freshman assessment on their own in their third month. This will also be your first supervisory mission in the Inner Court, and it's a very significant milestone."

Shu Yan was stunned again, while Zhang Lexuan and Han Ruoruo looked at each other, both of them with embarrassed expressions in their eyes.

"It's true that Ruoruo and I were negligent in this matter. However, for Junior Shu Yan, the inner courtyard freshman assessment is indeed not difficult. As long as you are careful and cautious, there is a high probability that no accidents will occur."

Zhang Lexuan looked at Shu Yan and smiled apologetically, then spoke softly.

"Yes, but while the monitoring missions are different from the elimination system in the outer courtyard, completing them requires facing the cruelest and most realistic side of the world. For various reasons, the first mission assigned to freshmen in the inner courtyard is not too difficult. And the students who make it to the inner courtyard are generally the most talented of the geniuses. Aside from a few who retreat or die because of this stage, no major accidents will happen to others."

"But Shu Yan, you have to be prepared. After this first surveillance mission, the subsequent missions will not be so easy. You really can lose your life if you are not careful."

When it came to the topic of monitoring tasks, even Wu Ming couldn't help but put down his chopsticks and spoke to Shu Yan very seriously.

Although Han Ruoruo didn't say anything, there was a hint of worry in her beautiful eyes that were as clear as autumn water.

This is how she came through step by step back then, so she naturally knows what the inner court students are carrying while enjoying unlimited glory and the maximum amount of resources from the entire academy.

The minimum targets for those thirty monitoring missions had claimed countless lives from ancient times to the present, including direct descendants of powerful figures and even peerless geniuses who shone brightly from a certain era...

Perhaps because the atmosphere had become somewhat subdued by this topic, Zhang Lexuan tapped the table lightly and then said softly:

"Don't overthink it. You all know how powerful our junior Shu Yan is. Add to that his strange spatial ability, and even I won't be able to defeat him in a short period of time. Worrying about nothing is not a good thing. You must have confidence in our junior..."

Shu Yan also chuckled and said:

"Yes, senior sisters, you must have confidence in me in this regard. Of course, I'm not saying that you can trust my cooking skills. Next time, please don't ask me to come into the kitchen to learn how to cook. I won't be responsible if you get sick after eating..."

The four girls laughed together, and the gloomy atmosphere was suddenly filled with joy and warmth. As the five of them toasted each other, time slipped away...

……

(End of this chapter)