Douluo Continent: Ink Bamboo as a Cauldron to Break Through Ten Thousand Heavens

"Have you joined any sect or family faction?" Chen Cheng asked as the girl's sobs subsided.

"No...no." The girl answered subconsciously, but suddenly became alert. She and Chen Cheng had never met before, and she didn't know why Chen Cheng would ask such a question about identity. This immediately set off alarm bells in the girl's mind. She wiped away her tears and looked up at Chen Cheng with wary eyes.

Chen Cheng could certainly see the girl's wariness and distrust, but answering her questions was definitely easier than comforting her.

"You don't need to overthink it. My name is Chen Cheng, I'm a fourth-year student, and a member of the Tang Sect. I just watched your assessment, and I personally think that your martial soul is definitely not without merit. Moreover, I believe that everyone can achieve something through their own efforts..." Chen Cheng's tone was quite sincere, and his eyes didn't wander around but were fixed on the girl's eyes. He wanted to convey the message that "perhaps others don't believe in you, and perhaps you yourself have lost confidence, but there are still people in this world who are willing to believe that you have your own strengths, and that you can still become a better version of yourself."

After listening, the girl fell silent. She didn't speak, but simply buried her head again, her hands, which were so tightly gripping the armrests of the chair that they turned slightly blue, showed her inner struggle.

After a long while, the girl raised her head again, her expression somewhat resolute, though the tears in her eyes showed that she was still not calm, but seemed to have made up her mind.

"Do you really think my martial spirit can go any further?"

"I can't guarantee that, after all, I only have a feeling. In return, I won't lie to you and try to pull you into the sect with just a few words. That would be immoral for anyone, especially since our Tang Sect is currently in decline and needs our generation to revive it." Hearing Chen Cheng's words, the girl's bright eyes slowly dimmed again.

Yes, if a fourth-year student from the outer academy could develop their martial soul so easily, how could the vast Shrek Academy not have room for them?

"When I first saw you, you seemed familiar, and my attention was immediately drawn to you... Don't think too much about it. I've taken on a mission from the academy to observe the freshman assessments, hence my focus on students I deem talented. Of course, even if I recommend you, your talent won't change the fact that you'll soon be expelled from the academy for failing the assessments..." Chen Cheng ignored the girl's renewed dejection. He simply looked at the arena, as if he truly only wanted to finish his sentence. "My understanding of your martial spirit doesn't stem from knowing how to cultivate it or its future path. It's simply a set of fist techniques passed down in my family that I feel might have a connection with your martial spirit. By having you utilize the power of your martial spirit to study this fist technique, perhaps I can gain some insights into the Yin and Yang energies and this fist technique itself."

Seeing that the girl was still thinking, Chen Cheng didn't say anything more. He patted her on the shoulder and told her that if she thought it through, she could come to the cafeteria to find him that night. After all, they were the only group of people who openly ate at a large table in the cafeteria, so they were easy to find.

"Thanks……"

Although Chen Cheng heard it, he only had time to turn around and smile before he had to hurry back to the assessment area to watch the competition. After all, he still had to complete his mission.

"Those who can get into Shrek Academy are no ordinary people. Most sects also recruit young Soul Masters for training, and this process might involve sect interests. However, because sects prioritize their own interests, they won't easily kick out anyone 'lacking talent.' After all, they've invested real money in training them. Even if someone stays to fill vacancies and do fieldwork, they won't be expelled like Shrek does. Ultimately, it's the difference between academies and sects. Perhaps I can investigate further and recruit those students who failed various academy entrance exams into the Tang Sect. After all, those who can get into Shrek Academy are no ordinary people!"

With a sigh, Chen Cheng continued to focus on watching the match. This time, however, he didn't try to recruit anyone as he had before. Firstly, he genuinely suspected that the girl's yin-yang attributes and Tai Chi might create a Bagua-like reaction, which piqued his curiosity. Secondly, he was, after all, just a member of the Tang Clan, not its leader. Taking back one or two members was fine, but a strategic plan to significantly expand the membership would require discussion with Bei Bei and Tang Ya.

Unfortunately, after looking through multiple sections all morning, I couldn't find any martial souls with particularly outstanding abilities. The only martial soul that seemed somewhat interesting was that of a powerful offensive soul master with the Ironback Beast martial soul. His Ironback Beast martial soul could peel off the iron plates from his body and then recombine them to form a defense.

Imagine a Title Douluo-level figure in a Soul Master's position. He could use his Martial Soul to protect the entire defensive position the instant an enemy attack is detected, even if only for a moment. This could activate the combined defensive array of the entire Soul Master's position, averting the tragedy of total annihilation. And this ability is just one aspect of that Soul Master's Martial Soul.

Unfortunately, he is going down the offensive path, intending to focus on improving Ironback's attack power, and he probably won't develop defensive capabilities like Ironplate in the future.

However, everyone has their own choices, and Chen Cheng wouldn't interfere too much. Like with Xiao Xiao, he only offered a suggestion; he had no objection if she followed the original story's development in her cultivation. As for the other girl, he simply felt that teaching her Tai Chi might be helpful; as for the specific effects, whether she was willing to put in the effort, etc., Chen Cheng didn't bother to concern himself with those matters and respected their choices.

  [Remember 101.com, the fastest online novel website! Super convenient, read easily at 101.com.]

Times are about to change, so there's no point in saying more. In the future, when faced with the steel torrent brought by soul tools, the power of an individual will seem insignificant. Even if Huo Yuhao became the number one person on the Douluo Continent in the original work, he would still be powerless in the face of the rolling wheels of time. If Tang San hadn't used a mechanical deity to threaten an empire with a child in the end, the continent would probably be a completely different scene!

"Oh? A fusion soul skill of the original martial soul? It was directly broken by Wang Dong? Was it commanded by Huo Yuhao? Is this record authentic?"

In the afternoon, Chen Cheng handed over the records he had made over the past two days to Director Du Weilun. Du Weilun didn't show any reaction at first, but when he saw Huo Yuhao's team fighting against Huang Chutian's team, he finally couldn't help but ask questions.

"Director Du, don't you trust my character? When have I ever not been a person who speaks the truth and seeks the facts? Besides, if Huo Yuhao really didn't have some ability, why would I keep believing that his team could win the championship under his leadership instead of plunging into the Earth's core?" Chen Cheng said with a smile, his expression looking like a copy of an insurance sales champion's face, which was a little creepy.

"The others, like Dai Huabin, are geniuses who rely entirely on numerical power and lack any tactical coordination. Such reckless individuals are not worth considering."

"The team with the Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda is somewhat interesting, but if you ask me, no matter how strong her support ability is, she is still just a support. In a three-on-three assessment, the lack of self-defense and combat capabilities is the original sin."

……

"After this analysis, you can understand the source of my confidence in Huo Yuhao's team, right?" Chen Cheng patted his chest, indicating that everything was under his control.

Du Weilun wasn't particularly interested in the freshman assessment. As the head of the outer academy at Shrek Academy, his workload was usually quite heavy. However, after hearing Chen Cheng's words, he actually started to have the idea of ​​"taking some time to go and see."

"Alright, if you want to watch the freshman assessment, then go ahead and watch. I don't think you took this mission specifically to discover outstanding talents for the Martial Soul Department. But if you make any discoveries, you can still come and report to me; there's a reward." Du Weilun said calmly, picked up his teacup, took a sip of water, and indicated that Chen Cheng could leave if there was nothing else.

"Hmm, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong are probably also developing a martial soul fusion, and it seems like their compatibility is 100%? But I didn't look closely, so I don't know. If you have time to check, remember to pay attention!" Chen Cheng casually mentioned a trivial matter, asking his friend to remember it and remind him later.

Then, Du Weilun spat out a mouthful of water. Chen Cheng suppressed a laugh as he left the office, closed the door, and silently counted:

"three,

"two."

"You little brat, come back here right now!"

A roar, accompanied by a chaotic commotion, echoed down the corridor. Several other office doors opened as well. Chen Cheng calmly greeted the teachers who were peeking in to watch the drama unfold, then pushed open another door and carefully closed it behind him.

"You mean Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong have a 100% compatible Martial Soul fusion?" Du Weilun tried to remain calm, but his lips twitched, making Chen Cheng have to hold back his laughter.

"Oh, Director Du, as I said, I didn't look at it carefully, so I was hoping you could take a look when you have time. After all, I don't have any experience in this area and I don't know much about it." Chen Cheng was very frank, his eyes almost sparkling with honesty.

"Are you sure you didn't believe their team could win the championship only after you knew they could fuse their martial souls?" Director Du knew he was up to no good every time he saw that expression. You're telling me a student from the Soul Guidance Department is trying to mess with our Martial Soul Department every day!

"They probably discovered they could fuse their martial souls in the last couple of days, probably after that match with the twin sisters." Chen Cheng was actually quite interested in going over to see what kind of tea Director Du was drinking. Someone who was brought up by Yan Shaozhe, that tightwad, probably wouldn't be drinking anything too "luxurious." However, he figured he might get slapped on the table by the emotionally unstable Du Weilun if he went over there, so he decided against it.

"Do they have a spirit fusion skill?" Du Weilun asked with a look of utter disbelief.

"There shouldn't be any now, but it's uncertain about the future."

"Forget it, you can go now. If it's true, it's part of your contribution, and I'll reward you later." Du Weilun leaned back, not wanting to talk to Chen Cheng anymore.

Chen Cheng didn't say anything more. Actually, letting Du Weilun know about their spirit fusion at this time wasn't part of Chen Cheng's original plan. However, the psychological tug-of-war he experienced today made him slightly disappointed with Shrek Academy's strict selection rules. After all, it boasted the title of the number one spirit master academy on the entire continent, the strongest spirit master education faculty, and vast educational facilities and infrastructure, yet it produced fewer than a thousand students a year! Was this what a school should be like? Before he transmigrated, some larger elementary schools had six or seven hundred students per grade! Shrek Academy even had an elimination system! That meant the number of students decreased as you went up in the grades. When Chen Cheng was in third grade, several familiar faces in his class lost their chance to continue their studies in this way, and few people cared about their future.

"Monster Academy only trains monsters!"

However, instead of seeking happiness for the people, he, as an academic institution, has interfered in the international affairs of the mainland...

With this in mind, Chen Cheng suddenly decided to play a small prank on Du Weilun, who was also in the academy system. However, he also knew that such a system was not something that one or two people could have created, and even if it was unreasonable, it couldn't be completely shaken by just one or two people.