The assessment was passed just like that.
The following portion consisted of questions on basic knowledge, but Los was completely absentminded. No matter what Bai Xiaodu answered, as long as it wasn't a glaringly obvious mistake, Los would perfunctorily nod and say it was correct.
There was no point in continuing the questioning. If they didn't admit a student like this and he ended up going to another academy instead, the admissions director would probably beat him to death once they found out.
Once the standard procedures were over, Los watched him sign the special recruitment admission application.
“Your timing is quite perfect. Tomorrow is the school's freshman orientation opening ceremony. You should check it out. Try to be friendly and make some new friends in your year.”
“Once the school assigns you a territory, remember to stay on good terms with your neighbors.”
“On paper, it's called managing, but in reality, you're guarding it. Although some Secret Realms have already been cleared, they are still quite dangerous.”
“Everyone has their own specialties. Supporting and helping each other is the key to progress.”
Bai Xiaodu nodded seriously.
“Thank you for your guidance.”
Los smiled.
“You're very welcome. By the way, I think you have great potential. Have you considered joining my class?”
Los lowered his voice.
“I can give you some extra perks under the table, like applying for free spells or magical items.”
“And there's another thing to keep in mind: the residents of your territory won't necessarily listen to you completely. They might even gather to cause trouble and disrupt production, which will severely affect your tax revenue. Though this is also part of the school's assessment, it's only natural for me to offer you some advice from the sidelines.”
Anticipation gleamed in his eyes.
Only after an instructor recruited a sufficient number of students would the school begin assigning territories. Under the same instructor's team, the students' territories would be adjacent to one another.
If he could recruit a super-fighter like Bai Xiaodu, as long as Bai Xiaodu was willing to help out, the performance of his other students would definitely skyrocket. His own performance would naturally rise as well, and the position of deputy director would be within arm's reach!
Bai Xiaodu only scratched his head in slight embarrassment.
“Um, I'm sorry, but I've already made an agreement with another teacher.”
Of course he had to decline.
To Bai Xiaodu, things like performance and academic grades didn't matter. He was using the university's resources to cultivate or plot for an official government position.
On top of that, he had to aggressively farm Lingxin's Affection!
Aside from a look of regret on his face, Los didn't say much else. It was normal; geniuses like him were almost always reserved in advance.
The two walked out of the training hall and said their goodbyes.
Suddenly, Los seemed to remember something. He turned around and stopped in his tracks. “Bai Xiaodu, which instructor are you under? Since I was able to recruit you, that teacher should be a colleague of mine. Maybe we even know each other.”
“Her name is Lingxin.”
Upon hearing Bai Xiaodu's answer, Los fell silent for a moment. This time, his tone carried a hint of confusion.
“Lingxin... I recall she's a new exchange teacher from the military. Hiss... This isn't because I'm greedy for my own performance metrics, Bai Xiaodu. But maybe you should discuss it with her and switch to another class instead.”
Sensing the underlying meaning in his words, Bai Xiaodu became alert.
“Is there some special circumstance?”
Los smiled bitterly, a trace of sympathy appearing in his eyes.
“There actually is. Those who come from the military to serve as instructors at our university are usually old men and women, and the school generally gives them desk jobs. But if they're young and still hold an officer's rank, it's a different story.”
“The performance of the students they train can be counted toward military merits. To prevent them from promoting too quickly among their peers, the school usually assigns them the most difficult and barren territories.”
“The implication is clear: if you can still produce great results under those conditions, then you're truly capable, and you deserve the promotion.”
Los shrugged.
“However, the students bear the brunt of this system. As the direct managers of these territories, they end up being the most miserable and unluckiest bunch.”
“Though I don't know why you want to be under her, I personally advise you to give up on it. With how strong you are, following the principle of working a useful tool to the bone, you probably won't get a single moment of peace in the future.”
“Your personal cultivation is what matters most. Why become a troubleshooter?”
“If a classmate's territorial Secret Realm suddenly acts up and you're the closest one, you'll have to rush over in a panic to deal with it. If you ask for compensation afterward, it'll be awkward between classmates, and you might even end up as enemies. If you don't ask for compensation, it means you're running around for free every day, doing thankless work.”
“Wait a minute,” Bai Xiaodu interrupted Los, raising a hand.
He realized something.
The territories assigned by the school basically all had Secret Realms in them. If everyone's lives and Secret Realms were running normally, he would have no excuse to go poking around in other people's territories. That would be considered snooping into other people's private property.
On the contrary, if it was really as Los said, and Lingxin's group was assigned a bunch of troublesome Secret Realms that the other students were helpless against, then wouldn't he have a perfectly legitimate reason to step in and intervene?
There were plenty of good things in Secret Realms. Who knows, maybe just by killing some random monsters and gathering resources, he could trigger talent drops or other rewards.
Besides, Kiru's Secret Realm could be repeatedly explored. Maybe his classmates would have similar ones. Even if the standard rewards weren't great, his system had a reward for first-time Secret Realm clears!
Just looking at the two items it had given him so far—Kalugar's Remnant Sword and the True Dragon Blood Orb—what more was there to say, brother? He absolutely had to take this job today!
Once his thoughts cleared, the whole world suddenly felt brand new.
Bai Xiaodu waved his hand grandly.
“I don't have many virtues, but I'm incredibly loyal to my friends, and I never ask for anything in return!”
“If my classmates need help, I'll help them. No need to be polite with me! I'll just treat the monsters in those Secret Realms as target practice!”
Los couldn't help but give him a thumbs-up.
“You're a man of character!”
Rate on N.U.
