When Cang Jingkong saw Elder Cai leave in anger, she was utterly shocked and hurried to chase after her, speaking in a low voice to explain.
But Elder Cai didn't listen at all—she just strode away without looking back.
The two middle-aged examiners wanted to say something, but in the end, all they could do was sigh helplessly before leaving as well.
Some time later, when Cang Jingkong returned, her face looked rather grim. She raised her trembling finger at Fors and said,
"You… you… What am I supposed to say about you? Do you even realize what kind of opportunity you just threw away—something others can only dream of?"
Fors, however, was calmly admiring her fingernails, as though something were fascinating about them. She ignored the reprimand entirely.
After a while, she finally said leisurely,
"Teacher, acknowledging a master is a once-in-a-lifetime decision. How could I possibly be careless about it?"
Cang Jingkong was stunned for a moment. What the girl said actually made a lot of sense. A teacher–disciple bond wasn't a trivial matter, and being cautious was only natural.
"Even so, you shouldn't have said it like that! Do you know how much your words just now hurt Elder Cai?"
"Teacher, what's my score for this round?" Fors clearly had no intention of answering that question. A joke, she thought. I carry a trace of divinity—even if it's only half a mythological being—how could I casually bow my head and take a master?
"Zero. You got a zero in this round." Cang Jingkong glared at her.
Originally, the assessment could have ended here. Who would've thought you'd go and offend Elder Cai directly? Now we can only continue. Let's go."
With that, she led Fors out of the hall, heading deeper into the main teaching building.
"This is the fifth test—talent assessment. Basically, it's about your second profession," Cang Jingkong explained.
"But the main point is—" She suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
Because inside the room, sitting behind the examiner's desk, was a very familiar figure.
It was none other than Elder Cai, who had stormed off earlier. Right now, the elder sat with a cold smile fixed on Fors.
"Elder Cai, you…" Cang Jingkong was startled.
Elder Cai sneered,
"For the fifth test, this girl gets another zero."
"Elder Cai, this… this doesn't seem proper…" Cang Jingkong said helplessly, looking both worried and surprised.
Yes, Elder Cai was eccentric, but she was also known for being upright and principled. In her younger days, when she roamed the continent, she caused plenty of commotion, yet she had always stood firmly by what was right. If not for acting impulsively or excessively at times, she wouldn't have been brought back to Shrek Academy.
But now… this behavior?
"Don't say I didn't give her a chance. With two zeroes, if her remaining results still average out to a passing score, then she may enter the Outer Court. Otherwise—send her back to wherever she came from!"
After declaring this, Elder Cai stood and walked out of the room.
Bang! She shut the door firmly behind her.
What neither Fors nor Cang Jingkong saw was the sly, satisfied smile flashing across Elder Cai's face.
"This little brat's talent is astonishing, but she's far too arrogant. A bit of grinding on her personality will do her no harm. Humph. Dare to reject me, old as I am? There will come a day when she comes begging."
Her eyes gleamed coldly, hands clasped behind her back as she left with a floaty grace.
"Ah… sigh…" Cang Jingkong stood frozen, her expression heavy. Finally, she let out a long sigh and turned to Fors, saying,
"Don't worry. Perform well in the remaining trials, and I'll make sure to report Elder Cai's conduct to the Academy."
Elder Cai's position at Shrek was high, but she wasn't the sole authority.
If a genius like Fors—someone "seen once in ten thousand years"—were expelled under her watch, Cang Jingkong knew she would regret it for the rest of her life.
Yes, that was the right phrase: seen once in ten thousand years.
Unprecedented nine-element control.
A Soul Sect with four ten-thousand-year soul rings.
Spirit Sea Realm's mental strength.
Each of these alone would be enough to define a terrifying prodigy. But all three concentrated in one thirteen-year-old girl?
In Shrek's history, only the first or second-generation Shrek Seven Monsters—or the current Pavilion Master of the Sea God's Pavilion, the Sky-Subduing Douluo Yun Ming—could compare.
With that in mind, Cang Jingkong explained,
"The sixth test is appetite. Just eat as much as you can. The seventh is stamina. The eighth is combat assessment. With your strength, none of these will be a problem.
"The ninth is wilderness survival. And the tenth… is a comprehensive evaluation by the examiners, based on your overall performance. Since you've already scored full marks in the first three tests, as long as you keep doing well, this part shouldn't be difficult either."
Seeing Fors staring at her, Cang Jingkong coughed lightly and added,
"Ahem, well… let's just say, given your performance so far, earning a few advantages is only natural."
Her face didn't redden, nor did her heart race—she said it perfectly calmly.
If Elder Cai were going to "play dirty," then so would she. In terms of authority, she couldn't outmatch Elder Cai, but as the guiding teacher, she knew the subsequent trials inside and out.
Helping Fors cheat outright wasn't possible. But giving her some advance notice, allowing her to prepare? That was perfectly fine.
After all, in Cang Jingkong's mind, Fors was already a Shrek student. She was only helping a future student, nothing wrong with that!
And, thinking about it more, she realized Fors had a point earlier: with her talent, it wouldn't be hard at all to become the disciple of an Extreme Douluo. If she wanted to acknowledge a master, even if not at Shrek, both the Spirit Transmission Pagoda and the Federation's military powerhouses would be fighting to take her in.
The sixth test came.
Before Fors was a massive tray piled high like a small mountain… with steamed buns.
The list stated: eating fifteen buns in one go was passing. Every five additional buns eaten would add another point. While eating, one was forbidden to use soul power—it had to rely solely on stomach capacity. And there was only half an hour.
Fors picked up two buns, ate them casually, then turned to Cang Jingkong and said,
"I'm done. Score me."
"You—!"
Cang Jingkong was dumbfounded.
Yes, this test wasn't very favorable to girls—since their appetites were usually smaller than boys'—but still, this was too perfunctory!
From a certain perspective, this round was basically free points. Even girls could usually eat at least five buns and walk away with two points minimum.
In fact, no one had ever scored this low before. Most Soul Masters had much stronger physiques than ordinary people, so stomach capacity was rarely an issue. Plus, teachers were present to guarantee safety, ensuring no one would be harmed.
So the lowest score historically in this test was at least four points.
For anyone willing to push themselves, passing wasn't too hard. Compared to previous rounds where it was possible to fail outright, this was practically a giveaway.
"Little sister, did you even listen to me earlier? The tenth test is a comprehensive evaluation. Even if you're just pretending, at least put in some effort—don't brush it off like this!" Cang Jingkong whispered anxiously.
"No need, Teacher. This really is my limit. Just grade me." Fors smiled faintly.
"…Fine. One point."
Cang Jingkong had no other choice. As a guiding teacher, her hands were tied. But she couldn't help thinking—this must be the lowest score ever recorded for the sixth test.