Chapter 128: Chapter 128: Not Refusing to Give Grass (A Plant)

Translator: 549690339

Attention to Lotus University’s new student assessment wasn’t solely on the students themselves but also on a part of the faculty soon to assume the role of “Counselors.”

At Lotus Cloud University, Counselors are usually professors who also teach professional courses.

That is to say, the “composition” of the class members often determines the future “performance” in professional courses.

If the students are talented, the professional course results are strong, the Counselor’s performance is high, and their prospects and networks can be very promising.

Conversely, if a Counselor ends up guiding a relatively poor class, even if their teaching professionalism is strong, it’s difficult to achieve significant results.

For cultivating immortality, it’s seventy percent up to the individual, thirty percent up to the teacher, and the remaining ninety percent depends on talent and family conditions.

The new student assessment involves the admissions office as well as numerous onlookers and spectators paying close attention, making it mostly impossible to be lenient.

However, it’s a different story when it comes to splitting students into classes of the same major later on.

Normally, the Talisman Department of Lotus University might enroll three classes for the Talisman creation major, with the third being the best, the second follow-up, and the first filled with slackers who got in through the backdoor.

The young second-rank Talisman Master Yue Linger belonged to the top class of the previous batch, and its value goes without saying.

There’s quite a bit of room for maneuver when it comes to sorting classes by major.

For example, some long-established teachers, after spotting a few students in the new student assessment, could simply give the teachers responsible for sorting a heads up to include these students in their own class.

Then, they could relax their minds and casually teach, waiting for their students to soar.

It’s an epitome of “choice being more crucial than effort.”

To put it harshly, even though Lotus Cloud University is among Liang Kingdom’s most prestigious institutions, less than one percent of Lotus University’s students will make a name for themselves in the Immortal Sect in the future.

Whoever can pull that “one percent” into their class can virtually secure their “teaching caliber” and “performance levels” for the next three to four years.

There have been teachers who managed to “scrape” together all the top-notch students, facing unanimous resistance from other teachers!

To prevent such scenarios, Lotus University first stipulated that Counselors were not to watch the new student assessments, then introduced “Class Sorting Rules” emphasizing balance, which has largely curbed the desire among teachers to coast.

However, where there are policies, there are always counter-strategies, a traditional skill.

Counselors may not watch, but they can serve as judges on the assessment panel!

If the Class Sorting Rules emphasize balance, then why not trade three mediocre students for one excellent and two average ones?

And if one were to discuss which round of the five-round examination for new Lotus University students could best reveal a student’s professional talent, without a doubt, it would be the “Combat Assessment”!

The evening before the combat assessment, third-rank Talisman Master Mao Lang made a special trip to Li Youyuan’s house.

“Old Li? Your home is so clean today, no cooking tonight?”

Li Youyuan thought, Cook my ass! All my money has gone to talismans! Do I even have money left for food?

Seeing Li Youyuan’s plight, Mao Lang immediately dragged him out to dine at a restaurant.

As they settled down in the restaurant, Mao Lang took out a box of rather expensive Spiritual Tea and offered, “A student gave this to me, I have too much, want a box?”

Li Youyuan intended to refuse but the tea was indeed not cheap.

Besides, Jiang Cheng scammed so much money from him; what’s wrong with reclaiming a little from him?

It was an utterly reasonable thing to do!

Li Youyuan’s palm flipped, and the Spiritual Tea disappeared from the table.

Mao Lang immediately dropped the act, asking directly, “Brother, were you keeping an eye out today? Spot any good prospects?”

“The first batch of new students weren’t bad,” Li Youyuan hinted evasively.

“Don’t be like that. Come on, tell me straight, I’ve been stuck at Foundation Establishment Great Perfection for a long time, and Core Formation is within the next few years. A fourth-rank Talisman Master is just around the corner.”

With that said, Li Youyuan understood.

In Liang Kingdom, and even at Lotus University, reaching the fourth rank as a Talisman Master is essentially hitting the ceiling.

In the future, Mao Lang could either become the head of the Talisman Department at Lotus University or find a job at the Talisman Master Association. Either way, his achievements wouldn’t be low. That’s why he must now pick a few good students to boost the department’s performance and pave the way for later promotion.

“Ahem, there’s someone named Jiang Cheng whom I find quite impressive. You could consider him.”

“Jiang Cheng? The one who scored full marks in the character assessment?”

It was clear that Mao Lang had also inquired about him from colleagues who participated in the character scoring.

There were many students who used Awesome Talismans; after all, if you can’t draw them, buying them works just as well, since it doesn’t affect their use.

But using a type of talisman that even the teacher hadn’t seen before made a distinct impression, especially when it scored full marks.

Li Youyuan added, “He also scored full marks in the aesthetic assessment this afternoon.”

“Wow! Full marks in both assessments? That is indeed not simple!” Mao Lang’s eyes lit up as he asked, “Will his combat assessment be tomorrow morning or afternoon? Brother, is it convenient to make some arrangements for him?”

Could this Jiang Cheng really be that strong? If he could secure him, wouldn’t his performance be firmly assured? Mao Lang thought to himself.

“That’s not very convenient; the judges initially appointed are all without issues. How could we justify replacing them?” said Li Youyuan.

Mao Lang tactfully dropped the subject.

Some things are best left unsaid.

If there’s no problem with the judges, there’s no reason to replace them, but if there’s an issue, then it becomes a different story, doesn’t it?

You have to see students with your own eyes to believe in them. Whether or not Jiang Cheng is truly capable, Mao Lang would find out by observing him tomorrow.

On the morning of the combat assessment.

The first batch of freshmen, including Jiang Cheng, arrived at the assessment site without a hitch.

The combat assessment was divided into five arenas, with teachers from the various academies individually scoring the participants.

The order in which the examinees appeared was still based on their assigned numbers, but since each academy conducted its own assessments, the numbers didn’t follow in sequence; for example, the number after 1001 could be 1022.

This was primarily to let each academy make its own judgments.

After all, no matter how excellent a student’s swordsmanship might be, if they are applying for the Treasure Department, they’re unlikely to catch the eye of the Treasure teachers.

What the Treasure Department values is the use and creation of Magical Treasures, not the level of swordsmanship that Sword Cultivator teachers prefer to see.

Displaying swordsmanship before the Treasure and Talismans Academy is like feeding grass to a carnivore—not that the grass isn’t provided, but they simply don’t enjoy it.

Behind the arena set up by the Treasure and Talismans Academy, five judges’ desks were neatly arranged.

Outside of these five judges’ desks, there were three more tables for “special invited guests.”

Beyond the “special invited guests” tables, two “special invited referee” tables were also placed.

Following the recruitment office’s usual style, at most, they would add one “special invited referee” table, but this year was different—Li Youyuan really was out of money. While the recruitment office still needed him, he planned to make what money he could.

Thus, he sold the “right to watch the matches” at a very low price, basically arranging it for anyone who paid.

According to the rules of Lotus University’s combat assessments, Jiang Cheng’s number 1016 put him fourth in line to appear.

Mao Lang, along with several “special invited guests,” sat at their tables, looking around as if sizing up the students they were interested in.

Jiang Cheng, at the front of the line, had clearly caught Mao Lang’s attention due to his exceptional demeanor.

However, Mao Lang now felt a sense of having been tricked by Li Youyuan.

“This Jiang Cheng, how come he only seems to have reached the third level of qi cultivation? Is he really capable or not? But Li Youyuan accepted the tea leaves; he wouldn’t have any reason to deceive me. Could it be that Jiang Cheng has devoted so much energy to drawing talismans that it has delayed his cultivation? That’s probably the case.”