Everyone looked over in unison.
A young girl with a head of soft, raven-black hair, styled into many thin, long braids, appeared. Her face was a fair, melon seed shape, and beneath delicate, slender eyebrows shone a pair of dark, bright eyes, exuding an innate pride.
Lu Fei was extremely familiar with this girl; she was the first person he'd met after transmigrating.
The bullying girl, Zhou Shuyi!
Lu Fei was bewildered. He tilted his head and whispered to Ke Xin, "Did you invite her?"
Ke Xin shook her head blankly.
He then looked at Tang Ao, who shrugged innocently.
Zhou Shuyi approached the group. Without introducing herself or greeting anyone, she walked reluctantly towards Lu Fei, swaying her body and muttering dejectedly, "Lu Fei, I'm sorry. Can you forgive me for what happened before?"
Lu Fei frowned. What was this new act?
Seeing her unwilling demeanor, Lu Fei guessed it must have been arranged by Zhou Nanfeng.
Sending his daughter into the hands of an enemy? What was Zhou Nanfeng's plan? Lu Fei fell into thought.
"Hey, whether you forgive me or not, say something! I'm definitely coming with you on this trial. Besides, Lin Yanyan can't come, and you just happen to be short one person," Zhou Shuyi said haughtily.
Ke Xin seized on the crucial point and retorted, "How do you know Yanyan can't come?"
"My dad arranged it, so of course I know..." Zhou Shuyi's eyes darted around, and she put on an innocent look. "I heard you all talking!"
In fact, after the meeting that day, Zhou Nanfeng had checked the list of first-year students who had signed up for the trial. He found only Ke Xin's team and was pleasantly surprised to see an old acquaintance among them. This was a rare opportunity to get closer to Lu Fei. So, that evening, he called Lin Song and asked his daughter to withdraw from Ke Xin's team and have Zhou Shuyi replace her, leading to the scene they were witnessing.
As the captain, Ke Xin had the right to decide Zhou Shuyi's fate. However, she also knew about the past grievances between Lu Fei and Zhou Shuyi. Therefore, she looked at Lu Fei, her eyes asking for his opinion.
After a moment of thought, Lu Fei rubbed his chin and asked, "Give me a reason to join our team."
Zhou Shuyi was prepared. As if reciting a script, she replied, "To improve my strength through the trial and make my parents look at me with new eyes!"
"Wrong!"
As soon as she finished, Lu Fei's negation followed.
Zhou Shuyi was taken aback.
"That reason isn't sufficient!" Lu Fei rebuked.
"Then... to be able to enter the elite..." Zhou Shuyi started to say.
"Wrong!"
Lu Fei interrupted, "You have a good father. Are you still afraid you won't get into the elite class?"
Facing Lu Fei's repeated challenges, Zhou Shuyi's expression turned unpleasant, and she said somewhat indignantly, "My dad made me come! Otherwise, I wouldn't want to come!"
"What did he want you to do?" Lu Fei asked quickly.
"He wants me to reconcile with you..." Zhou Shuyi came to her senses, crossed her arms, and snorted, "Why should I tell you?"
Lu Fei said calmly, "Then leave. Our team doesn't need you."
Zhou Shuyi stamped her foot in anger, puffing her chest out, "My dad said I should try to please you and mend our relationship. Happy now!"
Her mouth is as tight as my sworn brother's... Lu Fei nodded slightly. This was the answer he wanted.
Since Zhou Nanfeng was willing to admit defeat honestly, Lu Fei saw no need to push the matter further. Given his current situation, having one less enemy would save him a lot of trouble.
Speaking of Zhou Nanfeng, he had indeed caused him a lot of trouble. But this villainous family didn't seem very intelligent, serving as a continuous source of surprises like a newbie gift package. Without him, Lu Fei wouldn't have gotten his first fortune, nor become an internet celebrity. Without him, Lu Fei wouldn't have had the chance to meet Chu Huainan, nor would he have obtained the Congenital Spiritual Liquid...
With that thought, she decided to keep Zhou Shuyi for now. After all, the team was currently facing a crisis of losing their trial qualification. Moreover, Zhou Shuyi's joining indirectly increased the team's safety. She didn't believe that a young lady like Zhou Shuyi would go out without any security detail...
"We can take you in for now, but you must promise to obey the team's arrangements. If you act spoiled and willful halfway through, we'll leave you in the deep mountains and old forests at any time!" Lu Fei warned.
Hearing this, Zhou Shuyi's face lit up with joy, and she nodded quickly.
Lu Fei looked at Ke Xin. "Class monitor, we're short one person. It'll be her?"
Ke Xin had already become a fan of Lu Fei, so she naturally wouldn't refuse.
With Zhou Shuyi's addition, the team officially completed its registration.
The stage was then handed over to Lin Yuansheng for the next portion.
Fortunately, the old man was not long-winded and finished speaking in a few minutes.
Lu Fei summarized the information, identifying several key points.
First, fifteen teams from six grade levels would participate in this trial. Ten of these teams were originally established combat teams, including Bai Qianqian's Extreme White Team and Zhou Tao's Extreme Black Team.
Second, the trial would last for one month. Each team could accept a maximum of three missions. After one month, missions had to be submitted mandatorily. The mentor and judging panel would award corresponding points based on each team's completion results, ultimately deciding the top three.
Third, the trial venue would be the Yanshan region. It was rumored that unknown dangers had appeared there recently, but the academy had already assembled professional beast masters to provide full escort. If any danger was encountered during the trial, professional beast masters should be sought for help immediately.
At the end of the send-off ceremony, the group entered the mission hall.
Here, various types of missions were posted, similar to the mission commission center of the Beast Master Association.
The posted missions were divided into five tiers: S, A, B, C, and D. The higher the tier, the more points awarded. The difference was that the missions here were specifically designed for this trial journey.
As first-year freshmen, Lu Fei and his group naturally couldn't take on high-tier missions. They had a chance to complete D-tier missions, while C-tier missions were a bit of a stretch.
As the captain, the right and responsibility to select missions fell upon Ke Xin.
Lu Fei, detached from the proceedings, wandered aimlessly through the mission hall.
He had looked at the C and D tier missions; they were all trivial matters, such as helping Otter Beasts reclaim their lost territory from Duck-billed Beasts, or expelling troublesome Hole Mice...
Therefore, he was very curious about how difficult the A and S tier missions would be.
He walked up to an A-tier mission and looked up.
The first mission that caught his eye was "Hunt the Blazing Tiger." Below it was a lengthy description: "A-grade contracted beast, Blazing Tiger. Complete form, estimated level around 70. Combat power unknown. Its fierce temper severely harms the ecological balance of contracted beasts in the Yanshan region."
Lu Fei gasped. If he remembered correctly, after their last battle, the Reckless Snake had leveled up to 7...
He recognized the situation. These were people he couldn't afford to provoke, and he hoped he wouldn't encounter them when entering the mountains.
He looked at other A-tier missions, and their difficulty was immense. The D-tier missions seemed like child's play in comparison.
Thinking of this, Lu Fei became even more curious about the S-tier missions. He walked towards the S-tier mission wall. Upon reaching the bottom of the mission wall, Lu Fei was surprised to find only one mission slip posted.
Just as he was about to examine the mission's content, a voice called out from behind him.
"Junior Lu Fei is interested in S-tier missions?"