He looked at the Death Demon Scythe in his hand again, "Living off a woman once is sweet. Living off a woman all the time is always sweet."
"What are you thinking about? Hurry up and start."
Ye Youlong couldn't help urging him when she saw he wasn't moving.
Xiao Zhan came back to his senses and quickly prepared to start, "Alright, rich lady."
"Rich lady?"
"Uh... You heard wrong, I said wife... Yes, wife."
"...", Ye Youlong's face turned red, "You're never serious."
Her tone was slightly annoyed, but she was obviously very happy.
Meanwhile.
Zhao Long and his underling Wang Hu were together.
"Brother Long, you don't really think this Xiao Zhan is truly F-rank, do you?" Wang Hu asked tentatively.
Zhao Long glared at him and said coldly, "Asking such an insult to intelligence, do you think you're insulting your own intelligence or mine?"
"I didn't mean that..." Wang Hu immediately felt awkward, as he was just kindly reminding him.
However, this statement also indicated that Zhao Long didn't really think Xiao Zhan was F-rank either.
Knowing that he had no ill intentions, Zhao Long's temper cooled a bit as he continued, "The Ye Family is no fool, and Ye Youlong is even less of a fool. Even if Xiao Zhan truly has F-rank garbage talent, he must have some secret uncharacteristic of ordinary people! Otherwise, Ye Youlong would never have chosen him!"
Wang Hu nodded, glad that Zhao Long could see clearly.
He was afraid that Zhao Long would be blinded by jealousy.
Kissing up to him while also puzzled, he said, "Brother Long is smart, but knowing he has secrets, why do you still provoke them?"
"Provoke?"
Hearing this word, Zhao Long couldn't help but get angry again.
"The whole White Emperor Spirit Academy knows I want to have a Contract with Ye Youlong. Now someone's stepped in and snatched her from me. If this were ancient times, it would be like being cuckolded!"
"As a direct descendant of one of the eight great families, the Zhao Family, to be outshone by someone known by everyone as 'trash', shouldn't I take my dignity back?"
Wang Hu felt the pressure of Zhao Long's aura.
Seeing a Spirit Master who has already made a Contract being suppressed by someone who hasn't even made a Contract yet would indeed be surprising to anyone.
Wang Hu nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes, this concerns the family's honor, of course, we have to take it back."
Zhao Long's aura receded, his tone somewhat relaxed, not so explosive, but still very serious.
"In reality, whether or not I provoke him, I can't avoid a battle with them! The Newcomer's Competition is very important, related to all subsequent resources; failure at one step means a change in fate."
"I insisted on Contracting with Ye Youlong just so I could secure the first place in the Newcomer's Competition! But it did not go as I wished."
"Now that she has made a Contract, I naturally need to prepare anew. My deliberate provocation is just to make them lower their guard, to think of me as arrogant and unstrategic."
"This way, I'll be able to catch them by surprise in the Newcomer's Competition!"
Hearing his explanation, Wang Hu's face suddenly brightened.
So Zhao Long had calculated everything in advance!
No wonder he's the boss!
Seeing the look of admiration in Wang Hu's eyes, Zhao Long felt disdain in his heart, despite Wang Hu awakening an S-rank talent and having a promising future, he still lacked maturity in thought and action.
He could perceive a bit of the problem, but that was all he could do.
This limitation would hinder his future development.
However, he had one thing going for him - he recognized a good 'big brother' early on.
"Brother Long, are the rewards for this Newcomer's Competition really that important?" Admiring him, Wang Hu asked doubtfully again.
He felt that it was just a training in the Secret Realm, was it worth being so eager and cautious?
Zhao Long chuckled lightly in response to the question, "Important or not depends on the person, anyway, for you, it indeed is not important."
Zhao Long wouldn't explain because explaining wouldn't be much use.
The rewards of the Secret Realm were not for the likes of Wang Hu to covet.
"Alright, how is the task I assigned you coming along?" Zhao Long asked again.
After coming out of the classroom, Zhao Long had asked Wang Hu to check if there were any SS-rank Artifact Spirits that were uncontracted, as he had not yet made a Contract, even though he had prepared for the Newcomer's Competition, Contracting an Artifact Spirit was the top priority.
Wang Hu shook his head helplessly, "Brother Long, there are only three SS-rank Artifact Spirits entering the academy this year, and they were all contracted by other SS-rank Spirit Masters early on; there are no uncontracted Artifact Spirits left."
Zhao Long's brow furrowed a bit, but this answer was within his expectations.
When he gave up on others for Ye Youlong, he'd already foreseen this outcome.
He wished he could keep an SS-rank as a backup, but SS-rank Artifact Spirits were desired commodities wherever they went.
Whether they were girls from powerful families or poor girls from ordinary families, as long as they awakened an SS-rank Artifact Spirit, they were sought after without exception.
Especially those with no background, they were almost always lured and bought by great clans immediately upon awakening.
It was simply impossible for Zhao Long to keep an SS-rank Artifact Spirit as a backup.
"What about the S-rank ones?"
Zhao Long was somewhat regretful about his impulsiveness back then.
It was mainly because he had comprehensive data at the time - Ye Youlong's personality, information of geniuses awakening in the Four Great Spirit Academy, he knew them all very clearly. Based on selection and investigation, he had a high chance of believing Ye Youlong would ultimately choose him.
But he didn't expect Xiao Zhan to come out of nowhere.
"There are no S-rank ones left either... Brother Long, at this point, the talents with good potential are almost all contracted," Wang Hu said.
Geniuses were greatly desired, often contracted on the day of awakening.
By the second day, there were almost no contracts left.
For someone like Zhao Long, who delayed nearly a week, it was extremely rare.
Hearing this, Zhao Long couldn't hide a hint of urgency in his demeanor, truly a loss of both wife and soldiers!
He thought angrily, "Without it, can't you try to snatch someone away? If SS-rank is hard to snatch, is S-rank really hard to snatch? There are so many wealthy and powerful; a whole bunch of S-ranks with no background are waiting, and you don't think of any ideas?"
S-rank students were treated as geniuses and treasures in other academies.
But in the Four Great Spirit Academy, they might only be given a few more glances.
There are only eight great families in total, and with his resources and background at the White Emperor Spirit Academy, it would be a breeze for Zhao Long to snatch an S-rank from the wall.
Wang Hu, scolded, didn't dare to retort, "Yes, yes, I'll go contact some Artifact Spirits right away."
"One person looking would take forever; have your underlings all look for it!"
"Yes, Brother Long!"
Just as Wang Hu was about to leave, a black-haired, short-haired man approached.