The worse you are, the stronger you become: My summoned beast is a photographer.

He had just taken a step toward the manor when the guard called out again, "Sir, someone has come to visit."

Everyone turned to look, and saw a huge carriage parked at the entrance. The noble emblem on the carriage was the family crest of Principal Hollen Arthur Edstein—a griffin with outstretched wings and ancient inscriptions on the shield.

Valerius hurried forward, his pace even faster than when he greeted the city lord earlier: "Headmaster, welcome, welcome! I wonder if you've come all this way because Aura has gotten into some trouble at school?" His tone carried a hint of nervousness, after all, the headmaster's personal visit was probably not a good thing.

Hollen got out of the car, his long trunk curling slightly as he smiled kindly: "Aura is an outstanding student at school. It's just that she hasn't been to school for a while, as she's representing Pudi Yale Academy in the humanities competition. I was worried about her, so I came to check on her."

He looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle, his gaze landing on the spire of the manor tower, and said with a hint of apology, "Did I come at the wrong time and disturb your lunch?"

Valerius's lips twitched—they hadn't even changed their lines; they were just here to freeload, yet they made it sound so high and mighty. He still maintained his gentlemanly demeanor, bowing slightly: "No disturbance. If the headmaster doesn't mind, please have lunch here."

"Then I'll have to trouble you." Hollen readily agreed, shaking his elephant trunk happily. He glanced at the city lord and Marquis Leonardo da Vinci not far away; it seemed the Aura family was quite lively today. His gaze swept over the group, and he understood—they were all there for the meal.

The group tacitly understood why the other party had come to Raven Crest's house, and greeted him in a friendly manner: "Greetings, Lord City Lord."

"Hello, Headmaster." Karen realized that Hollen's excuse was good—using a home visit as an excuse to freeload a meal. Next time, he would use work as an excuse to come over. He winked at Hollen, who returned a knowing smile.

The manor's kitchen instantly sprang into action. Centaurs are known for their large appetites, so meals are usually prepared in large pots. Now, with five more people joining in, Isabella, wielding a large spatula, was so exhausted that her hands trembled, and flour clung to her antlers. The oil in the pots sizzled, and the stove was piled high with vegetables and meats waiting to be chopped. The cooks were busy at work, their feet barely touching the ground.

"Sister Aura, are you serious about representing the school in the humanities competition?" Aurora knew Aura well; she was a natural-born knight and quite famous at school, but humanities were really not her thing. Her cat ears perked up slightly, her eyes full of curiosity.

"Mmm." Aura nodded gently, her fingers lightly stroking Ming Luochen's hand. It had been a long time since she had played with Aurora and Orion at a prestigious school in the capital, and their relationship had become a little distant.

"Speaking of the liberal arts competition, Aura, you and Ming Luochen are already married, so it's time to start studying and preparing. It's a competition that brings together the nation's elites, and from today onwards, I will be in charge of supervising your studies." Hollen, patting his full stomach, began to lecture in a serious manner, raising his trunk high and striking the pose of a strict teacher.

Ming Luochen looked at him strangely. Tutoring him? He probably just came to freeload. There was still over a month until the competition; he was planning to relax with his wife and go to the area around Herma. This guy was a third wheel. He secretly rolled his eyes, and Aura pinched him under the table.

"Thank you, Headmaster. I'll leave Aura in your care." Valerius felt deeply honored, straightening his back slightly. To have a headmaster personally teach her—and Hollen wasn't just any honorary headmaster of a high school, but the headmaster of the Southwest Sacred Academy and the Minister of Education for the Southwest Region—a figure equivalent to a duke. How much influence would that require? Even the city lord would have a hard time getting Hollen to help, let alone have him tutor her personally. He secretly glanced at the city lord; Karen was holding a teacup, her expression unchanged.

Aura didn't care, but when she sensed Ming Luochen sighing inwardly, she comforted him by holding his hand and gently scratching his palm with her fingertips.

Ming Luochen glanced at his wife, then looked at Huo Lun, unconsciously thinking of a character—Hong Qigong. They were both there to freeload, and this old man actually had some skill; if he could teach his wife, it might greatly improve her abilities. He fell into thought, recalling from his wife's memories that Huo Lun was very strong, held a high position, and was extremely knowledgeable. How could someone who could become the Minister of Education for the southwest region of the empire be simple? He then expressed his opinion, his tone becoming more sincere: "Then I'll trouble the principal."

Aura participating in the humanities competition? Orion couldn't even imagine it. Had the competition become less prestigious, or had Aura, this academically challenged girl, suddenly become smarter? He still remembered Aura as a child, picking up bugs from the ground with snot running down her face—a girl who was all brawn and no brains. A smirk crept onto his lips, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

Although not a humanities student, Orian had attended the Humanities Competition. It was a top-tier event where geniuses from all the major universities in the capital fought tooth and nail, showcasing unparalleled talent and intelligence. How could a mediocre student like him from the backward Helma University be qualified to participate? He was curious to see how they studied, and said, "Principal, Orian, can I listen in too?"

Hollen looked at Orion. He was already a sophomore at the Imperial Royal Public University, a burly man with neatly groomed golden hair and sharp eyes. Even Aurora was only a freshman; she shouldn't be a spy. He nodded in agreement: "Okay."

After lunch, the butler arranged for everyone to review in the conference room. Addison and his servants quickly cleared the table and served black tea and snacks.

The knight's meeting room was furnished entirely with military-related items—various swords and shields hung on the walls, several armor racks stood in the corner, and yellowed maps lay spread out on the table, exuding a solemn atmosphere. Sunlight streamed in obliquely from the high windows, casting dappled shadows on the wooden floor.

Hollen sat in the main seat, his trunk curling slightly, and began to speak earnestly: "The humanities competition is generally divided into three main parts. The first is the preliminary round, which consists of a 1,000-point quiz. The time allotted for a typical humanities student is only enough to complete 100 questions. It's all about who can answer the most. Each correct answer earns one point, and the first round is ranked based on scores. There's only one secret to winning: speed. Answer as fast as you can. Although there are 1,000 questions, there are only 30 minutes. It's impossible to finish all the questions; you can only answer what you're best at and try to grab points."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, and then said, "In the past five years, the scores of humanities geniuses have generally been around 250 points. To get a ranking, you must answer 250 questions correctly within 30 minutes."

"The first round tests knowledge reserves, directly selecting the top sixteen to advance to the second round of the quiz. They are divided into four groups, with two people drawn by lot to compete against each other. The top four are selected to compete for the championship in the third round. The second round consists entirely of calculation questions, presented on the spot, a true test of ability. By this stage, the four finalists are basically at the same level in terms of speed and knowledge reserves. The final round is an on-site essay, with questions set and scored by the judges. The content of the assessment is uncertain, and it tests the contestants' creativity."

Ming Luochen had known beforehand that the liberal arts competition was no different from a knowledge contest. The key was that competing against a bunch of orcs with low levels of knowledge was really not interesting. He leaned back in his chair, his fingers unconsciously drawing circles on the table.

"Then today we'll have our first round of review." Hollen took out paper and pen and handed them to Aura, his movements as solemn as if he were handing over some sacred object. "I'll time you, thirty minutes, let's see how many questions you can answer correctly."

"Do I have to answer the questions too?" Aura looked at the test paper, somewhat reluctant, her brows furrowing into a small knot.

Orion and Hollen seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. Ming Luochen was supposed to be just a summoned beast, yet the person who was actually participating in the competition didn't want to answer the questions? Orion's lips twitched, and he almost couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Otherwise what?" Hollen retorted speechlessly, his trunk practically twisted with anger. "You're the one going to participate; Ming Luochen is just accompanying and assisting you."

"Yes, summoned beasts aren't qualified to participate in the competition; they can only assist you in completing it." Orion couldn't help but laugh. Sure enough, Ora was still the same Ora, with only fighting on her mind.

"It's alright, it's alright, leave it all to me." Ming Luochen reassured Aura by holding her hand, his palm warm. He glanced at Hollen and Orion out of the corner of his eye, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Body swap, you can go out and have some fun."

Aura did not refuse, activating mental resonance and unleashing her skill—Soul Swap. Their eyes changed simultaneously in that instant, like two lamps being relit.

Ming Luochen, who controlled Aura's body, looked at Hollen and Orion, a hint of mockery on his lips, his eyes radiating a "you just wait and see" confidence. Just because his wife wasn't smart didn't mean he was. He casually picked up the exam paper, lightly flicking the surface with his fingers: "Let's begin."

Aura didn't help Ming Luochen train his body; she was more curious about how many questions he could answer correctly. Using Ming Luochen's body, she sat obediently to the side, her hands on her knees, looking at "herself" with an infatuated and adoring gaze, just like a docile kitten.

"Why do you two seem like completely different people?" Aurora asked, puzzled. Ming Luochen (Aurora's soul) was sitting obediently to one side, while Aurora (Ming Luochen's soul) exuded a powerful confidence and a wicked smile, as if she had become a different person.

Orion was shocked, his pupils dilating sharply: "Body swapping? Your mental resonance is so high!" He had seen many genius beast tamers in the capital, but none of them could achieve body swapping in such a short time after the contract was signed.

Hollen observed quietly, his trunk curling slightly. He felt that after Ming Luochen and Aura switched bodies, they were actually more normal. After all, summoned beasts were meant to assist their beast tamers, and while Ming Luochen was clever, he was too weak, and Aura was diligent, she wasn't smart. His tone became more serious as he reminded them, "However, I must remind you that the rules of the humanities competition are that summoned beasts can help their own beast tamers, but they cannot use any skills on other participants, especially Ming Luochen's innate skills. They absolutely cannot be used, otherwise it would be a serious violation."

"I know," Aura (Ming Luochen) replied earnestly, abandoning her earlier nonchalant attitude. The humanities and martial arts are completely opposite; in martial arts, summoned beasts can attack opponents, but the humanities emphasize fairness and impartiality.

Orion watched with amusement as Ming Luochen's body was now under Aura's control—not only had his demeanor become respectful and obedient, but he also resembled Aura's adorable little husband, resting his chin on his hand and gazing at "Aura" with bright, sparkling eyes. It was quite amusing. He couldn't help but whisper to his sister, "Look at them, don't they look like two people whose souls have been swapped?"

Aurora smiled, her cat ears twitching slightly.

Ming Luochen (using Aura's body) picked up his pen, glanced at the exam paper, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

A thousand questions? Thirty minutes?

He wanted to see how much faster the "geniuses" of this world could be than him, an undergraduate student from Earth.