I, the heir of the great Eastern nation

After distributing the money, Liu Zhao quickly divided the villagers into twelve groups, with two to three people in each group.

Then, the entrances to the lair that each group was responsible for were marked on the map.

"From now on, you all need to remember which entrance your group is responsible for. After you've memorized it, you have three hours to collect firewood and fuel from the nearest entrance."

"During this time, Miss Christine and I will be patrolling the area to guard against sudden attacks from the demonized wolves."

"Three hours later, we set fire to all the entrances at the same time and burned all the demonized wolves in the lair."

"After that, you will continue to work together to enter the lair and clear out the last remaining fish. Once the mission is completed, I will give you the remaining silver coin."

"..."

Soon, as Liu Zhao repeated all the arrangements and instructions, the villagers, clutching the silver coins they had just received, were filled with excitement and full of energy as they headed towards their respective areas of responsibility.

Liu Zhao and Christine were responsible for constantly patrolling and providing support in the surrounding area.

Three hours passed quickly.

As dusk approached, the villagers from each group had already prepared the necessary firewood and fuel at the entrance, waiting for Liu Zhao's order to start the fire immediately.

Looking at the villagers who had already brought torches and the large piles of firewood, one could see...

Christine, who had never experienced setting a fire with so many people before, couldn't help but feel a little excited.

"That's about enough, can we start the fire now?"

She also held a torch in her hand, looking at Liu Zhao beside her with some anticipation.

Liu Zhao nodded.

"Alright, I'll notify the others to take action now."

After saying that, Liu Zhao immediately raised his hand and activated his magic, casting three illumination spells into the dim sky.

A bright white light appeared in the sky, illuminating the positions of Liu Zhao and Christine, while also signaling to the villagers at other entrances.

"It's His Highness's signal!"

"Time's up, ignite!"

Soon, the villagers who were not far away threw out their torches after seeing the signal.

In an instant, bright flames lit up everywhere.

Seeing this, Christine, who was standing next to her, showed excitement in her eyes. She was about to light a fire as well, but Liu Zhao stopped her.

"Wait, let's not order yet."

Liu Zhao's words made Christine look puzzled.

Why?

Liu Zhao smiled slightly.

"There's a saying that a cornered beast will fight back, and its ferocity will only increase. Once we block all the entrances and exits, those demonic wolves, which already possess some intelligence, will inevitably unleash a ferocity far exceeding their usual level and forcefully break through when they see no hope of survival. At that point, the villagers alone certainly won't be able to stop them."

Therefore, rather than allowing some to slip through the net, we should deliberately leave an obvious loophole for them to exploit. This way, we have a way out, which will prevent the demonized wolves from going berserk and also avoid unnecessary casualties among the villagers.

After all, dealing with a group of terrified deserters who only want to escape is easier than dealing with a group of desperate thugs fighting to the death, isn't it?

After listening to Liu Zhao's words, Christine paused for a moment, seemingly pondering, before nodding in agreement.

"That makes some sense."

After she finished speaking, she frowned slightly again.

"The method is sound, but with just the two of us, what if too many mutated wolves rush out..."

Seeing her hesitation, Liu Zhao turned his head, raised an eyebrow and smiled at her.

"What's wrong, class monitor? Are you scared? If you're scared, you can stay away. I can manage on my own."

In that instant, upon hearing the word "fear," Christine reacted as if on cue, gripping the torch tightly and turning to give Liu Zhao a cold smile.

"Afraid? What a joke! Why would I, Christine, be afraid? You should worry about yourself instead, lest I have to come to your rescue again."

Hearing this, and seeing the blue-haired girl's stubborn expression, Liu Zhao couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle.

Soon, as the fires at each entrance grew larger, the entire valley was illuminated in a fiery red glow.

Finally, as the flames and thick smoke gradually spread to the wolf's lair, the howls of wolves began to echo throughout the valley.

Just as Liu Zhao had anticipated, the mutated wolf pack, which already possessed some intelligence, quickly surged towards Liu Zhao's location when they discovered that all other entrances and exits were blocked by flames, leaving only Liu Zhao's side untouched by fire. These fire-fearing beasts were a formidable force.

However, compared to their aggressive harassment of the village during the day, the demonized wolves, now ravaged by fire and terrified, are only trying to escape the flames, and their fighting strength has been reduced by at least half.

In front of Liu Zhao, they were practically no different from dogs in distress.

"It's time for us to perform, class monitor."

Amplification Magic: Acceleration

Amplification Magic: Might

With the skillful execution of two amplification spells, Liu Zhao moved swiftly, clenching his fists as he charged toward the demonized wolf at the entrance.

Not far behind him, Christine, who had been waiting in ambush, stood on a tall rock and used her magic from above.

Before us, there was Liu Zhao, the God of War, who could take down any monster with a single punch.

Christine provided fire support from behind, with fireballs and wind blades flying together.

One in front and one behind, one at a distance and one near, they intercepted and killed all the continuously escaping demonic wolves on the spot.

Before they knew it, an hour had passed quickly. When the raging fire completely engulfed the nest, the elite demonic wolf, which had been hiding in the shadows and was twice the size of half a demonic wolf, was finally forced to reveal itself.

However, already covered in wounds and without its henchmen to cooperate, it ultimately could not escape its fate of being killed.

After being knocked down by Liu Zhao's punches, Christine severed his head with a wind blade, killing him instantly.

Then, as the fire was almost extinguished, Liu Zhao led everyone into the wolf den to carry out a final cleanup, eliminating all the demonized wolves hiding in the corners, as planned.

Finally, after confirming that there were no more living demonized wolves in the entire wolf den, Liu Zhao grinned.

"Well done, everyone! Now it's time for me to keep my promise."

In front of all the villagers, Liu Zhao took out his money bag, held it high, and shouted.

"Everyone, come and get your share of the money!"

Having learned from the previous experience, the villagers lined up very conscientiously without Liu Zhao having to ask them to.

Soon, when they all received their own silver coin, an unbelievable ecstasy burst forth in everyone's eyes.

Then, without anyone knowing who started it, all the villagers began shouting loudly.

"Long live Your Highness!"

"Long live Your Highness!"

While shouting, he knelt down and bowed, his tone full of sincerity and gratitude.

Even Christine, who was standing next to Liu Zhao, became an object of their gratitude and worship.

"Long live Your Highness!"

"Long live Miss Lance!"

"..."

His emotions were genuine, and he even choked up with emotion.

At this moment, Liu Zhao stood in the center of the crowd, looking at the villagers kneeling in unison before him, his feelings were incredibly complex.

Awkward!

It's so awkward!

Even now, he still finds it hard to accept seeing others kneel before him; the awkward feeling in his heart makes his scalp tingle.

However, he resisted the urge to forcefully help the other person up, and after feigning a couple of laughs, he turned and walked towards the village.

"Let's go, it's time to go back to the village."

Christine, who was also worshipped by the villagers, thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of being admired and appreciated. In her good mood, she suddenly found these commoners, whom she usually looked down upon, much more agreeable.

Soon after, that same night, Liu Zhao and Christine, who had spearheaded the burning of the wolf's den, were warmly received by the villagers and invited to stay in the village for a good night's rest.

The next day at noon, just as the competition was about to end, the two of them descended the mountain and walked out of Black Stone Mountain one after the other.

Then, at the meeting point at the foot of the mountain, Hills, the white-bearded old man who served as the vice principal, announced the final results of the competition in front of everyone with a smile.

"The winner of this freshman trial competition, and also designated as the top freshman of this year, is named: Liu Zhao!"

Christine came in second place.

As Liu Zhao sat in the carriage returning to the capital, just as he was about to close his eyes and rest, Christine, who was sitting opposite him, suddenly leaned over, her beautiful pale purple eyes filled with curiosity as she quietly stared at him.

Then, he asked a question that Liu Zhao had never expected.

"I've noticed something's wrong with you."

"Why do you treat commoners better than nobles?"