CHAPTER 318: CHAPTER 161 JEALOUSY STRIKES! REWARDING THE TALENTED PAUPER WITH EXTRA UPDATES!_3

Qin Yao said sweetly, "Ah, it’s my turn. I’m a bit nervous."

As she said this, she turned her head to look at Su Yan, hoping for some comforting warmth.

However, Su Yan remained unmoved.

Feeling somewhat disappointed, she then gracefully rose and walked towards the stage.

Just as Qin Yao had taken a few steps, An Shihua, who was beside Su Yan, also stood up.

She was number 423, and it was her turn to go on stage with Qin Yao for the showcase.

Watching Qin Yao walk towards the stage with her cutesy steps, An Shihua quietly disdained, What a ridiculously pretentious girl.

All of Qin Yao’s behavior—acting cute, playing coy—looked to An Shihua like the typical image of a scheming "green tea."

Her speech, peppered with cutesy interjections like "ah," "oh," and "la," and even her movements, overflowed with an air of deliberate cuteness.

Every gesture was cute, then more cute; it was clearly all an act.

Honestly, how could a normal person put on such a display of cuteness all the time? It’s so blatant, so incredibly forced.

An Shihua scoffed at such behavior. Her already poor impression of Qin Yao worsened, though it wasn’t high to begin with; this just gave her more reason to dislike her.

Quickly, under the watchful eyes of many students, Qin Yao climbed onto the stage, her movements somewhat shy.

This behavior wasn’t feigned. The thought of Su Yan watching her from the audience simply made her nervous and involuntarily shy.

"Is that really Qin Yao?"

"Wasn’t she known as the Ice Snow Queen before? Why is she acting like a bashful little woman now?"

"Probably feels pressured with so many geniuses around."

Some of the students who knew Qin Yao couldn’t help blurting out these questions when they saw her bashful demeanor.

Seeing this, An Shihua, who was waiting to go on stage, couldn’t help but sneer again, "Heh, what an act."

Su Yan is watching me... Qin Yao glanced towards Su Yan in the audience. Noticing he was indeed looking at her, she felt another wave of nervousness.

But quickly, she composed herself and turned to the six deans in front, saying, "Hello, Deans. Next, I would like to demonstrate my knowledge of Spirit Plants, and I might need Dean Bai Jie’s cooperation."

"Oh, that’s no problem." Dean Bai Jie smiled and readily agreed to Qin Yao’s request.

The other deans, seeing this, began whispering to each other:

"Looks like this new student is particularly interested in Dean Bai Jie’s Institute of Plant Cultivation."

"Old Liu, is this the second daughter from Qin Family’s Commercial Firm?"

"Well, she is quite charming. She and my grandson could make a good match."

While the deans were whispering among themselves, Dean Bai Jie spoke again, "May I ask, student, how would you like me to assist you?"

Qin Yao looked at Dean Bai Jie and replied confidently, "I have been learning about Spirit Plants since I was young, and I believe I am far beyond my peers in this field. Therefore, Dean Bai Jie, you may ask me any question about Spirit Plants. As long as the question is within the university curriculum, I can answer it."

Oh? A very confident student indeed... Dean Bai Jie thought. She then raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile, "Well then, I ask you, what is the most abundant Spirit Plant in Whale Country currently, and what are its effects?"

"Mountain Dark Bud is currently the most abundant Spirit Plant in Whale Country. It can significantly increase Qi and Blood Value for a short period, and some of exceptional quality can even permanently raise a certain amount of Qi and Blood Value. It is often used as the main ingredient in making Blood Concentration Pills."

Qin Yao began to respond the moment Dean Bai Jie finished her question.

Her answer was quite comprehensive, eliciting exclamations from the crowd below.

Clearly, they did not expect this cute girl on stage to be such a hidden powerhouse.

Indeed, appearances can be deceiving.

After hearing Qin Yao’s reply, Dean Bai Jie couldn’t help but nod in satisfaction. This student is quite impressive, she thought.

However, the real test had just begun. That initial question was merely a warm-up.

Soon, Dean Bai Jie asked once more, "Tell me, in what region does Dragon Bone Grass primarily grow, what is its growth cycle, its primary effects, and what are the side effects of consuming it?"

This time, she asked about a rather uncommon Spirit Plant. During the end-of-term assessment last semester, many students who had been studying in the Institute of Plant Cultivation for two or three years hadn’t been able to answer it completely.

She was quite curious if this self-confident girl, who claimed her knowledge of Spirit Plants far surpassed her peers, could answer it completely.

It was genuinely rather exciting to see.

Facing Dean Bai Jie’s second question, Qin Yao paused to think for a moment.

Then she answered smoothly, "Dragon Bone Grass mainly grows in the Donghai Xianpian Region of our country. It is a Spirit Plant unique to our nation. Under normal conditions, it only grows in areas with high water pressure deep in the straits, usually accompanied by Dragon Fish, making it risky to harvest. Its growth cycle is about five to ten years, with eight years being the optimal period. Its main effects are enhancing Swimming Ability, strengthening the body’s skeleton, and accelerating the rate of evolution to a certain extent. As for side effects, if I remember correctly, unless there’s a food allergy, it generally doesn’t have any under normal circumstances."