The guest officiants Zhu and Zhang had not been with the Zhang family for long and were unaware of its past.
However, the Zhang family was undeniably in decline.
Only the support of the Shadow Organization prevented its flaws from becoming apparent.
But now that the Shadow Organization had returned, this notorious group would not be so benevolent as to help a decaying family maintain its status quo.
Instead, they aimed to profit from it!
Once the Shadow Organization achieved its goals, why would they spare another glance at the Zhang family?
By then, the Zhang family's end would be nigh!
Guest officiants Zhu and Zhao were not optimistic about the Zhang family's future development.
They were even beginning to consider their options, planning to jump ship to another family or even the Shadow Organization if the opportunity arose.
This way, they could avoid sinking with the Zhang family's ship…
Meanwhile, Zhang Shaohua was oblivious to the petty schemes of his two guest officiants.
He stormed out of his room in a huff, his anger escalating with every step he took!
To this day, he couldn't comprehend how things had devolved into their current state.
He recalled the burning passion he felt when he first joined the Dragon Group's freshman training camp.
He was convinced he would distinguish himself during the training and be looked up to by everyone!
But now.
The results of two consecutive training sessions were like slaps to his face.
Zhou Yu, whom Zhang Shaohua had once disdained, was now a member of the observer group, looking down from above.
Da Xiong, whom Zhang Shaohua had dismissed, had become a favored trainee of Lin Weidong.
Yet Zhang Shaohua himself had performed poorly in two consecutive training sessions.
Worse still, he had ranked last.
Even below Ouyang Feng!
How could Zhang Shaohua, who had been pampered since childhood and considered himself superior, accept this?
As Zhang Shaohua kicked a stone on the ground, lost in thought, he heard people nearby discussing the current training mission.
"I never imagined that young master Yang, who looks so ordinary and whom I once thought was all brawn and no brain, would actually shine so brightly!"
said one freshman, his eyes filled with admiration.
Everyone knew the Yang family's situation.
Therefore, despite being a first-rate family, Da Xiong was not highly regarded upon his arrival at the freshman training camp.
Only those who were close to Da Xiong were willing to team up with him.
However, as Da Xiong's performance in training became increasingly outstanding, coupled with Lin Weidong's attitude,
everyone knew that even if Da Xiong didn't return to inherit the Yang family's business, he would achieve great things!
After all, the resources available through the Dragon Group, while not comparable to super families, were still ample compared to other first-rate families.
With the Dragon Group's cultivation, Da Xiong could even lead the Yang family to rise again in the future!
"If I had known, I would have teamed up with Da Xiong. I could have even won first place. Ah, it's all my fault for being shortsighted," lamented another freshman, shaking his head.
Opportunity knocks but once.
They finally understood this now.
Zhang Shaohua, overhearing their conversation, felt his heart sink as if steeped in a pot of sour vinegar, burning with unbearable intensity.
Intense jealousy gnawed at his heart like a snake!
No!
It should be him, Zhang Shaohua, who was stealing the spotlight!
It should be him, Zhang Shaohua, whom others scrambled to team up with!
What right did Da Xiong have?
Flames blazed in Zhang Shaohua's eyes.
He had failed the flag-collecting mission because the Dragon Group had forcefully reinterpreted the rules.
He had failed the hostage rescue mission because Lin Weidong had arbitrarily changed the mission parameters.
It was all the Dragon Group, it was Lin Weidong, targeting him!
Thinking of Zhou Yu, who was so close to Lin Weidong, Zhang Shaohua suddenly felt he had found the truth.
Lin Weidong had no grievances with the Zhang family; there was no reason for him to target them.
The only explanation was that Zhou Yu, for some reason, had gained Lin Weidong's favor and joined the observer group.
Zhou Yu must have been speaking ill of him to Lin Weidong recently!
That's why Lin Weidong had repeatedly made things difficult for him with the rules!
As Zhang Shaohua pondered, his anger surged even higher.
Every time he encountered this Zhou Yu, something bad always happened!
Of course, people like Zhang Shaohua never considered that the problem might be their own.
After all, admitting to being useless or even morally flawed could easily lead to the collapse of one's Dao heart.
However, blaming others and shifting the responsibility for one's failures onto them was very easy.
After all, if there's an easy path, why would anyone choose the arduous one?
After the hostage rescue mission, there was a period of training.
Unlike during missions.
Daily training primarily consisted of obedience drills.
However, based on the previous missions, Lin Weidong had gained an understanding of most freshmen's personalities and strengths.
Therefore, the current training had become targeted.
The goal was to cultivate diverse talents.
Those who were fast would continue to be trained in speed.
Those with strong reconnaissance abilities would also be trained in that direction.
After all, Dragon Group members needed to undertake a variety of missions.
Although they were all martial artists, not every situation could be overcome by brute force.
Zhang Shaohua's training involved combat.
This was because, in the hostage rescue mission, Lin Weidong believed Zhang Shaohua possessed considerable talent in close-quarters combat.
With systematic training, he could have considerable potential in the future.
But Zhang Shaohua was sulking!
He believed fighting was the act of a brute.
As the heir of a prominent family, he rarely engaged in combat himself.
What were the family's guest officiants and masters for if not for that?
Engaging in combat personally was beneath him!
Therefore, Zhang Shaohua was fundamentally resistant to combat training and was more interested in other nearby training sessions.
The trainer responsible for Zhang Shaohua was a retired member of the Dragon Group, possessing extensive combat experience and astonishing strength.
However, he had suffered an accident during a mission years ago and was injured.
Forced to, he had to step down from frontline work.
This retired member had initially wanted to train Zhang Shaohua well, having seen the footage from the hostage rescue mission, he believed Zhang Shaohua indeed had significant talent in combat.
But Zhang Shaohua's distracted demeanor made the retired member see clearly.
If the person himself was unwilling to train, why should he, a retired member, push himself?
It was like a eunuch being more anxious than the emperor.
Therefore, if Zhang Shaohua was unwilling, his coach, who was responsible for training him, also lost interest in strict discipline.
Instead, he turned a blind eye. Even if Zhang Shaohua was distracted, the retired member pretended not to see.