242: Chapter 243 Praise can also become a rope; excellence is not a pre-registration.

[Luochuan Flood Control Outstanding Reserve List]

The first line lit up.

[Lin Xiaokui]

[Performance: Participated in route mapping despite being in a state of fear]

[Recommendation: Focus on cultivating towards hydrology mapping]

In the Shiqiao Elementary School auditorium, the little girl who had just written "I am afraid of water" saw the color drain from her face bit by bit.

She clutched her paper tightly in her hands.

The four words on the paper were still there.

[I am afraid of water]

But right next to those four words, the system pasted another layer of light.

[Overcame fear]

[Possesses cultivation value]

[Outstanding reserve]

Lin Xiaokui looked up at Guo He, tears spinning in her eyes.

"Teacher."

"When I helped draw the map, is it going to turn into a profession again?"

Many children in the auditorium stopped talking.

Just moments ago, they dared to raise their hands, pass notes, draw routes, and knock on their desks because Guo He had told them:

"Helping is not occupational preregistration."

But now the system wasn't forcing them.

It changed to praise.

Praising you for being brave.

Praising you for being useful.

Praising you for being worthy of key cultivation.

It was prettier than intimidation.

And even harder to refuse.

Guo He gripped her chalk so tightly her knuckles turned white.

She looked at that list of outstanding individuals, feeling for the first time that the two words "outstanding" were like a rope.

Standing in the rain on the embankment, Liang Fu also saw the list.

His expression was extremely ugly.

Because he knew that this kind of list was far too common in Luochuan.

Outstanding Flood Control Youth.

Embankment Reserve Star.

Hydrology Observation Sapling.

Youth Dike-Guarding Honor Roll.

In the past, after every flood season, the Vocational Association would issue certificates of merit to the children.

They felt that was encouragement.

And the children would smile as they took them home.

But how many children started from a single certificate of merit, only to be pushed all the way along by thoughts like "since you have talent," "since you are outstanding," and "since you have been commended"?

Until they finally stood in a position they had never chosen for themselves.

The system continued to generate the second line.

[Zhou Yu]

[Performance: Provided information on household moisture-proof mats]

[Recommendation: Material allocation direction]

Third line.

[Qiu Nannan]

[Performance: Assisted elderly settlement routes]

[Recommendation: Low-risk evacuation guidance direction]

Fourth line.

[Lin Xiaokui]

[Remarks: Fears aquatic environments but still participated in mapping; suitable for reverse cultivation]

Lin Xiaokui finally burst into tears.

"I don't want reverse cultivation!"

"I'm just scared!"

As soon as her cry came out, the system immediately popped up:

[Emotional fluctuation]

[Recommended that the teacher soothe her before retaining the cultivation Record]

Guo He fiercely slammed her chalk against the blackboard.

"Stop."

This time, she didn't wait for Jiangcheng.

Nor did she look at Liang Fu.

She wrote it herself:

[Shiqiao Elementary School Guo He corroborating testimony: Lin Xiaokui's participation in route mapping is solely for this disaster relief assistance.]

[Personal quote: I am afraid of water; I do not want reverse cultivation.]

[Apply to suspend and revise the outstanding reserve list.]

The children also shouted along.

"Stop!"

"Stop!"

"Stop!"

One childish request after another to suspend and revise slammed from the auditorium into Luochuan's local work orders.

Ye Guizhou's seal sound fell.

[Local suspension and revision received]

Luo Wensheng recorded:

[Praise, certificates of merit, outstanding lists, and reserve recommendations, if they alter a person's future career consequences, should be included in the scope of suspension and revision.]

Looking at that list in Jiangcheng, Lin Jin's voice was very heavy.

"It finally stopped using old blades."

"And switched to handing out certificates of merit."

Chen Ye wore a disgusted expression.

"Can certificates of merit hurt people too?"

Teacher Song Qing dialed in from Qinghe County, her voice colder than usual.

"They definitely can."

"Many children aren't pushed away by commands at the start."

"They are praised away."

"You're so brave."

"You're so well-suited."

"You are everyone's hope."

"You cannot let the certificate of merit down."

Shen Tingxue looked at the little girl in the Luochuan auditorium, her gaze darkening slightly.

She had heard too many similar words in the past.

Ice Phoenix genius.

Shen Family pride.

Jiangcheng's future.

Every single sentence was like a floral wreath.

Only after wearing it for a long time did one realize there was a lock underneath.

Zhou Heng also fell silent for a moment.

That [Thunder Spear never retreats] plaque in the Zhou Family training ground—was that not simply a certificate of merit written on the wall?

Lin Jin pressed his new tool down against Luochuan's outstanding reserve list.

The system immediately explained.

[Outstanding Records do not constitute mandatory occupational preregistration]

[Used solely for subsequent cultivation reference]

Guo He said coldly:

"Who can view this reference?"

[Schools, Vocational Association, parents, local training institutions, awakening windows]

"Doesn't that still end up in the archives?"

The system paused.

Liang Fu suddenly spoke up.

"Pull up the whereabouts of Luochuan's past outstanding reserves."

The system did not respond immediately.

Inspector Han Su's Shizhi Blade slipped slightly from its sheath.

"Pull it up."

Luochuan's old archives opened.

Five years ago, the [Flood Control Outstanding Reserve List] had two hundred and seventeen people.

Among them, one hundred and sixty-four entered water-system-related occupational preregistration.

Ninety-six later awakened flood control, drainage, or hydrology-related professions.

Thirty-two had their applications to transfer rejected.

Eleven were injured due to flood season posts.

Two died.

Three years ago, the [Youth Dike-Guarding Honor Roll] had one hundred and eighty people.

Among them, seventy-six participated in high-risk dike-patrol training during their minor years.

Twenty-one left behind flood disaster stress Records.

Last year, the [Luochuan Hydrology Hope List] had ninety-three people.

Among them, one name caused Guo He's expression to change drastically.

[Lin Xiaokui]

[Performance: Drew water accumulation routes near home]

[Recommendation: Continuous observation]

Lin Xiaokui's crying stopped abruptly.

She had already been on the list once before.

It was just that no one told her.

Guo He stared at that line of text, her voice trembling.

"She was only nine years old last year."

Standing in the rain, Liang Fu turned ashen-faced.

"I didn't know this list would end up entering preregistration later."

Guo He looked at him.

"When you handed out certificates of merit, you didn't ask the children if they were willing to be observed in the future either."

Liang Fu had nothing to say.

The system continued to argue.

[Outstanding Records can enhance educational resource tilt]

[Contributes to the development of talent]

Lin Xiaokui cried out:

"I don't want hydrology resources!"

"I want to learn how to draw!"

She flipped over her route map, which had been blurred by rainwater.

On the back was drawn a very large bird.

The bird's wings were a mess, yet it flew very high.

No one in the auditorium laughed.

Guo He squatted down and showed both sides of that piece of paper to the local work orders.

"The front is the disaster relief route."

"The back is her bird."

"Record both."

Luo Wensheng immediately wrote:

[The same piece of paper can simultaneously serve as disaster relief assistance and personal expression.]

[Disaster relief assistance must not swallow up personal wishes.]

Ye Guizhou stamped it:

[Lin Xiaokui's personal statement received: Wants to learn drawing, does not want reverse cultivation in the hydrology direction.]

He Zhibai added:

[The cost of educational resource redistribution caused by canceling outstanding reserves shall be borne publicly; resource tilt must not be used to induce the acceptance of career directions.]

Lin Jin looked at Teacher Xu Wenzhou.

"Slash the definitions."

The old definitions surfaced.

[Outstanding performance = Basis for occupational cultivation]

[Public praise = Personal default acceptance of subsequent cultivation]

[Reward resources = Future direction binding]

Teacher Xu Wenzhou raised 002.

Holding down the new tool, Lin Jin said word by word:

"Praise can only praise what has already been done."

"It cannot buy away a person's future."

The blade fell.

Snap!

All three definitions cracked simultaneously.

New grayish-white rules covered Luochuan's list.

[Outstanding Record isolation rules]

[1. Disaster relief assistance, classroom performance, brave acts, and temporary contributions may be thanked, recorded, and rewarded.]

[2. Thanks and rewards must not automatically enter occupational preregistration, reserve lists, cultivation directions, or awakening recommendations.]

[3. The text of the certificate of merit must explicitly state: This behavior does not represent future career intentions.]

[4. Individuals may refuse public praise and choose to receive thanks only without archiving.]

[5. Minor reward Records shall enter protection archives and must not be called upon by default by Vocational Associations, training institutions, families, or awakening windows.]

[6. The individual's own words and unwillingness take priority over outstanding labels.]

Guo He immediately erased [Luochuan Flood Control Outstanding Reserve List] from the blackboard.

And rewrote:

[Luochuan Flood Control Temporary Thank-You List]

The first item below:

[Lin Xiaokui: Drew route map from Shiqiao Elementary School to Xijie Highlands. She is afraid of water, wants to learn painting, and will not participate in hydrology reserve cultivation. Public disclosure: Decided by the individual.]

She squatted down and asked:

"Xiaokui, should this be made public?"

Lin Xiaokui thought for a long time amidst her sobs.

"Don't post my name."

"You can post my route map."

"Don't post the bird."

Guo He nodded.

"Received."

The blackboard was changed to:

[Anonymous Student: Provided route map. Name not publicly disclosed by the individual.]

[This expression of thanks does not constitute a career direction.]

Lin Xiaokui carefully folded the side with the bird drawn on it and tucked it into her pocket.

She finally stopped crying.

But her eyes were still red.

The other children also began modifying their own Records.

[Zhou Yu: Provided moisture-proof mat information, does not enter material allocation reserves.]

[Qiu Nannan: Helped the elderly find seats, does not enter evacuation guidance reserves.]

[Shiqiao Elementary School Grade 3 Class 2: Knocked on desks to corroborate that Meng Jianqiu still had a response; no career recommendation generated.]

One thank-you Record after another, very ordinary.

Not passionate.

Not flashy.

Yet for the first time, they did not lead to occupational preregistration.

Standing in the rain, Liang Fu looked at the new list and suddenly said to Guo He:

"From now on, association commendations will be shown to you first."

Guo He looked up.

"Not shown to me."

"Shown to the individual themselves."

Liang Fu fell silent, then nodded.

"Shown to the individual themselves."

Luochuan's local work order wrote back:

[Luochuan Case Two: Isolation of Rewards and Occupational Preregistration]

[Principles: Praise does not bind the future; outstanding does not equal reserve; rewards do not equal career direction; minors may refuse public praise; personal wishes must not be swallowed up by temporary contributions]

[Status: Trial operation]

In the Old Awakening Hall in Jiangcheng, Chen Ye scratched his head repeatedly as he watched.

"Does praising someone have to be this troublesome from now on?"

Teacher Song Qing coldly chimed in.

"It's not troublesome."

"As long as you don't conveniently bundle and send people off to posts right after praising them, it won't be troublesome."

Chen Ye thought about it.

"Makes sense."

Shisan glanced at him.

"It's rare for you to understand something."

Chen Ye: "..."

Just as the Luochuan auditorium finally stabilized, more cities on the map began to show similar red dots.

[Nanling Youth First Aid Outstanding Honor Roll]

[Hai City Tide Observation Sapling List]

[Beiyuan Mining Area Descendants Resilience Honor Roll]

[Qinghe County Classroom Mutual Aid Star]

Originally, none of these lists were conspicuous.

And many were even well-intentioned.

But now, behind them were connected occupational preregistration, training directions, family expectations, and resource tilts.

Once they weren't isolated, praise would turn into an even softer rope.

Looking at those lit-up lists, Lin Jin suddenly realized that the true difficulty of Volume Four was not gods, nor large-scale battles.

But these things that couldn't be any more daily and ordinary.

A certificate of merit.

A list.

A sentence saying "You are very well-suited."

A file labeled "For reference only."

They weren't scary.

Yet they could quietly alter a person's path.

The water level of the Luochuan embankment finally began to slowly drop.

The second pump at the Old Pump Station was repaired while Meng Jianqiu cursed it remotely.

In the Shiqiao Elementary School auditorium, the children pasted the anonymous route map onto the wall.

Lin Xiaokui sat in a corner, lowering her head to continue drawing that bird.

This time, the system did not recommend any flight-type professions to her again.

It merely recorded:

[Personal artwork]

[No occupational inference made]

Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, a harsh alarm suddenly sounded from the Luochuan city channel.

It wasn't water.

It wasn't preregistration.

It came from the parent end.

[Minor detected refusing public praise and refusing outstanding reserve cultivation]

[Parental guardianship request to intervene]

A new application popped up on Lin Xiaokui's interface.

[Guardian: Lin Zhihai]

[Request to review and amend Lin Xiaokui's occupational cultivation direction]

[Reason: The child is young and does not understand the preciousness of this opportunity; the family consents to entering hydrology mapping reserves]

Guo He's expression changed abruptly.

The pen in Lin Xiaokui's hand dropped to the floor.

The system prompt became even colder.

[Conflict between the minor's own opinion and the guardian's opinion]

[Shall the guardian's decision prevail?]

In the Old Awakening Hall, Teacher Song Qing suddenly stood up.

"It's here."

"The hardest hurdle isn't the school."

"It's parents speaking for their children with 'I am doing this for your own good'."