6 Chapter 6: The No.1 Academy of Douluo Continent

"Oh," Huo Yuhao was originally pondering the grappling techniques Bei Bei had taught him the day before, when Tang Ya said this, he suddenly got a little dazed.

The three of them got up to continue on their way, and as they walked, Tang Ya started to introduce the situation of Shrek Academy to Huo Yuhao.

Shrek Academy was founded ten thousand years ago; in the ancient language, 'Shrek' means monster, which means that the original founders of Shrek Academy intended to create a Monster Academy.

The earliest motto of Shrek Academy was to only cultivate monsters, not ordinary people. And the 'monsters' referred to here are actually geniuses.

Even the sect master who founded the number one sect on the Land, Tang Sect, had graduated from Shrek Academy. It was his generation of students that created the first glorious era of Shrek Academy. At that time, Shrek Academy had only seven students, who became known in the academy's history as the Shrek Seven Monsters.

The story of the Shrek Seven Monsters has been passed down on the continent for a long time, with the most famous still being the couple who led the Tang Sect. Later, although the Tang Sect declined, Shrek Academy stood firm and with the passage of time, gradually became the number one academy on the Land.

Today, Shrek Academy holds a pivotal position on the continent, and the fundamental reason for this phenomenon lies in the great continental war that happened over four thousand years ago when the Sun Moon Land collided with the Douluo Continent.

In the beginning, due to the lack of unity among the three great empires of the Douluo Continent, the Douluo side found themselves at a disadvantage at the onset of the war, even allowing the armies of the Sun Moon Empire to penetrate deep into the Douluo Continent.

At this critical moment, the dean of Shrek Academy issued a call to arms that was met with an overwhelming response, gathering nearly sixty Titled Douluo-level experts from across the continent. Temporarily becoming the Commander of the Three Armies, he led the troops to repel the army of the Sun Moon Empire and ultimately won the war. Only after the Sun Moon Empire was forced to cede territory and pay reparations was it able to continue existing. However, its military strength was greatly weakened to the extent that it could no longer contend with the coalition forces of the Douluo Continent's three great empires, its combat effectiveness reduced to that of just one empire.

That battle also brought Shrek Academy to the limelight, not only because it gathered sixty Titled Douluo but also because the dean of Shrek Academy became the Commander of the Three Armies. With his rallying call, the royal families of the three empires were shocked to find that nearly all the military commanders came from Shrek Academy. Under the dean's unified command, there were no longer any conflicts among the coalition forces of the three empires. It was precisely because of the complete unity of the three empires that they were able to achieve a decisive victory.

From then on, Shrek Academy no longer belonged to any single nation but stood independently.

Shrek Academy has produced a succession of exceedingly wise deans. Despite the academy's elevated status on the continent, it has always refrained from gloating over its accomplishments, maintaining an impartial attitude towards every nation, and decisively abstaining from owning private troops, even keeping the number of teachers within a certain limit. Therefore, Shrek Academy has always been just an academy and has never given any nation a sense of crisis. As a result, not only has it managed to survive, but its esteemed position on the continent is something no country can easily shake.

Shrek Academy is located in the southeastern part of the Sky Soul Empire, and to its southeast lies the Xingdou Forest, to the east the Dou Spirit Empire, and to the south the Xingluo Empire. It can be said that the academy is situated at the heart of the intersecting borders of the three great empires.

Tang Ya told Huo Yuhao that Shrek Academy is currently divided into two parts: the outer court and the inner court. Each year around a thousand new students are enrolled. However, the total number of students in the academy has never exceeded five thousand. To enter Shrek Academy and complete all subjects requires twelve long years. This means that the yearly elimination rate at Shrek Academy is extremely high. If one cannot pass the academy's assessments, they will be mercilessly expelled from the school.

But those who truly graduate from Shrek Academy are without exception the pride of their generation.

It can be said that Shrek Academy is a true cradle of powerhouses. Each year, the Sky Soul Empire, Dou Spirit Empire, and Xingluo Empire even elevate the number of admitted students to a political level, which shows the prestige of this Best Academy Under the Heavens.

On the Sun Moon Empire side, perhaps due to their hostility towards Shrek Academy, they have never requested to send people to study at Shrek Academy. In the Sun Moon Empire, there are also some higher education institutions, which after several thousand years of development, have achieved considerable scale. It is just that the military power of the Sun Moon Empire has always been restricted by the original agreements and cannot expand too much; on the surface, the Sun Moon Empire remains very low-key.

"Yuhao, after you enter the academy, you will begin your cultivation in the outer court. The outer court is divided into many departments, and for now, you will start your training in the control-class department. At the same time, you will study in the Soul Guidance Department as well. What do you think?" Tang Ya said to Huo Yuhao after briefly introducing the situation of Shrek Academy.

"Teacher Xiao Ya, what is the Soul Guidance Department?" Huo Yuhao asked.

Tang Ya said, "The so-called Soul Guidance Department is dedicated to the study of creating Soul Guidance Devices." When she spoke the words 'Soul Guidance Device' there seemed to be a hint of grinding teeth.

"Soul Guidance Device?" Huo Yuhao still seemed somewhat puzzled. It was not his fault, as Shrek Academy was the number one academy on the continent, but he had grown up in a secluded environment and naturally would not have much exposure.

Seeing that Tang Ya looked a bit upset, Bei Bei took over and explained to Huo Yuhao, "Speaking of Soul Guidance Devices, they are related to our Tang Sect in a big way. In a sense, Soul Guidance Devices are weapons activated by Soul Power. The higher the quality of a Soul Guidance Device, the greater its power. This means that even if you're only a Tool Soul Master, with a powerful Soul Guidance Device in hand, you can have a significant level of attack power. The development of Soul Guidance Devices is also the fundamental reason for the decline of our Tang Sect."

"Our Tang Sect was at its peak more than four thousand years ago. The collision with Sun Moon Land was the underlying cause of our decline," Tang Ya said bitterly, "Our Tang Sect is famous for its hidden weapons and primarily relies on selling them for income. For a long time, almost every country would purchase a certain amount of hidden weapons from us, and many sects did the same."

"Over four thousand years ago, after Sun Moon Land collided with our Soul Land, war broke out swiftly. The armies of the three great empires, equipped with hidden weapons made by our Tang Sect, clashed with the Sun Moon Empire's troops. Although the Sun Moon Empire was not strong in Soul Masters, they had unique research in the field of Soul Guidance Devices. Those Soul Guidance Devices, activated with Soul Power, surpassed our Tang Sect's hidden weapons in overall power and attack range. As a result, in the initial battles, the three main empires of Soul Land suffered heavy losses."

"Although the war was ultimately won, the effectiveness of our Tang Sect's hidden weapons was greatly questioned. Since then, countries began to significantly reduce their purchases of our hidden weapons. While our Tang Sect earned a lot of money, according to the first Sect Master's intention, most of the income was donated to public welfare, to improve the living conditions of poor regions and to build schools and other public facilities. Therefore, we didn't have much in the way of surplus funds."

"At that time, Tang Sect had thousands of members. The speed of its decline from its peak was simply too fast. Within just two hundred years, our Tang Sect rapidly fell into decay. The once number one sect on the Land was no longer as splendid as it used to be. By the time it was passed down to my generation, only my father, mother, and I were left. In a conflict while hunting soul beasts, my parents also left me. And so, Tang Sect was left with only me, this sole survivor."

As she spoke, tears streamed down Tang Ya's smooth and delicate face, and her fists clenched tightly.

Huo Yuhao murmured, "Teacher Xiao Ya, are our Tang Sect hidden weapons truly inferior to those Soul Guidance Devices?"

With a sigh, Tang Ya responded, "From some perspectives, that's indeed the case. Sun Moon Land didn't just bring Soul Guidance Devices, but also a vast and abundant array of mineral resources. These rare minerals are excellent conductors of Soul Power, especially suited for making Soul Guidance Devices. As a result, over the following thousands of years, Soul Guidance Devices developed rapidly. Our Tang Sect hidden weapons lost their market. However, in terms of precision and ingenious design, our Tang Sect hidden weapons are definitely superior to Soul Guidance Devices. Especially some of the top hidden weapons, even more so. It's just that, the making of those weapons is also quite complicated."

Bei Bei stroked Tang Ya's head and said, "The development of Soul Guidance Devices has indeed dealt a huge blow to our Tang Sect hidden weapons. When I first met Xiao Ya, she still stubbornly believed that hidden weapons were definitely stronger than Soul Guidance Devices. But reality has proven that Soul Guidance Devices could replace our Tang Sect hidden weapons as the weapons accepted by all due to their reason. The first is because it's too easy for the masses to accept them. Especially those Tool Soul Masters who cannot attack, with the Soul Guidance Devices, they almost instantly become Battle Soul Masters. And all they need to invest is their Soul Power. Therefore, after discussing with Xiao Ya, we decided that if our Tang Sect wants to develop, we cannot stay in our own world like before. To restore Tang Sect's glory, not only do we need to understand Soul Guidance Devices, but we also need to integrate the making of our Tang Sect hidden weapons with Soul Guidance Devices, to produce even more powerful devices. Only in this way can our Tang Sect find an opportunity for development. Hence, every Tang Sect disciple, apart from their own Martial Soul cultivation, must also study Soul Guidance Devices."

Huo Yuhao asked, "Teacher Xiao Ya, Big Brother, if Soul Guidance Devices are so powerful, why did Sun Moon Empire still lose to our coalition forces back then?"

Bei Bei smiled faintly and said, "That's because, although the Soul Guidance Devices back then were not weak, even the most powerful of them couldn't compare to the combat effectiveness of a Titled Douluo. However, after thousands of years of development, there have begun to appear some especially powerful Soul Guidance Devices that can even threaten Titled Douluos. But Soul Guidance Devices also have a problem, which is, the more powerful the device, the more powerful the Soul Master needs to be to wield it. Without sufficient Soul Power support, the strength of Soul Guidance Devices is very limited. Hence, after the two continents merged, an interesting phenomenon appeared: our side is attempting to learn the method of making Soul Guidance Devices as much as possible, while the Sun Moon Empire focuses on cultivating powerful Soul Masters. After thousands of years, it seems to have balanced out somewhat."

With Bei Bei and Tang Ya's introductions, Huo Yuhao at last had a preliminary impression of Shrek Academy.

After wiping the tears from her face with Bei Bei's sleeve, Tang Ya said to Huo Yuhao, "Little Yuhao, what's most important for you right now is to be able to stay at Shrek Academy continuously. Bei Bei and I are already third-year students. After I obtain the thousand-year soul ring, advancing to the fourth year alongside him shouldn't be a problem. Once we enter the fourth year, the elimination rate is not so high. In a few more years, we all have a chance to enter the inner court for studies. But it's different for you; you've just entered the academy and become a first-year student, and the competition is the most intense. The academy conducts a freshman assessment every three months. Only by passing the assessment can you stay. Though our Tang Sect has the quota for an interview admission, whether you can continue studying at the academy still depends on your own ability. No one can help you with this, do you understand?"

Huo Yuhao nodded earnestly and said, "Teacher Xiao Ya, I'll give it my all. But, with your abilities and Big Brother's, aren't you already members of the inner court?"

Tang Ya explained, "It's not easy to enter the inner court of Shrek Academy. The academy's motto has never changed. The outer court was only built later, to fulfill the demands of the three empires, to cultivate more talents. However, only those students who enter the inner court can be regarded as true Shrek Academy students in a sense. Without exception, those are geniuses, oddballs, even monsters. Outer court students who persist until the sixth year will have a test, and those who pass can graduate. Only the most outstanding few from the test may then undergo another inner court assessment, and only after passing again, can they be permitted to enter the inner court. Inner court study also takes another six long years. It's said that those who graduate from the inner court are at least Soul Emperors, and will receive the best invitations from all countries, including the Sun Moon Empire."

"That's awesome!" Huo Yuhao couldn't help but feel a sense of longing upon hearing this, and thought secretly to himself that if one day, he could become a graduate of the Shrek Academy inner court, and return to request his mother's remains from the Duke's Mansion, his mother could rest in peace as well. At this thought, his fists clenched tightly.

Bei Bei spoke seriously, "It's more than just awesome. I once saw a senior from the inner court. He entered the Xingdou Forest alone, defeated three ten-thousand-year soul beasts barehanded without harming their lives, and brought them back to the academy. It is said that this was the assessment task he drew from the academy's tenth year."

Tang Ya said, "I've also heard that there was once a twelfth-grade senior who, at the time of graduation, had already reached the level of a Soul Sage above level 70, and even possessed a red hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring. Later, that senior was retained by the academy to be nurtured as the next dean."

Listening to their description, Huo Yuhao felt an eager anticipation, his recent association with Tang Ya and Bei Bei had deeply impressed upon him how significant the help of a good teacher could be for his cultivation. Without a doubt, Shrek Academy was the best choice! He secretly vowed to himself that no matter the effort required, he must stay in the outer court first and strive to enter the inner court of Shrek Academy later.

With such thoughts, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but start pondering over those Tang Sect ultimate techniques as he walked. Tang Ya and Bei Bei's introduction to Shrek Academy had completely ignited the fire in his heart.

Seeing Huo Yuhao's expression, Tang Ya and Bei Bei couldn't help but exchange a smile. Weren't they the same when they first entered Shrek Academy?

Several hours later, Huo Yuhao finally saw the location of Shrek Academy.

To call it an academy seemed less apt than calling it a city. Coming out of a forest along the main road, the high city walls could be seen stretching out across the plains in the distance.

Shrek Academy was built on the Lima Plains with an extremely vast territory; it was a city in itself, known as Shrek City. On the Soul Land continent, Shrek City was one of the largest cities, home to over two million residents. Shrek Academy had its own administrative rights over this city, with no obligation to pay taxes to any kingdom. This alone set it apart from other academies in all countries, including the Sun Moon Empire.

Shrek Academy wasn't located at the center of Shrek City but rather in the eastern part of the city, because it faced the direction of the Xingdou Forest.

Shrek City had access to main roads heading to the southeast, northwest, and so on. The city was not only the site of Shrek Academy but also the most important commercial city at the junction of the three great empires originally belonging to the Soul Land. Due to the presence of Shrek Academy, Shrek City had excellent public order. Here, transactions were not only fair but also more trust-inspiring. Therefore, when merchants from the three empires conducted cross-border trade, most would choose to transact in Shrek City.

The south, west, and north gates of Shrek City were open to everyone; only the east was exclusive to Shrek Academy.

Under the guidance of Bei Bei and Tang Ya, Huo Yuhao arrived at the East City Gate.

Despite this city gate being exclusively for Shrek Academy, it was bustling at the moment, with at least five thousand people gathered outside the East City Gate. The place was extraordinarily lively, and numerous vendors had already gathered, sensing the opportunity. At this moment, outside the city was likely even more bustling than inside.

"Little junior brother, you've just caught up with the academy's new student admissions; you can now smoothly join this batch of freshmen, three grades below me and Xiao Ya. These ordinary new students not only have to pass the assessments, but they also need recommendation letters from at least the main cities of the three great empires. This time of year is always the busiest time in our Shrek City."

Huo Yuhao asked in a low voice, "Big brother, is the assessment very difficult?"

Bei Bei hesitated for a moment, his gaze subconsciously shifting towards Tang Ya.

Tang Ya straightforwardly said, "He's bound to find out sooner or later. It will also be his motivation to strive harder in the future, so let's tell him. Little Yuhao, there are two requirements to enter Shrek Academy's outer court: the first is to be no older than twelve, and the second is to have a Soul Power of no less than level fifteen. Purely from the perspective of the assessment, you are unqualified."

She didn't say the words that would urge Huo Yuhao to work harder, because he was already trying his best.

Huo Yuhao earnestly asked, "Then for the first assessment after three months, will Soul Power also be tested?" With his constitution, it would be completely impossible to elevate his Soul Power from level 11 to 15 within three months.

Bei Bei shook his head and said, "No, the assessments at our Shrek Academy are always real battles. A teacher once said that all data pales in comparison to actual combat."

Huo Yuhao nodded vigorously, "Teacher Xiao Ya, Big Brother, maybe I am not currently a match for the vast majority of the new students who are enrolling, but I will definitely surpass most of them in the future." His tone was calm beyond his years, and in his spirit eyes, there was a determination surpassing his age.

Bei Bei, towering a head taller than Huo Yuhao, extended a hand to hug his shoulder and said, "Let's go. If you can make it through the next three months, Big Brother believes you can make it to the end."

Bei Bei and Tang Ya led Huo Yuhao past the crowd and arrived outside the East City Gate.

At the East City Gate, a dozen young men and women, about their age, stood guard, each wearing yellow tight-fitting uniforms with a green pattern on the chest. This was the school uniform for second and third-year students of Shrek Academy's outer court.

Seeing Bei Bei, these young students immediately showed their respect, "Brother Bei, you're back."

Bei Bei smiled and greeted each of the older and younger students, then spoke a few words to one of them. That student glanced at Huo Yuhao and promptly nodded, "What's there to doubt about Brother Bei's words? Take this little brother to register."

Bei Bei smiled and gave a thumbs-up, "Thanks, I'll treat the brothers to something good later."

The person laughed heartily without reservation, "You've got yourself a deal. We certainly won't miss out on a feast from someone generous."

Bei Bei raised his hand for a high-five, "I definitely won't let everyone down." After that, he and Tang Ya took Huo Yuhao through the East City Gate, a symbol of Shrek Academy's entrance.

A new student who had just completed the enrollment assessment asked the older student who oversaw his test, "Senior, who was that senior just now?"

"That's Brother Bei, his name is Bei Bei, and everyone calls him Thunder Beibei. He possesses the top Beast Martial Soul from the animal martial souls, the Blue Electric Overlord Dragon Martial Soul, and he is extraordinarily talented. He broke through to level thirty at thirteen, and it is said that he now has a cultivation close to level forty. Within one or two years, he should be able to break through and become a Soul Ancestor. He is one of the strong contenders in our outer court. If it weren't for staying with Sister Tang Ya, Brother Bei could have taken the fifth-year assessment of the outer court with his capacity. Once he breaks through level forty, even the sixth-year assessment probably won't pose a challenge to him. Brother Bei is not only strong but also always kind to others. If you're talking about who has the best reputation in our outer court, it's him. Brother Bei is also the prince charming in the hearts of many female students in our outer court. But he's devoted; for Sister Tang Ya, he's turned down many sisters who have shown affection for him. It's even said that senior sisters from the inner court like him too. Everyone says, in no more than two years, Brother Bei will definitely be able to enter the inner court."

Bei Bei and Tang Ya took Huo Yuhao into Shrek Academy. Unlike the grand solemnity Huo Yuhao had imagined, the inside of Shrek Academy was beautifully serene, with abundant, lush vegetation. Walking on the spacious main road, wherever he looked, he could see at least ten different kinds of plants, all meticulously pruned.

Two hundred meters forward, several huge statues obstructed the view. There were as many as ten statues, each ten meters tall, carved from the hardest granite.

In the front row were three statues, with the central one being a middle-aged man wearing glasses, with a chubby smiling face.

Bei Bei told Huo Yuhao, "The one in the middle is the founder and first principal of our Shrek Academy, Flander. To his left is one of my ancestors, who established the teaching foundation for all the Martial Soul branches at Shrek Academy and is known as the Grandmaster, Yu Xiaogang. My mother is his direct descendant. The woman on the right is also one of our ancestors, Liu Erlong, who is the Grandmaster's wife. Together with Principal Flander, they're known as the 'Golden Iron Triangle.' If Principal Flander created Shrek Academy, then Grandmaster is the true soul of the school, single-handedly cultivating the Shrek Seven Monsters behind them."

The Grandmaster's statue appeared somewhat gaunt, while Liu Erlong was depicted as a graceful middle-aged woman.

Behind them were seven statues. When Huo Yuhao's gaze reached the one at the very front, his body subconsciously shivered slightly.

It was a tall and handsome man, most notably with his double-pupil eyes. A king character was etched on his forehead, and despite being just a statue, it exuded an imposing aura.

"These seven statues behind the Golden Iron Triangle are the once-glorious Shrek Seven Monsters. The one at the forefront is White Tiger Douluo Dai Mubai, the second is Sausage Douluo Oscar, and the third is our Tang Sect's ancestor, Thousand Hands Douluo Tang San."

Among the seven, Tang San was the most handsome, with blue hair hanging down his back, simple attire, and the statue featured blue vines wrapped around it, undoubtedly representing his Bluesilver Grass Martial Soul. A faint smile adorned the corner of his mouth, and his gaze was vividly fixed on the fifth figure in line, a woman with hair braided like a scorpion's tail.

"The fourth is the Evil Phoenix Douluo Ma Hongjun, and the fifth is the wife of our Tang Sect founder, the Soft Bone Douluo Xiaowu. It is said that the founder was originally a hundred-thousand-year soul beast who cultivated into human form. Following her is the Nine Treasures Douluo Ning Rongrong, who has the title of the strongest auxiliary Soul Master and is the wife of the Sausage Douluo. The last one is the Hell Douluo Zhu Zhuqing, wife of the White Tiger Douluo Dai Mubai."

The seven statues of the first generation of the Shrek Seven Monsters were all distinct in appearance, and the fact that they were all Title Douluo made it obvious how powerful they once were.

Tang Ya's gaze was fixed on the statue of the Thousand Hands Douluo Tang San. The Golden Iron Triangle and the first generation of the Shrek Seven Monsters laid the foundation of Shrek Academy, and over the myriad years, Shrek Academy has produced numerous outstanding talents and powerful figures. Yet, there were only ten statues here, and their number never increased.

Bei Bei explained to Huo Yuhao, "This is where we part ways. To the left is the Martial Soul Department, to the right is the Soul Guidance Department. These are the two major branches of our Shrek Academy, both belonging to the outer court. The Martial Soul Department is relatively larger, while the Soul Guidance Department is smaller. The former also has many subdivisions. We'll go to the Martial Soul Department to enroll first. Only after passing the first assessment for new students will we be eligible to enroll in the Soul Guidance Department."

Huo Yuhao's gaze was still captivated by those ten statues, his mind echoing with the legendary stories his mother had once told him, sending waves of awe through his heart.

Moving left from the statues, the path remained wide, able to accommodate four or five carriages side by side, and a signpost by the roadside marked 'Lakeside Path'.

Through the shade of the green trees on the right, one could vaguely see a vast expanse of water. In other words, behind the ten statues of the Golden Iron Triangle and the Shrek Seven Monsters lay a huge lake.

Tang Ya noticed where Huo Yuhao was looking and couldn't help but speak with a touch of pride, "That's the man-made lake built in honor of our Tang Sect founder, Thousand Hands Douluo Tang San, and it's called Sea God's Lake. Because, according to legend, our founder Tang San was the inheritor of the Sea God's mantle. The Sea God's Lake is extremely vast, filled by an underground water source. The inner court of Shrek Academy is located on Lake Heart Island in the middle of Sea God's Lake. All outer court disciples take great pride in setting foot on Lake Heart Island."

Bei Bei looked deeply at Sea God's Lake, his eyes shimmering with determination and persistence.

Indeed, Sea God's Lake was enormous. Continuing south along the lakeside path for close to a quarter of an hour before turning west, and after another quarter hour-plus, the path began to narrow, with a spacious rectangular square coming into view. There was also a signpost for Shrek Square.

The square was flanked by tall teaching buildings, each in a different color—white, yellow, purple, and black. Gazing far into the north side of Shrek Square, there seemed to be another cluster of gray teaching buildings.

Bei Bei pointed to another group of teaching buildings across the square and said, "The colors of the teaching buildings represent the different grades and are distinguished by the colors of soul rings. White is for the freshmen, just like the ten-year soul ring, which is the entry-level among soul rings. Yellow is for the second and third years of the outer court, purple is for the fourth and fifth years, and black is for the sixth year. Those who emerge from the black building will have earned their graduation certificate from the outer court of the academy."

"The gray buildings in the distance belong to the Soul Guidance Department. Judging by the area, the Soul Guidance Department takes up about one-third of the main teaching zone, and the Martial Soul Department occupies two-thirds. Besides these teaching buildings out front, there are many specific educational facilities such as the soul fighting arena, assessment areas, dormitory areas, teacher offices, etc."

The white building for freshmen was located to the south and closest to the lakeside path. Huo Yuhao and the other two crossed Shrek Square to the south and entered this teaching building.

Since it was the enrollment period for new students, the freshmen teaching building was bustling with activity, with some newcomers who had passed the assessment registering.

With Bei Bei and Tang Ya leading the way, Huo Yuhao's registration process went smoothly. The tuition fees were paid by Bei Bei—a full school year's fees amounting to as many as ten golden soul coins, and that did not even include the cost of meals. If a student withdrew partway through without passing the assessment, the tuition would not be refunded.

After obtaining his dormitory key, two sets of school uniforms, and a white freshman badge, Huo Yuhao followed Tang Ya and Bei Bei out of the freshmen teaching building.

Tang Ya said, "Little Yuhao, the dormitory is right behind the teaching building, in the largest building in the academy. You can go there by yourself later. The new academic year won't start until three days later, so you can familiarize yourself with the environment for now. We've paid your first year's tuition, but after that, it's up to you. The academy has various competitions with prize money, and now that you're a Soul Master, you can also collect a monthly salary distributed by the three great Empires after registering with the academy. If you're careful with it, it should be enough to cover your food expenses."

Huo Yuhao etched Tang Ya's words firmly in his mind as he prepared to bid farewell to Teacher Xiao Ya and his eldest senior brother. Bei Bei glanced at a notice in the bulletin board nearby and slightly furrowed his brow.

Huo Yuhao didn't need to walk closer. By merely circulating his soul power, his spirit eyes' powerful vision kicked in, allowing him to see the words on that notice clearly.

Since his mother had taught him to read from a young age, although he had never formally attended school, Huo Yuhao's literacy level wasn't poor.

The notice read that the homeroom teacher for freshman class one was Zhou Yi, and the homeroom teacher for freshman class two...

Zhou Yi? I think I'm in freshman class one! Because of his early enrollment, Huo Yuhao had been directly assigned to freshman class one.

Tang Ya also noticed Bei Bei's point of interest and whispered in shock, "Ah? Why is it that abnormal old witch Zhou Yi? Wasn't she teaching the third-year students? How did they assign her to teach the freshmen?"

Bei Bei gave a wry smile, "I heard that Teacher Zhou was too strict when guiding the third-year students, resulting in only one-tenth of her class making it to the fourth year. After being repeatedly reported to the academy by the students, she was demoted to teaching a freshman class. Little junior brother, you must be careful. There may not be many monster students in Shrek Academy's outer court, but there are plenty of monster teachers, with this Teacher Zhou being the most notorious."