Can This Really Be Taught to Children?

Although Shrek Academy was filled with geniuses, not everyone devoted themselves wholeheartedly to cultivation. During the new students' enrollment period, those who had registered early had already gathered in small groups to tour this "monster" academy, whose reputation echoed across the entire continent. Wang Nan and Gongyang Mo were naturally among them.

The student Dormitory Building was located on the south side of Shrek Plaza. Walking east along the plaza after leaving the building, one would soon reach a lakeside path. Though called a "path," it was wide enough for four or five carriages to travel side by side. Named for its proximity to Seagod Lake, it was also the place that attracted the most new students.

Standing beside Seagod Lake, they could vaguely make out figures on the island at its center. That was Shrek Academy's Inner Courtyard.

Wang Nan turned to glance at Gongyang Mo beside him. If he remembered correctly, Gongyang Mo had already been an Inner Courtyard student when he first appeared.

"What is it?" Noticing Wang Nan's gaze, Gongyang Mo reluctantly pulled his eyes away from the island in the lake. Whatever the future held, he was only a twelve-year-old child now. Naturally, he harbored a trace of longing for the Inner Courtyard.

"I remembered something." Wang Nan paused. "By the way, what were you looking at just now? You seemed completely absorbed."

"The senior students of the Inner Courtyard."

"You can see them clearly from this far away?"

"I can't see them clearly, but that's Shrek Academy's Inner Courtyard. Ever since I was little, my family told me that Ten Thousand Years Ago, Shrek Academy was founded under the leadership of three Deans. Then the First Generation Shrek Seven Monsters laid its foundation, and from then on, it became the number one Soul Master Academy on the Douluo Continent, enduring for ten thousand years..."

As Gongyang Mo spoke about Shrek Academy's history, a question arose in Wang Nan's heart. He seemed to recall that, when he was young, his family had rarely told him stories about the First Generation Shrek Seven Monsters. Given Shrek Academy's status on the Douluo Continent, stories about them should have been quite widespread. Could it be because he had matured too early and never gave his parents the chance to tell him stories?

"Do you know why the lake before us is called Seagod Lake?" Seeing that Wang Nan seemed distracted, Gongyang Mo thought he had made the story too boring and switched topics.

"To commemorate Seagod Tang San." He might not have heard the stories as a child, but he had read the novels in his previous life.

"Exactly. The heavens and earth changed color, and he became a god in an instant."

Becoming a god...

Although Wang Nan had come to a world where cultivation was possible, he did not harbor such a deep obsession with becoming a god. For one thing, he knew that the gods of this world were more like Soul Masters with greater Soul Power. They were far from the carefree immortals he had imagined.

For another, simply being able to live a second life was enough for him. He had parents who cared for him attentively, a family with a decent life, and he himself possessed above-average talent. His future would most likely not be bad. Having such a life already left him content.

Of course, it would be even better if he could make up for some of the regrets in his heart from his previous life.

The facts proved that, no matter which world one was in, holidays were never long enough. Wang Nan felt as if he had done nothing, yet two days vanished in the blink of an eye.

On the first day of school, Wang Nan and Gongyang Mo arrived at the classroom early. During the first three months after enrollment, students were not divided according to Assault Type, Support Type, and the like. Thus, the two roommates had been assigned to the same class.

Second by second, the seats in the classroom gradually filled. Some students had already begun chatting with familiar faces nearby, while those who did not like talking sat quietly in their seats. When the classroom door opened once more, Sun He, whom Wang Nan had met before, walked in. The entire classroom immediately fell silent.

"Hello, everyone. For the next three months, I will serve as your Head Teacher. Although the academy has no such rule, I personally assessed all of my students, so I believe you should all be familiar with me. My name is Sun He. You may call me Teacher Sun."

The moment Sun He spoke, the expressions of quite a few students changed. Quiet discussions spread through the classroom; clearly, they had suffered quite a bit during the assessment.

"Alright, I know you all have plenty to say, but I would prefer for those words to be saved until three months from now." Sun He tapped the desk and spoke with a smile.

"Since you are all sitting here, you should know what I mean. According to academy regulations, there will be a New Student Assessment in three months. Only those who pass it may remain at the academy. And the content of the assessment is actual combat."

"Based on my observations over the past two days, I believe that most of you will be unable to pass the assessment."

At those words, the discussions in the classroom grew louder. This time, however, Sun He did not stop them. He simply waited with a smile for the noise to die down naturally.

"I know that, at your age, you have had few opportunities to experience actual combat. Some students whose Martial Souls lean toward support have never experienced it at all. Therefore, the first thing I will teach you is how to fight."

"So, the first question: what is battle?"

Sun He did not make things difficult for the children below the podium. After pausing briefly, he continued, "Attack and defense are merely the most basic methods. Ambushes, schemes, and setting traps are all part of battle. When facing Soul Beasts, learning their abilities in advance is battle. When facing Soul Masters, accurately judging the capabilities of their Martial Souls is also part of battle. True battle is using one's strengths to attack the enemy's weaknesses."

"If the opponent is weak in strength, prioritize breaking through head-on. If the opponent is slow, prioritize wearing them down. If the opponent cannot be defeated, consider how to flee as quickly as possible. If battle is unavoidable, consider setting traps, luring them into an ambush, or Outnumbering the Enemy..."

Wang Nan had thought the first lesson would begin with basic material. Who would have expected Sun He to start with something so intense? How to launch a covert attack, how to set traps, how to lure enemies into ambushes—these were things a group of children barely ten years old had never encountered before.

Even Wang Nan, who had received one-on-one instruction, had never been taught such things by Wang Xing in consideration of his age, much less anyone else.

Thinking of Sun He's "bullying the young with his age" performance on the New Student Assessment arena, this teaching philosophy did not seem so surprising. But could these things really be taught to children?

—Yes, they could.

Sun He answered Wang Nan's question with practical action.

For the entire morning, Sun He carefully explained many combat techniques. Not only did he discuss what kinds of tactics suited Martial Souls with different tendencies, he also taught little tricks for luring opponents into exposing openings. Finally, he used examples from the New Student Assessment, breaking down every move for them.

In the afternoon, Sun He brought them to the training ground for practical combat instruction, striving to integrate the morning's lessons into every student's fighting style.

After just one lesson, these children's views on battle underwent earth-shaking changes. Over the following three months, lessons like this took place almost every day.