Mingde Hall Branch

Du Wilun opened the folder in his hands and read, "The students who have become core disciples of Shrek Outer Court are Yue Hongchen, Meng Hongchen, Ning Tian, Wu Feng, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, Lan Susu, Lan Luoluo, Lin Muxue, Lei Baiyu, Miao Chuyao..."

The three girls from the Lin family hadn't submitted their withdrawal applications yet, so the academy still didn't know they were planning to switch over to the Hongchen Family. Their names were still on the core disciple list.

When Du Wilun finished reading, the students who had heard their names looked delighted, while those who hadn't felt disappointed.

Du Wilun continued, "During the freshman assessment, some students showed outstanding promise despite certain shortcomings in talent and ability. The academy has decided to grant them core disciple privileges until the end of this academic year. If they make progress in next year's promotion exam, they will be considered for official core disciple status. The names are as follows: Huo Yuhao, Cui Yajie, Huang Chutian, Long Xiangyue, and Nanmen Yun'er. That concludes the announcement."

After Du Wilun finished, he didn't linger. He hurried aside and yielded his place.

Yan Shaozhe stood beside a girl who was... Though he wasn't sure whether that was the right way to put it, she truly did look like a sweet-faced young girl, yet also seemed quite mature. But since she could stand beside Yan Shaozhe, her cultivation and status were clearly not low. Perhaps "sweet-faced young woman" was more fitting.

Yan Shaozhe cleared his throat twice, and the first-year students' chatter instantly died away.

Once things had quieted down, he spoke. "I imagine everyone here knows me, so I won't introduce myself at length. The person standing beside me is the dean of the Soul Tool Department, God of War Douluo Xian Lin'er.

"I'm sure you're all wondering why, when today's event is the freshman assessment awards ceremony, students from the upper years and the Soul Tool Department were invited as well. I'll leave Dean Xian to explain."

With that, Yan Shaozhe gestured for her to take the floor.

Xian Lin'er shot him a glare, then stepped forward. Her voice was gentle but carried authority. "First, let me introduce the teachers from Mingde Hall: Wang Mingzhe, an eighth-level half-step Soul Engineer; Level 7 Soul Engineers Cen Xiao, Zhu Chongguang, and Qi Helin; and Level 6 Soul Engineers Yu Peijun, Guo Jingxuan, Han Qinghe, Deng Wentao, and Shao Qiouze."

As Xian Lin'er announced each name, one person came to stand beside her. There was one half-step eighth-level Soul Engineer, three seventh-level Soul Engineers, and five sixth-level Soul Engineers—a total of nine high-ranking Soul Engineers. They were all middle-aged men, and all from Mingde Hall. Many students began guessing what was about to happen.

Xian Lin'er paused, then continued. "I'm sure some of the sharper students have already guessed. That's right: starting today, Shrek Academy will officially cooperate with Mingde Hall.

"Shrek will establish a branch academy at Mingde Hall, and Mingde Hall will establish a branch at Shrek. Starting today, Shrek's Soul Tool Department will be the Mingde Hall branch. After graduating, students from Shrek's branch academy may choose to take the inner court or Mingde Hall entrance exam. Likewise, graduates of the branch may take the Mingde Hall or inner court entrance exam..."

Xian Lin'er went on to explain various details, but she covered each point concisely and without wasting a word.

The Shrek branch academy was already being established. Once it was ready, students at Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy who had average talent as Soul Engineers but great talent in their Martial Souls would become its first cohort.

At Shrek, the former Soul Tool Department students automatically became students of the Mingde Hall branch.

After explaining everything that needed to be said, Xian Lin'er didn't even look at Yan Shaozhe. She flew toward Sea God's Pavilion without looking back.

The teachers from Mingde Hall also headed toward the Soul Tool Department, led by Qian Duoduo, the former vice dean of the department.

The teachers planned to rebuild Shrek's Soul Tool Department while teaching its students.

Xian Lin'er and Qian Duoduo would remain the branch's dean and vice dean, but Wang Mingzhe and Cen Xiao would also serve as dean and vice dean. This was the arrangement Jing Hongchen and Mu En had agreed on the previous day.

The Shrek branch academy on Sun Moon Continent would also have two deans and two vice deans, with authority shared between the two sides.

Watching Xian Lin'er leave, Yan Shaozhe shook his head with a wry smile. But he still had business to attend to.

After dismissing all the students except the first-years, Yan Shaozhe began assigning the freshmen to classes.

The first-year students were divided into four classes. Class One was for Power Attack System and Control-Type Battle Spirit Masters; Class Two was for Defense-Type and Agility Attack System Battle Spirit Masters; Class Three was for Support-Type Battle Spirit Masters; and Class Four was for Battle Spirit Masters and Tool Spirit Masters with other special attributes, including Food-Type and Healing-Type.

Next came the introductions of the homeroom teachers for each class. To everyone's surprise, Mu Jin became one of the homeroom teachers for Class One. Each class had two homeroom teachers, and the other one was Wang Yan, the first assessment teacher Yue Hongchen had met.

When Zhou Yi learned she had been assigned as a homeroom teacher for Class Two, she was very unhappy. The freshman assessment champion had been in her class. Why had Mu Jin been given the Class One homeroom teacher position?

After the students were dismissed, Zhou Yi didn't go to her class. Instead, she found Yan Shaozhe to demand an explanation.

Mu En had already tasked Yan Shaozhe with handling the school motto issue. The problematic mottos couldn't simply be changed or deleted, and now there was also the matter of cooperating with Mingde Hall. He had a lot on his plate. When Zhou Yi came storming in and began questioning him, even Yan Shaozhe lost his temper—a rare occurrence.

He gave Zhou Yi a fierce scolding, then kicked her out and told her to find out for herself how strong Yue Hongchen and Meng Hongchen were.

Fuming as she left, Zhou Yi wanted to go find Fan Yu. But remembering Yan Shaozhe's words, she asked around about Yue Hongchen and Meng Hongchen's battle records on the way. Now she understood why Mu Jin had been made a Class One homeroom teacher. Under normal circumstances, there was no way Huo Yuhao and his group could have won this year's championship.

Still, she wanted to try. But to her surprise, Fan Yu had lost his position and was now just an ordinary teacher in the branch. The branch only had two positions now: dean and vice dean. Every other post would have to be filled from scratch.

Fan Yu told Zhou Yi to follow the academy's arrangements and behave herself for the time being. He couldn't request special treatment for her anymore. After comforting her, he went to prepare for the reexamination for the position of vice dean of the Outer Court's Soul Tool Department.

Meanwhile, after explaining her reasons to Mu Jin and Wang Yan, Yue Hongchen headed to the Mingde Hall branch. The teachers from Mingde Hall still needed to consult her about the branch's construction and development.

Although Yue Hongchen and Meng Hongchen had missed their first class after the assessment, Mu Jin and Wang Yan still gave them the positions of class monitor and deputy class monitor. No one in Class One objected; everyone had seen the two girls' strength for themselves.

After leaving the branch, Yue Hongchen found the three girls from the Lin family and told them to change their pending withdrawal applications to transfer applications. The reason for transferring was simple: they were members of the Hongchen Family, and now that the branch had been established, they naturally belonged there.

After the three successfully transferred to the branch, Xing Yueyao was the only one still hesitating.