Holiday Break

Time flowed by, and in the blink of an eye, eight months had passed since the end of the freshman assessment.

For these eight months, apart from attending classes dutifully in the morning, Yue Hongchen would take Meng Hongchen to skip afternoon classes for cultivation.

Mu Jin and Wang Yan didn't say anything about this. Practical combat and training in the afternoon were optional for them. Both of them were very strong in practical combat, and it was better for them to spend more time in the simulated training ground than to waste time with others.

After the assessment, Yue Hongchen no longer stayed in the same training ground as Meng Hongchen. Instead, he spent more Gold Soul Coins to enter the simulated training ground exclusively for sword cultivators.

He had focused on cultivation over the years, and his cultivation had improved, but his comprehension of the sword had improved very slowly. He had spent these eight months focusing on this point.

The simulated training ground for sword cultivators was called the Sword Tomb. Since ten thousand years ago, every sword cultivator with a deep connection to Shrek had left a sword here for the younger students to learn from. Gradually, it evolved into a place where both students and teachers would leave a sword after their cultivation reached a new stage. Sword cultivators born as commoners would leave their lifelong learning here when their lifespan came to an end. The inheritance of Jian Dao Chen Xin, who was from the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect ten thousand years ago, was also here. Because he had already fallen when the Sword Tomb appeared, only his understanding of his Martial Soul and a copy of the Seven Kill Sword Art were left here.

The Sword Tomb was divided into nine areas, corresponding to the cultivation realms of Soul Masters. Yue Hongchen would come to the fourth area every afternoon to comprehend sword intent and hone himself.

Although he was occasionally dragged by Wang Yan to be a sparring partner for the class, it was a good thing. Comprehension alone was not enough. Every time he sparred, Yue Hongchen only used the sword in his hand. From the initial failures against three-ring Soul Masters to narrow victories, then to an even match, and finally, he could easily defeat them with just the sword in his hand.

In the end, Wang Yan simply had Yue Hongchen fight multiple opponents at once. If they were three-ring Soul Masters, he would fight two; if they were not three-ring Soul Masters, he would fight three. This was because fighting one-on-one no longer offered any improvement for Yue Hongchen. At this, Yue Hongchen could only say to Huo Yuhao, "My f***ing broken skill is too monstrous. Once the spiritual detection sharing is activated, Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao are like they've been given cheat codes." This also caused dissatisfaction among some classmates. They all knew that Yue Hongchen knew Huo Yuhao and the others, and coupled with the fact that Yue Hongchen always struggled a bit when he was brought in to spar against the three of them, rumors began to spread. However, Yue Hongchen ignored these matters. With the incident during the freshman assessment, these people wouldn't dare to go too far.

He hadn't visited the branch hall, but he had heard from Huo Yuhao that the environment of the branch hall was completely incompatible with the Martial Soul Department. The former was like the future, while the latter's environment was like ancient times.

Fan Yu had also returned to the position of Vice Dean of the Outer Court. He was already an eighth-rank Soul Engineer. After the Soul Tool Department became a branch of Mingde Hall, he got along well with the Soul Engineers from Mingde Hall. Apart from always helping his wife get special privileges, he was otherwise impeccable.

Wang Mingzhe was currently the Dean of the Inner Court branch. Shrek's Dean of the branch was still Xian Lin'er. Both of them were eighth-rank Soul Engineers, but Wang Mingzhe was only an eighty-ninth-rank Soul Douluo. However, this did not affect their exchange of knowledge about Soul Tools. They both benefited greatly from helping each other.

Qian Duoduo also came to audit from time to time. Now that the academy attached importance to Soul Tools, he could devote himself entirely to research on Soul Tools. After a few months, Wang Mingzhe's wife successfully broke through to become a seventh-rank Soul Engineer. With Jing Hongchen's approval, she became the first female Soul Engineer to come to the branch, holding the position of Vice Dean of the Outer Court branch.

The Vice Dean of the Inner Court was still Qian Duoduo, while Cen Xiao held the position of Vice Dean of the Inner Court branch on the Mingde Hall side.

Huo Yuhao also mentioned that he was currently under the tutelage of Fan Yu and Wang Mingzhe's wife, Zhang Jingyi, undergoing the extreme single soldier plan. Being taught by two Vice Deans made him feel somewhat overwhelmed.

Yue Hongchen didn't pay much attention to the extreme single soldier plan, only telling Huo Yuhao to study hard with the two Vice Deans.

On this day, Yue Hongchen and Meng Hongchen arrived at the classroom as usual. This was the last class of their academic year. After this class, they would enter the holiday. Of course, this holiday was not for casual play. This month-long break was for students to integrate what they had learned in the previous eleven months and to improve their cultivation as much as possible. A moment of laziness could lead to being overtaken by the student behind them, so for some students, this holiday was no better than a peaceful time in the academy.

Mu Jin and Wang Yan didn't lecture much today. After praising the students for their hard work this academic year, they simply explained the promotion assessment after the holiday. The most important thing was that they must have two Soul Rings. They also talked about the class promotion. Each class would need to select 3-7 students for an additional assessment. If the assessment was passed perfectly, then all students who passed the promotion assessment could advance to the second year. However, if the completion of the additional assessment was only ninety percent, then the students in the bottom ten percent would be eliminated.

As soon as these words were spoken, many students began to complain. Wang Yan and Mu Jin did not intend to delay until the end of class. The remaining time was for them to pack their belongings. They could enjoy the holiday, but they couldn't only focus on enjoyment.

In the evening, Huo Yuhao invited Yue Hongchen and the others out for a meal. In addition to the original group, Huo Yuhao also invited He Caitou, his senior brother from the branch hall.

However, for some reason, He Caitou's gaze kept intentionally or unintentionally avoiding Yue Hongchen. After tasting Huo Yuhao's cooking again, everyone reluctantly said goodbye. They wouldn't taste it again until a month later.

Another early morning.

Yue Hongchen left his small courtyard with a groggy Meng Hongchen. Meng Hongchen had cultivated to level forty, and he was going to take her to hunt for a suitable Soul Ring.

As soon as he walked out of the courtyard, Yue Hongchen saw a cute green-haired girl lingering at his doorstep.

Seeing Yue Hongchen come out, the girl quickly ran forward, "Brother Yue, are you going back to the Sun Moon Continent during the holiday? Can you take me to play?"

The girl's eyes were clear, her face was smiling, and her cheeks were slightly flushed. She must have thought for a long time before saying this.

Yue Hongchen did not expect Xiao Xiao to come looking for him. However, he would not be going back for the time being. His plan was to go to the Far North to hunt for a Soul Ring for Meng.

Yue Hongchen said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Xiao Xiao. Meng has broken through to level forty, and I'm taking her to the Far North to hunt for a Soul Ring. I won't be going back this holiday."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Xiao's expression visibly became disappointed. "Is that so? Alright then. I wish you a smooth journey." Saying this, she hid her emotions and put on a smile.

"I'll take you to play next time there's a chance."

Hearing this, Xiao Xiao's eyes lit up. "Okay!"

After making the arrangement, Xiao Xiao turned and walked towards the academy. Yue Hongchen took Meng and walked out of Shrek City.

As soon as they left the city, Yue Hongchen saw another familiar figure, carrying a small bundle on his back, running north after leaving the city.

"Hey! Yuhao, where are you going?" Yue Hongchen ran up and stopped him.

Seeing Yue Hongchen suddenly appear before him, Huo Yuhao didn't know how to explain.

"Aren't you level twenty? Why didn't you let Director Du take you to hunt for a Soul Ring?"

Huo Yuhao's mind was constantly piecing together words, and finally, he gritted his teeth and said, "I've asked Teacher Fan Yu to help me hunt for a Soul Ring this time. He's already found a Soul Beast and is waiting for me there."