Over the next three months, things went just as Mu Jin had planned: theory classes in the morning and physical training in the afternoon. But Yue and Meng were far stronger than their peers, so the first-year basic training did little for them.
With Mu Jin's permission, Yue and Meng went to the Mimicry Training Ground to cultivate on their own each afternoon. Over the three months, Yue reached Level 38, while Meng reached Level 35.
The class's physical training did not continue for long. After about a month, Mu Jin announced that they would alternate between physical training and practical combat, with a rest day between sessions.
Practical combat was the fastest way for a Soul Master to improve. As the students with the highest and second-highest Soul Power Levels in the class, Yue and Meng naturally became their sparring partners.
During each bout, Yue didn't use any Soul Skills. He relied only on his Martial Soul, catching each Soul Skill the student sparring with him threw at him and pointing out their shortcomings.
Meng, on the other hand, easily defeated her opponents every time. Yue kept an eye on her during the fights, and afterward, he would also point out the shortcomings of the students who had sparred with Meng.
As a result, even though Yue was stronger than Meng, the students all hoped to be placed with him when the groups were assigned each day. Having suffered the bitter taste of Meng's ice and poison, they didn't want a repeat.
Though the process had been grueling, the class's overall strength had improved considerably. Apart from a few students with less promising talent who had joined the Soul Tool Department, not a single student had left.
Outside of class, Yue took Xiao Ka and Meng to the academy's east gate every evening to patronize Huo Yuhao's stall. Before long, they had also grown familiar with Beibei and Xu Sanshi. They had seen Huo Yuhao's roommate, Wang Dong, a few times as well, but Yue always kept a little distance from "him." They got along well enough, but weren't particularly close.
As for Xiao Ka, the others pretended not to know anything. None of them asked why someone with such good talent as Xiao Ka hadn't joined Shrek.
Jiang Nannan came by a few times during this period and finally got to buy a grilled fish. She was still the same toward Xu Sanshi, but that only made him fall completely in love with Huo Yuhao's grilled fish. He came by even earlier than Yue every day.
Three months later, one morning, Yue brought Meng to class as usual.
"Today's theory class is canceled." Shortly after Yue entered, Mu Jin came into the classroom with a faint smile. She was quite pleased with these students; every one of them was working hard at cultivation.
"Three months have passed since the start of the school year, and your first assessment since joining Shrek is coming up. Only after passing will you truly become members of Shrek and genuine first-year students. If nothing unexpected happens, you'll be able to remain at the academy and cultivate until the end of the year after passing the new student assessment."
Mu Jin spoke calmly. She had seen how hard everyone had worked over the past three months. With Yue and Meng as their sparring partners, the students had also learned how to work together as a team. She was confident the entire class would pass the assessment.
"Ning Tian."
"Here." Ning Tian stood and walked over to Mu Jin.
"After the new student assessment, we'll tailor your instruction to your individual needs. Write down the direction you want to take in your future cultivation, then hand it in to me." As she spoke, Mu Jin passed the stack of white paper in her hands to Ning Tian.
Ning Tian took the papers and quickly handed one to each student.
Only after everyone had written down their intended cultivation paths did Mu Jin continue. "The new student assessment will take the form of three-person team battles. Each team can have at most one Power Attack System Soul Master, and Auxiliary System and Food System Soul Masters must participate as well. So this assessment will test not only your combat abilities but also how well you work together."
As she spoke, Mu Jin turned her gaze to Meng Hongchen. "Meng Hongchen."
"Here, teacher." Meng hurriedly stood, looking puzzled. She didn't know why Mu Jin had called on her.
"I remember that when you introduced yourself on the first day of school, you said you were a Control System Soul Master?"
Meng nodded.
"Your Martial Soul has considerable battlefield-control ability, but it seems much better suited to developing along the Power Attack System path. Why did you choose the Control System?" Over the past three months, Mu Jin had learned about each student's Martial Soul and made preliminary plans for their future cultivation.
Meng's choice to follow the Control System path was the one thing Mu Jin couldn't understand.
"Of course it's because my brother is a Power Attack System Soul Master!" Meng smiled softly and looked at Yue, who was seated beside her.
"When I chose my cultivation path, I didn't just consider my time at the academy, but also the future. As a Power Attack System Soul Master, my brother will definitely need a powerful Control System Soul Master by his side. So I want to become that person. Even if my Martial Soul would be better suited to the Power Attack System, the Control System isn't a bad choice either, is it?" At the end, Meng turned her gaze back to Mu Jin. Her eyes held an unwavering resolve.
Meng's words made many of the boys in class who liked her feel as if they'd heard something shatter.
Mu Jin simply nodded, accepting her reasoning. When it came to the future, the Control System was indeed a better fit for Meng than the Power Attack System.
"Your Martial Soul possesses ultimate poison, while its fire attribute manifests in your eyes. Together, the fire and poison form a special kind of fire poison. If you want to follow the Control System path, I suggest absorbing Soul Rings from ice-attribute Soul Beasts in the future to further strengthen your ice. It's good that you chose ice attributes for your first three rings." Mu Jin shared her thoughts on Meng's future cultivation.
Meng smiled and nodded. "Thank you, teacher. I'll think about it."
With that question settled, Mu Jin turned the conversation back to the new student assessment.
"Now I'll assign your teams for the assessment. You'll be in groups of three. There are nearly three hundred teams in the entire first year, and our class has 121 students, so we can form 41 teams."
That meant one student would be on their own. The students waited curiously for Mu Jin to continue, wondering who the lucky one would be.
"Yue Hongchen, given your strength, you have no rivals in the first year. Do you have any objections to being assigned to a team by yourself?"
"None." Yue stood and nodded, not noticing the resentful look on Meng's face beside him.
Mu Jin had naturally noticed, but there was nothing she could do. If she put Meng and Yue on the same team, that would leave another team with only two members. To give her students the best chance of passing, assigning Yue to a team by himself was the best option.
"Meng Hongchen, Ning Tian, Wu Feng." Mu Jin called out three more names, and the three of them immediately stood.
"You're the second team. Any objections?"
Ning Tian and Wu Feng were naturally pleased to be grouped together, but Meng wasn't very happy.
Yue gently took her hand and nodded to her.
"No objections!" Meng's unhappiness vanished in an instant.
Seeing that Meng agreed, Mu Jin let out a quiet sigh of relief.
She then continued assigning teams to the remaining students.
After she had assigned all the students, Mu Jin let out a breath. "All right, the teams are set for now. Hand in the papers you're holding. If you have any objections to your team, you can speak with me afterward. I want you to know that I've seen how hard you've worked. During the assessment, know your limits. Don't risk hidden injuries just for a moment's thrill; that wouldn't be good for your future."
When Mu Jin finished speaking, enthusiastic applause filled Class Nine. The students genuinely liked her, especially since every afternoon they got to see the training that the "monster" homeroom teacher of Class One put his students through.
After collecting the papers, Mu Jin gave them a quick look. Every student's plans for their future cultivation matched what she had expected.
"That's all for today's lessons. The members of each team can use the remaining time to practice working together. I wish you all the best in the coming assessment. Class dismissed!"
With that, Mu Jin gathered the papers and left the classroom to the applause of Class Nine.
"Student Meng, should we practice working together as a team?" The other students had already left in their groups. Ning Tian brought Wu Feng over to Yue and Meng.
Meng looked up at Yue. According to his plans, they were supposed to spend the afternoon cultivating at the Mimicry Training Ground.
"Of course. We don't have anything else to do, so how about I spar with you?"
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