New Student Enrollment

After the intense entrance examinations, the grand new student enrollment ceremony finally arrived. As always, it was held beside Sea God Lake, where Shrek Square and the statues of the first-generation Shrek Seven Devils stood. The dean of Shrek Academy would deliver a speech before the ancestors. Afterward, the students could find their classes and begin their first lesson at Shrek Academy.

The teaching buildings stood behind the square. They came in different colors, roughly corresponding to the years of the Soul Rings associated with each grade: white, yellow, purple, and black. New students were like the lowest-ranked white Soul Rings. Yellow marked the teaching buildings for second- and third-year students in the outer court; purple, those for fourth- and fifth-years; and black, naturally, the building for the sixth-years, who were about to graduate. That building meant you were close to earning a diploma from the outer court.

As for red, the color representing the highest rank, that belonged to students of the inner court. However, few people had ever seen it—or so the rumors went. Farther away lay the teaching and research areas, which were mostly gray. In terms of campus space, the Soul Guidance Department occupied one-third, while the Martial Soul Department took up two-thirds. But in terms of value and expenditure, the Martial Soul Department couldn't hold a candle to the Soul Guidance Department. The equipment in the teaching buildings alone was worth enough to buy the entire Soul Guidance Department. So it was no wonder the Martial Soul Department resented the Soul Guidance Department so much. They had poured in so much funding, yet had little to show for it.

The gap with the Sun Moon Empire was still enormous. But without investment, it would only grow worse. The war thousands of years ago had already proved the point: a gap in Soul Tools would lead to even greater bloodshed. Shrek couldn't refuse to invest, and any dissatisfaction had to be suppressed. They couldn't let the gap widen any further. As for narrowing it, that would take the efforts of this generation. To break through its current predicament, the Soul Guidance Department had to make a breakthrough in mass-producing Soul Tools and making them affordable to ordinary people. Then they could be sold, bringing in money and freeing the department from its dependence on Shrek Academy. Only then could it enter a virtuous cycle and have a chance to surpass its rivals.

During this period, the Shrek Academy dean's job was to suppress this conflict, do everything he could to support Soul Tool development, and contain the Martial Soul Department's resentment. The best way to ease his burden was for the Soul Guidance Department to achieve results that could silence the Martial Soul Department. Here, strength was everything. As long as you had results, everything else could be discussed.

Yan Shaozhe had to make his position clear this time. He couldn't keep playing dumb and trying to smooth things over like before. The Martial Soul Department's little maneuver had seriously affected enrollment. Even Xuan Zi had come down to look into it, which already made the Sea God Pavilion's stance clear—or at least the stance of some of its members. Everyone knew which faction Xuan Zi represented. Now that the Sea God Pavilion had made its position known, Yan Shaozhe could finally decide where he stood. This new student enrollment speech would be the beginning.

Yan Shaozhe slowly climbed onto the podium. Facing the scenery by Sea God Lake, he felt the breeze against his face as waves lapped at the shore. He realized he hadn't truly stopped to enjoy the view in years. Only now did he notice how beautiful Sea God Lake was, the rising sun scattering ripples of light across its surface. He even tuned out the new students' chatter below. It seemed like a long time passed before he came back to himself. A teacher in charge noticed the dean appeared to be lost in thought and, no matter how unbelievable it seemed, had to give him a tug. There were so many students watching.

The students below had gathered in groups of three or five, but most stood alone. New students came from all over, from different families. Some powerful families had several students enrolling, and a few even arranged for a small team to enter the academy. It was a way of cultivating their own people from childhood. The most famous example was the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. With so many affiliated sects, young masters and ladies of the Main Sect had attendants from an early age—or, to put it another way, companions. They would help the young masters and ladies through the toughest early years. If they were still a good match later, they could form a team; if not, they would be kicked out.

Everyone had their own choices to make. Regardless of what the young ladies of this class chose, Yan Shaozhe had already made his own. In that moment, his mind suddenly cleared. He decided not to pursue the matter of discipline. These children might be prodigies, but they were still children. Getting into the best academy on the continent was something they deserved to celebrate.

"Everyone, quiet down for a moment. I know you're excited. When I got in, I was just as excited as you are. But listen to me first. Once I've finished, you'll truly be enrolled at Shrek Academy. You all know the history of our academy by heart, so I won't go over it in detail."

"Let's get straight to the point. What did you come here for? To study, of course—to learn how to become strong. Becoming powerful has always been our strength, and no one can question that. We've won the competitions these past few years."

"That should be something to celebrate. But as Shrek's dean, I have to say this: winning those competitions has become harder and harder. Beneath our championships lies a crisis. We could rest on our laurels and enjoy our success, but if something goes wrong, I'll be the first to bear the consequences. That's my responsibility. So where does the root of the problem lie?"

"I think most of you already know the answer. Soul Tools. The gap between our Soul Tools and those of other academies is too great. Not just the Sun Moon Empire—the Soul Tool technology of the Three Great Empires has surpassed ours too, while we've made no progress at all. That's the root of everything."

The students below grew louder and louder. Many couldn't believe it. The crisis had become this serious? They didn't think the dean would lie to them, but most of them came from traditional Soul Master families. Many couldn't accept that advances in Soul Tools were already squeezing the room available to top Soul Masters like them.

Ignoring the discussion, Yan Shaozhe continued his speech. "That's why our academy must vigorously develop the Soul Guidance Department. I'm calling on all of you to study Soul Tool theory seriously. It will be a key factor in your advancement. Change will start with your class. Your seniors needn't worry, either. They'll have to make up the material too, but they won't be held back from graduating."

"Of course, resources will be redirected to support this. The Soul Guidance Department's funding will increase by another ten percent. I'll review the enrollment quota and see how much it can be increased. There's also one mandatory requirement: students in the Support System must study Soul Tools. You can choose the Martial Soul Department, but you must learn the theory and use of Soul Tools. The competitions have exposed too many serious problems. Things have to change."

Yan Shaozhe went on and on until someone finally reminded him to wrap up. This was probably the most satisfying speech he had ever given. It had been so long since he'd felt this free of constraints. Huo Yuhao, standing below, was also stunned. He still hadn't recovered, and the Sea of Spirit in particular left him completely helpless. Thanks to Shrek's advanced medical care and his own powerful recovery ability, he could at least walk normally now.

He hadn't expected the speech to reveal so much. Hadn't Wang Yi said speeches like these were supposed to be completely useless? Why was this one so different? Still, he no longer had to waver. His Martial Soul left him with no choice but to join the Soul Guidance Department. He could already tell how some of the teachers regarded him from the score he'd received for his special ability.

So that settled it: the Soul Guidance Department. It was a shame he couldn't be like his senior brother and Sister Xiao Ya, but it was too early to think about that. That was something for third year.

The first lesson of the school year was about to begin.