After choosing the class monitor, Mu Jin began her first lesson.
She turned around, picked up a piece of chalk, and wrote two large characters on the blackboard—
Attack! Defense!
The two characters were bold and forceful, their strokes seeming to pierce the wood.
The classroom fell silent in an instant.
Every student's gaze settled on the two characters on the blackboard. Some looked thoughtful, some were utterly baffled, and others nodded as if they had realized something.
Mu Jin turned around, swept her gaze across the students, and finally settled it on Ning Tian.
"Ning Tian, as class monitor, I'm going to test you."
She paused, the faintest hint of a smile playing at her lips.
"What's your understanding of the attack and defense system among Soul Masters?"
As soon as she asked, the other students turned to look at their newly elected class monitor.
The question seemed simple, but everyone knew that since Mu Jin had raised it during the very first lesson, there had to be a deeper meaning behind it.
If Ning Tian answered well, she would naturally leave a good impression on the teacher. If she answered poorly, she might disappoint her.
Everyone wanted to know whether the young sect mistress of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect could give an answer that satisfied Mu Jin.
By the window, Huo Yuhao heard the question and glanced at the two characters on the blackboard before losing interest.
In the original story memories left behind by the transmigrator "Wang Teng," Zhou Yi's first lesson had also begun with these two characters.
Attack. Defense.
He had assumed every teacher had their own way of teaching. He hadn't expected the curriculum at Shrek Academy to be standardized.
Still, Mu Jin's teaching style was clearly much gentler than that of the madwoman Zhou Yi.
At that moment, Ning Tian stood by her seat. Hearing Mu Jin's question, she fell silent for a moment, deep in thought.
Everyone's eyes were on her, waiting for her answer.
Ning Tian raised her head, met Mu Jin's gaze, and slowly began:
"Soul Masters are divided into Power Attack, Agility Attack, Control, Support, Defense, and Food Systems."
Her voice was gentle, yet clear enough for everyone to hear.
"Among these, the Power Attack, Agility Attack, and Control Systems lean more toward offense; the Defense, Support, and Food Systems focus more on defense."
When she finished, quite a few students nodded.
It was a conventional answer, more or less the standard response.
After hearing it, Mu Jin nodded, but no satisfied smile appeared on her face. Instead, she looked a little disappointed.
She was just about to offer her assessment—
When Ning Tian continued:
"But—"
She paused, swept her gaze across the students, and went on:
"Before Soul Tools appeared, the Soul Master system really was like that. Power Attack Soul Masters charged into battle, Agility Attack Soul Masters darted about and struck from the shadows, and Control Soul Masters commanded the field. Defense Soul Masters protected their teammates, Support Soul Masters provided enhancements, and Food Soul Masters handled logistics. Offense and defense were clearly divided, with each fulfilling its own role."
"However, the appearance of Soul Tools changed many things."
Her voice grew more confident, and her eyes shone with intelligence.
"Offensive Soul Tools can give Support Soul Masters the ability to attack; Defensive Soul Tools can give Power Attack Soul Masters greater survivability. It was the appearance of Soul Tools that blurred the line between offense and defense among Soul Masters."
She paused, then summed up:
"So I think the Soul Master system today can no longer be summed up with the simple words 'attack' and 'defense.'
"Offense within defense, defense within offense, each complementing the other—that is the direction Soul Masters are developing in today."
When she finished, the classroom fell silent.
Then a satisfied smile spread across Mu Jin's face.
She raised her hands and applauded softly.
"Excellent!"
"Thank you for sharing that, Ning Tian."
Her gaze swept over the students, her tone full of praise.
"That answer is about as close to a perfect score as you can get."
The students applauded along with her, looking at Ning Tian with newfound respect.
Huo Yuhao continued to gaze out the window, but his ears twitched slightly.
Ning Tian's words had surprised him.
As expected of the young sect mistress of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect—her understanding and knowledge of Soul Tools far surpassed that of her peers.
Picking up from Ning Tian's answer, Mu Jin began to explain:
"Four thousand years ago, the Soul Master system really could be summed up with the simple words 'attack' and 'defense.'
"Back then, Support Soul Masters had no offensive abilities at all. They could only rely on their teammates' protection, so their focus was on defense."
"But the appearance of Soul Tools completely changed that."
She drew a simple diagram on the blackboard as she explained:
"Offensive Soul Tools can give Support Soul Masters the ability to protect themselves; Defensive Soul Tools can help Power Attack Soul Masters survive longer on the battlefield; Agility Attack Soul Masters can move more freely across the battlefield when equipped with Soul Tools; and Control Soul Masters can command the field more effectively with Soul Tools..."
"Soul Tools aren't meant to replace Soul Masters. They're meant to support them and make them stronger."
She turned around and swept her gaze across the students, her voice solemn:
"I hope you'll remember that."
Huo Yuhao's eyes flickered slightly as he listened.
Mu Jin's words reminded him of his days studying at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy in his previous life.
Back then, one of his teachers had said something similar:
"Soul Tools are merely tools in a Soul Master's hands.
"Just like Soul Bones, they're inanimate objects, neither good nor evil.
"We don't need to resist them. We should try to approach them, understand them, study them, and ultimately master them."
He wholeheartedly agreed with those words.
The people in Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department, however, clearly didn't understand that principle.
They stubbornly believed that Soul Tools were nothing but a burden, and that Soul Masters were the true mainstream.
Instead of spending time studying and learning about Soul Tools, they thought, it was better to devote all their time to cultivation and improving themselves.
That kind of thinking wasn't limited to Shrek Academy.
Across the entire Douluo Continent, the vast majority of great clans thought the same way.
The ideas they instilled in their descendants were mostly that high-level Soul Engineers were weaker than traditional Soul Masters, and that cultivating Soul Tools—those fancy tricks—would only hinder one's own cultivation, or even bring one's progress to a complete halt.
Huo Yuhao sneered inwardly.
These so-called "great clans" were merely stuck in their ways, clinging to what was old and rotten.
Soul Tools had developed to the point that they were nothing like the "fancy tricks" those people imagined.
The power of high-level Soul Tools was enough to threaten—or even kill—a Titled Douluo.
When the day came that Soul Tools truly rose to prominence, those who clung to tradition would ultimately be cast aside by the times.
However—
The Nine Treasures Glazed Sect was an exception.
Huo Yuhao's gaze fell on Ning Tian. Her answer had surprised him.
After all, the original story had only mentioned the girl in passing before she disappeared, so Huo Yuhao didn't know much about her.
Her knowledge was presumably inseparable from her sect's teachings.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda was a purely Support-type Martial Soul, with no offensive capabilities whatsoever.
The sect even had an explicit rule: direct descendants of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect in every generation had to rely on powerful Power Attack Soul Masters as their partners to ensure their own safety.
That was why direct descendants of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect had to choose Battle Soul Masters as their spouses.
The appearance of Soul Tools had given them hope.
It wasn't that Soul Tools alone meant they no longer needed Power Attack teammates. Rather, Soul Tools gave them a way to protect themselves, allowing them to better safeguard themselves in team battles.
As a result, the higher-ups of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect didn't resist Soul Tools like the great clans on the mainland.
Instead, they studied them, learned about them, and mastered them.
The message they passed on to their descendants was that they could give Soul Tools a try, but shouldn't become obsessed with them. Cultivation as a Soul Master came first, but if they liked Soul Tools, they could study them too.
It was precisely because of this open-minded attitude that Ning Tian could give such an unconventional answer.
Huo Yuhao looked away and continued gazing out the window.
He had studied the material Mu Jin was teaching at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy in his previous life, where it had been taught far better and more systematically. With the experience of more than twenty years in his previous life, there was no need for him to keep listening.
Before long, the lesson was over.
The dismissal bell rang.
Mu Jin glanced at the sky outside, then at the students below, who were itching to rush out and eat. Smiling, she clapped her hands.
"All right, that's it for this morning's class."
She paused, then added:
"We have physical training this afternoon. Remember to be in the classroom on time. Class dismissed!"
The instant she finished speaking, cheers broke out in the classroom.
The students stood up and headed for the door in small groups.
Huo Yuhao stood up too and left the classroom at an unhurried pace.
Following the crowd, he made his way to Shrek Academy's cafeteria.
The cafeteria was huge, large enough to seat several thousand people at once.
It was lunchtime, and long lines had formed at all eight serving windows. The air was filled with the aroma of food.
Huo Yuhao chose a window with a relatively short line and queued up for a meal.
A short while later, he carried his tray to a corner and ate in silence.
The meal was quite sumptuous. The most eye-catching item was a palm-sized Roasted Earth Dragon Rib, its skin grilled to a golden brown and glistening with oil, sprinkled with some unknown spices. Tiny beads of meat juice glistened between the visible fibers.
Beside it were three slices of Wind Antelope Leg Meat, evenly cut and fine-textured. They had clearly been cooked with a special technique to preserve their tenderness.
There were two vegetable dishes: a small portion of stir-fried Emerald Moss, crisp and green with faint traces of Soul Power; and several Honey Glazed Potato Cubes, soft, golden, and fragrant with sweetness.
Nestled in the corner was a palm-sized Red Jade Fruit. Once cut open, its translucent flesh gave off an enticing fruity aroma.
The most special item was the bowl of rice. Each grain was distinct and glimmered like a pearl, and faint traces of Soul Power seemed to emanate from the bowl.
It had been steamed with Jade Spirit Rice, a specialty grown in Soul Beast habitats. Every grain contained pure Soul Power, making it greatly beneficial to a Soul Master's cultivation.
The soup bowl was filled with clear bone broth, with a few unknown mushrooms floating in it. Steam curled upward, carrying a rich, savory aroma.
Twenty Gold Soul Coins was a huge expense for an ordinary family.
But to Huo Yuhao, it was nothing.
He had more than ten thousand Gold Soul Coins in his Storage Ring, enough to spend freely for a long time.
He picked up his chopsticks and tasted a piece of Wind Antelope Leg Meat.
The meat was tender enough to melt in his mouth, carrying a rich, savory flavor.
As he chewed, a warm current rose from his stomach and slowly flowed into every limb and bone.
Huo Yuhao nodded slightly.
Although Shrek Academy was miserly when it came to freshman accommodations, providing conditions so shabby they were downright outrageous, it had clearly put considerable effort into the meals.
For twenty Gold Soul Coins, the food was not only delicious but nutritious as well.
The meat from these Soul Beasts, each more than a decade old, was rich in vital essence and greatly beneficial to cultivation.
Huo Yuhao savored it slowly, feeling the faintest trace of Soul Power building within him.
It was only a trace, but accumulated day after day, it would become a considerable gain.
After lunch, he strolled around campus for a while, then returned to the classroom, sat down at his seat, and began cultivating.
That afternoon, they had physical training.
Ten minutes before the bell rang, all one hundred students in Freshman Class Nine had already filled every seat in the classroom.
No one dared be late.
Mu Jin walked into the classroom, swept her gaze over the students, and nodded in satisfaction.
"Now, we're going to have our physical training class."
Her voice wasn't loud, but everyone could hear it clearly.
"Everyone stand up. Assemble in the square."
The students got to their feet and filed out of the classroom.
No one dared dawdle or whisper to each other.
They followed quietly and in orderly rows behind Mu Jin, making their way to Shrek Academy's square.
The square was vast, large enough to accommodate several thousand people training at once.
Several classes had already arrived. Their students wore matching training clothes and stood in formation across the square.
In one corner of the square lay a pile of chainmail.
Huo Yuhao glanced at the chainmail and immediately understood what was coming next: Shrek Academy's traditional exercise, a weighted run.
Sure enough, Mu Jin led them over to the pile of chainmail and stopped.
She turned to face them and clapped her hands.
"Today is your first day of school, so we'll start with the basics."
Her voice was clear and firm, carrying a hint of authority.
"For students with different Martial Soul abilities, I'll use different methods for your targeted physical training in the future. But running is the most fundamental form of physical training, and it can also give us a thorough picture of your overall physical fitness."
She pointed to the pile of chainmail in front of her.
"These are iron vests. Take one each, put it on, and start running laps around the square. From now until the dismissal bell rings, you'll keep running."
She paused, then added:
"You may use Soul Power, but you may not use Soul Skills. Your rankings will be determined by the number of laps you run."
"Ning Tian, Wu Feng."
She looked at the two of them.
"Make a chart based on the rankings of everyone in the class. In the future, we'll arrange specialized training according to their different physical abilities."
Ning Tian and Wu Feng nodded to show they understood.
Watching this, Huo Yuhao nodded inwardly.
Mu Jin's approach was indeed very scientific.
By arranging different types of specialized training according to the students' physiques, she could achieve the desired results without harming their bodies.
Besides, Mu Jin wouldn't be like that crazy woman Zhou Yi, casually expelling students just because they came in last in the laps.
Before you continue