The Class Assignments Were Finalized

The Class Assignments Were Finalized

Huo Yuhao could only describe Shrek Academy's class assignment system with two words: utterly ridiculous. Setting aside the hodgepodge Class Four, which had been thrown together from all sorts of bizarre and mismatched specializations—

Since Shrek Academy had enjoyed the lion's share of the Douluo Continent's resources and talented recruits for ten thousand years, couldn't it at least provide independent educational resources for major categories such as Assault Type, Control Type, Defense Type, and Agility Assault Type?

Or was it truly necessary for students of two different types to be placed in the same class under the same teacher in order to learn the so-called tactical coordination they taught?

If that was the case, then why not simply put Soul Masters with the complete composition of a team into one class? Huo Yuhao simply could not understand it. Wasn't there something seriously wrong with that?

Moreover, Shrek Academy's theoretical courses supposedly taught knowledge related to Soul Master tactics, cultivation methods, teamwork, and so on.

But the differences between each type were enormous, and those differences were not determined solely by how a Soul Master positioned their own combat direction.

Whether it was Assault Type, Agility Assault Type, or even Support Type, Huo Yuhao felt that none of them represented an interpretation of a Martial Soul's true nature. They were merely classifications used to distinguish different development paths for Soul Masters.

What truly lay at the root of the differences between Soul Masters was their Martial Souls.

For example, regardless of whether a Beast Martial Soul master chose Assault Type or Support Type, the innate boost to physical fitness brought by Martial Soul Possession, accumulated over time, was far greater than that of Tool Martial Soul masters.

Furthermore, during the early and middle stages of cultivation, a Soul Master's physical strength was directly related to the speed of their cultivation. This was because, at this stage, the Soul Power within a Soul Master's body was not yet abundant or condensed enough.

Their Soul Power could not fully disperse and spread throughout their bodies. Instead, it gathered in their dantian, only leaving it to travel through their bodies under the direction of their consciousness while cultivating or unleashing Soul Skills.

The strengthened physique brought by a Beast Martial Soul master's Martial Soul Possession allowed their bodies, on an innate level, to better accommodate the circulation of Soul Power. That was why Beast Martial Soul masters cultivated faster in the early stages under equal conditions.

The early advantage of Tool Martial Soul masters, on the other hand, lay in the effects of their Soul Skills. Perhaps for the sake of balance, once their Soul Skills were combined with their own Martial Souls, the effects were stronger than those of Beast Martial Soul masters.

As long as a Tool Martial Soul was of decent quality, it would more or less possess some inherent characteristics, and those characteristics would mostly act directly upon Soul Skills.

For example, Xiao Xiao's Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron could split into three and merge back into one. Combined with her original Soul Skills, this could produce multiple variations.

Moreover, unlike Beast Martial Soul masters, Tool Martial Soul masters directly attached their Soul Power to their Martial Souls rather than distributing it through their bodies to strengthen their physical fitness. Thus, Tool Martial Soul masters held a greater advantage in the early stages when it came to using Soul Skills and Soul Power.

This situation would only change after reaching seven Soul Rings, when Soul Masters obtained their Martial Soul Avatars or condensed Soul Cores. Only then would Beast Martial Soul masters and Tool Martial Soul masters enter cultivation paths that ultimately led to the same destination.

Once they possessed Martial Soul Avatars, the physical-strength enhancements of Beast Martial Soul and Tool Martial Soul masters would gradually balance out, while Beast Martial Soul masters would also be able to free up more Soul Power for precise control.

So even if classes truly had to be divided according to certain rules, whether teaching cultivation methods or developing Martial Soul potential, shouldn't the distinction be between Beast Martial Souls and Tool Martial Souls?

Beast Martial Soul masters should focus in the early stages on training their physical fitness in combination with their Martial Souls and Soul Power.

Tool Martial Soul masters, meanwhile, should focus in the early stages on the techniques of using their Martial Souls, Soul Skills, and Soul Power.

To be honest, after attending Shrek Academy for three months, Huo Yuhao felt that the purpose of the teachers' existence was rather subtle.

Put bluntly, these teachers were merely Soul Masters who had gained strength. Shrek Academy's most important requirement when selecting teachers was their Soul Power Level—they had to be at least Soul Emperors.

As for how much of those Soul Emperors' personal attainment came from innate Soul Power advantages and Martial Soul strength, and how much came from genuine accumulated knowledge and unique insights, that depended entirely on the students' luck.

At the very least, Zhou Yi, whose body-tempering method still followed Yu Xiaogang's approach of running, and that first-year theory teacher who could only parrot textbooks, both counted as illiterates in Huo Yuhao's eyes.

Thus, what they taught was really just some widely known cultivation methods and knowledge. When it came to secret methods or secret arts, at most they would mention their effects, names, or origins in passing.

Even the library of Shrek Academy's outer court contained very few records related to secret methods or special secret arts. Of course, it was not hard to understand why.

After all, the disciples and teachers of Shrek Academy's outer court were fundamentally still unable to enter Shrek Academy's true inner circle. Only disciples who entered the inner court would be regarded as members of Shrek Academy itself.

The difference in library resources, teaching staff, and even resources between the inner court and outer court was what truly allowed Shrek Academy to remain powerful for ten thousand years.

But if that was the case, then Shrek Academy's outer court was not fundamentally different from other traditional Soul Master Academies in its educational philosophy or methods.

Most Soul Masters came here merely to gild their résumés. Some might even see their cultivation regress because of Shrek Academy's environment, since the outer court was far too competitive.

As the saying went, better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix. Those who could enter Shrek Academy might not stand out within Shrek Academy, but if they casually joined another academy or sect faction in the outside world, their talent would absolutely earn them preferential resources.

With talent and preferential resources, although they still could not compare to the outstanding Soul Masters selected layer by layer into Shrek Academy's inner court, they would at least not fade into obscurity like this.

Although disciples who left Shrek Academy had decent reputations, how many of the disciples who departed from the outer court could truly enter the upper echelons of the Soul Master world?

Thus, even if Shrek Academy's educational system differed from other academies, what it retained were all the bad aspects, such as the rotten school motto passed down for ten thousand years: those who dared not cause trouble were mediocre.

It was only because Shrek Academy had monopolized the best students and locations within the Original Three Douluo Kingdoms for ten thousand years, while also relying on the Star Dou Great Forest to obtain an endless stream of resources.

With the backing of its history of having produced seven ascended Deities, it had been able to develop smoothly over ten thousand years into a colossal creature parasitizing the Original Three Douluo Kingdoms—or rather, a malignant tumor.

It was just that, under the pressure of the Sun Moon Empire and given the current level of development of Soul Master civilization, this problem was not yet very obvious.

Soon, under Du Weilun's announcement, the class assignment list was finalized, and Huo Yuhao was still assigned to Class One.

Naturally, Huo Yuhao currently had no ability to influence Shrek Academy's system. Nor did he intend to waste too much time on changing classes or on Zhou Yi, because none of it had any meaning.

As far as he was concerned, he could simply leave his body on autopilot with Sky Dream Ice Silkworm during class, while he entered the Spiritual Sea to study what he needed to study.

After attending a few classes during the first three months and discovering that they held no value, this had been Huo Yuhao's strategy all along.

The teachers of Class One were still Zhou Yi and Wang Yan, just as in the original story. After announcing the class assignments, Du Weilun said, "All right. Now, everyone, return to the teaching building under the guidance of your respective homeroom teachers."

"Wang Dong, Huo Yuhao, Xiao Xiao, the three of you come with me to collect your reward."

After arriving at Du Weilun's office, Du Weilun praised the three of them once again for their performance in the Freshman Assessment before getting to the point. From the conspicuous ruby ring on his right hand, he took out a leather pouch.

Looking at this rather flamboyant Soul Tool, one could only say that it truly was an academy founded by the Four-Eyed Cat Eagle, Flender. The style had been passed down intact.

The pouch emitted faint Soul Power fluctuations, but through the Eye of Truth, Huo Yuhao could see that it was actually a Soul Tool capable of concealing auras and Soul Power fluctuations.

Its quality simply was not very high, which was why some of the Soul Bone's aura leaked out. But low-level Soul Masters would certainly be unable to notice it.

"Children, because you defeated the team led by three Soul Elder freshmen and won the final championship this time."

"I applied to the academy to grant you this exceptional reward. However, there is only one reward, and you will need to decide among yourselves how to distribute it."

Du Weilun handed the pouch to Wang Dong.

"This prize is the most precious reward the academy has given out during the Freshman Assessment in at least three hundred years. Open it and take a look."

After saying that, Wang Dong glanced at Huo Yuhao. Huo Yuhao nodded, and Wang Dong untied the cord around the pouch.

As the pouch opened, a ball of yellow light emerged from within and slowly floated into the air. At the same time, a rich aura of Soul Power spread out. This was a Soul Bone, an exceedingly precious treasure on the Douluo Continent.

Huo Yuhao was naturally not very surprised. Having known the plot and possessing the Eye of Truth, he had already seen through what was stored inside the pouch.

However, Huo Yuhao discovered that the structure of a Soul Bone seemed rather complex, much more complex than ordinary Soul Skills or Soul Rings.

Like the Martial Souls and bodily structures of high-level Soul Masters, even Huo Yuhao's Eye of Truth required some time to fully analyze and record such a complex thing.

"Th-this is... a Soul Bone?" Wang Dong asked with an apparently shocked expression.

"..." Huo Yuhao no longer knew what to say. Wang Dong was shocked by this and shocked by that every day. What a waste of her background.

Xiao Xiao, standing nearby, also looked curiously at the Soul Bone. As an ordinary student, she had never seen one before.

Du Weilun smiled faintly. "That's right, it is a Soul Bone. You should all know how precious Soul Bones are, so the academy has given only this one reward."

"You will need to discuss it after you return and decide who should receive it. But do not let this Soul Bone affect your friendship. Next, I will briefly introduce it."

"This Soul Bone is a left leg bone called the Ethereal Demon Leopard Left Leg Bone. After fusing with it, a Soul Master's speed will be enhanced. It is suitable for both Assault Type and Control Type Soul Masters."

"Moreover, after fusion, it will grant an offensive Soul Skill activated through the left leg. It will automatically adapt according to the fused Martial Soul and will definitely suit one of you."

"Put it back into the pouch and take it with you. Together with a Storage Soul Tool, it can effectively conceal the Soul Power fluctuations of this Soul Bone."

"It would be best to fuse with it as soon as possible after returning. Although the academy is very safe, a man's only crime is possessing a treasure. You must keep this reward secret as well."

Du Weilun then saw the three of them out. After Du Weilun left, Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao looked toward Huo Yuhao. Wang Dong then said, "This Soul Bone... Huo Yuhao should take it."

"Among the three of us, your cultivation is the lowest. If you can fuse with this Soul Bone, it will certainly help improve your cultivation in the future."

"Besides, during the Freshman Assessment, whether against Ning Tian's team or Dai Huabin's team, Yuhao contributed the most. Without him, we might not have become the final champions."

Xiao Xiao nodded in agreement. "Mm, Wang Dong is right."

"All right, I won't say more. Let's go first." Huo Yuhao did not say anything else and directly accepted it. Naturally, he had no intention of fusing with this Soul Bone.

Though he could not determine its exact age, it definitely was not a particularly good Soul Bone. It was probably somewhere between a thousand and ten thousand years old.

The Ethereal Demon Leopard itself was not an especially powerful Soul Beast, and ordinary Ethereal Demon Leopards were roughly at this cultivation level. Though the Ethereal Demon Leopard Soul Bone did not suit him, it would still be useful after he analyzed it.

Furthermore, with Electrolux around, something like a Soul Bone, existing between bone and energy, happened to fall within Electrolux's area of expertise. Given the opportunity, this Soul Bone might yet prove to have other uses.

Huo Yuhao then directly stored the pouch containing the Soul Bone in his belt and headed toward the dormitory building with Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao.

Since Huo Yuhao differed from the original story and did not get along with Zhou Yi, Zhou Yi did not act as a benefactor like she had in the original story, conveniently giving him the Secret Technique Soul Left Arm Bone that he would desperately need after fusing with the Ice Empress Soul Bone.

Of course, Huo Yuhao did not need it anyway.