Three Months Later

Three months flew by in the blink of an eye.

In the Freshman Class One classroom, everyone's face brimmed with confidence and enthusiasm.

Not a single student had dropped out. If anything, they were all fired up.

That was due not only to Teacher Wang Yan's precise guidance on their Martial Souls, but also to their class monitor... Cao Longyan!

He was a young man whose talent, strength, and looks far surpassed theirs, yet he worked harder than any of them.

Unlike the powerhouses in other classes, who looked down on everyone and acted as if they were above it all, he was warm and approachable. He often took the initiative to help his classmates train, pointing out mistakes and even flaws in their cultivation...

In that kind of atmosphere, every student in the class had made significant progress.

Now, no one had a Soul Power Level below twenty.

Even Huo Yuhao, who had entered the academy with the lowest cultivation, had successfully broken through to level twenty-one and obtained his second Soul Skill: the Simulation Soul Skill, just like in the original story.

Wang Dong's Soul Power had also reached level twenty-nine, leaving her just one step away from level thirty.

What surprised Cao Longyan most, though, was Xiao Xiao. She had actually caught up with Wang Dong and reached level twenty-nine as well.

Cao Longyan had seen how hard Xiao Xiao had worked over the past three months.

And thanks to Wang Dong's constant "pointers," he, an utter novice when it came to romance, had finally started to catch on.

Though those pointers might have been a little improper... they were practical, at least...

He knew that Xiao Xiao was working so desperately hard because she didn't want to fall too far behind him.

She wanted to stay by his side, and the only way to do that was to train with all her might...

As for Cao Longyan himself, he had left everyone in the dust.

His Soul Power Level had surged straight to forty-five, and he had successfully obtained his fourth Soul Ring—a red Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring. It had also restored a little of the light to his Ten Halls of Yama Martial Soul and the fireball in his Spiritual Sea of Consciousness.

Over these three months, Huo Yuhao had also advanced to become a Level 2 Soul Engineer, an achievement that should have broken the record for the youngest ever.

Unfortunately, standing next to the monster that was Cao Longyan, everything else paled.

Two years earlier, at the age of ten, Cao Longyan had already become a Level 2 Soul Engineer. He'd reached level two at a glance, astonishing the entire Soul Guidance Department.

And now, he was already a Level 5 Soul Engineer.

Huo Yuhao could only marvel at him endlessly.

Cao Longyan was just too strong. Huo Yuhao had thought he was only formidable as a Soul Master, but it turned out he was just as... Huo Yuhao could hardly keep from crying. The confidence he'd worked so hard to build had been cruelly doused by Cao Longyan...

But grumbling aside, he was still very grateful to Cao Longyan.

He knew that he had reached Level 2 Soul Engineer so quickly thanks in large part to Cao Longyan's precise guidance.

Whenever Cao Longyan was around, the techniques and experience he taught Huo Yuhao for making Soul Tools were more thorough and practical than what Fan Yu and He Caitou taught him. They had given him an incredibly solid foundation while helping him progress at lightning speed.

That day, the class bell rang, and Freshman Class One prepared for its usual morning theory lesson.

Wang Yan walked up to the podium, his expression serious as he looked over the students.

"Students, your three months as freshmen at the academy are over. Next, you'll face the extremely rigorous Shrek Freshman Assessment."

The classroom fell silent at once, and everyone held their breath.

Wang Yan then explained the freshman assessment to the entire class, word for word as it had appeared in the original story, while adding his own insights.

"The assessment will be fought in teams of three."

Wang Yan continued, his voice dropping lower.

Everyone in the class except Cao Longyan swallowed nervously.

"There are one hundred students in Freshman Class One. That means... one student will be left without a team and eliminated outright."

As soon as Wang Yan finished speaking, a ripple of discussion swept through the classroom.

No one wanted to be the unlucky one eliminated outright...

Some guessed it would be the student with the lowest cultivation in class... others thought it would be whoever was weakest overall.

But Wang Yan's next words left everyone dumbfounded.

"After discussion, the academy has decided that the student removed from the groups and excused from the assessment is... class monitor Cao Longyan."

"What?!"

"The class monitor?!"

"How is that possible!"

The whole class erupted. Everyone stared at Cao Longyan in disbelief.

He was the strongest in the class, perhaps even the strongest among all the freshmen. How could he be eliminated outright?

But a few students caught a detail in what Wang Yan had said.

"Wait, did Teacher Wang Yan say the class monitor doesn't have to take the assessment?"

Cao Longyan remained calm, as though he had expected this outcome all along.

Wang Yan looked at the shocked students and smiled as he slowly explained.

"The purpose of the freshman assessment is to select core disciples and prepare them to enter the Inner Court... but Cao Longyan's strength already far exceeds the assessment's standards."

"After careful deliberation, the academy has made an exception and selected Cao Longyan directly as a Martial Soul Department core disciple, while also securing his qualification as an Inner Court disciple in advance."

"Even if he fought three against one, he could still defeat every freshman in an instant... The academy feels there's no need for someone with that level of strength to take the assessment."

Silence...

A deathly silence...

Then came an even louder wave of discussion and astonishment from the entire class.

"Holy crap! The class monitor is way too awesome!"

"They've directly named him a Martial Soul Department core disciple and secured his place in the Inner Court early! That's ridiculous!"

"I've got nothing to say except this: the class monitor is amazing. You're our god!"

Wang Dong puffed out her cheeks, looking at once friendly and jealous, then turned to Cao Longyan and pouted at him.

"Longyan, you monster! It's so unfair when you're this strong!"

Cao Longyan spread his hands with a helpless look, but didn't answer Wang Dong.

Yet his gestures and expression said it all.

What could he do? He wanted to keep a low profile too, but... his strength wouldn't let him!

Wang Dong's breathing suddenly grew ragged.

"You... you..."

Huo Yuhao was even more shocked than the others.

He knew Cao Longyan wasn't just a core disciple in the Martial Soul Department; he was also a core disciple in the Soul Guidance Department!

A dual-department core disciple was unprecedented in all of Shrek.

But Xiao Xiao, standing among the crowd, lowered her head, disappointment filling her eyes.

She had thought that if she trained hard enough, she might be able to team up with Cao Longyan and take the assessment together.

Now, that hope was completely gone...

Wang Yan continued announcing the freshman assessment teams.

As expected, just like in the original story, Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao were assigned to the same team.

"As for Cao Longyan..."

Wang Yan looked over at him with a smile.

"Dean Yan and the others have their own arrangements... Classes are canceled this afternoon. They'll come find you while everyone's preparing for the assessment."

After class, Wang Dong kept teasing Cao Longyan without a pause.

Cao Longyan paid her no attention. His gaze rested on Xiao Xiao, who stood nearby, looking downcast.

He walked over, bent down in front of her, and spoke gently.

"Xiao Xiao, it's all right... Even if we can't team up for the assessment, I'll always be here for you. I'll come cheer you on when you compete."

Xiao Xiao lifted her head abruptly. Her eyes were still glistening, but in an instant, they were replaced by a flush of red.

She looked into Cao Longyan's gentle eyes, and her heartbeat sped up against her will.

Before she could react, Cao Longyan reached out and gently took her small hand.

He knew everything Xiao Xiao had done for him. He had also heard from Su Yao why, that night in the Soul Fighting Zone, Xiao Xiao had spoken those strange words to him with tears in her eyes.

Xiao Xiao was a wonderful girl. Of course he wouldn't let her down...

Holding Xiao Xiao's hand, Cao Longyan turned to Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong.

"Tonight, I'll come back and make you all a barbecue feast to cheer you on for the freshman assessment!"

Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong's eyes lit up, and they nodded eagerly.

Xiao Xiao's cheeks turned so red they looked ready to drip blood. Cao Longyan held her small hand, and she felt the warmth of his palm. The disappointment in her heart was instantly filled with sweetness, and she couldn't suppress the smile tugging at her lips.