First Hearing of Douluo Continent's First Junior Academy (1)

The atmosphere was somewhat subtle.

Li Changsheng sat peacefully inside the carriage, casting a glance at the two girls sitting opposite him.

Beside him, Li Zishuo was clearly uneasy, his small eyes darting between Li Changsheng and the two girls across from them.

The true names of the Seven Absolute Zither Master and Exquisite Dice were unknown.

Their true appearances were unknown.

Both of them wore masks.

The masks were not simple white or black coverings, but rather sophisticated soul guidance devices.

Intricate patterns were etched upon them.

For instance, the mask worn on the Seven Absolute Zither Master's small face was based in pure white, with nebula-like purple lines traced across the top, extending from her brow down to her cheeks and chin, all adorned with delicate decorative motifs.

Exquisite Dice's mask was relatively simpler, with a few embellishments that left her black-and-white eyes exposed.

Li Changsheng looked toward the Seven Absolute Zither Master.

Coincidentally, her gaze met his.

It was then that Li Changsheng noticed that besides her silver-white hair, her eyes were actually sky-blue, as clear and deep as the heavens, shimmering with an aura of wisdom.

The silent atmosphere was broken by Exquisite Dice.

Among the children present, she seemed to be the oldest.

She gave a light cough and then said, "Li Changsheng, Li Zishuo, right?"

Her voice was crisp and clear, inexplicably making one imagine that her face must be delicate and endearing, enough to stir one's affection.

Li Changsheng nodded.

Li Zishuo nodded heavily.

The corner of Exquisite Dice's mouth, visible beneath her mask, curled into a smile before she continued:

"Don't be so reserved. Hmm, since you two are younger than me, it wouldn't be too much to call you my little brothers, would it?"

Before Li Changsheng could speak, Li Zishuo interjected with an excited tone: "Is your surname Li?"

Li Changsheng, who had been about to speak, felt a tremor run through him.

He yanked Li Zishuo's slightly leaning body back.

"Fine, so, if there are rules or anything you need to explain, just get on with it."

Exquisite Dice did not answer Li Zishuo's question; instead, she shifted her gaze to Li Changsheng and paused.

"Sister Exquisite, go ahead."

The Seven Absolute Zither Master spoke for the first time.

Her voice felt very soft and supple; perhaps because of her young age, it lacked a sense of authority, sounding quite gentle.

Exquisite Dice seemed to care deeply about the Seven Absolute Zither Master's words, so she didn't waste any more time and began to explain:

"Shrek Pre-Academy was established three thousand years ago, relying on the contemporary dean of Shrek Academy, and has developed to this day. It can be called the continent's number one primary soul master academy... covering an area of... faculty strength... high-level equipment... soul beast breeding forest..."

Li Changsheng was impressed.

This soul master, Exquisite Dice, was actually starting from the founding history of Shrek Pre-Academy, interspersed with details about the internal situation of the pre-academy.

Who among them didn't know this?

Resigned, he simply leaned back and listened to her talk.

At the same time, Li Changsheng knew that the location of Shrek Pre-Academy was not near Shrek Academy, but rather near the Mingdou Mountain Range, at the border between the western Star Luo Empire and the Sun Moon Empire.

The distance was truly vast.

"W-why does the pre-academy have to be built at the border of the Sun Moon Empire? Isn't that very dangerous?"

When Exquisite Dice mentioned this, Li Zishuo asked timidly from the side.

Exquisite Dice chuckled: "Of course it's chaotic! Precisely because it's a border area, a place with no jurisdiction, there are wandering bandits, criminals, and evil soul masters. Isn't that exactly how one tempers their own strength?"

Too mature.

Too terrifying.

Li Changsheng felt his heart race more and more as he listened.

Is this really a primary soul master academy?

Well, he would see for himself once they arrived.

There was one thing Li Changsheng was more interested in, so he asked: "Have you ever killed anyone?"

"We have."

This time, it was the long-silent Seven Absolute Zither Master who answered, her sky-blue eyes fixed on Li Changsheng, as if she had been watching him for a while.

Beside her, Exquisite Dice continued to talk about everything regarding Shrek Pre-Academy.

"Killed someone..." Li Changsheng's heart skipped a beat.

Really?

He did not ask for details.

After chatting for a long time, Exquisite Dice did not seem tired; instead, she began to converse with the timid Li Zishuo beside her.

However, the content of their conversation was entirely about the Pre-Education Academy.

Exquisite Dice seemed to truly regard Li Zishuo as a younger brother.

As for Li Changsheng...

Well, Li Changsheng felt there was nothing for him to ask.

Rules?

Regulations?

What was the point of asking about these?

Would understanding these things make him stronger?

He simply closed his eyes to rest.

In truth, his hands were itching; he wanted to spar with the Seven Absolute Zither Master.

Although he felt a bit guilty about fighting a seven-year-old child, the other party's strength was indeed formidable.

Seven years old, level twenty-one, one yellow and one purple soul ring.

Soon, Exquisite Dice began to talk about the teaching system after the Pre-Education Academy's reforms.

Li Changsheng, who had been resting with his eyes closed, finally opened them.

Exquisite Dice said, "This institutional reform is truly miserable for you freshmen. Even we students who are about to graduate are having a rough time."

"First of all, if you want to graduate from the Pre-Education Academy in the future, you need to complete a graduation assessment in the sixth grade."

"If you are a Battle Soul Master, you need to hunt a soul beast of a specified age, or capture one alive and bring it back."

"If you are an Auxiliary System Soul Master, you need to go to the Soul Fighting Arena in various cities and assist other team soul masters to achieve one hundred victories."

"Especially the Soul Guidance Department courses that opened this year. If you want to graduate, you must pass a special assessment; I imagine it must be to craft a piece of soul guidance equipment."

"You know what soul guidance equipment is, right? It's different from ordinary lamps. Real soul guidance equipment is a weapon used for combat. It's driven by soul power. In short, it's very powerful. If you're interested, once you enter the academy, you can go and take a look."

"As for the freshman assessment, it's actually quite simple..."

"Simple? It's very difficult, right? You have to hunt a four-hundred-year soul beast yourself. My dad said soul beasts are extremely fierce, with big claws, going 'rawr rawr,' and having blood-red maws..." Li Zishuo imitated it with great spirit, causing Exquisite Dice to laugh in a very unladylike manner.

The Seven Absolute Zither Master had long since closed her eyes to rest, her soul power fluctuating; it seemed she had entered a state of meditation.

Exquisite Dice snorted, "That's just looking at the surface."

"Do you really think the academy would let you go and kill a four-hundred-year soul beast all by yourself?"

Li Changsheng did not ask, merely fixing his gaze on her.

Exquisite Dice did not keep him in suspense and immediately said:

"Think carefully about this phrase: 'rely on your own strength to hunt a four-hundred-year soul beast.' It says 'rely on your own strength,' but it doesn't say 'rely on your own power alone.' Your own strength also includes your wisdom, your social skills, and even your financial resources."

So that was it.

Li Changsheng had an epiphany.

This meant that one could form a team and use any means necessary, even recruiting wandering soul masters, to help hunt the soul beast?

"Oh, I forgot to mention. The location where you hunt the soul beasts is inside the soul beast forest raised by the Pre-Education Academy."

"So, in that case, 'relying on your own strength' actually means forming a team with six other people?" Li Changsheng finally asked.

Exquisite Dice replied, "Don't tell me you were actually thinking of recruiting wandering soul masters to help you hunt soul beasts?"

Li Changsheng nodded.

It seemed like a logical conclusion; if one could recruit powerful wandering soul masters to help kill a century-old soul beast, it would be quite simple.

"That's just the first assessment. If my guess is correct, the second assessment will likely be following a team to sweep out bandits or something similar, and then you will be graded by the team based on your performance. The team you follow will be composed of senior students. A team is what Teacher Gu mentioned earlier: a squad of three." Exquisite Dice extended two slender fingers as she speculated.

Even though Li Zishuo was exempt from the exam, he listened with great interest; after all, children are full of curiosity about the outside world.

Even knowing it was dangerous, he couldn't help but be curious.

Li Changsheng, however, began to think.

"Are the senior squads of three already starting to sweep out bandits? With teachers above the Soul Emperor level following, at least a Soul Saint..."

Exquisite Dice was right. Relying on the no-man's-land at the border between the Star Luo Empire and the Sun Moon Empire, surrounded by mountains, there were bandits and evil existences, and among them, there were many villages and even large cities.