Arrival at Shrek Pre-Academy

According to Exquisite Dice, they would officially arrive at the place where Shrek Pre-Academy was located in a few hours.

The journey had been relatively peaceful.

Especially when they neared the border between the Sun Moon Empire and the Star Luo Empire, the carriage sped up noticeably, and the jolting began at once.

As Exquisite Dice had explained,

delaying here might cause them unnecessary trouble.

At that moment, inside the carriage,

after nearly seven days together, Li Changsheng, Exquisite Dice, and Seven Absolute Zither Master had established a fairly stable relationship.

Li Zishuo, meanwhile, would occasionally ask Exquisite Dice about meditation techniques for cultivation.

He seemed rather afraid of Seven Absolute Zither Master.

Just then, Exquisite Dice lowered the curtain. Outside, green mountains and clear waters stretched lush and unrestrained.

"We're finally going back," she said with a hint of wistfulness.

Seven Absolute Zither Master nodded, looking a little tired as she idly played with her silvery-white hair. "Yes."

Then she decided to remind Li Changsheng and Li Zishuo of a few things.

"You two: one of you needs to take the entrance exams first, while the other can enroll directly. For Li Changsheng, who has Innate Full Soul Power, passing the exams should be easy. So, let me tell you what life is really like once you enter the Pre-Education Academy."

Seven Absolute Zither Master nodded too, then said, "If someone with Innate Full Soul Power can't pass the exams, that would be downright embarrassing."

Li Changsheng was speechless.

When other people said "Innate Full Soul Power," it sounded like praise.

Coming from her, it was an outright provocation.

After spending this time with her, Li Changsheng had figured her out.

Seven Absolute Zither Master wasn't haughty at all. On the contrary, she especially liked to needle people at crucial moments, showing off her lively, adorable side.

Li Changsheng wanted to retort, but he had nothing to say.

Exquisite Dice watched them with a smile, then gave a light cough and continued:

"The Pre-Education Academy follows the same academic schedule as an ordinary Junior Soul Master Academy. Both have six-year programs. The difference is that ordinary Junior Soul Master Academies put dozens of students in each class, with only five or six classes in total. After the Pre-Education Academy's reforms, each class has three students, so each grade has more than twenty classes."

She paused, gathering her thoughts. "Every class in the same grade—that is, every three-person team—has an assessment once a month. From third year onward, the assessments take place once every three months. So, the dropout rate for new students is extremely high..."

As she spoke, she turned her gaze to Li Zishuo.

Li Zishuo's little face tensed too. He knew she was saying this specifically for his sake.

"But there's no need to worry too much. The assessments are team-based. They might involve a mission, or a battle between classes in the same grade."

"Every class has to include one control-type Soul Master. The other two can be chosen freely. As far as I know, not many of the new students who've arrived this year have control-type Martial Souls. So, little brother Zishuo, find a class with two Power Attack System Soul Masters. At least you'll get through third year safely. Just work hard to raise your Soul Power."

By then, her words were practically encouragement. She was also pointing Li Zishuo in the right direction.

Li Changsheng considered it for a moment.

The Martial Soul he used was the Genesis Book.

According to the God of Wisdom, his Martial Soul was very similar to Seven Absolute Zither Master's Seven Absolute Zither. That meant he could be considered a control-type Soul Master...

Control-type Soul Masters seemed to be in high demand.

Immortal Execution Painting was also a control-type Martial Soul.

"I'm already in sixth year. After I finish a few more missions, I'll have to take my graduation exam."

As she said this, a hint of sadness crept into Exquisite Dice's voice.

Li Zishuo asked, "Then... after you graduate, will you take the exam for Shrek Academy?"

Exquisite Dice nodded. "Of course. Shrek Academy is the greatest academy on the continent, after all. But my goal isn't just Shrek Academy. Neither is yours. Any Soul Master who can enroll in the Pre-Education Academy starts out aiming to graduate from Shrek Inner Court. That's the goal a genius among geniuses should pursue. After all, in a sense, the Inner Court is the only place that truly counts as Shrek Academy."

"Oh, and one more thing. The entrance exams have three parts."

"Three?" Li Changsheng asked.

He couldn't have cared less about Exquisite Dice's plans for the future.

"That's right. The third exam should be a ranking battle. By then, anyone who passed the first two exams will already count as a Soul Master. They'll fight in actual combat, then be assigned to classes. You could call it a class-placement battle, too." Exquisite Dice spoke vaguely.

"So the strong and weak get put together?" Li Changsheng cut straight to the point.

At that, Seven Absolute Zither Master, who had been silent for a long while, spoke up. "It's exactly the opposite."

The opposite?

Li Changsheng looked puzzled.

Exquisite Dice explained, "The strong have their own way of growing, and the weak have their own way of surviving. The Pre-Education Academy believes in teaching everyone without discrimination, but different types of Soul Masters still have different needs."

Li Changsheng nodded. Mm, that was an excellent approach.

The weak should have their own way to survive.

Putting them together with powerful people who spent every day wandering on the brink of life and death wouldn't teach them the strong ones' strengths. It would only make them dead weight.

Li Changsheng hated dead weight the most.

Dead weight got people killed.

"Oh, right. Once you're assigned to a class, you'll have to think of a title for yourself at the Pre-Education Academy. Four characters would be best. And each three-person class gets a title too, like the name of a wandering Soul Master's team." Exquisite Dice seemed quite excited as she spoke, then added, "My title is Exquisite Dice, and my class team's name is No One in the Tomb. Tomb, as in a burial tomb."

No One in the Tomb?

That name...

Well, it was pretty imposing.

Seven Absolute Zither Master spoke from the side. "I only have a title. I haven't joined a team yet. But I'm looking forward to teaming up with you. I've already thought of a name."

As she spoke, she turned her gaze toward Li Changsheng.

Li Changsheng raised a hand and pointed at himself, surprised. "Me?"

Seven Absolute Zither Master played with her hair. Even the mask on her face seemed to smile. "That's right. I can tell you're strong. And I'll be taking the second and third parts of the new student exams, too."

Li Changsheng shrank back and said nothing.

And so, just before they arrived at Shrek Pre-Academy, Li Changsheng learned a great many things from Exquisite Dice and Seven Absolute Zither Master.

The new student entrance exam had three parts.

First, raise your Soul Power to level ten within the allotted time. Then, using your own strength, hunt one Soul Beast of at least four hundred years in the Forbidden Soul Beast Forest and attach its Soul Ring to your Martial Soul.

Li Changsheng's Soul Power was already at level fourteen, and his second Martial Soul, Immortal Execution Painting, had already received a reward Soul Ring that could increase its age. For the coming exam, he just needed to attach a Soul Ring to his Genesis Book Martial Soul along the way.

After all, according to the God of Wisdom, it didn't matter what kind of Soul Ring his Genesis Book Martial Soul absorbed; it would all be the same.

Second, accompany an upper-year team on a mission and receive a rating based on your performance.

Third, a ranking battle—that is, the class-placement battle. They would be sorted into different categories of "teaching."

Once all three exams were complete, they would officially be enrolled.

Simple, but not simple.

That was Li Changsheng's fair assessment.

As for Li Zishuo, it seemed he didn't have to take the first exam.

But Exquisite Dice said he might have to follow an upper-year team and observe a mission. He would also have to take part in the class-placement battle.

He would probably end up at the very bottom. After all, his Soul Power didn't seem to have increased much over the past six days. By the time the class-placement battle came around, he might still be a Soul Scholar without a Soul Ring.

A little over two hours later, the carriage slowly came to a stop.

Looking out the window, Li Changsheng gaped in astonishment at the sight in the distance.

"W-where are we? What is that thing in the sky?"

Even Li Changsheng was so astonished that he blurted it out.