Three Months

The first three months of the freshman term passed quickly.

During this period, the academy's curriculum focused primarily on physical conditioning and soul power training, with practical combat instruction as a secondary component.

Very fortunately, not a single student from Freshman Class 10 was expelled; the class maintained its count of one hundred, making it the largest among all the freshman classes this year.

However, this led to a problem: for the freshman tournament, which required teams of three, Class 10 could form thirty-three groups, leaving one person as an odd man out.

Naturally, this extra person in Class 10 fell to Huo Yuhao, who held the highest cultivation level among the freshmen, which could be considered a test from the higher-ups.

But given Huo Yuhao's previous insolent remarks regarding the academy's development plan, the higher-ups still stipulated that even as a solo participant, he had to win at least three matches to pass and be granted the status of a core disciple.

As for whether he could win the freshman tournament championship... that would depend on his luck.

Huo Yuhao had no interest in the freshman championship, but fighting a few matches was a trivial matter.

So, Shrek Academy wants to test me? Then I'll let you see my strength. Even without you pointing fingers, I can still grow stronger on my own.

To be frank, if it weren't for his reluctance to leave Zhang Lexuan and Ma Xiaotao behind, Huo Yuhao would have packed up and left right now.

What "Holy Land for Soul Masters"—it was just a bunch of gilded trash that was rotten on the inside.

Freshman Class One.

It must be noted that Zhou Yi had been demoted to deputy homeroom teacher, with Wang Yan taking over as the primary homeroom teacher for Class One.

Compared to the overbearing and unreasonable Zhou Yi, Wang Yan's teaching methods were much gentler and better suited for the vast majority of students; he was more adept at tailoring his instruction to individual talents.

Everything is relative, so the students of Class One were much more obedient toward Wang Yan. This made the "master teacher" Zhou quite unhappy, and she frequently tripped up these disobedient students during her classes—for instance, by forbidding healing-type soul masters from treating them after their physical training runs.

Wang Yan eventually discovered this. Hindered by his lower status and Zhou Yi's relatively strong backing, Wang Yan could only suspend most of Zhou Yi's classes. Essentially, all of Class One's lessons and activities were conducted by him, such as the current freshman assessment tournament.

If Zhou Yi were allowed to run things, who knew what kind of trouble she would stir up... Moreover, the freshman tournament concerned whether every student could remain at Shrek, so Wang Yan dared not be careless.

"Three months have passed since the start of the term, and you are about to face your first assessment since entering Shrek. Only by passing this assessment can you officially become first-year students. The assessment begins tomorrow, and today, I will explain the key points. There is no need to be nervous; I have great confidence in all of you."

Wang Yan's gaze swept over every student in the class, revealing undisguised pride and encouragement, before he meticulously explained the precautions for the assessment.

Everyone listened intently, but Lan Xuanyu's thoughts couldn't help but drift back to his past life.

A three-person assessment... back then, he had led Liu Feng and Qian Lei just like this. Using his own wisdom and intellect, he had fought his way out of the encirclement, won the championship, and ultimately secured his spot at Shrek Academy.

If he could do it in his past life, there was no reason he couldn't do it in this one! Plus, with his aunt's cooperation, what was a freshman tournament championship? He, Lan Xuanyu, would definitely take it!

And that Huo Yuhao! He had to expose his true colors and set everything back on the right track.

Come to think of it, he remembered that back then, he had even managed to fleece a soul bone from the Spirit Transmission Tower through Liu Feng... It was a pity the Spirit Transmission Tower hadn't been built yet; otherwise, once his cultivation level rose, he could blow up the Spirit Ascension Platform again.

He just didn't know if he could still find Xiaobao... It was truly inconvenient without it.

Wang Yan continued, "Now, I will announce the temporary groupings. If you have any objections, come to my office before evening. Once submitted, they cannot be changed."

"Group One: Lan Xuanyu, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao."

"Group Two: Zi Hao, Ma Qingshuang, Leng Leng."

After reading the groupings for Class One, Wang Yan clapped his hands and smiled. "Alright, that's it. Go back and have a good meal today, rest up, and prepare for tomorrow's battle."

"Oh, right. Lan Xuanyu, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao—you three, stay behind."

The other students handed in their white papers detailing their future cultivation preferences and filed out of the classroom to return to their dorms, leaving only the three of them.

Wang Yan scanned the trio with a gentle gaze. "Do you know why I kept you behind?"

Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao naturally shook their heads, but Lan Xuanyu remained still, which made Wang Yan take a few extra looks at him.

In this freshman Class One, the person Wang Yan paid the most attention to wasn't Wang Dong, who had the highest-quality martial soul and the most handsome appearance, but Lan Xuanyu.

This little guy with the Blue Silver Grass martial soul hadn't followed the control-type path like previous Blue Silver Grass soul masters; instead, he had taken a path that Wang Yan found utterly inconceivable.

Using a Blue Silver Grass martial soul to control elements—who could have imagined that? And in Wang Yan's view, his control was quite good; he could even perform clever tricks with water and fire, two completely opposing attributes.

Wang Yan wanted to see how far Lan Xuanyu could go on this path of controlling elements with Blue Silver Grass.

He smiled gently at the three. "Because you are the seed team of our freshman Class One. Naturally, the academy and I have high hopes for you, so it's only logical that we give you some special treatment."

He then pulled out a stack of papers and handed them to Lan Xuanyu. "These are the students among this year's freshmen whose soul power exceeds level 30. If nothing goes wrong, you will encounter them in the upcoming matches. Of course, your information is in there as well, Xuanyu."

Lan Xuanyu, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao flipped through the data Wang Yan provided, nodding in agreement from time to time.

From this, one could see how meticulous Wang Yan was in his teaching. By comparison, that trash Zhou Yi really made one wonder if she had gotten her position through the back door.

Wang Yan thought for a moment before cautioning them, "In my opinion, the one you need to pay the most attention to is that Huo Yuhao. It's a pity, really; he seems to have been targeted by the academy, and for this tournament, he has been forced to compete as a solo team."

Upon hearing the name Huo Yuhao, Wang Yan noticed that the expressions of Lan Xuanyu and Wang Dong were somewhat strange. Recalling that the two had requested to change classes several times, it was hard not to draw a connection.

However, Wang Yan didn't overthink it, assuming it was just typical rivalry between children.

"Of course, it doesn't matter if you lose. A win or a loss here or there means nothing to you. Your lives are still very long; don't lose confidence over a momentary setback, and above all, prioritize your safety."

Compared to Zhou Yi's way of speaking—which was nothing but hitting and scolding—Wang Yan's gentleness almost made the long-suffering Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao want to cry.

But Lan Xuanyu said with full confidence, "Thank you, Teacher Wang. Please rest assured, we will definitely win."