Three Months Later

"You should eat too." Ye Guyi smiled warmly at Lin Yao, her eyes sparkling.

Lin Yao smiled at Ye Guyi, then said, "I've already eaten. Hurry up and eat before it gets cold and loses its flavor."

At that, a happy smile spread across Ye Guyi's face. She nodded at Lin Yao, then dug into the fish with gusto.

Watching her, Lin Yao took a tissue from his Storage Soul Tool and wiped the grease from her mouth.

Ye Guyi smiled at Lin Yao, then said, "Come to think of it, I heard there'll be another freshman assessment for us three months from now. Want to team up?"

Lin Yao smiled at Ye Guyi and said, "Of course. Were you thinking of teaming up with someone else?"

Ye Guyi looked troubled as she replied, "But I heard they don't allow teams with two Assault System students."

Lin Yao smiled. "That's fine. I'll put down Control System, and you put down Assault System. I'm sure Teacher Mu won't make an issue of it."

As far as the Ender Dragon's abilities went, as long as he could control its breath steadily enough, it would more than suffice as a Control System. After all, its breath could burn and slow opponents, giving it at least some measure of control.

After Lin Yao finished speaking, a smile appeared on Ye Guyi's face. She looked toward the Sea God Lake beside them. "If it weren't for the evil aura that keeps appearing here, the scenery would be beautiful."

Lin Yao gently put an arm around Ye Guyi's shoulders, then said, "It's supposed to be the best academy under heaven, so of course the scenery is beautiful. And of course it's been infiltrated until it's riddled with holes."

Strictly speaking, Shrek Academy couldn't be considered a fully orthodox academy. It would be more accurate to view it together with Shrek City as a special entity independent of the four great empires.

Whatever Shrek had done, and whether it was strong or weak, it was an unstable factor in the eyes of the four great empires. Shrek was simply powerful enough to get away with it; otherwise, it would probably have been dealt with long ago.

Ye Guyi nodded in full agreement with Lin Yao. "Still, I don't think Shrek will last forever. It's far too domineering in the way it does things. What kind of place sends an enrollment invitation through a Titled Douluo when you haven't even expressed any intention of enrolling?"

"Isn't that forcing you to come here whether you like it or not?"

Hearing Ye Guyi's words, Lin Yao gave a wry smile and nodded. "Yeah. If it were just me, I could've thrown a fit and refused to come. But I have family, and I need to consider the safety of everyone else in the Lin Family. So I can't go against their wishes. I can only wait for the right moment."

Ye Guyi gently took Lin Yao's hand and stood beside him, her voice soft. "I'll be with you."

Lin Yao nodded. After a while, the two of them returned to the dormitory together.

Since Lin Yao had already challenged an upperclassman from the inner court and killed him, the match between Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi didn't cause nearly as much of a stir as it had in the original story.

Lin Yao couldn't be bothered with any of that. After cultivating on his bed for a while, he lay down to sleep.

The days passed peacefully. During that time, Lin Yao's life consisted almost entirely of going back and forth between the cafeteria, the classroom, and the dormitory.

It brought back some of the feeling of college life.

In the blink of an eye, the freshmen's first three months of classes were over.

Those first three months had been spent making up for gaps in their education. Shrek Academy recruited students like a military general selecting soldiers: it only cared about their martial spirits and Soul Power Level, and paid no attention at all to their general education.

So, to keep them from becoming completely illiterate in their later studies, the academy set aside these three months to cover the basics.

That was probably one of the main reasons why Shrek Academy's graduates, from both the inner and outer courts, were so highly sought after.

From a reader's perspective, many of the things Shrek Academy did seemed absurd. But as a talent-supplying institution, it managed to meet the bare minimum.

Of course, there were a few rotten apples among the staff—Zhou Yi, who only ever made students work on their physical fitness, for example. But there were also some perfectly normal teachers, whose abilities would have made them highly qualified educators anywhere else.

During those three months, no one came looking for trouble with Lin Yao. After all, his strength was steadily increasing. Anyone in their right mind would think twice before provoking an opponent two major realms above them.

"Class is canceled for today." Mu Jin stood behind the lectern. Her expression was more grave and serious than usual, and the class, which had been restless moments before, grew more attentive.

Mu Jin was rarely this serious. Aside from Lin Yao, who had a good idea what this was about, all the local students were nervous about what she was going to say.

"Three months have passed since the start of the school year. You're about to face your first assessment at Shrek Academy. Only after passing will you officially become first-year students and truly join the academy. Assuming nothing unexpected happens, you'll be able to continue cultivating here at least until your first-year graduation exam. The assessment begins tomorrow. Today, I'll explain the key points."

Mu Jin clapped her hands as she addressed the students of Freshman Class 2 below.

Unlike Zhou Yi, who quickly expelled students, Mu Jin had only dismissed a few who clearly couldn't keep up in terms of cultivation, mental fortitude, or physical ability.

Most had special issues that made the Battle Soul Master path unsuitable for them, such as severe blood phobias.

The strangest case was a student whose heart would race after using a Soul Skill, to the point of making himself faint.

Mu Jin's gaze swept across the rows of faces. After three months together, she knew every student in the class inside and out. She spoke calmly. "First, let me tell you this: once you enter the first year, you'll begin receiving instruction tailored to your individual abilities. In a moment, write down your cultivation focus on a sheet of paper. When the academy assigns you to classes, it'll match you according to that focus."

Then Mu Jin handed Lin Yao a stack of paper and had him pass it around.

"This will determine the direction of your future life at the academy, so think carefully and don't rush. Now, let's talk about the freshman assessment."

Mu Jin cleared her throat, then addressed everyone below. "Simply put, the freshman assessment boils down to two words: combat..."