A month passed in the blink of an eye.
Over that month, Shrek Academy underwent a transformation from the inside out.
The walls had been rebuilt, the training ground repaved, and the school buildings renovated. Even the old locust tree beside the training ground had its branches trimmed, making it look far more spirited.
The three new students gradually settled into the academy's rhythm of life. Every day, they attended classes with Li Yusong and Shao Xin, and were occasionally dragged over to serve as sparring partners for the Seven Monsters.
Of course, they were crushed miserably every time, but their improvement was visible to the naked eye.
On the evening before they set out for Barak City to take part in the regional qualifiers, Flender called everyone to his office.
A square table stood in the room, covered with a regional map of the Balak Kingdom. Several cities and academies had been circled in red.
"The rules for the regional qualifiers are simple." Flender held a thin wooden stick and tapped the map. "There are twelve academies competing within Barak. It's a knockout draw, best two out of three. The team that wins through to the final round earns the qualification to participate in next year's Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament."
Ma Hongjun raised his hand. "Dean, are we considered a seeded team?"
"A seeded team?" Flender shot him a sidelong glance. "We're a newly licensed academy. Forget being seeded—our name was only added to the participant list at the last minute. Just pray we don't draw an old powerhouse like Barak Royal Academy in the first round and get sent packing right away."
"Dean, can't you have a little faith in us?" Xiao Wu pouted.
"I have faith, but blind carelessness gets people killed." Flender set