April passed, and May was half over. Shrek's training had entered a state of near-instinctive routine.
Every morning was for running, the mornings for theory classes, the afternoons for combat practice, and the evenings for free cultivation. Day after day, the cycle repeated.
At first, Ma Hongjun still groaned about the hardship and exhaustion. Now, he could not even be bothered to complain. Once training ended, he would wash up, collapse into bed, and wake up the next day fully recharged to continue.
Under such an intense training schedule, the three freshmen—Wang Hao, Zhang Lei, and Liu Qingshan—improved by leaps and bounds. Though they were still some distance from being ready for official matches, their foundations had become much more solid.
That afternoon, combat training ended earlier than usual, and Zhao Wuji surprisingly gave everyone a break.
Before they could react, he waved a large hand. "Go wash up and change clothes. We've got guests coming this evening. Old Flender said there's no training today. We're having a good meal."
"Guests again?" Ma Hongjun wiped away his sweat as he stepped down from the spirit arena. "Last time, it was the Great Soul Arena supervisor. The time before that, it was officials from Barak City. Who is it this time?"
"You'll know when they arrive." Zhao Wuji kept them in suspense.
At dusk, a black carriage stopped outside Shrek's newly built school gates.
The curtain was lifted, and a middle-aged man in a dark teal robe stepped down. He was slender and mild-featured, carrying a medium-sized wooden case in one hand.
He looked up at Shrek's new gates, and a meaningful smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
"Old Flender, your academy finally looks decent."
Flender came out through the gates to greet him. He pushed up his glasses