Three Months, the Freshman Assessment Begins

Since today was Zhang Lexuan's first meeting with Class One, she mainly covered theoretical knowledge about soul masters. Before they knew it, afternoon had arrived.

"All right, that's all for today. Classes officially begin tomorrow, so you're dismissed for now. See you tomorrow, everyone." With that, Zhang Lexuan left the classroom.

The other students also began leaving one after another.

"Come on, let's get something to eat before heading back."

Seeing that the classroom was nearly empty, Yao Shi turned to Wang Dong and spoke.

"Let's go."

Yao Shi then brought Wang Dong to Shrek Academy's gates.

"Why did you bring me to the gates? The cafeteria isn't this way."

Seeing that Yao Shi had led her in the opposite direction from the cafeteria, Wang Dong asked in confusion.

"Do you remember the grilled fish I brought you last time? My friend made it. I'm taking you there to support his business today."

"W-what grilled fish? I don't know what you're talking about. It was gone when I woke up," Wang Dong argued.

"Heh, saying one thing and meaning another." Yao Shi did not expose her. That morning, he had clearly seen a bag of fish bones in the trash can.

"Kid, you dare refuse to sell?"

As soon as they reached the academy gates, Yao Shi heard a deep, booming voice filled with anger. Looking up, he saw a young man in black standing before Huo Yuhao's grill stall, with a blonde girl beside him.

The young man viciously threw a gold soul coin at Huo Yuhao's grill, where it embedded itself. Then he reached out to snatch the two remaining grilled fish. Huo Yuhao reacted swiftly, grabbing the fish and retreating several steps before the young man's hand could reach them.

"Sorry, Senior. The grilled fish are sold out today. These two are reserved for my big brother. If you want some, you can come back tomorrow," Huo Yuhao explained in an even tone.

Seeing his hand come up empty, the young man roared, "Kid, you're courting death! No one in the outer academy has ever dared provoke me, Xu Sanshi, like this!"

As he spoke, he swept his left foot out and kicked away the grill in front of him. Then he took a step forward, reaching a large hand toward Huo Yuhao's chest. Huo Yuhao was no longer as weak as he had been in the original story. Although Xu Sanshi moved quickly, Huo Yuhao evaded every attack through spiritual detection.

After Huo Yuhao easily dodged him twice in a row, the young man clearly grew anxious. Soul power began gathering in his right hand as he prepared to punch Huo Yuhao.

"What are you doing?"

"Stop!"

The first voice belonged to the blonde girl, while the latter was naturally Yao Shi's.

Xu Sanshi visibly hesitated at the blonde girl's words, but momentum prevented him from stopping. Just as his fist was about to hit Huo Yuhao, several vines suddenly appeared and bound the arm he had thrown the punch with. Huo Yuhao was also pulled several meters away by the vines, opening some distance between him and Xu Sanshi.

The vines naturally belonged to Yao Shi. He stepped forward and withdrew them, saying calmly, "Senior, didn't you hear me say the grilled fish are sold out? What kind of business is this, forcing someone to sell to you?"

"Big Brother, you're here!" Huo Yuhao said happily upon seeing Yao Shi.

"Hmph, who the hell are you? There's nothing I want that I can't get. If you dare meddle in my business, I'll teach you a lesson even if you're a girl."

Xu Sanshi had clearly mistaken Yao Shi for a girl as well. Seeing a girl suddenly appear and interrupt him while he was teaching someone a lesson, he furiously shouted at Yao Shi.

"Enough!!"

Yao Shi's gaze remained calm, while Xu Sanshi's eyes burned with rage. Just as the two were about to fight, an angry shout rang out.

The one who spoke was the blonde girl, Jiang Nannan. She first apologized to Huo Yuhao, then looked coldly at Xu Sanshi and said without any politeness, "Xu Sanshi, I've already told you. There is no possibility between us. Don't bother me again in the future."

After saying that, she turned and walked back toward the academy, while the surrounding students watched the spectacle.

Xu Sanshi looked somewhat embarrassed. He glared at the surrounding students. "What are you looking at? Get lost." Then he chased after Jiang Nannan.

After running only a few steps, he suddenly turned back. "You little grilled-fish seller, don't let me see you again. Otherwise, I'll overturn your stall every time I do." With that, he ran off, leaving the students staring at one another.

"Come on, come on. The show's over. Everyone, disperse."

Someone said it, and the students who had gathered together began scattering.

Huo Yuhao walked over to Yao Shi and handed him the two grilled fish. "Here, Brother Yao, your grilled fish."

Yao Shi accepted the grilled fish and thanked him, then handed the other one to Wang Dong. The three of them stayed there, with the two boys chatting about what had happened over the past few days while Wang Dong gnawed on her grilled fish nearby.

Huo Yuhao told Yao Shi that after listening to his teacher's explanations about soul tools these past two days, he felt that becoming a soul engineer truly suited him. Paired with his Spirit Eyes martial soul, it was even more perfect. His admiration for Yao Shi only grew stronger.

Before they knew it, the sky had grown dark.

"It's getting late, Yuhao. We'll be leaving first."

With that, Yao Shi stood up and pulled Wang Dong away from where she was squatting nearby.

"Goodbye, Brother Yao."

The first semester at Shrek Academy officially began. Every student in Class One trained each day according to Zhang Lexuan's methods, and the days passed one after another.

In the blink of an eye, the freshmen's first three months had passed. Zhang Lexuan truly deserved her reputation as the senior disciple of the inner academy. She possessed a deeper understanding of soul master cultivation, and under her guidance, every student in Freshman Class One had improved by leaps and bounds.

Over those three months, Yao Shi's soul power had reached level twenty-nine. In truth, he could have broken through directly to level thirty, but considering that all his soul rings had condensed on their own—and those capable of condensing soul rings by themselves were generally transformed soul beasts—he kept his soul power suppressed at level twenty-nine to avoid being captured by the academy and sliced up for research. He planned to break through during the holiday instead.

After all, freshmen were generally not permitted to leave the academy and travel too far. If he suddenly possessed a third soul ring, it would inevitably arouse suspicion.

Back in Bluestone Town, perhaps because the soul power there was relatively sparse, combined with the special nature of his martial soul, even though he had innately full soul power, he had only advanced fourteen levels after cultivating for six years. Now that he had come to Shrek Academy, where soul power was abundant, he had risen so much in just a few months.

"Starting today, our lessons will be suspended."

Inside the Freshman Class One classroom, Zhang Lexuan stood at the podium and spoke to the students below.

"Three months have passed since the beginning of the school year. You will now face your first assessment since entering Shrek Academy."