Class Assignment, School Begins

Back Mountain lay on the northern side of the Outer Court.

When Lin Yan followed Zhang Lexuan here, he immediately spotted a wooden sign standing by the roadside. It clearly read: "Restricted Area of Back Mountain, Entry Prohibited."

"Sister Lexuan, it says entry is prohibited here. Why did you bring me here?"

Seeing Lin Yan's puzzled expression, Zhang Lexuan explained with a smile, "Entry is prohibited only for ordinary Outer Court students. As long as I put in a word, you'll be able to cultivate here in peace from now on, without anyone disturbing you."

At this, Lin Yan immediately showed a look of realization.

After the two continued another hundred meters down the road, they saw three-meter-high iron railings extending from both sides of the path, enclosing the entire Back Mountain area.

There was a checkpoint in the middle of the road. Behind it stood a small house built right against the iron railing. Beside the house was a vegetable patch, where a wrinkled old woman was busily at work.

"Granny She!"

Zhang Lexuan called out.

Seemingly hearing the sound, the old woman glanced over, then immediately walked over with a smile. "It's Lexuan. What brings you to this old woman's place today?"

Zhang Lexuan explained why she had come.

After hearing her out, the old woman glanced at Lin Yan and said, "That won't be a problem. But the Academy's medicinal gardens are all on Back Mountain. You can train here, young man, but you absolutely must not touch the medicinal gardens."

"Granny She, I understand. I definitely won't touch the medicinal gardens," Lin Yan hurriedly promised.

Only then did the old woman nod in satisfaction. "Then come in."

After receiving permission, Zhang Lexuan said to Lin Yan, "Little Brother Lin Yan, go on in. I still have a mission, so I won't be going in with you. Once I've finished it, I'll come find you and Bei Bei. Remember, don't touch the medicinal gardens on Back Mountain."

"Mm, I'll remember."

Lin Yan nodded.

After Zhang Lexuan left, Lin Yan entered Back Mountain alone and saw numerous medicinal gardens from afar.

He did not approach them. Instead, he found an open area with fresh air and began training.

Without outsiders bothering him, things truly felt much more comfortable.

Under the effects of the Gravity Domain, even ordinary training methods placed immense pressure on Lin Yan.

The afternoon quickly passed. Only as dusk approached did Lin Yan finish his day's training and leave Back Mountain.

As he passed the entrance to Back Mountain, Lin Yan faced the old woman and gave a slight bow. "Granny She, I'm leaving."

"Mm." The old woman glanced at Lin Yan and nodded with a smile.

Early the next morning, when the sky had only just begun to brighten, a girl with golden twin ponytails had already waited alone by Sea God Lake for a long time. Seeing that there was still no one around, disappointment could not help appearing in her eyes.

Lin Yan, however, had no idea that Jiang Nannan was waiting for him by Sea God Lake. At this moment, he was already training on Back Mountain at Shrek Academy.

He trained for an hour in the morning, meditated through the morning, conditioned his body in the afternoon, and continued meditating during the first half of the night. Only in the latter half did he rest, giving his tense nerves time to recover.

It could be said that Lin Yan had filled every moment of his day to the brim.

The next day, the first round of class assignment results for this year's freshmen was finally released.

After breakfast, Lin Yan and Bei Bei went to the notice board together. Since both of them had risen early, there were not many people around when they arrived.

Before long, they found their names on the class assignment list.

To their surprise, the two of them had not been assigned to the same class.

Bei Bei was in Freshman Class 1, while Lin Yan was in Freshman Class 2.

"Cousin, looks like we can't be in the same class," Lin Yan said somewhat helplessly.

Bei Bei said, "It's fine. The freshman period only lasts three months. After it ends, there'll be another Freshman Assessment. Half of the unqualified freshmen will be eliminated, and the classes will be reassigned then. We're both assault-type Soul Masters, so we'll definitely end up in the same class."

"Mm." Lin Yan nodded.

There were still three days until Shrek's freshman recruitment season ended.

During those three days, Lin Yan continued living each day as fully as he always had.

Very quickly, three days passed. At the same time, this meant that Shrek Academy's annual recruitment season had finally come to an end.

Early in the morning, when the sky was just beginning to brighten, Lin Yan got up early and washed up. While most people were still lost in their dreams, he had already begun his morning training.

Back Mountain.

Seeing Lin Yan, the old woman asked with a strange expression, "Isn't today the first day of class for freshmen? Why are you here again, brat?"

Lin Yan replied with a smile, "Granny She, attending class doesn't interfere with training. As an Assault System Battle Soul Master, I must have a strong body. Training can't be neglected."

"You have a point. Go on." The old woman smiled and nodded at Lin Yan, her gaze carrying a hint of approval.

After finishing his morning training, Lin Yan hurried back to his dormitory, only to find that Bei Bei was already gone. Clearly, Bei Bei had already set out for the classroom.

He calmly washed up first. After changing out of his sweat-soaked clothes, it was just about time, so he changed into his school uniform and headed for the Freshman Class 2 classroom.

Attending class would inevitably cut into some of his cultivation time.

However, an outstanding Soul Master also had to master certain important knowledge.

For instance, the strengths and weaknesses of the various Soul Master systems and all kinds of Martial Souls. Only then could one formulate suitable strategies when facing an opponent.

He also needed to study Soul Beasts.

Soul Masters needed Spirit Rings to advance, and obtaining Spirit Rings inevitably meant fighting Soul Beasts.

Thus, becoming familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of different Soul Beasts could likewise play a significant role in battle.

For example, the Earth-Spirit Black Tortoise Lin Yan had encountered in the Star Dou Great Forest not long ago.

If he had known that the Earth-Spirit Black Tortoise possessed a talent skill called Reflective Light, one that could be called a divine skill, he never would have attacked it like that.

If Lin Yuhuan had not been present at the time, he definitely would not have escaped being seriously injured by his own reflected attack.

That was the price of being ignorant.

Inside the white Freshman Teaching Building, in the classroom belonging to Class 2.

As the time for the class bell drew nearer, more and more freshmen arrived in the Freshman Class 2 classroom.

After finding their seats and seeing that class had yet to begin, they immediately gathered in small groups to chat.

In a corner of the classroom, a girl with golden twin ponytails sat quietly in her seat.

The ordinary freshman uniform seemed to take on a different kind of radiance when worn by her.

Although she had sat quietly in her seat without making any move since entering the classroom, her exceptional appearance had undoubtedly made her the center of everyone's attention.

She was Jiang Nannan, the future commoner goddess of the Outer Court!

A refined-looking youth with short tawny hair hesitated for a long time before finally rising from his seat and walking over to Jiang Nannan. With a trace of pride, he said, "Hello, let me introduce myself. My name is Xia Yuan. My Martial Soul is the Earth-Splitting Tiger, and I'm a level twenty-one Assault System Battle Soul Master."

"Do you need something?" Jiang Nannan turned her head to glance at him and asked absentmindedly.

As Xia Yuan looked at Jiang Nannan's flawless pretty face, his heart gave an uncontrollable thump. He immediately pointed at the empty seat beside her and said, "May I have the honor of being your deskmate?"

Hearing this, Jiang Nannan's delicate brows furrowed. Just as she was about to say something, a figure suddenly entered the Class 2 classroom, instantly drawing the attention of many of the girls in the class.