The sun and moon flew like shuttles, and time raced by. After sealing his partnership with Dai Yueheng, Huo Yuhao soon received his first batch of cultivation resources.
This was one of the few unusual developments during the new students' first three months at the academy, all because he had grown close to Dai Yueheng, an Inner Court disciple.
Zhou Yi did not continue making things difficult for Huo Yuhao. She simply watched his antics at the academy with a cold eye.
But just as a dog could never stop eating shit, Zhou Yi could never shake her habit of holding physical training classes from time to time.
They were simply not as excessive as that first day, when she had tried to establish her authority. Since she had failed to do so, the intensity of her physical training classes generally stayed at a level that ground away at their patience without becoming unbearable.
Huo Yuhao did not particularly care. For someone who had spent time in a military camp, physical training at Zhou Yi's level was no big deal.
It was worth mentioning that, thanks to Huo Yuhao's deliberate avoidance, they had not unlocked the special CG encounter with Ma Xiaotao during these three months, nor had they received the Soul Ascension Pill, that not particularly expensive bit of hush money.
Three months passed in a flash. Huo Yi did a quick mental calculation: the Freshman Assessment was drawing very close.
Sure enough, that morning, Zhou Yi entered the classroom, stood behind the lectern, and announced,
"Today's physical training class is canceled."
Zhou Yi's aged face was unusually calm, without its usual blustering fury.
"Three months have passed since the start of term, and you are about to face your first assessment since entering Shrek Academy. Only by passing it can you officially become first-year students and truly become members of Shrek Academy.
"Barring any surprises, you will be able to continue cultivating at the academy at least until the first-year graduation examination. The assessment begins tomorrow. Today, I will first explain its key points."
As she spoke, Zhou Yi handed a stack of white paper to the students in the front row. Soon, every freshman had a sheet on their desk.
Zhou Yi said, "After the Freshman Assessment, your instruction will be tailored to your individual aptitudes. Write down the direction you intend to pursue in your future cultivation and hand it to me later."
The cultivation directions here naturally referred to the most traditional classifications in the Soul Master World: power attack, Agility Attack, control, and the like.
It was also an exceedingly dull approach, because in reality, any soul master with a functioning brain would reserve a few soul ring slots for abilities from other systems, regardless of their main specialization.
Very few reckless idiots put every ability into the same category, because people like that simply could not stay alive.
Only Shrek Academy still insisted on assigning soul masters strictly according to these classifications.
Even the soul ring configurations of Dai Hao's trusted soul masters included a few movement or control soul skills.
They would never rashly dump all their attribute points into a single stat.
Zhou Yi said, "After the Freshman Assessment, those who pass will be reassigned to classes. Hand in the papers you are holding after class. Now, I will explain the key points of the Freshman Assessment."
As she spoke, Zhou Yi turned toward the blackboard, sketched a few simple lines, and wrote the word "combat" in large letters in the center.
"Combat. That's right, the Freshman Assessment will involve combat, and every single one of you must participate. I know that the Tool Soul Masters among you, especially those of the Auxiliary System and Food System, must be wondering why you have to fight too."
"You heard me correctly. You must indeed step onto the battlefield, just like Battle Soul Masters. Although Shrek Academy cultivates well-rounded talent, battlefield ability remains the most important consideration.
"Even if you are an Auxiliary System or Food System Tool Soul Master, you can still unleash tremendous combat power through soul tools."
"But where will your combat instincts come from?
"Can any soul master simply be handed a soul tool, blunder onto the battlefield, and survive? Of course not. Combat ability must come from combat. Therefore, every one of you must undergo a combat assessment."
"Of course, the academy will never make Auxiliary System Tool Soul Masters compete against power-attack-system Battle Soul Masters. That would be unfair to you. Therefore, the Freshman Assessment will take the form of team battles."
After Zhou Yi finished her long-winded introduction, the corner of Huo Yuhao's mouth twitched, and he muttered,
"So after all that hot air, only the last sentence was useful."
Zhou Yi coughed awkwardly, then continued explaining the details of the Freshman Assessment.
The Freshman Assessment would be conducted in teams of three. After years of research, Shrek Academy had concluded that this number struck the best possible balance between teamwork and the demonstration of individual ability.
Somewhat ironically, Zhou Yi's ideal seeded team—Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, and Huo Yuhao—ended up with a prohibited configuration in this version: two power-attack members and one control member.
So this time, Zhou Yi actually took the initiative and told Wang Dong to list a control-type member.
Since the power-attack and control types were essentially inseparable, Wang Dong had no objections to Zhou Yi's arrangement.
After all this was done, Zhou Yi let everyone in Freshman Class One go back and rest.
Only before they left did she threaten the students of Freshman Class One,
"I hope every one of you remembers this: you are my students, Zhou Yi's students, and I absolutely will not tolerate trash among my students.
"If any of you dare fail the Freshman Assessment, I will make certain to leave you with an unforgettable memory before you leave Shrek Academy."
Huo Yuhao responded to Zhou Yi with a cold sneer,
"Piling pressure on contestants right before battle. You really are a piece of work. I sincerely hope we don't get assigned to you as our homeroom teacher again."
When the Freshman Assessment arrived, Huo Yuhao stopped pretending to be on good terms with Zhou Yi altogether. Retorts aimed at her rolled effortlessly off his tongue.
After ordering a sumptuous, nourishing meal from the most expensive stall in Shrek's cafeteria, Huo Yuhao ate his fill and returned to his dormitory.
The night passed uneventfully in cultivation.
The next morning, after meeting up with Xiao Xiao at the Teaching Building, Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao headed to the Assessment Area.
According to Shrek Academy's schedule, the morning was reserved for drawing lots, mostly to let the students familiarize themselves with the assessment grounds.
The first assessment match would take place that afternoon, likewise intended merely to help the students get used to the procedures of the actual assessment. The intensity would only truly rise on the second day.
Huo Yuhao's team was assigned to the Thirty-Third District. After eating lunch together, the three returned to their dormitory to meditate for a while before heading over together. The districts were easy to locate, each bearing a clear sign, and they soon found their assigned district.
The students from other classes competing here had also arrived. Some looked apprehensive, while others were rubbing their fists and flexing their palms in eagerness. They were all children of eleven or twelve and could not hide what was on their minds. When they looked at one another, their hostility showed very clearly.
This was easy enough to understand. After all, although the assessment involved as many as ten matches, each one had a bearing on him. This was easy enough to understand.
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