A blackboard stood before Yan Qing.
A rough map of the continent occupied its center, with all manner of plans densely written underneath.
The heading read, "How to resurrect Yu Xiaogang."
Shrek Academy had several heavy circles drawn around it.
If there was anywhere he could still find information or objects related to Yu Xiaogang, Shrek undoubtedly offered the highest chance.
It seemed he would still have to find a way to smuggle himself over. Otherwise, if he waited for the plot to unfold naturally, he would have to wait a full seven years before Tang Wulin came to the Star Luo Empire for an exchange and sparring visit.
Adding the previous two years, that would leave only one year on his ten-year Martial Soul loan.
Unless he was already a Soul Douluo seven years from now.
Yan Qing did not think he could cultivate that fast.
After studying it for a long while and settling on his smuggling destination, Yan Qing put the drawing board away. Today was his first day at intermediate Soul Master academy.
Like the Sun Moon Federation's schooling system, Soul Master education in the Star Luo Empire was divided into three stages.
The first stage was elementary Soul Master academy. Children could enroll after turning six and awakening their Martial Souls.
Yan Qing had skipped this stage entirely, receiving lessons personally from Hu Jie at the Tang Sect.
The second stage was intermediate Soul Master academy, which required a recommendation letter from an elementary academy. The Star Luo Empire Royal Soul Master Academy, where Yan Qing was headed now, was also one of the Star Luo Empire's finest intermediate academies.
The final stage was advanced Soul Master academy, which required passing the relevant selection examinations. Shrek Academy and Monster Academy both fell into this category.
Like ordinary intermediate Soul Master academies, the Star Luo Empire Royal Soul Master Academy had six classes in each year.
Yan Qing had been assigned to Class One, the highest-level class.
Hu Jie had secured this place for him in the Tang Sect's name.
Going by Yan Qing's actual Soul Power level, an eight-year-old rank-twenty Soul Grandmaster already met an intermediate Soul Master academy's graduation standard.
Never mind the Star Luo Royal Academy-if Yan Qing wanted to study at any academy on the Star Luo Continent, the principals and teachers visiting him the next day would trample his doorstep flat.
Yet when Hu Jie registered him, the Martial Soul field had unmistakably read "toilet brush."
Yan Qing still remembered just how spectacular Hu Jie's expression had been when he first learned that Yan Qing had another Martial Soul.
Hu Jie had then demanded that he absolutely never use the Passionate Sword or Ruthless Sword outside unless it was an emergency.
These two top-tier Martial Souls were far too conspicuous. Even on the Star Luo Continent, word could quickly reach the Federation.
Hu Jie could not stay by his side every moment. If the Holy Spirit Cult set its sights on him, the consequences would be unthinkable.
This was also why Hu Jie had not let him attend elementary academy.
Thus, for the time being, Yan Qing could only show others his toilet brush.
He really was using his face as a shoe insole.
Inside the Star Luo Royal Academy's Class One classroom, a female teacher stood at the podium. She wore a black suit, its waist drawn in just right, with black stockings hugging her calves and long, jet-black curls falling over her shoulders.
Her gaze slowly swept across the students below, and her gentle voice rang out.
"I am your homeroom teacher, Lin Xue."
"We are the academy's best class. As many of you know, students who graduate from Class One of the royal academy already have one foot inside Monster Academy."
Monster Academy stood as Shrek Academy's counterpart and was the Star Luo Empire's best advanced Soul Master academy.
Its examinations were correspondingly harsh.
Just as every student in the Federation dreamed of Shrek, the students here all aimed to gain admission to Monster Academy.
"The places in Class One will not remain fixed forever.
"Some people may leave. Those who do not work hard or strive to improve are not qualified to stay here.
"Now, when I call your name, please introduce yourself."
"First, Lin San."
A thin, small boy sitting in a back corner slowly stood.
Yan Qing's eyes lit up. Wasn't that the name of one of Monster Academy's Eight Kings seven years later-Wind King Lin San?
He had never expected him to attend this academy too.
"My Martial Soul is Wind Blade Grass. My Soul Power is rank eleven." Lin San kept his voice so low it was almost inaudible.
Scattered applause rose from the class.
His Martial Soul was simply too ordinary, and his Soul Power level was unremarkable as well.
The students here were mostly just over ten years old, each proud and ambitious. Naturally, they did not think much of peers with ordinary talent.
Yan Qing was rather curious how he had later cultivated to the level of the Eight Kings, too.
Lin Xue nodded, then read the next name.
Looking at the information on the page, her long lashes trembled slightly. After a moment's hesitation, she read it out anyway.
"Yan Qing."
There was no escaping it after all. Yan Qing stood helplessly.
"My Martial Soul is a long plunger. I look forward to learning from you all."
If that term felt like a mouthful, replacing it with "toilet plunger" made the image quite clear.
Yan Qing's Martial Soul display shocked the entire class into utter silence.
Most of the students present had the "Martial Soul" in Yan Qing's hand at home.
It was clearly a toilet brush!
Even more outrageous were the two Soul Rings coiled around it.
Both were actually white!
Two ten-year rings!
At the academy, the odds of finding a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring were higher than those of finding a ten-year ring.
Those who could enter this class generally had received a good education, and the vast majority were struggling to hold back their laughter.
A small number of students with less-than-impressive Martial Souls also quietly sighed in relief.
Even under a system that eliminated the lowest-ranked students, they would not be the first to go.
Of course, Yan Qing had not wanted to attach a ten-year Soul Spirit to his Martial Soul either.
He had been counting on following the Grandmaster's theory and waiting until he became a Titled Douluo before attaching Soul Spirits to this Martial Soul.
Then he could get a configuration of nine red rings, all a hundred thousand years old.
But he had discovered that the toilet brush Martial Soul simply could not bear Soul Spirits of too high a level.
As long as they exceeded ten years, the contract would fail no matter how he communicated with the Soul Spirit.
As a result, despite being the owner of top-tier Martial Souls, he could only contract white ten-year Soul Spirits for his second Martial Soul.
The Martial Souls that followed were all fairly ordinary. Listening to them, Yan Qing even grew a little sleepy, almost slumping onto his desk.
"Yu Aotian."
What an arrogant name!
And his introduction surprised Yan Qing considerably more.
He also had rank-twenty Soul Power.
He was even a disciple of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
After the Upper Three Sects were destroyed back then, the rebuilt Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect had stood on the border between Heaven Dou and the Star Luo Empire. Later, it had migrated to the Star Luo Continent along with the Star Luo Empire.
Top-tier Martial Souls generally did not cultivate very quickly in the early stages.
Reaching rank twenty at this age undoubtedly made him a genius among geniuses. Even Long Yue, the leader of Monster Academy's Eight Kings, had probably possessed roughly this level of Soul Power at this age.
After finishing his introduction, Yu Aotian actually did not sit straight down. Instead, he turned and looked at Yan Qing with ill intent.
Yan Qing immediately sensed trouble. Was this kid missing a screw?
Sure enough, Yu Aotian slapped a palm onto Yan Qing's desk and bluntly said to him:
"With a trash Martial Soul like yours, you don't deserve to stay in Class One. I challenge you. The loser gets out of this class. Do you dare accept?"
The whole class erupted in an uproar. At the podium, Lin Xue knitted her willow-leaf brows and was just about to intervene.
Before she could speak, the corners of Yan Qing's mouth curved upward.
"A chance to challenge a disciple of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan? I couldn't ask for more!"