Chapter 188: The Opening Ceremony!

After returning to the dormitory, Jing Shaoyu found it quiet inside. The living room light was on, but the door to the other bedroom was tightly shut. Seeing this, he directly walked back to his own bedroom.

He had originally thought about chatting with his roommate to get to know him better, but judging by the current situation, it seemed like he was overthinking it. The person clearly wasn't interested in interacting with him.

What a strange person, Jing Shaoyu thought to himself, forming his initial impression of his roommate.

Once inside his room, he quickly freshened up, turned off the light, and climbed into bed. He sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and calmed his breathing to begin his cultivation.

The room was quiet, and Jing Shaoyu sat still on his bed, emitting a faint glow from his body. A mysterious aura enveloped him, making him look dignified and full of divine energy. His soul power flowed through his meridians, and the ebb and flow of his vitality, stirred by the soul power, made his limbs warm and his heart beat lively.

After completing one full cycle of soul power circulation, Jing Shaoyu stopped his practice.

His current soul power had reached level 45, and what he needed now was not further advancement, but consolidation, adjustment, and solidification. This process could take three months, or even half a year. Jing Shaoyu wasn't in a hurry; the old saying, "Sharpening the axe will not delay the cutting of wood," applied perfectly here. He needed to adopt a slower, more deliberate pace of cultivation to fully control the power of his martial soul.

So, every night now, he only practiced one cycle of soul power circulation and then shifted focus entirely to cultivating his spiritual power.

At this moment, with his body relaxed and his mind calm, a single eye slowly opened at his brow—the Eye of Tao. As he opened his Eye of Tao, an invisible will radiated from his body, and his steady breathing matched the rhythm of the eye's opening and closing. Seven-colored rays of light burst forth from the threefold pupil, filling the air with an odd yet mesmerizing rhythm.

Jing Shaoyu's spiritual power had surpassed 4,000 points, placing him at the peak of the Spirit Sea realm, just a step away from entering the Spirit Abyss realm. Therefore, his goal was to reach the Spirit Abyss realm in his spiritual power before advancing to the rank of Spirit King.

For someone else, such a goal might seem like an unattainable fantasy, but for Jing Shaoyu, it was simply something that required effort to achieve.

The next morning.

After washing up, Jing Shaoyu left his room and ran into his aloof roommate, who was also coming out of his room. The two met in the hallway and, out of courtesy, paused to stand.

"Hello, my name is Jing Shaoyu," he smiled and introduced himself. "I hope we can get along from now on!"

"Mo Hentian," the aloof boy said with no sign of emotion on his face.

"Mo Hentian," Jing Shaoyu repeated, thoughtfully adding, "Nice name. It has a certain ring to it, like 'my fate is in my own hands, not determined by heaven.'"

At this, a slight shift could be seen in Mo Hentian's stoic face. His eyes flickered, and he responded, "I'll go now."

He turned and left without another word. Jing Shaoyu watched his retreating figure, shrugging and muttering, "What a cold kid. He must have a lot of stories behind him. Since he doesn't want to talk, I won't pry."

After leaving the dorm, Jing Shaoyu waited downstairs for Gu Yue and Xu Xiaoyan.

"Little Yu!" The two girls didn't make him wait too long and soon appeared downstairs. They were both wearing Shrek Academy uniforms. Despite the unattractive uniforms, the way they wore them only made them look more youthful and radiant.

"Good morning," Jing Shaoyu greeted them with a warm smile. "Let's grab breakfast and then head to the opening ceremony."

"Mm, sounds good!" Xu Xiaoyan cheerfully agreed, and Gu Yue nodded as well.

The opening ceremony was always held in the Lingbing Plaza, and this morning, the plaza was exceptionally clean, clearly cleaned up for the occasion. Jing Shaoyu couldn't help but think of Tang Wulin and Xie Xie. If nothing else, this plaza had to be their work.

The new students were arranged in the central area. Nearly a hundred young boys and girls stood together, each with a different expression. Jing Shaoyu, Gu Yue, and Xu Xiaoyan stood toward the back of the group. With a quick glance, he spotted Tang Wulin and Xie Xie.

They saw him too, and both smiled but didn't come over, merely nodding and greeting him.

Jing Shaoyu nodded back in response.

As the opening ceremony was about to begin, Jing Shaoyu continued to observe his surroundings. Like other spirit master academies, Shrek Academy's outer division was divided into six grades, each with one class. The number of students in each class varied but was usually around one hundred. The academy had a fixed number of new students each year, though the number admitted could vary. For instance, this year, Jing Shaoyu's class had only 102 students, while other grades had more students when they started.

The six grades together formed the entire student body of the outer division, numbering around seven hundred.

Because of Shrek Academy's unique teaching system, the students in the sixth grade were much older, usually over thirty years old. They looked mature and steady, with notable cultivation levels. Normally, such students would be teachers in any other academy, but in Shrek Academy, they were still students in the outer division. This was a peculiar aspect of Shrek Academy.

Normally, the highest graduation age in a regular soul master academy is 22, with a maximum age of 25. However, in Shrek Academy, students in the fourth or fifth grades could be much older. Of course, those in the inner division were another matter entirely.

The age difference in the outer division was particularly evident during the opening ceremony. The youngest group was naturally the first-year students, all under fifteen years old, with the majority being around thirteen or fourteen. The second-year students, mostly fifteen and sixteen years old, were the closest in age to the first-year newcomers.

The opening ceremony began. A series of figures descended from the sky, landing steadily in front of the new student formation. Their powerful, controlled descent left the new students in awe. Who would believe that over twenty senior soul masters could simultaneously descend from the air?

These twenty or so soul masters were clearly the teachers of Shrek Academy's outer division. The weakest among them was at the rank of Soul Emperor and wore a two-word battle armor.

At the center stood the figure they all knew well—the main examiner for this year's entrance exams, Silver Moon Douluo Cai Yue'er.

Today, Cai Yue'er wore a dark silver gown, her hair tied up, and her hands clasped behind her. Her expression was stern and dignified. On either side of her stood the outer division teachers, who were generally between thirty and fifty years old. Among them, Jing Shaoyu immediately spotted Wu Changkong and Shen Yi, who stood out among the unfamiliar faces.

"Little Yu, did you see? It's Teacher Wu!" Xu Xiaoyan tugged at Jing Shaoyu's sleeve, speaking in a hushed voice.

"I saw," Jing Shaoyu replied, tilting his head to reply. "It looks like Teacher Wu is back at the academy and has become a teacher in the outer division. Judging by where he's standing, he must be one of the teachers for our first-year class."

"Wow, that's great!" Xu Xiaoyan cheered excitedly.

At this moment, the new students suddenly gasped in astonishment. Jing Shaoyu turned back in confusion and immediately understood why they were reacting.

Cai Yue'er and the other teachers all floated into the air, hovering above the ground. Their bodies radiated a powerful and indistinct aura that left the nearest new students in shock.

This was clearly to show off the academy's strength, and also to deliver the first lesson to the new students—that joining Shrek Academy was undoubtedly the best decision they could have made.

A middle-aged man stepped forward and spoke, "The new school year is about to begin. For Shrek Academy, this is the time to welcome fresh blood and expand the academy's scale. Now, let us invite the dean of the outer division, Silver Moon Douluo Cai Yue'er, to give us a few words."

After speaking, the man stepped back and gestured respectfully to Cai Yue'er.

Cai Yue'er slowly stepped forward, immediately drawing the attention of the new students. Seeing this serious woman, they couldn't help but feel a mix of awe and surprise. It turned out that this stern woman was the dean of the outer division of Shrek Academy—a powerful Title Douluo. Many new students already felt the weight of her presence.

Cai Yue'er's gaze swept across the new students, and she spoke indifferently, "Shrek Academy never forces anyone to cultivate, but it is also not free education. There is a small test every year and a major test every three years. If you fail the small test twice, you're expelled. If you fail the major test once, you're expelled! So, in the next three years, the number of students will only decrease, not increase. This applies to all grades.

For those in the sixth grade who haven't graduated yet, your time is running out. Your chances are dwindling, and you have only one last hope—thirty-five. This is your final threshold. Don't waste twenty years of effort!

As for you, the new students, you can relax and take it easy, but perhaps three years from now, you won't have a place here.

Shrek Academy will never be stingy with helping diligent students. Your teachers are your guides, and you have access to all the academy's facilities, as long as you have enough contribution points. You may not know what contribution points are yet, but don't worry. You'll understand their importance soon enough.

The glory and brilliance of Shrek are written by generations of Shrek people. The future is up to you. Will you be part of the glory, or will you be left outside? The choice is yours.

Now, teachers, please take your students back to your classrooms. The opening ceremony is over."

Jing Shaoyu's expression was a bit baffled. He almost wanted to laugh, but he stopped himself to avoid causing trouble. Cai Yue'er's words sounded like an internal contradiction. She said Shrek Academy wasn't stingy with helping diligent people, but the prerequisite was to have enough contribution points. Was that being generous or stingy?

Strange indeed.

Figures in the sky began to fly toward different classrooms. In the eager eyes of the new students, Wu Changkong and Shen Yi were flying toward them. But what truly stunned everyone was that Cai Yue'er was also heading toward them.

"I'm the homeroom teacher for your first-year class. You can call me Teacher Cai," she said flatly. "These two are the assistant homeroom teachers, Teacher Shen Yi and Teacher Wu Changkong."

Jing Shaoyu, Gu Yue, and Xu Xiaoyan froze. As Cai Yue'er spoke, she glanced at the three of them, and they all felt like something was brewing behind her eyes.

Before they could react, Cai Yue'er had already started flying toward the main teaching building, leaving a group of new students with expressions ranging from shock to excitement, surprise, and confusion.

Shen Yi and Wu Changkong followed her, and together, they led the students toward the teaching building.

The student lineup was adjusted, and now the three of them found themselves at the end of the line. They walked together, each with a different expression.

"I never expected our homeroom teacher would actually be Teacher Cai. I thought Teacher Shen Yi was just joking," Xu Xiaoyan said with a slight frown. "Do you think Teacher Cai will make things difficult for us? After all, we did offend her!"

"Now you're worried?" Jing Shaoyu said, pinching Xu Xiaoyan's cheek. "Don't worry. As long as we don't make any mistakes, Teacher Cai shouldn't deliberately make things hard for us. After all, she's a Title Douluo; there's no need for her to bother with three kids. Trust in the generosity of a Title Douluo."

"Mm!" Xu Xiaoyan nodded, feeling reassured.

"If she really does make things difficult, I'll handle it!" Gu Yue said flatly, her voice chilling.

For some reason, hearing Gu Yue's words, Xu Xiaoyan involuntarily shuddered.

The first-year classroom was on the first floor of the main teaching building. After entering, they turned left and walked about a hundred meters to reach it.

It was a huge lecture hall capable of holding three hundred people. Once inside, Cai Yue'er walked up to the podium and stood in silence. Shen Yi and Wu Changkong stood on either side, with Shen Yi in front and Wu Changkong behind.

Shen Yi looked at the students outside and called out, "All students, please line up according to the roll call. Jing Shaoyu, row one, seat one."

Hearing his name called, Jing Shaoyu felt helpless and, with Gu Yue and Xu Xiaoyan, made his way to the front of the room. They walked into the classroom and found their seats in the front row, right in the center.

"Gu Yue, row one, seat two." Shen Yi called again, with Gu Yue sitting to Jing Shaoyu's right.

"Xu Xiaoyan, row one, seat three." Xu Xiaoyan sat to his left. These three seats were the closest to the podium.

As they sat down, they couldn't help but glance up, only to catch the slightly smug expression on Cai Yue'er's face.

It seemed that Teacher Cai had given them a little "surprise" after all, despite her supposed generosity. Though assigning seats was a normal right of the homeroom teacher, placing them directly in front of the podium felt like a little power move.

"...Wu Sido, row two, seat one," Shen Yi continued, quickly calling out another familiar name.

Jing Shaoyu looked up instinctively, only to see a cold, beautiful girl walking toward him. More precisely, she was walking toward the seat right behind him.

"...Mo Hentian, row three, seat seven... Tang Wulin, row four, seat six... Xie Xie, row four, seat eight..." Shen Yi continued.

Before long, all the students had taken their seats, and a third of the seats in the lecture hall were occupied.

"Teacher Cai, the first-year class has 102 students, all of whom are present," Shen Yi reported to Cai Yue'er.

Cai Yue'er nodded, speaking coldly, "You should have all heard what I said at the opening ceremony. I won't repeat it. Shrek Academy's principle is simple—your master guides you in, but the cultivation is up to you.

How far you go depends entirely on yourselves. Now, I'll leave you to Teacher Shen Yi, who will explain the academy's rules and learning methods."

After finishing, Cai Yue'er turned and left without looking back. But before she departed, she shot one last meaningful glance at Jing Shaoyu and his friends, causing them to sit up straight.

However, Cai Yue'er's departure still allowed them to relax a little. After all, having a Title Douluo watching you was quite uncomfortable.

"Phew!" Xu Xiaoyan sighed, her stiff posture relaxing. "Finally, I can stop being so tense. If not for Teacher Shen Yi, I'd probably be lying on the table by now."

Jing Shaoyu and Gu Yue seemed slightly better off, but even they couldn't help but exchange a look of helplessness.