Book 1: Skydream Iceworm

Chapter 6.2: The Number One Academy on the Douluo Continent

“Although we won the war in the end, the effectiveness of our Tang Sect’s hidden weapons was called into question. From then on, various countries started a large-scale reduction in purchasing our hidden weapons. Even though our income was still high, a large portion of it was donated out, as per the will of the first sect master. The donated money was used to improve the lifestyle of the ordinary folk who lived in impoverished areas, as well as to build schools and other public facilities. Thus, we didn’t have a lot of extra cash.”

“At that time, the Tang Sect had several thousand people in it. However, the speed of our decline was simply too quick. After only a mere two hundred years, our Tang Sect had rapidly declined. The former number one sect in the continent never saw its former glory again. When the Tang Sect reached my generation, the only three people left were my father, my mother, and me. And when we were hunting some soul beasts, my mother and father died. Thus, the Tang Sect only had a lone child like me left.”

When she got to this point, tears flowed down Tang Ya’s smooth and exquisite face, and she couldn’t help but clench her fists tightly.

Huo Yuhao murmured, “Teacher Xiao Ya, are our Tang Sect’s hidden weapons truly incomparable to these soul tools?”

Tang Ya sighed and said, “In certain aspects, what you say is indeed true. What the Sun Moon Continent brought to us wasn’t just soul tools, but also a plentiful amount of minerals. These rare minerals are all extremely good conductors for soulforce, which makes them especially suitable for manufacturing soul tools. This caused the high-speed development of soul tools to happen during the few thousand years after the war had ended, which resulted in an even smaller market for our Tang Sect’s hidden weapons. However, in the field of degree of meticulousness, as well as design ingenuity, our Tang Sect’s hidden weapons absolutely surpass soul tools; this is especially true of a few sharp hidden weapons, which are even superior to soul weapons. However, the manufacturing requirements for those hidden weapons are also extremely complicated.”

Bei Bei rubbed Tang Ya’s head and said, “ The development of soul tools has truly dealt a harsh blow to our Tang Sect and its hidden weapons. When I’d just met Tang Ya, she stubbornly believed that hidden weapons were stronger than soul tools. However, the facts have proven that soul tools are capable of replacing our Tang Sect’s hidden weapons in becoming weapons that are accepted by all parties, which indeed makes sense. Firstly, it’s because they’ve simply been easily accepted by the masses, especially those tool soul masters who don’t actually have any attacking capabilities. After possessing a soul tool, they turned into battle soul masters in practically an instant, with the only cost they had to pay being soulforce. Thus, after Xiao Ya and I discussed it, we decided that out Tang Sect absolutely could not continue following our old ways, locking ourselves in our own world, if we wanted the sect to flourish once again. If we want to make the glory of the Tang Sect reappear, then not only do we have to understand soul tools, but we also need to merge them with the manufacturing techniques of our current hidden weapons to create even stronger soul tools. This is the only way our Tang Sect will have the opportunity to grow. Because of this, each and every one of our Tang Sect’s disciples must simultaneously study soul tools while cultivating their martial souls.”

Huo Yuhao replied, “Teacher Xiao Ya, eldest senior brother, since soul weapons are so strong, why did the Sun Moon Empire lose to the allied army of our three empires during the war?”

Bei Bei smiled calmly and said, “That’s because, although the soul weapons they possessed back then were strong, even the strongest soul tool wasn’t able to compare to the fighting power of a Titled Douluo. However, after a few thousand years of development, a few especially strong soul tools have begun to appear, whose strength can even threaten Titled Douluos. However, soul tools have a major issue, which is the fact that stronger soul tools require stronger soul masters to use them to their fullest extent. If you don’t have enough soulforce to support their usage, their power will be extremely limited. Thus, an interesting phenomena has occurred after our two continents merged together. The people over here are doing their utmost to study the methods needed to manufacture soul tools, while the people over at the Sun Moon Empire are doing their best to cultivate strong soul masters. After these past few thousand years, our two continents seem to actually be somewhat balanced.”

Huo Yuhao finally had an initial understanding of Shrek Academy with Bei Bei and Tang Ya’s introductions.

After Tang Ya rubbed the tears off of her face, she grabbed Huo Yuhao’s sleeve and said, “Little Yuhao, the most important thing for you to do right now is to stay within Shrek Academy. Bei Bei and I are already third year students, and it shouldn’t be a problem for us to rise to the rank of fourth year students since I’ve obtained my thousand-year soul ring. After becoming fourth year students, the elimination rate isn’t that high. After a few more years, we’ll have the chance to enter the inner courtyard and study there. However, you’re different. After entering the academy as a first year student, the competition you’ll face will be the most intense. The academy will have an assessment for new students every three months, and only students who are able to pass the assessment can stay. Although our Tang Sect has the privilege of admitting a single student into Shrek Academy, whether you can continue to stay will all depend on you. This is something that no one can help you with, do you understand?”

Huo Yuhao nodded his head seriously as he said, “Teacher Xiao Ya, I will definitely do my best. However, with your and eldest senior brother’s power, have you actually not become students of the inner courtyard?”

Tang Ya replied, “Wanting to enter the inner courtyard of Shrek Academy is easier said than done. The rules for Shrek Academy have never been changed. The outer courtyard was only created later on, due to the three empires requests so that they could cultivate even more talented people. However, only students who have entered the inner courtyard are considered true students of Shrek Academy. Every single student in the inner courtyard is a genius or a monstrous genius, and some of them can only be described as monsters. Students in the outer courtyard will have a test after staying there for six years, and can graduate after passing that test. Only the most outstanding people that take the test, which number extremely few, will have the chance to take the entrance exam for the inner courtyard. Only after passing that test will they have permission to enter the inner courtyard. The time taken to complete their studies within the inner courtyard is also six years. Supposedly, every single person that has graduated from the inner courtyard is at least an expert of the Soul Emperor rank! Furthermore, they’ll receive the best treatment from all countries, including the Sun Moon Empire.”

“It’s that amazing!” When Huo Yuhao heard this, he couldn’t help a feeling of infatuation rising in his heart. He secretly thought to himself that, if he could one day become a graduating student from Shrek Academy’s inner courtyard, he could return to the Duke’s Mansion to ask for his mother’s remains. Then, his mother could be at peace. After he thought of this, he couldn’t help but clench his fists tightly.

Bei Bei was serious as he said, “It’s far more amazing. I once saw an upperclassman from the inner courtyard. He entered the Great Star Dou Forest by himself, and defeated three ten-thousand-year soul beasts with his bare hands, without killing them! He then took them back to the academy. Supposedly, that was the mission he’d received for his tenth year assessment.”

Tang Ya said, “I’ve even heard that there was once a twelfth-year upperclassmen who’d already reached the Soul Sage level by the time he graduated. Furthermore, he even possessed a hundred thousand year soul ring! That upperclassman later stayed in the academy to be raised as the next dean of the academy.”

After hearing their explanations, Huo Yuhao had begun to have an impatient feeling. His interactions with Bei Bei and Tang Ya these past few days had made him deeply understand the enormous benefits he received towards his cultivation when he had a good teacher. Shrek Academy was undoubtedly the best choice! He secretly made a vow to himself that, no matter how hard he had to work, he’d ensure that he remained in the outer courtyard, and that he would strive to enter the inner courtyard in the future.