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In the early morning, Tang San sat on the rooftop of the dormitory, his sharp gaze fixed on the first ray of sunlight on the horizon.
Last night, the three injured individuals had successively regained consciousness.
Although they all suffered internal injuries, thanks to Shao Xin's healing sugar pills, they had mostly recovered. At the very least, their future cultivation and daily lives wouldn't be affected in any way.
Tang San was practicing the Purple Extreme Demon Pupil, which required absorbing the first purple qi of dawn to replenish its energy.
Ning Tianchen, who had been practicing swordsmanship in front of the dormitory, noticed Tang San's movements and couldn't help but pause.
"Tang San is practicing the Purple Extreme Demon Pupil so openly?" he chuckled inwardly, attempting to glean insights into its cultivation method by observing Tang San.
However, after a while, he gained nothing.
He had underestimated the wisdom of the ancestors.
The Tang Sect's hidden weapons and cultivation techniques likely had safeguards. Without specific instructions, even watching someone practice from scratch wouldn't allow others to learn it.
After finishing his cultivation, Tang San noticed Ning Tianchen's gaze.
Thinking back to what happened yesterday, he felt a wave of shame.
After struggling for a moment, he finally said, "Good morning."
"I didn't expect you to wake up early to cultivate, but your Blue Silver Grass martial soul shouldn't require this kind of practice, right?" Ning Tianchen casually asked.
Of course, Tang San couldn't reveal the secrets of the Tang Sect's techniques, so he made up an excuse.
"By the way, I heard from Boss Dai last night. Tianchen, thank you."
Ning Tianchen waved his hand dismissively. "We're a team. We rise and fall together."
Whether Tang San truly understood this or not, Ning Tianchen didn't know.
If Tang San could change his personality, Ning Tianchen wouldn't mind working with him as a teammate.
Tang San gave an awkward smile and quickly changed the subject.
Shrek Academy was located within a village, where the lifestyle followed the rhythm of "rising with the sun and resting at sunset."
Though they had risen early, the fields around the village were already bustling with activity.
Early in the morning, Ning Tianchen had found a villager to help buy breakfast.
With food available, everyone from Shrek Academy gathered in the cafeteria.
Notably, because there was breakfast, Tang San and Xiao Wu didn't get into a conflict with Ma Hongjun.
All eight of them gathered in the cafeteria and introduced themselves briefly.
"Haha, the academy has five new students all of a sudden. Things will definitely be livelier from now on," Oscar joked with a laugh.
Ma Hongjun sat off to the side, feeling sour.
The academy's three female students were all taken—each had someone special in their lives.
Early this morning, he had completely fallen out with Cuihua. How would he live his life from now on?
"Boss Dai, today is the opening ceremony. Will the principal attend?" Tang San couldn't help but ask.
He was extremely curious about the kind of eccentric person who could create a school like Shrek Academy.
Dai Mubai replied, "He should attend. But be prepared to pay tuition—our academy's fees are quite high."
"Well, everyone hurry up and eat breakfast. Afterward, we'll gather at the main field."
Ning Rongrong was also very curious about the principal.
Shrek Academy was a contradictory entity.
The academy was filled with geniuses, yet its management system was lax. There were many powerful teachers, but the academy was still poor.
What kind of strange person would establish such an academy?
…
The mystery was soon revealed.
A short while later, the eight of them gathered at the academy's main field.
Moments later, Flender walked toward them with his hands clasped behind his back.
There were two bruises on his face, evidence that last night's events had affected him too.
"Cough, cough."
With two light coughs, the chatter among the group abruptly stopped.
Flender stood before them and spoke in a calm tone: "This year is pretty good—we've added five more little monsters. I am Flender, the principal of Shrek Academy. Welcome to the academy. Later, go find Teacher Li and pay one hundred gold spirit coins each as tuition."
"It's you!" Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong exclaimed simultaneously.
When it came to Flender, both harbored grievances.
Ning Rongrong resented him because he had stolen something from the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect and refused to admit it.
As for Xiao Wu, she had simply been swindled by him.
Two days ago, she visited his small shop, and a broken bracelet was priced at a thousand gold spirit coins.
Flender's expression remained calm as he scanned the group. "Today is the opening ceremony, so there won't be any lectures. Classes will officially begin tomorrow, and no one is allowed to be late. Tonight, have dinner early. Afterward, I'll take you to a great place for cultivation."
The three senior students, especially Dai Mubai, looked utterly dismayed. "Principal, isn't this too early?"
Flender shot him a glare and, without another word, turned and left the field.
Compared to other academies, Shrek Academy's opening ceremony was like a joke.
There were no speeches from leaders or alumni—just a simple announcement.
A principal like this, if placed on Earth, would probably be worshipped as a deity by the students.
…
Although Ning Rongrong was attending school for the first time, she had previously attended the opening ceremony of the Tian Dou Imperial Academy with Ning Fengzhi.
In comparison, Shrek Academy's ceremony seemed far too casual.
"Rongrong, do you enjoy listening to long-winded speeches from the principal?" Ning Tianchen countered.
Ning Rongrong shook her head.
She had only attended the Tian Dou Imperial Academy's opening ceremony once and never went again.
The procedures were tedious, and the three education committee members droned on with useless nonsense.
"By the way, big brother Tianchen, what place did the principal mention for tonight?" Ning Rongrong couldn't help but ask.
She didn't particularly like Flender.
But this was her first experience of academy life, and she still had some hopes for the future.
"It's probably the Great Spirit Arena. For soul masters, the fastest way to improve is through real combat," Ning Tianchen explained.
Closed-door cultivation was ineffective. His rapid progress in swordsmanship ultimately stemmed from sparring with fellow disciples of his sect.
However, for auxiliary-type soul masters, real combat didn't contribute much to their growth. It was better for them to focus on cultivating soul power in seclusion.
"The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Competition—you should know about it, Rongrong. Our current team has eight people, which meets the requirements to participate in the competition. Such a grand event—how can we miss it?"
Ning Rongrong still felt uneasy about the idea, but then she thought, as long as Ning Tianchen was around, she wouldn't feel too bored.
After paying the tuition, Ning Tianchen spent the entire morning honing his swordsmanship.
During this time, he reflected on several matters.
Because of his arrival, some things had already changed.
For instance, Flender hadn't assigned Ning Rongrong and Oscar to run laps around the village. As a result, he wouldn't have the opportunity to lecture Ning Rongrong about it.
Additionally, they had offended Meng Yiran in Barak City earlier.
It was uncertain whether this would lead to unexpected incidents during their future soul-hunting endeavors.
After all, Tang San was the favored son of this continent. With so many factors at play, depriving him of the Eight Spider Leg Bone Soul Tool wouldn't be easy.
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