Shrek Academy, as the number one academy on the continent, only recruits once every three years. Applicants must be under twelve years old, have soul power above level fifteen, possess a recommendation from an academy, and also pass ten rounds of assessments.
Of course, these are the requirements for admission into the outer court.
If one happens to miss the outer court entrance, then the chances of entering Shrek Academy become very slim—unless you meet the inner court's application criteria and go directly for the inner court examination.
However, rules are dead; people are alive.
If someone shows exceptional talent, Shrek Academy is not above making exceptions—just like ten thousand years ago with Huo Yuhao. Upon discovering that he possessed the Ultimate Ice attribute, the Sea God Pavilion immediately convened a meeting.
Heita's talent is enough to stir the emotions of any powerful force. Shrek Academy absolutely would not reject such a student—on the contrary, they might even personally invite her to attend!
What's even more important is that, although Shrek enjoys a tremendous reputation across the Douluo Continent, its essence is still that of a school. It doesn't prevent students from joining other factions.
Take Tang Sect, for example, which has an unusually close relationship with Shrek. Many students are both Shrek Academy students and Tang Sect members.
From Wu Zhangkong's perspective, Heita had already joined the Spirit Transmission Tower, and as long as the people from the Tower weren't idiots, they would never let her go. But even if she's now part of the Spirit Transmission Tower, it only means she can't join the Tang Sect—it doesn't prevent her from attending Shrek Academy.
Wu Zhangkong was confident that if he just wrote a letter to the elders of the Sea God Pavilion, they would absolutely go out of their way to make an exception and keep Heita at Shrek. They would most likely bring her directly into the inner court. After all, a genius like her wouldn't be safe left in the outer court.
But Wu Zhangkong hadn't done this—or rather, he wasn't planning to do so for now. This wasn't his own decision—it came from another person: Heita's mother, Yuan Bao'er.
After his first day interacting with the girl Heita, Wu Zhangkong, in his capacity as a teacher from East Sea Academy, paid a visit to her home. Due to Mu Chen's busy schedule, he didn't get to meet him, but he did meet the lady of the house—Yuan Bao'er.
After speaking with Yuan Bao'er, Wu Zhangkong finally understood Heita's background. She was born in the slums, orphaned and alone from a young age, and was only later adopted by the couple.
In the end, Yuan Bao'er asked Wu Zhangkong for a favor:
> "I know that with little Heita's talent, she will surely grow to heights unreachable by others. But before that, I hope she can live a complete childhood, like an ordinary child."
> "Don't be fooled by how obedient she seems in front of me. I believe she truly sees me as her mother. But in her eyes, I always feel there's a flame quietly burning."
> "That's right, that very thing! From a mother's perspective, I believe it stems from the bad experiences of her early years. That's why she has an unusual obsession with becoming strong."
> "So once she's away from me, her personality will definitely change noticeably. That's why I beg you, Teacher Wu—please let that child spend a full childhood at the academy."
That worried expression of a mother left Wu Zhangkong in silence, but in the end, he agreed to Yuan Bao'er's request—to let Heita grow up at East Sea Academy like an ordinary child as much as possible.
That's why Wu Zhangkong's one-on-one instruction only happened once a week. On other days, Heita could still spend time with Mu Xi and Ouyang Zixin, playing freely at the academy.
Of course, what Yuan Bao'er had in mind wasn't something Heita was unaware of. She understood that this woman truly treated her like a daughter. But reason told Heita: if she wanted to protect what she truly valued, she had to become stronger…
Still, for now, enjoying this rare tranquility and familial love was a precious experience for Yao Lan—who had lost her parents at an early age.
And under Yao Lan's influence, Heita quietly accepted it all.
But… was this truly effective?
Even if Heita herself unconsciously cooperated with Yuan Bao'er and Wu Zhangkong's intentions, her talent simply wouldn't allow such things to continue.
---
On the empty ground of the training field.
Heita was once again sparring with Wu Zhangkong. This was already their third training match. Heita still wielded that familiar large hammer, with almost no changes.
But Wu Zhangkong, on the other hand, no longer used a wooden sword. He now held a sky-blue longsword…
That was his martial soul: the Heavenly Frost Sword!
It was only their third sparring match, and barely over two weeks had passed, yet Wu Zhangkong had been forced to reveal his martial soul. His soul power had risen from level 28 to level 50—while Heita was only at level 29...
In other words, Heita was fighting two whole major ranks above her level—and she still held the upper hand!
First Soul Skill: Frost Scar!
An ice-blue sword qi shot toward Heita. Just looking at it was enough to feel the immense soul power it contained.
Yet Heita merely glanced at it, shifted her body slightly, and tapped the weak point of the sword qi with her hammer's handle—dissolving the attack effortlessly.
This scene made Wu Zhangkong's eyes grow even more serious. He had been unsure before, but now he was certain: any move used more than once in front of Heita would be immediately and decisively countered!
Even some basic techniques—ones she had only seen for the first time—could be broken by her with high probability!
> "I still underestimated her!"
Even though it had only been three classes, Heita had completely upended Wu Zhangkong's understanding of her each time. Fortunately, his main teaching plan didn't need much change. After all, Heita's self-learning ability had already allowed her to grasp the knowledge of the high school division in a very short time.
Wu Zhangkong thought: if I keep teaching her like this, won't she have nothing to learn when she gets to Shrek Academy? What if she ends up looking down on the place?
So he adjusted the curriculum to focus on real combat. Book knowledge is easy to learn—but applying it in real fights is something else entirely.
Thus, Wu Zhangkong stopped limiting his martial soul and soul skills. He began to treat every sparring session with Heita seriously. But even then, he couldn't gain the upper hand—not even by using his years of combat experience or sword techniques he had created himself. Heita handled them all with ease.
The only thing left for him to do was increase his soul power level. Yet even then, Heita defended perfectly—and would occasionally surprise him.
She saw through me!
Wu Zhangkong's eyes narrowed slightly. Though they hadn't known each other long, Heita clearly already understood all his techniques. No matter what he did—even feints—Heita could see through and counter them.
> "That's enough sparring for today. Your friends are here for you—go join them."
Watching Heita walk off with Mu Xi and Ouyang Zixin, Wu Zhangkong realized that what was originally a stable teaching plan now needed to be revised again.
He had never encountered a student like her before!
Just three lessons, and he—a teacher—had to change his teaching plan three times!
If it were any other student, when had he ever been this lenient?
Only a genius like Heita could leave Wu Zhangkong at a loss!
In his mind, the scene of Yuan Bao'er pleading with him slowly resurfaced. Wu Zhangkong couldn't help but cover his head once again.
His brain genuinely hurt.
> "Sigh! With my limited ability, I fear I may not be able to fulfill your request…"