Even though Shrek Academy is a gathering place for geniuses, not everyone is solely focused on cultivating.
During the new student enrollment period, students who registered earlier had already started forming groups of two or three to explore this 'Monster' Academy, whose reputation resounded throughout the entire continent.
Wang Nan and Gongyang Mo were naturally among them.
The student dormitory building is located on the south side of Shrek Plaza.
Walking east from the building along the Plaza, it doesn't take long to reach the lakeside path.
Though called a 'path,' it's wide enough for four or five carriages to travel side by side.
It's named for its proximity to Sea God Lake and is the most popular spot for new students.
Standing by Sea God Lake, one can vaguely see figures on the island in the middle of the lake, which is the Inner Courtyard of Shrek Academy.
Wang Nan turned his head to look at Gongyang Mo beside him.
If he remembered correctly, Gongyang Mo was already an Inner Courtyard student when he first appeared.
"What's wrong?"
Gongyang Mo noticed Wang Nan's gaze and reluctantly withdrew his eyes from the island in the middle of the lake.
Regardless of his future, he was currently just a twelve-year-old child, and naturally, he held a hint of longing for the Inner Courtyard.
"Just remembered some things."
Wang Nan paused. "By the way, what were you looking at just now that had you so engrossed?"
"The senior students in the Inner Courtyard."
"You can see clearly from this far?"
"Not clearly, but that's the Inner Courtyard of Shrek Academy. Since I was young, my family told me that ten thousand years ago, Shrek Academy was founded by three deans, and its foundation was laid by the first generation of Shrek Seven Devils, making it the number one Spirit Master Academy on the Douluo Continent, lasting for ten thousand years…"
Hearing Gongyang Mo recount the history of Shrek Academy, Wang Nan felt a doubt.
It seemed he rarely heard stories about the first generation of Shrek Seven Devils when he was young.
Logically, given Shrek Academy's status on the Douluo Continent, their stories should be quite popular.
Could it be because he matured too early and didn't give his parents a chance to tell him stories?
"Do you know why the lake in front of us is called Sea God Lake?"
Seeing Wang Nan seemed a bit distracted, Gongyang Mo thought he was being too boring, so he changed the topic.
"To commemorate Sea God Tang San, I suppose."
He hadn't heard the stories when he was young, but he had certainly read the novels in his previous life.
"Yes, the world changed color, when he became a god."
Becoming a god…
Although Wang Nan had come to a world where he could cultivate, he didn't have such a deep obsession with becoming a god.
Firstly, he knew that the gods in this world were more like Spirit Masters with higher spirit power, far from the carefree immortals he had imagined.
Secondly, for him, being able to live another life, having parents who cared for him, a decent family, and his own above-average talent, his future life would likely not be bad at all, and he was content with such a life.
Of course, it would be even better if he could make up for some regrets from his previous life.
…
It turns out that no matter which world you're in, holidays are always too short.
Wang Nan felt like he hadn't done anything, and two days passed in a blink of an eye.
On the first day of school, Wang Nan and Gongyang Mo arrived in the classroom early.
During the first three months of enrollment, classes were not divided by attack system, support system, and so on, so the two of them, who shared a dormitory, were assigned together.
Time passed minute by minute, and the seats in the classroom were almost full.
Some students were already chatting with familiar people around them, while others who didn't like to talk sat quietly in their seats.
As the classroom door opened again, Sun He, whom Wang Nan had met once, walked in, and the entire classroom instantly fell silent.
"Hello everyone, for the next three months, I will be your homeroom teacher.
Although the Academy doesn't have such a rule, my students are all personally assessed by me, so you should all be familiar with me.
My name is Sun He, and you can call me Teacher Sun."
As soon as Sun He spoke, many students' expressions changed, and whispers spread through the classroom, indicating that they had suffered quite a bit during the assessment.
"Alright, I know you all have a lot to say, but I hope those words can be saved for three months later."
Sun He tapped the table and spoke with a smile.
"Since you are all sitting here, you should know what I mean.
According to the Academy's rules, there will be a new student assessment three months from now.
Only students who pass the assessment can continue to stay in the Academy, and the content of the assessment is practical combat."
"After the past two days of interaction, I believe that most of you will not be able to successfully pass the assessment."
Hearing this, the discussions in the classroom grew louder, but this time Sun He did not stop them, but rather waited with a smile for the noise to naturally subside.
"I know that at your age, you don't have many opportunities for practical combat, and some students with support-oriented Spirits have never experienced practical combat.
Therefore, the first thing I will teach you is how to fight."
"So, the first question, what is combat?"
Sun He did not make things difficult for the children below the podium, and after a brief pause, he continued, "Attack and defense are just the most basic methods.
Surprise attacks, sneak attacks, setting traps—these are all combat.
When facing a Spirit Beast, understanding its skills in advance.
When facing a Spirit Master, accurately judging the opponent's Spirit abilities—these are also part of combat.
True combat is using one's strengths to attack the opponent's weaknesses."
"If the opponent is weak in strength, prioritize a direct breakthrough.
If the opponent is slow, prioritize maneuvering with them.
If the opponent is unbeatable, consider how to escape as quickly as possible.
If a fight is unavoidable, consider setting traps, leading them into an ambush, or using numerical superiority…"
Wang Nan had originally thought that the first class would start with some basic content, but who knew that Sun He would be so intense right from the start.
How to launch a sneak attack, how to set traps, how to lead enemies into an ambush—these were things that a group of ten-year-old children had never encountered before.
Even for someone like Wang Nan, who received one-on-one instruction, considering his age, Wang Xing had not taught him this kind of content, let alone others.
Thinking of Sun He's 'bullying the young' performance on the new student assessment arena, it seemed not surprising that he had such a teaching philosophy, but could these things really be taught to young children?
—Yes, they could.
Sun He answered the doubt in Wang Nan's heart with practical actions.
Throughout the entire morning, Sun He meticulously explained many combat techniques, not only discussing what kind of tactics were suitable for different types of Spirits but also some small moves to lure opponents into revealing weaknesses.
Finally, he used examples from the new student assessment, breaking down each move for them to see.
In the afternoon, Sun He took them to the training ground for practical combat training, striving to integrate the morning's content into each student's combat.
In just one class, these children's views on combat underwent a drastic change, and for the following three months, such classes were held almost every day.