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Xu Yuan's approach truly aligned with the core of Shrek Academy's assessment.
The original purpose of this kind of assessment was to train students in how to apply their abilities and maximize their strengths.
Baseless provocations and disruptions to public order could only be described as bizarre. These actions were forcibly justified by leaning into Shrek's reputation for producing "monsters," and the academy had no choice but to accept it.
It wasn't that they had to accept it—it was just that, over time, Shrek Academy's eccentricities became more pronounced. However, since it was also a holy land for soul master cultivation, worshipped fervently by both soul masters and ordinary people across the continent, the outside world didn't view Shrek's oddities as strange behavior. Instead, this eccentricity became an internal hallmark of the academy.
Both the students and teachers within the academy believed that this eccentricity was worth emulating, promoting, and passing down. Little did they realize that these quirks were precisely the dregs that needed to be discarded.
As one of the great sanctuaries for soul masters—and gradually becoming a substantial power in its own right—Shrek Academy couldn't treat causing trouble everywhere as a sign of capability, like children playing house.
There was no doubt about the outcome of the battles.
The students who emerged from Shrek Academy—or those who stood out during the entrance exams—were all exceptionally talented in practical application.
After half a year of training in the first grade of the Outer Court, their rate of soul power improvement might have slowed down, but their combat techniques became more refined. Their overall progress remained steady.
Leaving West Gate City, the group continued toward the next destination.
Wu Zhangkong didn't prohibit Xu Yuan's method, clearly acknowledging Xu Yuan's discovery of utilizing his forging skills as an advantage.
In the following days, they continued using the same approach: finding opponents on the same day, completing their tasks, and then driving to the next destination.
After finishing challenges in a total of seven cities—including Tiandou City—they returned the rented soul-guided cars.
The convenience of a chain rental platform was undeniable.
"Next, we head to Tianding City—a large city close to our final destination, Mingdu. We'll take the soul-guided train there."
While soul-guided cars were convenient, long-distance travel was still faster by soul-guided train.
Previously, starting from Tiandou City, they had passed through six other cities but had only covered less than a third of the distance between Tiandou City and Mingdu.
Their next destination, Tianding City, was already very close to Mingdu. After Tianding City, they would pass through Sanbao City before reaching their final destination, Mingdu.
For the long journey in between, the soul-guided train was the obvious choice.
Seven days had already passed. Taking the soul-guided train from the current Tianyang City to Tianding City would take one day. By the time they disembarked, eight days of the assessment would have elapsed.
They would then have seven days remaining, leaving the last three days to return to Shrek Academy. This meant they had four days to complete their tasks in these three cities—an ample amount of time.
"Whether it's Tianding City, Sanbao City, or even the final destination, Mingdu, these cities are sizable. Finding suitable opponents won't be difficult. From now on, we won't go to the Mech Pilot Association anymore."
"Not going to the association?"
The others were surprised, unsure what clever plan their class monitor had come up with this time.
"I've carefully researched Tianding City and Sanbao City. Each of these cities has its own unique characteristics. With our schedule no longer so tight, we can focus on completing our tasks while also seeking some opportunities along the way."
"Opportunities?" Wu Zhangkong perked up, listening intently.
"Take a look."
Xu Yuan pulled out a document and placed it on the table for everyone to see.
Thirteen people gathered around, crowding closely to examine the document. Even Wu Zhangkong couldn't find a gap to peek through and had to rely on Xu Yuan and the others' discussion to understand what these "opportunities" entailed.
"The Celestial Star Soul Academy?" Xu Xiaoyan asked in surprise. "Class Monitor, what's so special about this academy?"
Undoubtedly, the top-tier academies on the continent were those with tens of thousands of years of history, and the Celestial Star Soul Academy was not among them.
Without a doubt, in terms of overall strength, influence, and resources, this academy wasn't at the top tier—it was merely second-rate.
"The Celestial Star Soul Academy primarily trains flying-type soul masters, with a focus on soul-guided weaponry and mech pilots."
In this era, soul-guided experts were increasingly specializing in crafting specific types of soul-guided tools and excelling in their use, rather than being true generalists.
Even though the definition of soul-guided experts had narrowed, most modern practitioners focused on using soul-guided tools rather than crafting them themselves.
This was the trend of the times.
Of course, truly powerful soul-guided experts still crafted their own tools.
"Soul-guided experts and mech pilots?" Tang Wulin and the others listened attentively, puzzled about what opportunities Xu Yuan saw in targeting this academy.
It sounded like it was only suitable for Xu Yuan himself.
"The Celestial Star Soul Academy has close ties with the military. They specialize in flight-related fields, and the academy itself has research institutions. Their mastery of the stars and development of many flight technologies are among the best on the continent."
Up to this point, the Celestial Star Soul Academy still seemed tailored specifically for Xu Yuan.
However, Tang Wulin and the others remained attentive, refraining from objections for now.
"Of course, what I value most isn't their flight technology—it's their observatory. As I said, their mastery of the stars is among the best on the continent."
Xu Yuan's gaze swept across the group, lingering especially on Ye Xinglan and Xu Xiaoyan.
"Xinglan and Xiaoyan both possess star-aligned attributes. They stand to gain the most. As for the rest of you, trust me—you won't be disappointed."
Tang Wulin and the others were speechless.
Their curiosity had been thoroughly piqued.
After waiting for so long, Xu Yuan's final statement was simply, "Trust me."
Still, Xu Yuan did give them a hint.
Related to star-aligned attributes?
And they'd all benefit significantly?
"In that case, let's go there," Wu Siduo said.
"By the way, Class Monitor, how do we gain access to their observatory?" Xu Xiaoyan asked curiously.
"Exchange matches."
Xu Yuan already had an answer prepared.
"There are exchange matches between different grades within the academy. Similarly, we can hold friendly matches with external academies under the guise of sparring. If we visit them to seek guidance, they likely won't refuse."
Won't refuse?
Tang Wulin and the others assumed Xu Yuan already had a good plan in mind.
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Celestial Star Soul Academy
At the gate security office, Xu Yuan and his group arrived.
"Hello, what brings you here?" The security guard, seeing fourteen young people approaching together, asked curiously.
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