At nine o'clock, the class bell rang.
A man of ordinary appearance, medium build, and kind face, looking to be in his early thirties, walked into the classroom and onto the podium.
The noisy classroom instantly fell silent, and the hundred new students all looked at him with intense scrutiny and curiosity.
No one would underestimate him because of his ordinary appearance; the reason was simple: he was a teacher at Shrek Academy!
It was universally acknowledged across the continent that teachers at Shrek Academy were all top-tier experts. This was because two conditions were required to become a teacher at Shrek Academy: first, one must be a graduate of Shrek Academy; second, one must be a Spirit Emperor or above in cultivation.
Shrek Outer Courtyard was the only intermediate Spirit Master Academy on the continent where all teaching staff were Spirit Emperor-level.
That's right, an intermediate Spirit Master Academy. The essence of Shrek Outer Courtyard was an intermediate Spirit Master Academy, an intermediate Spirit Master Academy affiliated with Shrek Inner Courtyard.
When Shrek Academy was first established, it was a high-level Spirit Master Academy. The appearance of Shrek Outer Courtyard was merely to meet the demands of the Three Great Empires' imperial families.
"First, congratulations to everyone on temporarily becoming a member of Shrek Academy," the man said after scanning the room. His voice was also very ordinary, but the first thing he said made many people's hearts tremble. "Why do I say 'temporarily' becoming a member of Shrek? Because before advancing to the fourth year, you will undergo several assessments, and each assessment will inevitably eliminate some people. Only students who pass all assessments can truly become members of Shrek Academy. Therefore, never think that entering Shrek Outer Courtyard means you can rest easy!"
As the man's last sentence fell, the expression on his face had become exceptionally stern.
The students in the classroom shivered, and a sense of tension spread among them.
The man ignored the students' reactions and continued, "Next, my name is Xia Yu, and I will be your homeroom teacher from now on. Before the new student assessment concludes, your fate will be decided by me. I'll be blunt: new student homeroom teachers have the right to directly expel new students. Therefore, I hope you take my words seriously."
Everyone's expressions tightened, sensing the malice in the man's words.
"Finally, and most importantly. Three months from now, the new student assessment." Xia Yu's expression remained serious, and his tone deepened a few shades as he said, "I can responsibly tell you that the new student assessment will definitely eliminate half of the new students!"
"Ah!" The classroom immediately erupted in an uproar, and all the new students looked at Xia Yu in disbelief.
"Oh my! Eliminating half, isn't that a bit too exaggerated!" Jiang Nannan said with a solemn expression.
"It's normal, this is Shrek Academy after all!" Zhu Ziyang said with a slight smile, "This is a rule that only the continent's number one Academy would have."
"Quiet!" Xia Yu shouted in a low voice. His voice was soft, but everyone in the entire classroom could hear it clearly, as if it were right next to their ears.
The large classroom instantly fell silent.
"I know you're surprised, but this is Shrek Academy's rule. If you don't want to be eliminated, then work hard to improve yourselves!" Xia Yu said expressionlessly. "This batch of yours is the smallest in the past thirty years, and also the one with the biggest disparity in spirit power cultivation."
"Teacher, you said we are the batch with the biggest disparity in spirit power cultivation. Just how big is that disparity?" a male student asked.
"Among your batch, the lowest spirit power cultivation is level 16, and the highest spirit power cultivation—there is only one—he is also the new student with the highest cultivation in the past decade," Xia Yu said, with a hint of emotion in his tone. "His cultivation is a three-ring Spirit Elder!"
"Oh my!"
"A Spirit Elder! He's actually in the same batch as us!"
"Truly worthy of Shrek Academy!"
"A 12-year-old Spirit Elder! When I was twelve, I'd be burning incense if I could become a Spirit Grandmaster!"
"..."
The students of Class Four all showed shocked expressions, then began to exclaim.
"Hey, hey, Nannan, how do you think this Spirit Elder new student cultivated? He's too amazing! Could he be the successor of some reclusive Sect?" Tang Ya poked Jiang Nannan's arm and asked with a surprised expression.
"No, he's a commoner." Jiang Nannan smiled faintly. She naturally knew who Xia Yu was talking about, so she was very proud. After hearing Tang Ya's words, she said with certainty.
"A commoner? How is that possible..." Tang Ya instinctively wanted to retort, but then she noticed the smile on Jiang Nannan's face, and a guess immediately surged into her mind.
"Teacher, could you tell us the specific rank of this Spirit Elder?" another student asked.
"As for that, it's better for you to discover it yourselves," Xia Yu said with a smile, his gaze sweeping over the students. "Because this super genius is a student in our Class Four."
"What!"
Again, one stone stirred up a thousand waves.
All the unfamiliar students began to look at each other, trying to find that super genius.
"Nannan, is it him?" Tang Ya looked suspiciously at the calm Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan, and called out.
"Mm-hmm!" Jiang Nannan nodded proudly.
"Oh my!" Tang Ya was extremely shocked.
"Alright, I won't say any more unnecessary things." Xia Yu interrupted the students' curiosity and said, "Next, please introduce yourselves."
"Nannan, is it true? Tell me!" Tang Ya had an incredulous expression, holding Jiang Nannan's arm with both hands and shaking her continuously as she asked.
"Xiaoya, calm down, the teacher is looking at you!" Jiang Nannan squeezed Tang Ya's hand helplessly, reminding her.
"Ah!" Tang Ya froze, looked up, and met Xia Yu's gaze.
"Very good," Xia Yu said with a smile, looking at Tang Ya. "That girl with the beautiful smile, you go first!"
Tang Ya was startled, then stood up, a smile on her face. She thought to herself that this teacher had good taste, and said aloud, "Hello everyone, my name is Tang Ya. I'm from Heaven Dou City of the Tianhun Empire, and I'm the current Sect Master of the Tang Sect. If anyone wants to join the Tang Sect, you can come find me!"
She truly had the revitalization of the Tang Sect engraved in her bones! Zhu Ziyang thought.
However, as soon as Tang Ya's words fell, the classroom became noisy, because many students who knew about the Tang Sect looked at Tang Ya with changed expressions, some pitiful, some mocking, countless different looks. Facing the strange gazes of her classmates, Tang Ya remained composed, still smiling, clearly already accustomed to it.
Jiang Nannan suddenly felt a little heartache for Tang Ya, and she held her hand in a comforting gesture, then showed an encouraging smile.
"Oh! It's someone from the Tang Sect. That's a Sect as ancient as our Shrek Academy. Its founder is none other than Thousand Hands Douluo Tang San, one of the Original Shrek Seven Devils!" Xia Yu said, helping Tang Ya out. "Students who want to join the Tang Sect can go to student Tang Ya to learn about the Tang Sect's deeds."
Facing Xia Yu's help, Tang Ya gave him a grateful look, then sat down.
"Alright, please have the beautiful girl next to Tang Ya introduce herself," Xia Yu continued, pointing to Jiang Nannan next to Tang Ya.