"That makes sense."
"First-years may have strong combat abilities, but they must be weaker in auxiliary professions. We all have some advantages here—we must capitalize on them."
At this moment, the homeroom teacher nodded repeatedly.
To be honest, seeing his students easily defeated by the first-years left a bitter taste in his mouth. But when it came to auxiliary professions, they still had their strengths!
After all, second-years were older than first-years and had started training in auxiliary professions much earlier. Surely they couldn't lose in this aspect as well!
Mu Xi, the forging student, naturally didn't intervene—he wasn't shameless enough for that. But even a fourth-level forging master should be more than enough!
"Though it feels a bit unfair..."
"But there's no other choice."
The teacher muttered under his breath.
"..."
Meanwhile, Yuanen Yehui stood to the side, smiling silently. She couldn't help but think—what were the auxiliary profession levels of everyone around Luo Chuan?
In forging, Luo Chuan was at the seventh level, Wu Lin at the sixth, and even Mu Xi, who hadn't participated from their class, was at the sixth level. If they were to compete in forging, their fourth-level forging masters...
Would be utterly crushed.
As for other fields—Gu Yue was a sixth-level mecha designer, Ye Xinglan a mecha manufacturer, Xu Xiaoyan a mecha designer, Wu Siduo a mecha mechanic...
"Hmm, I think..."
Yuanen Yehui fell into silence. Surely they wouldn't lose, right?
"Second-years will definitely win!"
The others around her, oblivious to her thoughts, were already brimming with excitement, as if they could already envision their victory, popping open the champagne in advance.
"We're unbeatable!"
"..."
"Congratulations to the first-years for surpassing the second-years in forging, mecha design, and mecha manufacturing."
"Next, let's invite Cai Yue'er to present the awards..."
Before long, the second-years stood below the stage, watching as the first-years stepped up to receive their prizes. They were at a loss for words, especially the forging representative, who was utterly shocked.
Sixth level? A first-year had already reached the sixth level?!
Even Mu Xi, a transfer student admitted specifically for forging, had only barely become a sixth-level forging master. And now a first-year had achieved the same?
"..."
Beside him, the mecha manufacturing and design representatives were equally speechless. Clearly, the talent they had prided themselves on was nothing in comparison.
"Don't lose heart."
"This year's first-years are just too strong."
Yuanen quickly shook her head, comforting the group. She was the only one among them who had won in the auxiliary profession competition.
In the Soul Master tournament, she had been the sole victor against Wu Siduo, thanks to her balanced offense and defense with the Titan Giant Ape Spirit.
And in auxiliary professions, she had similarly prevailed—because she had started training as a mecha mechanic earlier than Wu Siduo, she managed a narrow victory despite being at the same level.
"Class President..."
"We're too weak..."
The team members couldn't help but lament. They were all students of Shrek Academy—how could they not feel terrible after being so thoroughly crushed by freshmen?
"No."
"It's really that they're just too strong."
Yuanen Yehui shook her head repeatedly, sighing inwardly. The most monstrous one hadn't even made a move yet!
Someone like that—even she...
Couldn't hope to match.
"But Class President..."
"I'm heading back first."
Yuanen Yehui smiled and shook her head, her gaze lingering deeply on the young man in the audience who had never taken the field. Her heart was filled with countless thoughts.
When would she ever surpass... no, she didn't dare hope to surpass him. Just catching up was already her greatest wish.
"Is the class leader preoccupied with something?"
Qiu Palei couldn't help but voice his curiosity as he looked in the direction Yuanen Yehui had left, but no one could answer his question.
Everyone was deeply awed by the strength of the first-year students. At that moment, Le Zhengyu also stared intently in the direction of the first-years, lost in thought, though no one knew what was on his mind.
Not long after, as the crowd dispersed from the arena, the first-year team led by Tang Wulin also left the scene.
Beside them were Tang Luochuan, Na'er, and Gu Yue, all wearing faint smiles.
"It seems everyone..."
"had a great time in this battle," Tang Luochuan said with a light smile.
"Yeah, boss."
"This fight was so satisfying," Xie Xie replied, unable to hide his joy, his eyes burning with excitement. As a Soul Venerable in the agility-attack system, he had managed to hold his own against a Soul Ancestor while wearing Battle Armor.
And it was a senior from Shrek Academy at that...
This feeling was incredible!
"That's true..."
Ye Xinglan nodded in agreement. With the enhancement of her Battle Armor, her combat effectiveness had far exceeded her previous limits.
"But I feel we shouldn't rely too much on Luo Chuan's Battle Armor," she added bluntly.
With her cultivation still below Soul Ancestor, it was impossible for her to contend with opponents a whole realm above her for long. The reason she had performed so well this time...
was clearly due to over-reliance on the Battle Armor's power.
Without it, her strength would plummet—and not just hers, but everyone else's as well.
"Xinglan is right, but you shouldn't dismiss your own combat abilities just because you used Battle Armor..." Tang Luochuan shook his head and spoke frankly.
While the enhancement from Battle Armor was significant, it was undeniable that Ye Xinglan's own skills were formidable. Otherwise, she wouldn't have defeated Le Zhengyu in just three strikes.
Though Le Zhengyu wasn't the brightest, his cultivation was nothing to scoff at. Losing in three strikes wasn't just due to the Battle Armor's power.
"You'll have plenty of opportunities to train outside later. Giving you Battle Armor early is to ensure you have an extra layer of protection when facing danger," Tang Luochuan explained slowly.
Life at the academy was like being a sheltered bird in a cage—none of them had truly stepped into the ranks of the strong.
Just like in the original timeline, after Shrek was destroyed and before they joined the military, they were completely different people...
"I understand, Luo Chuan."
"I'll work harder!" Ye Xinglan replied thoughtfully.
"But this year's second-years..."
"That Yuanen is quite something," Wu Siduo interjected coldly, her expression serious. Among them, she had actually been the least successful—despite being the second strongest.
She was the only one who had lost—twice!
That Yuanen was incredibly strong. Her Titan Giant Ape Spirit had nearly crushed Wu Siduo completely, not only interrupting her Martial Soul Fusion Skill but also possessing high-quality Battle Armor...
As for the side professions, it was simply because she was older and more experienced than him!
"She is indeed strong, but if you could use your trump cards, you wouldn't be any worse than her."
Tang Luochuan agreed. Wu Siduo's Martial Soul quality was indeed slightly inferior, and she was younger. Under such circumstances, holding her own against the opponent for so long was already quite an achievement.
If they had a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, perhaps they could have posed a threat to Yuanen Yehui.
"I think so too!"
"If I could unleash the Netherworld White Tiger..."
"I definitely wouldn't be worse than her."
Seeing that Luo Chuan felt the same way, Wu Siduo immediately nodded and declared without backing down.
Noticing her proud demeanor, Tang Luochuan simply smiled and nodded without saying anything. The strength of a Martial Soul Fusion Skill depended on whether it could actually be executed.
"Luo Chuan Gege, how about we all get together tonight and have a meal?"
"Let's celebrate our victory in the competition."
At that moment, Na'er suddenly thought of something and suggested with a smile.
"Hmm?"
"What does everyone think?"
Tang Luochuan responded with a smile and then asked the group.
"I think it's a great idea."
Hearing this, Tang Wulin and Xie Xie immediately nodded in agreement, and the others also voiced their approval.
"Luo Chuan Gege."
"How about inviting Mu Xi-jie and Ye Hui-jiejie too?"
Na'er then added another suggestion.
"Hmm?"
"Of course, that's fine."
Tang Luochuan paused, his gaze lingering on Na'er as if recalling something, then nodded with a smile.
"Ye Hui-jie..."
At these words, the image of a red-haired girl surfaced in everyone's minds. They only knew she was a second-year student—very beautiful and easy to talk to—but beyond that...
They knew almost nothing about her.
"Luo Chuan, speaking of Ye Hui-jie, her strength seems far beyond that of most second-year students—at least a whole level above Le Zhengyu. Why didn't she participate in the competition?"
At this point, Ye Xinglan couldn't help but ask curiously. Hearing this, Wu Siduo beside her also froze for a moment before nodding in agreement.
This senior sister, Ye Hui, exuded an aura of immense strength—how could she not have competed?
"Well..."
"You'll find out later."
Tang Luochuan shook his head with a smile, keeping them in suspense.
He had previously discussed this matter with Ye Hui—encouraging her to be true to herself and not always hide things. He wasn't sure if she had taken his words to heart.
But no matter what, she was an outstanding and incredibly talented girl—Yuanen Yehui.
"Together..."
"Have a meal?"
Meanwhile, after returning, Yuanen Yehui received Tang Luochuan's call. She murmured thoughtfully in a soft voice.
"Alright, I understand."
She responded with a smile and then hung up the phone. Standing in her dorm room, she gazed out the window at the academy's buildings, lost in thought.
"We just competed this morning."
"And now we're having dinner together in the evening."
A smile played on Yuanen Yehui's lips as she muttered to herself. With plenty of time left, she didn't waste it—sitting cross-legged on the sofa, she began cultivating.
Night soon arrived. Just before leaving, Yuanen Yehui picked up a set of men's clothing but then recalled Luo Chuan's words.
The other party had once said that what mattered most was for her to not care about others' words and to happily be herself.
What was right or evil was for oneself to decide, not for others to judge. She was beautiful and shouldn't have to live in fear of being mistaken for an Evil Soul Master...
"Am I..."
"...really beautiful?"
Lost in thought, Yuanen Yehui's gaze fell on the mirror in her dorm. Slowly, she removed the mask from her face, revealing her breathtakingly beautiful features as she murmured to herself.
She didn't know whether she was beautiful or not, but...
She was willing to listen to Luo Chuan.
"Introduce myself properly..."
"Starting tonight."
A smile on her face, Yuanen Yehui spoke with determination.
-Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/QueenTL
Thanks!