Chapter 7: The First Academy of the Douluo Continent

"Oh." Huo Yuhao was originally thinking about the grappling techniques that Bei Bei taught him yesterday, but he was momentarily stunned by Tang Ya's words.

The three of them got up and started walking. As they walked, Tang Ya began to introduce the situation at Shrek Academy to Huo Yuhao.

Shrek Academy was founded ten thousand years ago. In ancient language, "Shrek" means monster, implying that the person who initially founded Shrek Academy aimed to create a school for monsters.

The earliest motto of Shrek Academy stated that it only cultivated monsters, not ordinary people. The term "monsters" actually referred to geniuses.

Even the founder of the Tang Sect, the first major sect on the continent, graduated from Shrek Academy. It was his generation of students who created the first glory of Shrek Academy. At that time, Shrek Academy had only seven students, who are known in the history of Shrek Academy as the "Shrek Seven Monsters."

The story of the Shrek Seven Monsters has been widely spread on the continent, and the most famous among them are still the founder and his wife of the Tang Sect. Later, although the Tang Sect declined, Shrek Academy remained standing and gradually became the first academy on the continent.

Shrek Academy now holds a significant position on the continent, and the fundamental reason for this is the continental war that occurred after the collision of the Rizhao Continent and the Douluo Continent four thousand years ago.

At the beginning, the three empires of the Douluo Continent, due to their lack of unity, were at a disadvantage in the early stages of the war, and even the armies of the Rizhao Continent invaded the interior of the Douluo Continent.

At this critical moment, the principal of Shrek Academy at that time called for a united front, and nearly sixty super-strong warriors at the level of Sealed Douluo responded. They temporarily became the commanders of the three armies, leading the troops to crush the Rizhao Empire's army and ultimately win the war. The continent was then unified and named the Douluo Continent. The Rizhao Empire had to cede territory and pay reparations to continue existing, but its military strength was greatly weakened, no longer able to rival the combined forces of the three empires of the Douluo Continent, with its combat capability equivalent to that of a single empire at most.

That war also brought great fame to Shrek Academy, not only because it gathered sixty Sealed Douluo, but also because the principal of that generation became the commander of the three armies. Under his call, the royal families of the three empires were shocked to find that almost all the military commanders were graduates of Shrek Academy. Under the unified command of the principal of Shrek Academy, the combined forces of the three empires no longer had internal conflicts. It was precisely because of the complete unity of the three empires that they achieved success.

Since then, Shrek Academy has no longer belonged to any country but has become an independent entity.

Shrek Academy has had a series of extremely wise principals. Although the academy holds a high status on the continent, it never boasts of its achievements and treats every country equally. It does not have its own private army, and even the number of teachers is kept at a certain level. Therefore, Shrek Academy has always remained an academy and has not caused any sense of crisis to any country. As a result, it not only continues to exist but also maintains its prestigious status on the continent, which no country can easily shake.

Shrek Academy is located in the southeastern part of the Tianhun Empire. To its southeast is the Xingdou Great Forest, to the east is the Douling Empire, and to the south is the Xingluo Empire. It can be said to be at the core of the intersection of the three empires.

Tang Ya told Huo Yuhao that Shrek Academy is currently divided into the Outer Academy and the Inner Academy. It admits about a thousand new students each year, but the total number of students in the academy has never exceeded five thousand. It takes twelve years to complete all the courses and graduate from Shrek Academy. This means that the annual elimination rate in the academy is extremely high. If a student cannot pass the academy's assessment, they will be mercilessly expelled.

However, those who truly graduate from Shrek Academy are all outstanding talents.

One could say that Shrek Academy is a true cradle of strong individuals. The Tianhun Empire, Douling Empire, and Xingluo Empire even elevate the number of admissions to Shrek Academy to a political level each year, which shows the prestige of this top academy.

On the Rizhao Empire's side, perhaps due to their enmity towards Shrek Academy, they have never requested to send people to study at Shrek Academy. The Rizhao Empire also has some high-level academies that have developed to a considerable scale over the past few thousand years. However, the military strength of the Rizhao Empire has always been limited by the initial agreement and cannot expand too much. On the surface, the Rizhao Empire remains very low-key.

"Yuhao, after you enter the academy, you will start your training in the Outer Academy. The Outer Academy is divided into many departments. You can temporarily join the Control Department for training. At the same time, you can also study in the Soul Conductor Department. What do you think?" Tang Ya asked Huo Yuhao after giving a brief introduction of Shrek Academy.

"Teacher Xiaoya, what is the Soul Conductor Department?" Huo Yuhao asked.

Tang Ya replied, "The Soul Conductor Department is focused on the study of manufacturing soul conductor weapons." When she mentioned "soul conductor weapons," she seemed to grit her teeth.

"Soul conductor weapons?" Huo Yuhao was still confused. This was not surprising, as Shrek Academy is the top academy on the continent, and he grew up in a secluded environment, so his knowledge was limited.

Bei Bei, noticing Tang Ya's displeasure, explained to Huo Yuhao, "Speaking of soul conductors, they have a significant connection to our Tang Sect. In a certain sense, soul conductors are weapons powered by soul force. The higher the quality of the soul conductor, the greater its power. This means that even if you are just a weapon soul master, with a powerful soul conductor, you can have a considerable level of offensive power. The development of soul conductors is also the fundamental reason for the decline of our Tang Sect."

"Our Tang Sect was at its peak four thousand years ago. The collision of the Rizhao Continent is the fundamental reason for the decline of our Tang Sect," Tang Ya said with a hint of resentment. "Our Tang Sect is famous for its hidden weapons, and the sale of hidden weapons is our main source of income. Almost every country would buy a certain number of hidden weapons from us, even some sects."

"Four thousand years ago, after the Rizhao Continent collided with our Douluo Continent, a war soon broke out. The armies of the three empires, equipped with hidden weapons made by our Tang Sect, clashed with the Rizhao Empire's army. The result was that, although the Rizhao Empire was not strong in soul masters, they had unique research in soul conductors. These soul conductors, powered by soul force, had greater overall power and longer range than our Tang Sect's hidden weapons. This led to heavy losses for the three empires of the Douluo Continent in the early stages of the war."

"Although the war was eventually won, the role of our Tang Sect's hidden weapons was greatly questioned. From then on, the countries began to drastically reduce their purchases of our hidden weapons. Although our Tang Sect made a lot of money, according to the first generation's founder, most of the income was donated to improve the lives of the poor and to build schools and other public facilities. So, we did not have much surplus."

"At that time, the Tang Sect had thousands of members. The decline from its peak was extremely fast. In just two hundred years, our Tang Sect rapidly declined. The once-great sect no longer had its former glory. By the time it reached my generation, only my parents and I remained. In a conflict during a soul beast hunt, my parents also left me. The Tang Sect is now down to just me."

Tears streamed down Tang Ya's smooth face, and her fists clenched tightly.

Huo Yuhao murmured, "Teacher Xiaoya, are our Tang Sect's hidden weapons really inferior to those soul conductors?"

Tang Ya sighed, "In some aspects, it can be said that they are. The Rizhao Continent not only brought soul conductors but also a large amount of rich mineral resources. These rare minerals are excellent conductors of soul force and are particularly suitable for making soul conductors. This led to the rapid development of soul conductors over the next few thousand years. Our Tang Sect's hidden weapons became even less in demand. However, in terms of precision and design, our Tang Sect's hidden weapons are absolutely superior to soul conductors. Especially the top-tier hidden weapons. However, the production of these hidden weapons is also very complex."

Bei Bei patted Tang Ya's head and said, "The development of soul conductors has indeed had a significant impact on our Tang Sect's hidden weapons. When I first met Xiaoya, she was stubbornly convinced that hidden weapons were stronger than soul conductors. However, the facts show that soul conductors have replaced our Tang Sect's hidden weapons as weapons accepted by all parties, and there is a reason for this. First, they are much easier for the general public to accept. Especially for weapon soul masters who cannot attack, soul conductors almost instantly turn them into battle soul masters. All they need to do is provide soul force. Therefore, after discussing with Xiaoya, we decided that for our Tang Sect to develop, we must not remain closed-minded and only immerse ourselves in our own world. To restore the glory of our Tang Sect, we must not only understand soul conductors but also integrate the production of our Tang Sect's hidden weapons with soul conductors to create even more powerful soul conductors. Only then can our Tang Sect find a development opportunity. Therefore, all disciples of our Tang Sect, in addition to cultivating their own soul powers, must also study soul conductors."

Huo Yuhao asked, "Teacher Xiaoya, Senior Brother, if soul conductors are so powerful, why did the Rizhao Empire lose to our three-country alliance in the end?"

Bei Bei smiled faintly and said, "That's because, at the time, although soul conductors were not weak, the most powerful soul conductors could not match the strength of Sealed Douluo. However, over the past few thousand years, some particularly powerful soul conductors have begun to appear, even threatening Sealed Douluo. But soul conductors have a problem: the more powerful the soul conductor, the more powerful the soul master needed to operate it. Without sufficient soul force, the power of the soul conductor is very limited. Therefore, after the two continents merged, an interesting phenomenon emerged. On our side, we try to learn the methods of making soul conductors, while on the Rizhao Empire's side, they focus on cultivating powerful soul masters. Over the past few thousand years, it seems that a balance has been reached."

With the introduction from Bei Bei and Tang Ya, Huo Yuhao finally had a preliminary impression of Shrek Academy.

Tang Ya wiped the tears from her face with Bei Bei's sleeve and said to Huo Yuhao, "Xiaoyu, the most important thing for you now is to stay in Shrek Academy. Both Xiaoya and I are third-year students. After I obtained the thousand-year soul ring, I should have no problem advancing to the fourth year with him. After entering the fourth year, the elimination rate is not as high. In a few years, we will have the opportunity to enter the Inner Academy. But you are different. After you enter the academy as a first-year student, the competition will be the most intense. The academy conducts a new student assessment every three months. Only those who pass the assessment can stay. Although our Tang Sect has a quota for admission, whether you can stay in the academy for long-term study depends on your own abilities. No one can help you with this. Do you understand?"

Huo Yuhao nodded seriously and said, "Teacher Xiaoya, I will do my best. But with your and Senior Brother's abilities, are you not yet Inner Academy students?"

Tang Ya replied, "Entering the Inner Academy of Shrek Academy is no easy task. The motto of Shrek Academy has never changed. The Outer Academy was established later to meet the requirements of the three empires and to cultivate more talents. However, only those who enter the Inner Academy can be considered true students of Shrek Academy. They are all geniuses, odd talents, or even monsters. Outer Academy students who persist until the sixth grade will have an exam. Those who pass the exam can graduate. Only the very few who perform the best in the exam have the opportunity to