Chapter 293: The Headmaster of the Outercourt

Tang Wulin couldn’t help but ask, “Teacher, besides cleaning the plaza, can we accept other jobs?”

“You want more?” Startled, the administrative teacher looked up from his papers and stared at Tang Wulin with curiosity. It would be more normal for working students to be unaccustomed to doing jobs.

“Yes.” Tang Wulin made a bitter face. Without contribution points, he couldn’t eat! He also couldn’t go out to buy food. When he paid for the bill at the drink shop the night before, the amount had almost given him a heart attack! Everything was far more expensive in Shrek City, and he couldn’t bear to part with his most beloved money.

“Alright, you can.” The administrator handed him a soul screen. “. Look through this list and choose for yourself.”

Xu Xiaoyan, Gu Yue, and Xie Xie peered at the screen over Tang Wulin’s shoulder. At that moment, a young man entered and went to the administrator.

“Teacher, I’ve finished my job.”

“Hmm? The design plans are done? That was quite fast. Yuanen, your efficiency is improving.” The administrative teacher took his card and added contribution points to it.

“Come take another job.”

So his name is Yuanen. Tang Wulin glanced at him. This person’s outer appearance was truly too unassuming for his strength. He had no striking traits and seemed utterly average.

Yuanen quickly selected a job and departed in silence. Throughout the entire time, he had only given Tang Wulin and the others a single nod of acknowledgement. Even then, Tang Wulin believed that this small greeting was only because they were fellow working students.

“I’ll take this one.” Tang Wulin pointed to a first-grade thousand refining job.

The administrative teacher stared at him in surprise. “Are you sure?  Your points will be deducted if you fail and you will be expelled if you don’t have enough points to pay for your studies. As working students, all four of you have to pay three hundred contribution points a month as tuition.”

Tang Wulin smiled bitterly. “Teacher, I’m certain.”

Tang Wulin was surprised when, while scrolling through the job list, he found there were just as many thousand refining tasks as Eastsea City.

After thinking it over some more, Tang Wulin realized why. Shrek Academy could not be compared with other places—not a single one of its students aimed to become a mecha pilot. No, they strove to become battle armor masters!

Thousand refined metal was the foundation of one-word battle armors! Though Shrek Academy had stringent requirements to accept a student, the outer court still had over a thousand students. He didn’t understand how the outer court worked yet, but with this large population of prospective battle armor masters, thousand refined metal would definitely be in high demand.

A mere first-grade thousand refined job was worth one thousand points.

The average fourth-rank blacksmith couldn’t produce first-grade thousand refined products with absolute success, but it was a walk in the park for Tang Wulin.

But now he was a fifth-rank blacksmith! While he had barely stepped into the rank and couldn’t spirit refine again at the moment, he had still breached it! This, coupled with all his thousand refining practice, meant his first-grade thousand refining success rate was almost one hundred percent! Completing such a job was beyond simple for him. If not for fear of drawing too much attention to himself, Tang Wulin would accept a few more thousand refining jobs. As a newcomer, however, it was best not to rock the boat.

“Teacher, where can I buy some metal and forge?” Tang Wulin asked.

Naturally, he needed a forging table to do his work.

The administrative teacher waved dismissively. “Just wait until after the opening ceremony. You can ask your teacher then.”

“Oh. Okay.”

After leaving the administrative building, Xie Xie slid over to Tang Wulin’s side. “So that guy’s called Yuanen.”

Tang Wulin turned to Xie Xie. “What, are you still holding a grudge? I don’t think you can beat him as you are now. Besides, I think we’ve misunderstood something. Second grade students here aren’t older than us by just a year, but by three years.”

“We don’t know that for certain,” Xie Xie retorted. “Shrek Academy accepts anyone fifteen and under. We’re thirteen and got accepted, so maybe he was accepted at an even younger age than us! We can’t just go assuming his age. Anyway, we’ll be relying on you from now on, Captain.” His tone suddenly became flattering.

Tang Wulin wasn’t having any of it. “Alright! You can buy my contribution points for money. I’m fine with that.”

Xie Xie glared at him. “Boss, you’re not that much of a money grubber are you?”

Tang Wulin nodded earnestly. “Yeah, I really am that much! Did you only realize that today? I’m a super money grubber, so don’t even think about touching my money! Self-reliance is one of the Tang Sect’s traditions, you know?”

Xie Xie scowled. “You’re too heartless.”

Tang Wulin patted Xie Xie on the shoulder. “If you want to earn more contribution points, then work hard on improving in your second profession. The money will flow naturally if you do. Besides, I don’t think our points are used just for food and tuition. Since Shrek Academy has this point system, I’ll bet there are a bunch of other useful services and goods we can purchase with them.”

☀

The opening ceremony was held within the sparkling clean Spirit Ice Plaza.

It was only then did Tang Wulin understand the true immensity of Shrek Academy’s size.

Just like any other academy, they had six grades. Each grade had around one hundred students give or take ten or twenty, and together they totalled a little over seven hundred students.

Upon careful observation, Tang Wulin discovered that the oldest group of students appeared to be in their thirties. Not only did they have extraordinary cultivation bases, they held themselves with solemnity and gravity. Yet they were outer court students. People usually graduated from an advanced academy in their early to mid-twenties, but the age range for Shrek Academy students was bizarrely wide. If Wu Zhangkong were to be placed in an outer court grade, he would probably only be in the fifth grade.

This academy is really strange.

The newest students were naturally the youngest ones, and were fifteen or younger, with most being thirteen or fourteen.

Second grade students seemed older than them, but only by an average of three years.

Each grade of students were put into a single class instead of several classes.

So this is Shrek Academy’s outer court! I wonder how many students are in the inner court? I heard there’s not many of them and they stay cooped up in the inner city cultivating.

As Tang Wulin’s mind thought of Sea God’s Lake, he couldn’t help but grow envious of the inner court students. How long until I can go cultivate there too?

Much to Tang Wulin’s surprise, there wasn’t a podium or stage setup for the opening ceremony. When the ceremony started, however, shivers ran down the spines of the new students.

Twenty people slowly descending from the sky, their majestic aura and presence awe-inspiring.

In the middle of this formation was a figure Tang Wulin and the others were all too familiar with and could never forget. It was Elder Cai, the Silver Moon Douluo.

She wore a dark-silver robe today, her long hair coiled into a bun and her hands behind her while gazing upon the students with awe-inspiring might. Backing her up on either side of her were imposing men and women ranging from their thirties to fifties.

Tang Wulin only recognized Wu Zhangkong and Shen Yi among them.

Will Teacher Wu be a teacher here now? Then does that mean he is going to continue being our teacher?

If Tang Wulin could be taught by someone he was familiar with in this unfamiliar environment, that would be the best.

Tang Wulin trembled as he watched Elder Cai and the group of teachers hovering in mid-air. Each and every one of of them emitted a domineering aura that made everyone watching hold their breath.

Apart from flying-type soul masters, only those with at least seven rings could fly. In other words, all of these teachers had breached the realm of seven rings.

A middle-aged man moved a step forward in the air.

“A new academic year will begin again. At this time every year, Shrek welcomes new blood to our academy. I invite the headmaster of the outer court, the illustrious Silver Moon Douluo,  Elder Cai, to say a few words.”