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Xu Lizhi jogged along behind Xu Yuan.
However, he ended up sitting in the last row.
Ye Xinglan, on the other hand, took a seat in the third-to-last row.
The classroom had plenty of seats, and even if all the students arrived, it wouldn't be completely filled. Therefore, choosing a unique seat meant no one would sit next to them.
But these were minor issues.
As soon as Xu Yuan sat down, Tang Wulin hurriedly entered through the classroom door.
"Huh, Level 30?" Xu Yuan's mind stirred.
With his spiritual power at the Lingyuan Realm, his perception far exceeded that of ordinary soul masters. Although Tang Wulin hadn't deliberately concealed his soul power fluctuations, neither had he made an effort to hide them. Xu Yuan immediately sensed it.
He had just enrolled, yet his soul power level was already at Level 30?
Xu Yuan was surprised.
It seemed the fusion technique had indeed helped Tang Wulin with his cultivation.
However, the help was merely an adjustment to his cultivation progress.
To simplify with data, the original model might have been an increase of 100 points in the first ten years and 10,000 points in the next ten years. Now, it had changed to an increase of 200 points in the first ten years and 9,900 points in the next ten.
Not only was there no significant overall impact, but the time span hadn't changed either.
Tang Wulin also noticed Xu Yuan, his expression one of surprise as he failed to understand why Xu Yuan and the other two inner court disciples were here.
After exchanging nods, Tang Wulin hesitated for a moment before heading toward Xu Xiaoyan, who waved him over. He sat between Xu Xiaoyan and Xie Xie.
At this moment, Xie Xie was rolling his eyes dramatically.
One by one, more students entered the classroom, selecting their seats.
Right on time, Wu Changkong and Shen Yi arrived.
"Dear students, first of all, congratulations on becoming members of Shrek Academy."
The usual spiel lasted for two and a half minutes.
"But—"
Wu Changkong's soul power surged, creating an immense oppressive force that captured everyone's attention.
"I want you to understand that while you are currently sitting in this classroom as members of Shrek Academy, that does not guarantee your continued presence here, nor does it ensure your graduation from Shrek Academy!"
"What determines whether you can stay and cultivate until graduation is your performance!"
"First, attendance is mandatory for all courses. Any unexcused absences or tardiness will count against your grades."
"Second, exams for each course will also factor into your grades."
"Finally, the annual assessment held every year is the most important criterion."
"In addition, there will be rigid benchmarks for your cultivation progress."
And so on, Wu Changkong's speech lasted at least half an hour.
"The first lesson today is mainly about explaining the key points of studying at Shrek Academy. The earlier part concerns whether you can remain at Shrek and graduate successfully. Next, we'll discuss specific arrangements."
After Wu Changkong finished reading out the rules and regulations, Shen Yi took his place, standing at the center of the podium.
"To graduate from Shrek Academy—even just from the outer court—the minimum requirement is to become a battle armor master."
"Next, I will explain what a battle armor master is, the conditions for becoming one, why you should become one, and how to achieve it."
Shen Yi looked down at the young faces below, feeling deeply satisfied with this experience of teaching and imparting knowledge.
Although she had previously served as a teacher in the inner court, she had just graduated and had nowhere else to go. With no immediate vacancies for teachers in the outer court, she was assigned to mentor Xu Yuan and the others.
However, mentoring Xu Yuan and his companions offered little sense of accomplishment.
Even Xu Lizhi spent his days seeking advice from senior food-system soul masters and high-level mecha repair experts. Ye Xinglan, on the other hand, focused entirely on sword practice and consulted senior mecha engineers.
Though called a teacher, Shen Yi's role over the past six years was more akin to that of a guide or counselor.
"To become a battle armor master, the first hard requirement is that your soul power must be sufficient to control battle armor. If your soul power is too low, you won't even qualify to use battle armor!"
Simply owning battle armor doesn't make you a battle armor master.
If your strength is too weak, you won't be able to withstand the amplification provided by battle armor.
The amplification of battle armor is powerful—and sometimes brutally so. Soul Masters below the Soul Ancestor level, even if given custom-made battle armor, cannot handle the terrifying surge of soul power after its enhancement.
The same applies to four-word battle armor in theory.
A Super Douluo at Level 98 could barely utilize four-word battle armor to achieve Limit Douluo-level strength.
Mu Ye was a special case. As the head of the Body Sect, his physical prowess was extraordinary, allowing him to wield four-word battle armor at Level 94.
"Under normal circumstances, only Soul Kings can possess a complete set of one-word battle armor. As for the idea of being able to handle a full set of one-word battle armor at Level 40, I advise you not to entertain such thoughts."
"Even if you have the talent, it's best not to indulge in such ideas."
"If you have this kind of talent, you should focus on maximizing it by crafting the most suitable battle armor for yourself, rather than settling for subpar battle armor designed merely to accommodate your talent at the Soul Ancestor stage!"
Battle armor also had rankings. Upon registration at the Spirit Pagoda, professionals would assess and grade it.
"Why become a battle armor master?"
"Because battle armor masters are powerful! A complete set of one-word battle armor can allow a Soul King to fight above their level against a Soul Emperor without battle armor—and may even suppress or crush them! Even a Soul Emperor, when equipped with one-word battle armor, can unleash the power of a Soul Sage!"
"This is what it means to be a battle armor master!"
At the Soul King and Soul Emperor stages, one could still prioritize cultivating soul power over crafting battle armor, relying on faster cultivation to gain an advantage. For example, if someone spent time making one-word battle armor but lagged in soul power cultivation, reaching only the Soul King level while another reached the peak of the Soul Emperor level, there would be no significant gap between them.
However, by the time one reaches the Soul Sage or Soul Douluo stage, this gap would only widen further, potentially becoming insurmountable.
Soul power levels have an upper limit.
Even if you achieve the rank of Limit Douluo, without the amplification of four-word battle armor, you'd remain at the pinnacle of human potential—half-divine.
Yes, the peak of a normal Limit Douluo is demi-god status.
Quasi-divine status emerged only after the advancement of battle armor technology—specifically, after the refinement of four-word battle armor technology.
It wasn't the creation of the first set of four-word battle armor that led to quasi-divine status; it was the perfection of the technology!
Using four-word battle armor, one could elevate their strength beyond the limits of humanity.
Approaching divinity infinitely.
Thus, this realm was called "quasi-divine."
Building on this foundation, gradually internalizing this power makes a soul master a true quasi-divine.
Once reaching quasi-divine status, combined with the pinnacle of four-word battle armor that allows demi-divine beings to unleash quasi-divine power, one becomes the most formidable force in the conventional world.
The true limit of the plane.
Of course, Shen Yi didn't delve into such complexities.
These insights were things Xu Yuan had summarized during his years following Yun Ming.
"As for how to become a battle armor master, that requires students to study auxiliary professions." Shen Yi concluded her explanation of becoming a battle armor master.
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