Chapter 372: A Familiar Scene
After finishing his explanation of the statues, Bei Bei continued introducing Huo Yuhao to the academy layout. "From here, the path splits. To the left is the Martial Soul Division, and to the right is the Soul Tool Division. These are the two main branches of Shrek Academy's Outer Court. The Martial Soul Division is larger, while the Soul Tool Division is smaller. The Martial Soul Division also has multiple specialized departments. First, we'll head to the Martial Soul Division to complete your registration. Only after passing the initial entrance exam will you qualify to apply for the Soul Tool Division."
With Bei Bei and Tang Ya guiding him, Huo Yuhao's registration process went smoothly. The tuition fee, paid by Bei Bei, was a staggering ten gold soul coins per year and that didn't even include food expenses.
Even worse, if a student failed the entrance exam and was expelled, the tuition fee was non refundable.
Upon hearing this, Huo Yuhao immediately recalled a similar scene from Elder Ye's memories.
The Shrek Academy in that other world also charged ten gold coins and also refused to issue refunds if a student failed.
Back then, Shrek was poor, so it resorted to scamming money from students.
But now, after ten thousand years of development, Shrek Academy was still using the same trick?
This wasn't about needing money anymore.
This was just an old scam turned into tradition.
They had scammed students for so long that it had become a habit one they didn't even bother changing.
Honestly, it was disgusting.
Ten gold soul coins might be nothing for a powerful institution like Shrek, but for ordinary students, it was a huge sum.
And yet, the academy still had no problem robbing them blind.
Having grown up in poverty, Huo Yuhao understood the value of money far more than most. This "Shrek tradition" left him with an extremely bad impression of the academy.
In just a short time, the idolized image that Bei Bei and Tang Ya had painted of Shrek Academy was already crumbling in his mind.
Still, since he was already here, and considering that Shrek was still a famous academy, he figured he might as well stay for now.
At the very least, he could see if the school had any worthwhile training methods.
If things didn't work out, he could always leave later.
Now that he had Elder Ye's guidance and the Innate Art, Huo Yuhao felt incredibly confident in his future.
With a technique like this, even a pig could become a powerhouse.
After completing registration, he received his dorm key, two sets of uniforms, and a white badge marking him as a first year student. Then, following Tang Ya and Bei Bei, he left the new student hall.
Tang Ya instructed, "Yuhao, the dorms are right behind the teaching buildings that huge building is the one. You can head there on your own later. Classes won't officially start for three more days, so take this time to familiarize yourself with the academy.
We've covered your tuition for the first year, but after that, you'll have to pay for yourself. The academy hosts various competitions with prize money.
Also, now that you're a registered soul master, you'll receive a monthly stipend from the three major empires. If you spend wisely, it should be enough for food."
Huo Yuhao memorized her words carefully. Just as he was about to thank his teacher and senior brother, Bei Bei suddenly furrowed his brows at a notice pinned on a nearby bulletin board.
Huo Yuhao didn't need to walk closer by activating his Spirit Eyes, he clearly read the contents from a distance.
Thanks to his mother's teaching, he was literate despite never having attended a formal school. The notice read:
"Class One Homeroom Teacher: Zhou Yi."
Zhou Yi?
Wasn't that his class?
Since he registered early, he had been assigned to Class One.
Tang Ya also noticed Bei Bei's reaction and gasped. "Wait, what?! Why is that crazy old witch Zhou Yi the teacher?! Wasn't she assigned to third years? Why is she in new student classes now?!"
Bei Bei sighed bitterly. "Apparently, she was too strict while teaching third years. Only ten percent of her class made it to the fourth year the rest all dropped out.
As a result, students kept filing complaints against her, so the academy demoted her to the first year level.
Little brother, be careful. Shrek Academy doesn't have many 'monster' students, but it has plenty of 'monster' teachers. And among them, Zhou Yi is the most infamous."
Huo Yuhao was shocked. "Senior brother, if she's that extreme, why doesn't the school do anything?"
Bei Bei lowered his voice. "Strict as she is, she's actually a great teacher. Nearly one fourth of the students she trains make it into the Inner Court. That's one of the highest success rates in the academy.
Because of that, even though she was punished, the academy still values her.
If you work hard enough, learning under her will only benefit you."
'One fourth of her students make it to the Inner Court? That sounds impressive… but something feels off.'
Huo Yuhao immediately sensed something was wrong with this reasoning.
Then, Elder Ye's voice echoed in his mind.
"Did you forget? Only ten percent of her students even made it to the fourth year."
Right!
Huo Yuhao suddenly understood what was bothering him.
Bei Bei's earlier statement meant that out of 100 students, 90 were expelled.
The only ones left were the most talented students the ones who had already been elite from the start.
If a teacher only kept the best students, then of course the success rate would seem high.
But that didn't mean she was actually 'nurturing' them.
She was just weeding out the weak and taking credit for the strong.
'So… if she really is like that, why doesn't the school fire her?' Huo Yuhao asked internally.
"Two possibilities." Elder Ye answered.
"One, she must have trained at least one or two outstanding geniuses, and the academy doesn't want to alienate those prodigies.
Or two, she has powerful connections, so the school simply turns a blind eye to her actions."
"I can't say for certain which it is."
'That… actually makes sense.'
Huo Yuhao responded internally while outwardly nodding at Bei Bei and Tang Ya. "I understand. Thank you, teacher. Thank you, senior brother. I'll go to the dorm now."
Bei Bei smiled. "Alright. We need to take our advancement exams. If we pass, we'll move on to the fourth year.
If you ever need anything, my dorm is Room 316 just come find me."
With that, Bei Bei and Tang Ya departed, leaving Huo Yuhao standing alone.
He turned toward the dormitories, his mind still processing everything.
Shrek Academy…
Something about this place felt off.
And for the first time, he wasn't sure whether staying here was truly the right choice.
(End of Chapter.)
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