In the work-study student dormitory, there were four occupied rooms, including the ones belonging to Xia Yi, Wu Jin, and Gu Yue. Originally, Yuanen Yehui had a room to herself, while Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Xu Xiaoyan shared one room.
Yesterday, Yue Zhengyu moved into their dormitory, so now the four of them were sharing one room.
However, because Xie Xie had spied on Yuanen Yehui and discovered that she was a girl, Xu Xiaoyan naturally moved into Yuanen Yehui's room.
After all, given their age, it was indeed inappropriate for male and female students to live together in a single-room dormitory, especially as soul masters.
Shortly after Yuanen Yehui left, Wu Jin and Gu Yue returned.
They had spent too much time at the academic affairs office handling paperwork. Otherwise, they would have returned before Xia Yi.
Looking at the spotless dormitory and the large bed Xia Yi had bought, Gu Yue nodded in satisfaction and asked, "Where did you get the contribution points?"
At Shrek Academy, all transactions required contribution points, even at the snack stalls.
Although Xia Yi had scammed quite a few contribution points earlier, they wouldn't be credited until later that evening.
"I sold a piece of Thousand Refinements metal," Xia Yi said casually.
"Oh, I almost forgot. You're already a fifth-rank blacksmith." Gu Yue suddenly remembered. With Xia Yi's secondary profession, he would never be short of contribution points.
"There's another matter we need to discuss." Gu Yue thought for a moment and continued, "Today, the class divided into groups, and each group is required to have at least one secondary profession."
"And then?" Xia Yi asked.
"We saved the blacksmith spot in our group for you," Gu Yue said seriously.
"That's all? No problem." Xia Yi shrugged and asked, "Who else is in our group?"
"You as the blacksmith, me as the designer, and him as the manufacturer," Gu Yue said, pointing at Wu Jin, who was currently a peak third-rank mecha manufacturer.
His progress had been slow mainly because Eastsea Academy had limited resources.
Gu Yue had reached the fourth rank as a designer mainly due to the resources from Spirit Pagoda.
Xia Yi was already a fifth-rank blacksmith, partly because of his exceptional talent but also because of Mu Xi.
With her father being a Saint Craftsman and her mentor a Divine Craftsman, Mu Xi had a solid foundation in forging theory. Her guidance and Mu Chen's notes helped Xia Yi reach the fifth rank so quickly.
"What about mecha maintenance?" Xia Yi asked.
"That's still you," Gu Yue replied calmly.
"That works," Xia Yi agreed. He had been spending time learning with Bi Ji and Zi Ji and had unknowingly reached the third rank in mecha design, manufacturing, and maintenance.
Bi Ji was now a fifth-rank mecha manufacturer, and Zi Ji was a fifth-rank designer.
Di Tian was also a sixth-rank manufacturer.
Their unparalleled spiritual power allowed them to advance quickly, despite limited resources.
Meanwhile, the Ten Thousand Demon King and the Scarlet King, who were secretly protecting Na'er in Shrek City, were said to be self-studying as well, but Xia Yi wasn't sure about their ranks.
Since arriving in Shrek City, Yali and Leng Yaozhu had been watching Xia Yi from the shadows, so he didn't dare to visit them.
Gu Yue had sneaked over once but didn't share any details with Xia Yi. She likely didn't want to mention that the Ten Thousand Demon King and the Scarlet King were far behind Bi Ji and the others.
"I plan to take on some tasks to earn contribution points and get more resources. I should be able to break through to the fourth rank soon," Wu Jin said seriously.
As a manufacturer, he needed to keep up with Gu Yue's design level to replicate her soul circuit diagrams.
"No need to rush," Xia Yi shook his head. "At Eastsea Academy, we lacked resources, so both your manufacturing foundation and my maintenance foundation are weak. Now that we're at Shrek Academy, the undisputed best academy, we should use all available resources to solidify our foundation before advancing. Otherwise, we might face issues at the ninth rank or struggle to reach the peak of the ninth rank."
"I agree. If we're going to do this, we should aim to be the best. Reaching the third rank is already quite impressive; there are only two fourth-rank secondary professions in our entire year. There's no need to rush for now," Gu Yue added.
She had already been considering how to help Bi Ji and the others solidify their foundations, but it wasn't suitable to discuss these matters within Shrek Academy. Who knew if someone was eavesdropping?
"That makes sense," Wu Jin nodded in agreement.
Xia Yi thought for a moment and said, "We should also be strategic about our tasks and contribution points. Let's prioritize tasks that help us grow. We shouldn't waste time on chores like cleaning or guarding, regardless of the reward. If we need contribution points, I've got plenty of ways to earn them. There's no need to hold back. We might as well make full use of them rather than letting Shrek Academy keep them."
He wasn't worried about Gu Yue's contribution points because she had access to Star Dou Forest's vast resources.
His main concern was Wu Jin, whose cultivation was complicated by the resentment spirit within him. Xia Yi didn't want Wu Jin to be distracted by financial concerns while also dealing with the resentment spirit.
Wu Jin glanced at Xia Yi and nodded firmly. He understood Xia Yi's intentions. He didn't bother saying thank you—among them, who were all unique soul beasts, it would be too sentimental.
"If the three of us are at Shrek Academy together, we're destined to become legends," Xia Yi grinned. "Especially you two. If you don't make a name for yourselves, it'll be embarrassing when your identities are revealed."
Xia Yi didn't care much for himself since he was just a ten-year soul beast. But Gu Yue was the ruler of all soul beasts, and Wu Jin was a transformed fierce beast—if they achieved nothing, it would be a waste of their long lifespans.
"Just worry about yourself," Gu Yue huffed, annoyed. She hated it when Xia Yi brought this up, feeling as though he was mocking her for not being able to surpass him.
Xia Yi just smiled, deciding not to tease her further.
The three of them then continued discussing their future cultivation plans at Shrek Academy, including their choices for battle armor. They planned everything for the next few years, talking from noon until 7 p.m.
"It's time to collect those contribution points," Xia Yi laughed as he opened the door.
At that moment, the doors of the other two work-study dormitories also opened.
Yuanen Yehui, Yue Zhengyu, and Xie Xie all looked at Xia Yi, their auras focused and powerful—they were in peak condition.
Gu Yue and Wu Jin were no different.
No one spoke as they all headed to the cafeteria together.
After all, one needs to eat before fighting.
Except for Xie Xie, the others were all supremely confident in their abilities. They were all proud geniuses who would never back down without a fight.
Although Xia Yi's display of power yesterday was impressive, none of them were willing to admit defeat without trying.
Even if they weren't sure they could win, they certainly didn't believe they would definitely lose.
(End of Chapter)