In the first-year classroom, the students, now gradually familiar with each other, sat in their respective seats, turning to chat animatedly with their classmates, creating a relatively harmonious atmosphere.
Shen Yi and Wu Zhangkong entered the classroom one after the other and stood on the podium. Neither spoke, but the classroom gradually quieted down.
Once the classroom fell silent, Shen Yi finally spoke: "Before we officially start class today, I have two announcements. First, the four committee members will count the number of students in each profession after class this morning and report back to the respective academy associations.
Joining the academy association will come with a series of benefits, and the guidance for secondary professions must also be conducted through the association. If you do not wish to join, that is fine; the academy will not force you. However, if you do not join the association, you will need to pay for your studies.
In my opinion, joining the academy association is the most cost-effective option."
The students reacted rather blandly, as it had been three days since the start of school, and most of those interested in joining the academy association had already done so. Those who were not interested likely wouldn't change their minds due to Shen Yi's few words.
Of course, Shen Yi was merely going through the motions. She then announced the second matter, saying, "Second, today's class will be taught by Teacher Wu Zhangkong."
After she finished speaking, she nodded to Wu Zhangkong and stepped aside from the podium.
Wu Zhangkong walked up to the podium, his cold gaze sweeping over all the students. As he stood there, Jing Shaoyu felt the temperature in the classroom drop a few degrees, making it feel quite chilly.
"Teacher Wu really knows how to create a cold atmosphere," Xu Xiaoyan muttered quietly.
All the students' eyes were on Wu Zhangkong, who maintained a detached expression and said, "Today is the first official day of class. The past two days were mainly to familiarize you with the academy's teaching system. I believe you can feel that Shrek Academy's teaching methods are quite different from those of the academies you attended before. We will not teach you how to cultivate your Martial Soul. If you have questions, please take the initiative to communicate with me or Teacher Shen after class. Now, let's begin the lesson. Today's course is an Introduction to Mecha Manufacturing."
"The four major professions in the Soul Master world today—Mecha Design, Mecha Manufacturing, Mecha Repair, and Forging—originated from mechas. From the names of these professions, it is clear that they represent the basic processes involved in manufacturing a mecha.
Although the academy does not specifically train mecha engineers, every student is required to learn how to operate a mecha. If you want to become a Battle Armor Master, you must first learn how to manufacture a mecha. Only by mastering mecha manufacturing can you deeply understand the essential differences between Battle Armor and mechas.
Next, we will discuss the origins of mechas…"
Wu Zhangkong began his lecture. The Introduction to Mecha Manufacturing he presented was not merely about the profession of Mecha Manufacturing but rather the entire industry of Mecha Manufacturing. It encompassed the theories and overviews of forging, design, manufacturing, and repair, as well as knowledge related to history and culture, making it quite complex.
After the class, many students had a clearer understanding of the concept of mechas and a deeper recognition of Battle Armor.
After class, among the one hundred and two first-year students, the number of students in the Mecha Designer profession was the highest, with thirty-three students, followed by Mecha Manufacturers with thirty-two, and Mecha Repairmen with twenty-eight, including Jing Shaoyu. The least represented was the Forging profession, with only nine students.
From the ratio of the four secondary professions in the first year, one could clearly see a phenomenon in today's Soul Master world: mecha engineers are the mainstream, while Battle Armor Masters are in the minority. Compared to Battle Armor, the demand for forging engineers in mechas is not high; aside from a few high-end mechas, most materials used in the federation's mechas are industrially produced alloys.
"Class dismissed, the five class committee members stay behind," Shen Yi announced, keeping the committee members.
Thus, Jing Shaoyu, Gu Yue, Xu Xiaoyan, Wu Siduo, and Mo Hentian remained seated, while the other students gradually left the classroom.
"You will need to go to the various associations in the academy for registration and reporting later," Shen Yi called the five to the podium and instructed, "This is secondary; your primary task is to form groups. You need to group the other students, excluding the five of you, according to the four major professions. Since the number of forging engineers is the least, the number of groups will be based on the number of forging engineers.
The class will be divided into nine study groups. Your committee group does not need to change, and for the other eight groups, you need to allocate them based on the students' strength, ensuring that the differences between each group are not too great."
Jing Shaoyu nodded; this was the responsibility of the class leader, and there was no need to shirk it.
"This is the registration form for our class, which records everyone's Martial Soul, soul power level, and secondary profession level. After discussing and analyzing, you will proceed with the allocation," Shen Yi took out a document and handed it to Jing Shaoyu, saying, "Jing Shaoyu, as the class leader, you are fully responsible for this matter."
"Understood," Jing Shaoyu replied.
After Shen Yi and Wu Zhangkong left, only the five class committee members remained in the classroom, led by Jing Shaoyu.
This was the first time they were working together, and the atmosphere was relatively harmonious. Xu Xiaoyan and Gu Yue were naturally easy to get along with, while Jing Shaoyu noticed the expressions of Wu Siduo and Mo Hentian. Wu Siduo maintained a cold demeanor, arms crossed, looking at Jing Shaoyu with a frosty gaze. Mo Hentian, on the other hand, had a blank expression, his eyes vacant, as if he were daydreaming.
"Teacher Shen made it clear that the number of groups is determined by the least represented secondary profession, so for the forging engineers, we don't need to subdivide further; one group for each will suffice," Jing Shaoyu smiled and spoke first, "However, considering the differences in soul power and levels among the eight forging engineer students, we need to lean a bit more towards the designers, manufacturers, and repairers, pairing stronger students with weaker groups and vice versa. This way, we can maintain fairness to the greatest extent possible. What do you think?"
"I agree," Gu Yue said.
"I agree too, hee hee," Xu Xiaoyan chimed in cheerfully.
"I have no objections," Wu Siduo said coldly.
"Oh!" Mo Hentian responded indifferently.
"Since everyone agrees, we can start grouping now," Jing Shaoyu said, "Let's handle this quickly so we can finish early; everyone still needs to report to the academy associations this afternoon."
Upon hearing this, everyone nodded and began to take action. With detailed information at hand, grouping was not difficult, just a bit tedious. In a short while, the grouping work for the first year was completed.
Jing Shaoyu scanned through the groups and nodded in satisfaction. Although the overall levels of each group were still uneven, the differences were acceptable.
He said, "Not bad, everyone can go back and rest for now. I will report this grouping situation to Teacher Shen."
Wu Siduo cast a brief glance at Jing Shaoyu, then lifted his head and left. Mo Hentian stood up and left as well, moving smoothly without any hesitation as he exited the classroom.
"Those two really have their own personalities!" Once Wu Siduo and Mo Hentian were out of earshot, Xu Xiaoyan immediately commented.
"Yeah," Jing Shaoyu nodded in agreement, saying, "Let them be; as long as they cooperate with our work, that's enough."
"I think being class leader is going to be tough for you!" Gu Yue said softly, "Who knows, someone might challenge you in the next few days!"
"Hahaha!" Jing Shaoyu smiled confidently and said, "Is that so? That's great; I've been worried about how to establish my authority."
They went to Shen Yi's office and presented the grouping situation to her. After carefully reviewing it, Shen Yi showed a satisfied expression and said, "Very good, you've worked hard. Jing Shaoyu, as the class leader, your responsibilities will only increase in the future. I hope you can prepare yourself mentally and coordinate your own schedule with your work."
"I will," Jing Shaoyu nodded. He was destined to shoulder the responsibilities of the Douluo Star in the future; if he couldn't even handle the position of class leader, how could he lead the entire Douluo world?
Shen Yi was pleased and said, "Shrek Academy has always liked to cultivate some exceptionally talented geniuses, but the focus is on developing well-rounded talents. Jing Shaoyu, keep it up; the teacher has high hopes for you!"
"Thank you," Jing Shaoyu smiled.
"Jing Shaoyu, are your committee members planning to practice by making mechas first, or are you going to jump straight into making Battle Armor?" At that moment, Wu Zhangkong approached and inquired.
"Teacher Wu," Jing Shaoyu called out, then continued, "Gu Yue, Xu Xiaoyan, and I are thinking of directly making Battle Armor. I haven't discussed it with Wu Siduo and Mo Hentian yet, so I can't give a conclusion."
"Oh!" Wu Zhangkong nodded and said, "With your current strength, you can indeed start making Battle Armor directly. Making Battle Armor is not something that can be done in a day or two; take your time."
Jing Shaoyu, Xu Xiaoyan, and Gu Yue all nodded.