The establishment of Saint Freya Academy also brought hope to those commoners who could barely afford the cost of awakening their martial souls.
During the peak of the Peerless Tang Sect era, commoners had to pay a certain fee to awaken their martial souls. After all, setting up the awakening arrays and hiring soul masters responsible for the process required expenses.
Looking back thousands of years ago, the Martial Soul Hall once offered large-scale free soul awakenings to commoners, recruiting the majority of the continent's common soul masters in the process.
At that time, the Martial Soul Hall's soul masters even outnumbered the combined forces of the Tian Dou Empire and the Xing Luo Empire.
However, as time flowed forward to the present day—ten thousand years later—even though the overall number of soul masters has grown dramatically and the empires are far stronger than before, the path for commoners to rise has become increasingly narrow.
For many impoverished families, the cost of a single martial soul awakening was enough to bankrupt them.
Take, for example, the now-renowned Shrek Academy, widely regarded as the continent's top academy. The conditions for entry are extremely stringent.
Students must not only possess extraordinary talent but also have a recommendation letter from a city lord of one of the major imperial cities to even qualify for application.
For commoners, simply awakening a martial soul is already a difficult hurdle, let alone gaining the favor of a city lord and securing a recommendation letter.
Moreover, even if a commoner's child shows remarkable talent, the powerful city lords tend to recruit them into their own ranks rather than recommend them to Shrek Academy.
After all, for a capable city lord, controlling a talented commoner is hardly a challenge.
In today's Douluo Continent, students who manage to enter Shrek Academy usually come from notable backgrounds. Pure commoner families are extremely rare.
Those prestigious students flock to Shrek Academy for two main reasons.
First, it's the academy's legendary reputation. With its millennia-long history, Shrek Academy has built immense prestige in the soul master world. Its teaching quality and outstanding graduates have made it a sacred place for countless soul masters.
Second, it's about networking. Shrek Academy's admissions are so selective that even outer students are the elite of the elite. Nearly every one of them either comes from wealthy families or influential clans.
As a result, the outer academy naturally forms a vast and high-end social circle for the upper echelon.
When you think about it, can those students really learn much of substance from soul emperors or soul saints teaching there?
Martial souls are matters of bloodline inheritance. These noble students' families often have centuries or even millennia of dedicated research and unique, refined training systems.
Thus, their real purpose for attending Shrek Academy is not primarily to acquire knowledge but to expand connections and make allies, paving the way for their futures.
Of course, if one is fortunate enough to be admitted into the inner academy and become a core member, that would be the best outcome.
Forming close ties with Shrek Academy is undoubtedly a huge benefit for their powerful families.
After all, the academy's profound heritage and numerous titled Douluos represent a formidable force.
Yet, in such a vast institution, how many students truly make it to the inner academy?
For this reason, from the very beginning, Lu Jingming never planned to send Zhang Lexuan to study at Shrek Academy.
In his view, it was completely unnecessary. He had no need to chase after so-called networking opportunities. Besides, Zhang Lexuan had Jingliu—a top-tier expert—as her dedicated mentor.
Jingliu's strength and experience far surpassed those of ordinary soul emperors or soul saints at Shrek Academy.
As for himself, Lu Jingming had no intention of studying at other academies. Not to mention, Jingliu, Chang Li, and Black Tower—each was an exceptional talent worthy of being his teacher.
Furthermore, when it came to networking, with Black Tower and others by his side, capable and discerning individuals would naturally seek him out. There was no need for him to awkwardly curry favor.
The Martial Soul Hall's past had taught Lu Jingming one thing clearly: there was enormous potential within the commoner ranks.
With such a vast base of people, there would inevitably emerge a few prodigious talents.
As long as these talents could be discovered—and as long as they were not ungrateful traitors—then all the effort he invested would never be in vain.
Moreover, thanks to the soul-guided devices created by Black Tower, Lu Jingming was financially quite comfortable.
For him, helping the commoners of Haiyuan City awaken their martial souls for free, hiring a few instructors, and teaching them soul master knowledge without charge was by no means an insurmountable task.
Take Jingliu for example. Although she was usually busy with various affairs, in her spare time she would still take the opportunity to teach Saint Freya Academy's students her two-handed sword techniques.
It must be known that Jingliu was a genuine titled Douluo; having her as a mentor was a privilege that made these students' training no less prestigious than that of students at Shrek Academy.
According to Jingliu, as long as someone wanted to learn swordsmanship, she was willing to teach wholeheartedly, regardless of their talent level.
Because of this, almost all the students at Saint Freya Academy had once studied swordsmanship under Jingliu's guidance.
However, it must be admitted that these students' talents were indeed limited. Whether in martial soul aptitude or swordsmanship skill, they were rather mediocre, with none able to compare to Zhang Lexuan.
The architectural style of Saint Freya Academy was unique, featuring a predominantly white color scheme, complemented by modern glass curtain walls and metal frameworks, giving it a fashionable and grand appearance.
This style was a stark contrast to the traditional architecture of the Xing Luo Empire, instead bearing a strong resemblance to that of the Sun and Moon Empire across the sea.
Although the academy had only recently been completed, its infrastructure was fully equipped. The teaching buildings were spacious and bright, providing students with an excellent learning environment.
The dormitories were warm and comfortable, allowing students to rest fully after their studies. The training grounds were well-equipped to meet daily training needs, while the simulation training rooms stood out as a highlight—top-tier facilities usually only found in high-level academies.
The cafeteria offered a rich variety of delicious food, ensuring students' nutritional needs were well met. Moreover, the picturesque scenic areas provided a perfect place for students to relax and unwind amidst the pressures of their studies.