The Theory of Happiness, the Last One of the Golden Iron Triangles

Chapter 46 The Theory of Happiness: The Last Piece of the Golden Triangle

Shrek Academy has a ten-year curriculum: six years of high school and four years of university. After the four years of university, graduates can choose to stay at the academy for further studies, becoming graduate students, for a maximum of three years. After that, they must hold a position at the academy.

Students entering the university from the secondary school section will need to take an exam. The tentative requirements are to master a martial art, pass a general assessment, and the difficulty of the exam should ensure that the university admission rate is between 50% and 60%.

The graduation requirements for undergraduate programs are yet to be determined, but are expected to be categorized into three levels: graduation with honors, graduation with a certificate, and graduation without a certificate.

……

At 6 a.m., a clear bell rang in the dormitory area. A special amplifying soul guide device ensured that the bell could be heard in every dormitory room.

Gao Yan was awakened from his sleep by the ringing of the alarm. After a couple of minutes, he got out of bed and the first thing he did was wake up his classmate.

"Dengjia, Guanghong, Luxie, wake up!"

The dormitories at Shrek Academy are all four-person rooms, with bunk beds and desks underneath, which were specially made by a carpenter for Ikehira.

The sounds of people turning over came from the three beds.

Gao Yan picked up a towel and a water cup with peace of mind and went to the washroom at the end of the corridor to wash up.

At 6:15, the four of them walked out of the dormitory building and into the white-painted No. 1 canteen next to the dormitory building. The canteen has four floors, but only the first floor is open at the moment.

Chi Ping referenced the layout of university cafeterias. Upon entering, there is a dining area with nearly a hundred tables neatly arranged, each seating eight people. To the right is a row of windows.

"It smells so good!"

The rich aroma of meat awakened their energy for the day. Gao Yan and his three friends took out their student IDs and received their trays from the first window. From the second window, they were served a full bowl of fragrant meat porridge, and from the third window, they took some meat patties, buns, steamed buns, and other food.

Holding their trays, the four of them prepared to choose a seat that looked good to them.

"Senior Ning?"

The four looked at each other in surprise, not expecting to run into Ning Rongrong here. If Gao Yan's class was the first generation of students at Shrek Academy, then Ning Rongrong and the other eight were the first generation of students, some of whom even held shares in the academy. Although they were only a year apart in age, their status was worlds apart.

—Should we go say hello?

Zhao Dengjia looked at Gao Yan questioningly.

Gao Yan nodded.

--go!

The first-generation students either spent all their time in the martial arts training room or in the library and laboratory building, and were rarely seen. Opportunities to interact like this are very rare.

"What does Grandpa Jian think?" Ning Rongrong asked.

Chen Xin ate the meat pie and drank the meat porridge, and said with satisfaction, "Putting everything else aside, this food is really good. If I'm not mistaken, the meat in this porridge is mutton, and it's cooked with radish, angelica, and yam. It's quite effective for strengthening the body and nourishing the vital energy."

Chen Xin has lived for nearly a hundred years. Although he has spent most of his time cultivating and practicing swordsmanship, he has gained some knowledge of many things over the long period of time. Moreover, medicine and martial arts are inseparable, and Chen Xin's knowledge of herbs is also quite good, so he can naturally taste the secret of the meat porridge.

"Grandpa Jian is amazing, he could tell right away," Ning Rongrong complimented with a smile.

Chen Xin had no children of his own, and treated Ning Rongrong almost like his own granddaughter, enjoying Ning Rongrong's compliments immensely.

Even so, Chen Xin didn't forget her purpose in coming to Shrek Academy and asked, "Rongrong, will Shrek Academy continue to provide medicinal meals for free?"

Don't be fooled by the fact that Shrek Academy only has 48 students per grade now. With future development, the total number of students across all 10 grades could reach tens of thousands! Under such a figure, the combination of "free" and "medicinal cuisine" means an enormous expense, a sum that would move even the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School!

Ning Rongrong shook her head and explained, "The middle school is free with a student ID, while the university level resumes normal fees. Brother Ping said that you can't practice martial arts on an empty stomach. The middle school students can't earn money outside of their studies, and the academy won't let them waste their precious time outside of studying and cultivation. But if they can't support themselves after entering the university level, then they might as well go hungry. Besides, the academy has its own medicinal herb fields with high yields, so the cost of medicinal cuisine isn't too high."

Chen Xin stroked his beard, lost in thought.

"Hello, Senior Ning!"

Gao Yan and his three companions walked up to the two men and greeted them.

Chen Xin frowned slightly, just about to unleash his aura to drive the four away, when Ning Rongrong spoke with a smile.

"Hey junior!"

"Is this senior your elder?"

Ning Rongrong nodded, "You can call him Senior Sword."

Gao Yan and the other three respectfully greeted, "Senior Sword!" *4

Chen Xin restrained his aura, revealing himself as a somewhat aloof and venerable senior.

Ning Rongrong asked, "Is there something you need, junior?"

Gao Yan: "We have some questions about the college's course schedule, so we would like to ask the senior students for advice."

"Ask away."

The four of them sat down opposite Ning Rongrong and Chen Xin and put down their plates.

Gao Yan asked, "We don't understand why we have to have a half-day moral education class every Wednesday. It's not that it's bad; we all think we should be good people. But shouldn't the most important thing for a Soul Master be cultivating their Martial Soul and Soul Power to improve their strength? Is it really necessary to have a separate moral education class?"

Thinking is not a bad thing.

Ning Rongrong put down her chopsticks and looked at the four of them seriously. "You should have learned the concept of 'Mind-Body Technique' by now."

The four nodded, and Chen Xin also perked up his ears.

"What a person fights for, what they cultivate for, is their 'heart.' Why did you join Shrek Academy?"

The four exchanged glances, and Gao Yan spoke first: "To become a powerful Soul Master?"

Ning Rongrong, "What level of Soul Master is considered powerful? What kind of Soul Master is considered powerful? Do you simply want to become a powerful Soul Master, or do you need to become a powerful Soul Master to achieve something?"

The four of them looked at each other in silence.

Ning Rongrong continued, "Happiness is the satisfaction of the soul. Everyone pursues happiness, and cultivation is also for the pursuit of happiness. Becoming a powerful Soul Master can be happiness, or it can be a path to achieving happiness. The focus of the Ideological and Moral Course is on thought rather than morality. The purpose of this course is to teach you to think, to think about what your own happiness is."

Ning Rongrong smiled and said, "The world is complex, and people's hearts are unpredictable. Every experience and every person we meet can influence our perception of happiness or become a part of our happiness."

Do you still remember the 24 words that your senior, Chi Ping, said in the first moral education class?

He used these 24 characters to describe his expectations for the empire, for society, and for the individual—this was the beautiful world he envisioned, and this was his happiness. He believed he could find happiness in such a world, and he believed that most people could find happiness in such a world.

"The academy teaches its students its ideal of happiness through moral education, aiming to guide them towards goodness. If you're not yet clear about what happiness you're pursuing, just use the academy's definition for now. It's not so bad, is it?"

Everyone seemed to be deep in thought.

"Grandpa Jian and I have finished eating. Juniors, please continue eating."

……

Heaven Dou Empire, Heaven Dou City, Blue Tyrant Academy.

Dean Liu Erlong's eyes were filled with tears.

"Xiao Gang, Boss Flander..."

On the table in front of her was a letter in Flanders' handwriting.

……

Shrek Academy, Dean's Office.

Flander took off his glasses and muttered to himself, "I'm sorry, Xiaogang, whether it's for you and Erlong or for the children..."

(End of this chapter)