Entrance Examination

She looked so frail and delicate that Wang Dong'er could tell at a glance she was a mama's girl.

Wang Dong'er thought she would have to be careful around the girl named Huo Yutong from now on.

If Huo Yutong stole Jiang Wu away, she wouldn't even have a place to cry.

Tang Ya and the other two watched the scene with smiles, but they said nothing.

After dinner, Tang Ya passed the Mysterious Heaven Skill on to Jiang Wu and the other two.

Having received the Mysterious Heaven Skill, Jiang Wu and the other two began cultivating.

In the blink of an eye, the next morning arrived.

After Jiang Wu and his companions finished cultivating the Purple Demon Eye, they headed to Shrek Academy.

Along the way, Huo Yutong and the other two often struck up conversations with Jiang Wu, making Wang Dong'er somewhat wary of the three of them.

She really hadn't expected that she would have to guard not only against Huo Yutong, but also against Tang Ya and Bei Bei snatching Jiang Wu away from her.

Since Jiang Wu and Wang Dong'er both had recommendation letters, Tang Ya gave the Tang Sect's slot to Huo Yutong.

Jiang Wu couldn't quite understand why other people didn't want to join the Tang Sect.

Although the Tang Sect had fallen into decline, its cultivation methods hadn't fallen out of the meta.

After all, even in Douluo IV, quite a few people cultivated the Mysterious Heaven Skill.

More importantly, the Tang Sect had one examination-exempt slot every year. Nobles might not care for it, but commoners certainly would.

In the blink of an eye, several days passed.

Jiang Wu and his companions arrived at the gates of Shrek Academy. Since Huo Yutong had a slot, Tang Ya and Bei Bei took her to the dormitories first, while Jiang Wu and Wang Dong'er went to take the entrance examination.

Jiang Nannan stayed with Jiang Wu and the others to wait for them to finish their entrance examination.

Shrek Academy's entrance examination wasn't difficult. There were three tests in total: the first was a bone age and Soul Power check, the second a basic potential assessment, and the third a practical combat test.

Jiang Wu and Wang Dong'er passed the first and second tests quickly.

Any student who could obtain a recommendation letter would pass them, barring an accident.

Jiang Wu and the other two arrived at the small Soul Fighting assessment area, and Jiang Wu and Wang Dong'er joined the end of the line. The dozen or so candidates ahead of them took the stage one after another. Some lasted a dozen moves before the examiner knocked them off the stage with a palm strike. Others put on a flashy display of Soul Skills but fought without any method, and the teacher maneuvered them to the edge of the arena and pushed them out in just a few moves.

The examiner was a square-faced man in his forties. His Martial Soul was the Iron Arm Bear, and he was a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor. He stood in the arena like a small mountain. His strikes weren't particularly heavy, but every one was rock-steady; he could usually send a candidate staggering with a single slap.

"Next."

Jiang Wu patted Wang Dong'er on the shoulder. "I'll go first."

Wang Dong'er nodded, stepped back to the edge of the waiting area, and stood with her arms folded, staring at the arena without blinking.

Jiang Wu walked into the Soul Fighting Arena and stopped ten paces from the square-faced teacher.

The teacher looked him up and down and asked as a matter of routine, "Name, Martial Soul, Soul Power Level."

"Jiang Wu, Soft Bone Rabbit, level thirty-one."

The square-faced teacher's pen paused, and he looked up to study him again. "Level thirty-one? You're level thirty-one at your age?"

He flipped through the list in his hand, checked it again, and nodded. "All right, let's begin. Use your strongest abilities. Don't hold back; I can take it."

Jiang Wu didn't stand on ceremony. He circulated his Soul Power, and three Soul Rings lit up beneath his feet at once.

The square-faced teacher activated Martial Soul Possession and assumed a defensive stance.

Jiang Wu's First Soul Ring lit up.

Bow Body Charging Beast Arrow.

He channeled Soul Power into his right leg and kicked out fiercely.

The solidified Soul Power arrow expanded the moment it left his leg. The phantom of a Purple Armor White Jade Rhinoceros charged straight at the teacher with the muffled rumble of thunder.

The square-faced teacher crossed his arms and blocked it head-on. With a muffled bang, he was pushed half a step backward, his feet scraping two white marks into the bluestone floor.

"Well, would you look at that." The square-faced teacher shook his numb arms, his eyes lighting up. "Again!"

Jiang Wu gave him no chance to catch his breath. His Second Soul Ring lit up. Illusory Charm Eyes.

A deep purple light flashed in his eyes, and the square-faced teacher's movements abruptly froze. In his vision, the Soul Fighting Arena instantly became a primeval forest, and an illusion of charging beasts came bearing down on him from all sides.

The square-faced teacher was a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor, after all, and his mental strength was far beyond that of the short, stout woman back in the Soul Hunting Forest. The instant the illusion bore down on him, his vision blurred, and the Soul Fighting Arena turned into a primeval forest whose canopy blotted out the sky and sun. Hundreds upon thousands of Soul Beasts charged at him with red eyes. He gritted his teeth as Soul Power surged in his Sea of Consciousness, forcing himself to withstand the all-encompassing pressure. One second, two seconds, three seconds—his consciousness seemed to be dragged inch by inch from deep water. The forest in his vision began to shatter, and the bluestone floor of the Soul Fighting Arena reappeared beneath his feet.

It took more than three full breaths before he finally broke free of the illusion. The square-faced teacher shook his head, a film of cold sweat already beading on his temples, and cursed under his breath. "Good kid, that spiritual-type Soul Skill is damn strange-"

Before he could finish, his pupils suddenly contracted.

Jiang Wu was gone.

The square-faced teacher was a veteran Soul Master with plenty of combat experience, and he tried to turn and attack.

Jiang Wu was already behind him. Golden scales appeared on his right arm in an instant, and the Golden Dragon Claw whistled through the air toward the center of the square-faced teacher's back.

The square-faced teacher was a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor with plenty of combat experience, after all. At the last moment, he forcibly twisted his waist and turned sideways. The Golden Dragon Claw grazed his ribs, ripping a gash in his uniform and shattering the leather armor underneath.

"Stop-!"

The square-faced teacher retreated three steps in a row, one hand clamped over his ribs and the other raised. His face was pale with shock. "Stop, stop, stop! You passed the test!"

Jiang Wu withdrew his claw. The golden scales receded, and he stepped back and stood still, his expression calm.

The area around the Soul Fighting Arena fell silent for a moment, then erupted.

"What was that just now? A dragon claw? Isn't his Martial Soul a Soft Bone Rabbit?"

"A three-ring fighter forced a four-ring examiner to call a stop?"

"Didn't you see that gash under the teacher's ribs? He had his Iron Arm Bear Martial Soul Possession active. His defense is tougher than an ordinary Soul Elder's, and one claw tore right through it."

"What's that kid's background?"

In the waiting area, Wang Dong'er folded her arms and tilted her chin up slightly, wearing an expression that said, See that? That's my mom.

The square-faced teacher looked down at the gash by his ribs, then back up at Jiang Wu. The corner of his mouth twitched. "Kid... you've got a Soft Bone Rabbit Martial Soul. Where did that dragon claw come from?"

"Martial Soul Mutation," Jiang Wu said without a change in expression.

The square-faced teacher stared at Jiang Wu for two seconds, then sighed. He swiftly wrote a few words on the assessment form in his hand and passed it to him. "Passed. Next."

Jiang Wu took the assessment form and turned to walk back. Wang Dong'er came up to him and reached for his arm, but Jiang Wu sidestepped her and slapped the form into her hand. "Your turn."

Wang Dong'er glanced down at the assessment form and saw the grade for the practical combat test: excellent. She huffed, then strode into the Soul Fighting Arena with her head held high and chest out.

Wang Dong'er had a very hard time fighting the square-faced teacher. After all, she wasn't Jiang Wu, who had two cheats.