Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing

"You've gone too far! You're blind!"

Tang San was beside himself with rage, already starting to lose his reason.

"If my teacher hadn't recommended Shrek Academy to me, I wouldn't even have spared a glance at this dump!"

"Return my registration fee, or else—"

Tang San suddenly stopped there.

Because he realized that even if they ignored him, there seemed to be nothing he could do.

The old man glanced at Tang San, his expression calm, as though he had long grown accustomed to this. "Mu Bai, someone wants a refund on their registration fee. Handle it."

As soon as he finished speaking, a figure suddenly darted out from the village. "You want your registration fee back? Fine. Beat me, and I'll refund every last coin!"

Dai Mubai approached while cracking his knuckles, his face full of excitement.

However, the moment he saw who it was, he froze. "Why is it you again?"

Wasn't the person standing stubbornly in front of the table at the village entrance, demanding his money back, that kid he had run into at the Rose Hotel a few days ago?

Fucking bad luck!

Dai Mubai cursed inwardly.

Tang San was dumbfounded when he saw the newcomer as well.

How had this guy come out from inside?

Could it be that he was already a student of Shrek Academy? Boom—!

Dai Mubai directly activated his Soul Power. His surging Soul Power rippled through the air, waves of pressure crashing toward Tang San like the tide.

At the same time, two yellow and one purple Soul Rings appeared and spiraled upward.

Tang San shuddered at the sight.

The scene of being brutally beaten seven days ago was still vivid in his mind.

Even the injuries on his body still felt fresh.

He had no desire to experience that particular agony again.

"Consider me unlucky!"

Tang San sniffed, gritted his teeth, and threw out that parting threat.

Then he turned around and limped away.

When he reached the back of the line, he happened to spot Huo Feng and Xiao Wu waiting there.

Realizing that they had witnessed the entire scene of Shrek Academy rejecting him, Tang San gave them a perfunctory greeting before fleeing the place.

Though Huo Feng's expression remained perfectly normal, he was already laughing himself silly inside.

He had considered countless possibilities, but he had never imagined that Tang San would be rejected by Shrek.

This move had been hidden quite deeply indeed.

Seeing Tang San slink away in disgrace, Dai Mubai immediately felt much better.

This time, he did not return to the village. Instead, he found a chair and sat beside the old man.

His evil eyes swept over the people in line, whether deliberately or not, his meaning obvious. If anyone else wanted a refund, they should take a good look at him first.

After Tang San's little stunt, one-third of those waiting in line immediately left.

Ten Gold Soul Coins were no small sum for an ordinary family, and no one wanted to waste money for nothing.

However, Dai Mubai had not maintained his aloof demeanor for long before his sweeping evil eyes suddenly stiffened.

As the number of people dwindled, the line gradually moved forward, and he saw two familiar figures.

"H-Huo Feng!"

Dai Mubai nearly sprang out of his chair.

That face and that name were etched deeply into his heart. He could never forget them.

From childhood to adulthood, he had never suffered such a crushing defeat as he had yesterday.

Seeing Dai Mubai staring at him in utter surprise, Huo Feng's lips curled slightly as he returned the look with a friendly smile.

It was clearly an ordinary smile, yet to Dai Mubai, it looked exceptionally terrifying.

"Twelve or thirteen years old, appearing in Suotuo City at this time, and a powerful Soul Master!"

Dai Mubai slapped his thigh in sudden realization.

How had he not thought that Huo Feng had also come to Shrek Academy for the entrance examination? With that terrifying strength, getting into Shrek should have been effortless for him.

The thought gave him a headache.

But things had come to this, so he could only take it one step at a time.

Dai Mubai had already silently decided that so long as Huo Feng did not go too far, he would never provoke another conflict with him.

"Hm?"

A soft exclamation pulled Dai Mubai from his thoughts.

He looked up and saw that the line, which had originally held more than a hundred people, had dwindled to just over a dozen in the blink of an eye.

There was no doubt that those remaining were all extremely confident in their own strength.

Dai Mubai noticed that the teacher beside him wore a deeply uncertain expression, while a young girl stood before the table.

The girl wore a clean long dress and had short hair that reached her ears. She looked pure and beautiful.

What drew the most attention, however, was her skin, which was exceptionally delicate and fair.

"Hello, may I ask whether I passed the test?"

The girl's voice was soft and sweet.

Dai Mubai, standing not far away, felt a tingling sensation run through him as he listened. A subtle change came over his gaze as he looked the girl up and down.

This should be Ning Rongrong.

Huo Feng, standing some distance away, had noticed the girl as well.

Judging from the few people left in line and the unique air about her that differed from everyone else, he concluded that this girl was undoubtedly Ning Rongrong.

"Does your family know that you came to Shrek Academy?"

The old man asked after a moment of hesitation.

"That doesn't seem to have anything to do with my entrance examination, does it?"

Ning Rongrong frowned slightly. "As long as I meet the requirements, the academy has no reason to reject me, right?"

The old man pondered for a moment before nodding.

"Mu Bai, take her inside."

Dai Mubai nodded, his expression returning to normal as he led Ning Rongrong into the academy.

After rejecting two more applicants, it was finally Huo Feng and Xiao Wu's turn.

Like the others before them, they each first paid ten Gold Soul Coins.

Then came the hand-grip bone test to determine their age.

Once there were no issues, the old man had them release their Martial Souls and Soul Rings.

Dai Mubai stared at Huo Feng with feigned composure.

He wanted to see just what Huo Feng's Soul Rings looked like.

Buzz—!

Huo Feng activated his Soul Power, and two yellow and one purple Soul Rings rose into view.

He had used the Soul Ring Modifier last night to alter his second Soul Ring's displayed age to five hundred years.

Two yellow and one purple Soul Rings were still astonishing, but at least they would not scare anyone to death.

At the same time, the Thunderclap Sword appeared in his right hand.

"No wonder."

Dai Mubai's initial shock gradually gave way to acceptance as he looked at Huo Feng's Soul Rings.

Although he did not know Huo Feng's exact Soul Power rank in the thirties, the fluctuations of Huo Feng's Soul Power were far stronger than his own.

In that case, his loss yesterday had not been unjustified.

Xiao Wu also activated her Soul Power, merging with the Jade Rabbit Martial Soul.

Two hundred-year Soul Rings rose along with it.

The old man nodded.

Xiao Wu was decent enough, but Huo Feng gave him quite a pleasant surprise.

A rare smile appeared on his face as he nodded to indicate that they had passed.

"Come, the last one."

Hearing that there was only one person left, Huo Feng did not hurry inside and instead paused.

The remaining applicant was a young girl.

Her expression was cold, her black eyes as still as an ancient well. Black hair draped over her shoulders, and her face was very beautiful.

What drew the most attention was her overly mature figure, which was truly mismatched with her age.

Gasp—!

Huo Feng sucked in a breath.

That figure! That expression! Who else could it be but Zhu Zhuqing?