Admission Turmoil, Undercurrents Emerge

Once the assessment ended, Zhao Wuji looked at the devastated grounds, especially the enormous crater, and the corner of his mouth twitched. Repairing the place would cost quite a bit again. If that miser Flender found out, he would probably be so heartbroken he'd stomp his feet. But when he thought of recruiting an unprecedented "monster" like Ling Yun, the loss no longer seemed worth mentioning.

He waved a hand and instructed Dai Mubai, "Mubai, take the little ones who passed and arrange their dormitories. Explain the academy rules to them while you're at it." His gaze lingered on Ling Yun for a moment, his expression complicated.

"Yes, Teacher Zhao." Dai Mubai answered respectfully. Much of the wariness and resentment in his gaze toward Ling Yun had vanished, replaced by the reverence one ought to show the strong. On the Douluo Continent, strength was the ultimate truth. Ling Yun had earned Dai Mubai's recognition through his unimaginable power.

Including Ling Yun, Tang San, and Xiao Wu, only eight people ultimately passed the assessment. Though the others had passed by luck, the way they looked at Ling Yun was filled with awe and gratitude. Without Ling Yun, they never would have lasted the time it took to burn an incense stick under Zhao Wuji.

Dai Mubai led everyone deeper into the village as he introduced the place. "Our Shrek Academy is rather... simple, so the conditions may not compare to those large academies. The dormitories are two to a room, and you can pair up yourselves. Over there is the cafeteria, and over there is the Mimicry Training Ground..."

The so-called dormitories were actually unused mud-brick houses in the village. They had been cleaned fairly well, but the furnishings were extremely crude: two hard plank beds and a battered table.

"Pair up ourselves?" Upon hearing that, Xiao Wu immediately wrapped herself around Tang San's arm and said with a grin, "Then of course I'm rooming with Brother!"

Tang San's face reddened slightly. He was a little embarrassed, but he did not push Xiao Wu away. He instinctively glanced at Ling Yun, only to find that Ling Yun was not paying attention to them at all. Instead, he calmly swept his gaze over the other students who had passed.

The moment those people met Ling Yun's gaze, they lowered their heads instinctively, not daring to look him in the eye. Sharing a room with a monster who could turn the world upside down in a fight against Vice Dean Zhao? The thought alone was enough to make their scalps tingle.

Ling Yun did not care. He had not planned on sharing a room with anyone to begin with. Looking at Dai Mubai, he asked directly, "Are there any private rooms? I can pay."

Dai Mubai froze for a moment, then gave a wry smile. "Ling Yun, the academy's conditions are limited. There are no single rooms. Besides... Dean Flender made a rule that students must live in shared dormitories, saying it was to cultivate... well, teamwork and friendship." What he really wanted to say was that the dean was trying to save money.

Ling Yun frowned slightly. He had many secrets, especially the secret of his two god-tier Martial Souls and his lack of soul rings. Living with someone else would be highly inconvenient. Still, he had only just arrived and did not want to stand out too much or attract unnecessary attention, though he was already more than conspicuous enough.

Just then, a cool, pleasant voice spoke up. "I... I can share a room with him."

Everyone turned in astonishment and discovered that the speaker was the other girl among the eight, aside from Xiao Wu. The girl had remained quiet the entire time. She wore a plain white dress and was exceptionally beautiful, but her complexion was overly pale and her figure very thin, as though a gust of wind could knock her over. Most unusual of all were her white eyes. They were not the cloudy white of blindness, but a crystalline, pupil-less pure white. They looked somewhat eerie, yet also gave off a strange sense of purity.

Ling Yun looked at the girl as well, his heart stirring slightly. He remembered her. During Zhao Wuji's assessment, she had released a Martial Soul that seemed to be a rare support-type Martial Soul, though he had not paid much attention to what it was. Yet now, she was volunteering to share a dormitory with him?

"What's your name?" Ling Yun asked evenly.

"My name is A Qing. My Martial Soul is... Precognitive Spirit Eyes." The girl spoke softly, with a trace of timidity, but her pure white eyes were "looking" at Ling Yun as though they could pierce through appearances and see directly into one's essence. "I... I can sense that you don't harbor any ill intent. And you're very strong. Living with you might... be safer."

Precognitive Spirit Eyes? A hint of surprise flashed through Ling Yun's eyes. It was actually a rare Martial Soul related to fate and prophecy? Shrek Academy truly had gathered quite a few odd talents. Had his arrival as a "butterfly" brought about these changes, or had this character existed in the original story all along?

Dai Mubai frowned. "A Qing, that's against the rules..." Male and female students naturally lived separately.

But A Qing insisted, "Senior Dai, my Martial Soul is rather special. Sometimes I... see bad things. I'd be scared living alone." As she spoke, a faint mist seemed to veil her pure white eyes, making her look pitifully vulnerable.

Dai Mubai looked at Ling Yun awkwardly. To be honest, he did not dare forcefully assign anything to Ling Yun.

Ling Yun looked into A Qing's pure yet mysterious eyes. After pondering for a moment, he nodded. "All right."

It was not that he had any designs on A Qing. He was simply interested in the Martial Soul known as Precognitive Spirit Eyes. Besides, sharing a room with someone who seemed quiet and appeared to trust him to some extent was better than rooming with a stranger harboring ulterior motives. As for propriety between men and women, he did not care. At his level of strength, such worldly rules held little sway over him.

Seeing Ling Yun agree, Dai Mubai could not say anything further. He could only reply, "Then... fine. The dormitories are cramped anyway, so you can stay in that room for now." He pointed to a relatively secluded and quiet mud-brick house.

Tang San and Xiao Wu had no objections. The other male students, meanwhile, let out sighs of relief, eager to stay as far away from Ling Yun as possible.

After arranging the dormitories, Dai Mubai went over some of the academy's daily matters and rules. These included class times, which teachers would summon them for irregularly; the need to pay for their own meals, as the academy only provided the most basic food; and most importantly—private fighting was strictly forbidden, but disputes could be settled on the Combat Arena prepared by the academy.

Afterward, everyone dispersed to tidy up their own dormitories.

Ling Yun and A Qing arrived at their assigned mud-brick house. As expected, it was bare and crude. There were only two beds and a table, not even a chair. The air was filled with dust and mildew.

A Qing seemed somewhat embarrassed. In a low voice, she said, "Sorry, Ling... Ling Yun. I've caused you trouble. I'll adapt as quickly as I can and try not to disturb you."

Ling Yun waved a hand, unconcerned. He walked to the window and pushed open the old wooden shutters, letting fresh air flow inside. His gaze drifted outside, where rolling farmland stretched toward distant mountains.

Shrek Academy. He had finally entered it. Next, he needed to increase his strength as quickly as possible, familiarize himself with the rules of this world, and then... achieve his goals step by step.

That Tang San seemed to have already regarded him as both an opponent and a target. That was fine. Pressure created motivation.

"Can your eyes really see the future?" Ling Yun suddenly asked, his tone carrying a trace of curiosity.

A Qing was clumsily making her bed. At his question, her body stiffened slightly, and panic flashed through her pure white eyes. She said quietly, "N-No, not completely. I only occasionally see some vague fragments... and what I see is not necessarily good. My Martial Soul... is more like a curse."

A faint sadness colored her voice.

Ling Yun turned and looked at the girl, whose background seemed no less complicated than his own. Understanding flashed in his golden eyes. Powerful Martial Souls often came with corresponding costs. Were his Chaos Dragon God and Nine-Heart Begonia Emperor not likewise heavy responsibilities and karmic burdens?

"Power itself has neither good nor evil. What matters is the person who wields it," Ling Yun said calmly. He spoke no further and began brushing the dust off his own bed.

A Qing stared blankly at Ling Yun's busy figure. A strange light flickered in her pure white eyes. This boy, powerful enough to suffocate others with pressure, seemed... not as cold as he appeared.

While Ling Yun and A Qing were settling in, on the other side of the village, in Tang San and Xiao Wu's dormitory—

As she made her bed, Xiao Wu chattered excitedly about the dangers of the assessment and her amazement at Ling Yun.

"Brother, that Ling Yun is way too powerful! Twin Martial Souls! And he fought Teacher Zhao like that without even using soul rings! How exactly did he cultivate?"

Tang San sat on his bed with a dark expression, saying nothing as he silently wiped down the Hidden Weapons within Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlight Night. Ling Yun's appearance was like a massive boulder weighing on his heart. He had thought arriving at Shrek Academy would mark the beginning of his rise, only to encounter an insurmountable mountain at the very starting line.

"Brother, why aren't you saying anything?" Xiao Wu noticed that Tang San was in a bad mood and leaned over to ask.

Tang San lifted his head, looked at Xiao Wu's concerned eyes, and took a deep breath. "Xiao Wu, this Ling Yun is no simple person. The quality of his Martial Souls likely far exceeds anything we can imagine. We have to cultivate even harder, or else..."

Or else, they would only be left farther and farther behind. He did not say the rest, but Xiao Wu understood. She nodded firmly. "Mm! Brother, we'll work hard together! You have Innate Full Soul Power, and also... that Martial Soul. It definitely won't be worse than his!"

Tang San clenched his fists, determination and ruthlessness flashing through his eyes. That was right, he still had the Clear Sky Hammer! As long as he added powerful soul rings to the Clear Sky Hammer, he might not necessarily be unable to contend with Ling Yun in the future! And he had the secret arts of the Tang Sect! Ling Yun was powerful, but he might not understand technique or the art of poison!

"Oh, right, Brother. That girl named A Qing is so strange. Her eyes are white, and she even said she wanted to live with Ling Yun..." Xiao Wu changed the subject.

Tang San snorted. "Birds of a feather flock together. Monsters naturally stay with monsters. Xiao Wu, stay away from Ling Yun from now on. I always feel that he... is dangerous."

Xiao Wu nodded as though she understood.

Meanwhile, in the academy's only decent wooden house, Zhao Wuji was reporting the day's recruitment to a tall, thin middle-aged man wearing black-rimmed crystal glasses and a merchant-like smile at the corner of his lips.

This middle-aged man was none other than the dean of Shrek Academy, Four-Eyed Owl Flender.

When he heard that Ling Yun possessed Twin Martial Souls and had fought Zhao Wuji's Martial Soul Avatar head-on without soul rings, even injuring him, the teacup in Flender's hand slipped to the floor with a crack and shattered into pieces.

He shot to his feet. His eyes behind his glasses widened into circles, and even his voice changed pitch. "What did you say?! Twin Martial Souls?! You were forced to use your Martial Soul Avatar?! Old Zhao, you're not fucking lying to me, are you?!"

Zhao Wuji gave a bitter smile and pointed at his chest, where his blood and qi still churned. "If I'm lying, I'm your grandson! My injury hasn't even healed properly yet! Flender, this time Shrek may have picked up a... monster among monsters, one capable of shaking the entire continent!"

Flender paced back and forth through the room, his expression shifting constantly from wild delight to concern. Finally, he stopped, pushed up his glasses, and a sharp gleam flashed in his eyes.

"Send word out. Ling Yun's Twin Martial Souls and the specific details of today's assessment are to be kept strictly confidential! Especially from outsiders! This kid is a treasure, but he's also a hot potato. Before he grows strong enough, none of this can leak out. Otherwise, Spirit Hall..."

Zhao Wuji's expression tightened, and he nodded heavily.

Because of Ling Yun's arrival, undercurrents had begun to stir within Shrek Academy. The days ahead were destined to be anything but peaceful.

At that moment, Ling Yun sat cross-legged on the hard plank bed, his consciousness sinking into his body as he began trying to communicate with the method of condensing soul rings that lay hidden in the unseen realm, connected to his two god-tier Martial Souls. The path he walked was destined to be completely different from that of those who came before him.