Old Village South of the City, Monster Academy

After resting for a night at the Rose Hotel, Ling Yun felt refreshed and invigorated. The Chaos Dragon God Martial Soul nourished his body exceptionally well, and combined with the subtle restorative effects of the Nine-Heart Begonia Emperor, he felt better than ever before.

As he settled the bill and left, the waiter looked at him with reverence and handled the paperwork with astonishing speed. Ling Yun did not care much about it. After asking for directions out of the southern gate, he headed straight out of Suotuo City.

Following the directions, he had not gone far south of the city before the road gradually became uneven and potholed. The bustling urban scenery gave way to the desolation of the countryside. After walking for about half an hour, he saw a small village ahead that did not look much better than Holy Soul Village.

Above the wooden archway at the village entrance hung a crooked plaque with five simple characters carved into it—Shrek Academy. Before those five characters was a green monster head, somewhat human-like and somewhat comical.

Had he not known beforehand that this was his destination, Ling Yun would almost have thought he had come to the wrong place. It was far too different from the Soul Master Academy he had imagined. Low mud-brick houses, wisps of cooking smoke, crowing chickens and barking dogs—it was practically an ordinary little village.

However, when his gaze swept over the village entrance, it paused slightly.

The entrance was rather lively. More than a hundred people had gathered there, forming a long line. At the front stood a battered table, behind which sat an old man who looked to be in his sixties. His face was covered in wrinkles, and he looked lazy and listless. He dressed even more plainly than the old farmers in the village and was weakly saying something to each applicant who stepped forward.

Yet Ling Yun's gaze instantly locked onto the old man. In his senses, the man appeared ordinary, but a vast, heavy Soul Power like a dormant volcano lay hidden within him! This power was far beyond anything Dai Mubai had possessed yesterday, and even vastly stronger than Su Yuntao's!

"A Soul Emperor? Or a Soul Sage?" Ling Yun's heart tightened. Shrek Academy truly hid dragons and crouching tigers. Even a teacher in charge of admissions possessed such strength.

Without drawing attention to himself, he walked to the end of the line and began waiting, his eyes sweeping ahead. Before long, he spotted two familiar figures halfway through the queue—Tang San and Xiao Wu. They seemed to have only just arrived and were speaking softly. Xiao Wu occasionally looked around curiously.

The line moved very slowly. Applicants were constantly dismissed by the old man with a single sentence, without even being allowed to release their Martial Souls.

"Your age does not meet the requirement. You can leave."

"Your Martial Soul is a hoe? Next."

"The registration fee is ten Gold Soul Coins. Put them in that box."

Upon hearing that the registration fee was ten Gold Soul Coins, many people in line cried out in alarm. That price alone was enough to deter many ordinary families. Still, some gritted their teeth and paid, hoping to somehow enter this legendary "Monster Academy."

Soon, it was Tang San and Xiao Wu's turn. They paid the fee without issue, and the old man felt their bones before nodding.

"Release your Martial Souls."

Tang San and Xiao Wu did as instructed. Blue Silver Grass and the Soft Bone Rabbit appeared, and two yellow soul rings rose beneath each of their feet.

"Tang San, Martial Soul Blue Silver Grass, level twenty-nine Control Type Battle Soul Master."

"Xiao Wu, Martial Soul Soft Bone Rabbit, level twenty-nine Assault Type Battle Soul Master."

The old man's cloudy eyes brightened, and a faint smile appeared on his face. "Not bad. You're both nearly level thirty at such a young age. It's rare for Blue Silver Grass to be cultivated to this extent. You meet the requirements. Go inside. Someone will take you to the next test." He pointed into the village.

Tang San and Xiao Wu sighed in relief, delight appearing on their faces as they headed into the village as instructed.

The line continued to move. At last, it was Ling Yun's turn.

He tossed ten Gold Soul Coins into the wooden box beside him, producing a crisp clatter.

The old man raised his eyelids and said routinely, "Hold out your hand."

Ling Yun extended his hand. The old man grasped his wrist, and after a moment, surprise flashed in his eyes. "Bone age of eleven? Mm, you meet the age requirement." He paused, looking at Ling Yun's calm, unreadable face. "Are you sure you want to join our academy? We only accept monsters here, not ordinary people. If you fail the test, the registration fee will not be refunded."

Ling Yun smiled faintly. "Whether I'm a monster or not, we'll find out when you test me."

The old man raised his brow, seemingly surprised by Ling Yun's composure. "Fine. Release your Martial Soul and soul rings."

In an instant, everyone's attention focused on him. Even those waiting behind him watched curiously at this applicant, who looked younger than the boy and girl before him.

Ling Yun did not release the Chaos Dragon God. It would cause too much of a commotion. With a thought, the jade-green, crystalline, noble, and resplendent Nine-Heart Begonia Emperor quietly emerged in his left palm. A gentle yet vast aura of life spread outward, making everyone nearby feel invigorated.

"This... a begonia-type Martial Soul?" The old man's cloudy eyes flew wide open. He abruptly rose from his chair, his face filled with disbelief. "Such a powerful life aura! This is absolutely no ordinary begonia!"

However, what left him—and everyone who noticed the situation—completely dumbfounded was that no soul rings rose beneath Ling Yun's feet as they did for other Soul Masters!

Not a single soul ring!

"What's going on? He doesn't have any soul rings?"

"He isn't even a Soul Master? And he dares come register?"

"Could his Martial Soul be special enough that we can't see his soul rings?"

The crowd immediately began whispering among themselves.

The old man's expression darkened, and his tone carried displeasure. "Young man, are you trying to make a fool of me? Without soul rings, no matter how special your Martial Soul is, you cannot be considered a Soul Master! Shrek Academy does not accept trash!"

He thought Ling Yun was an ordinary person with a useless Martial Soul of some special form, someone incapable of cultivation.

Faced with the old man's doubts and the strange looks around him, Ling Yun's expression did not change. He simply spoke calmly, his voice reaching every ear clearly:

"Soul rings are merely one form and vessel of power. Having no soul rings does not mean having no power."

He paused, his gaze passing over the old man before settling on the white Strength Testing Crystal Ball beside him. It was meant for the second test and had been temporarily placed at the old man's side.

"Since Teacher Li does not believe me, I'll prove it to you."

Under everyone's stunned gazes, Ling Yun did not even use his Martial Soul. He simply raised his right hand, clenched it into a fist, and casually threw a punch at the white crystal ball.

The movement was plain and unremarkable, without the slightest fluctuation of Soul Power.

Yet at the very instant his fist touched the crystal ball—

Boom!!!!

A thunderous, muffled explosion erupted!

The Strength Testing Crystal Ball, which could withstand the full-force strike of a Soul Grandmaster, first developed countless spiderweb-like cracks across its surface. Then, beneath the horrified eyes of the crowd, it exploded with a deafening crash, turning into powder!

Fragments scattered everywhere, and dust filled the air.

The entire village entrance fell into deathly silence.

A pin could have been heard dropping.

Everyone seemed frozen in place, their mouths hanging open and their eyes wide as saucers. They stared in disbelief at the crystal ball that had become a pile of glittering dust, then at the green-robed youth slowly withdrawing his fist without even disturbing a corner of his clothing.

No Martial Soul! No soul rings! With nothing but physical strength, he had punched apart the Strength Testing Crystal Ball?!

This... was he even fucking human?!

Teacher Li, who was responsible for admissions, had long lost all traces of laziness and displeasure. In their place were utter shock and horror! He stared fixedly at Ling Yun, then looked at the powder on the ground. His throat bobbed, but no sound came out.

He knew better than anyone how durable that crystal ball was! Even he could never have destroyed it without using a soul skill, relying solely on physical strength! This boy... was his body made of a soul beast?!

Ling Yun flicked away nonexistent dust from his hand and looked at the dumbstruck Teacher Li, his tone as calm as ever.

"May I go in now?"

Teacher Li jolted and suddenly came back to his senses. The way he looked at Ling Yun had completely changed, filled with unprecedented gravity and even a trace of reverence. He took a deep breath, trying to make his voice sound calm as he stepped aside and gestured for him to enter.

"Y-yes! Of course! Y-you may enter! Go directly to the open ground inside the village and find Vice Dean Zhao Wuji!"

There was a faint tremor in his voice.

Ling Yun gave a slight nod and said no more. Under the gazes of everyone watching him as if he were a god, he calmly walked through the dilapidated village entrance beneath the plaque reading "Shrek Academy."

He knew this was only the beginning. Shrek Academy's "monsters" would soon truly learn what a real "monster" was.

And his target had always been clear—Tang San, the "Child of Destiny" with the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.