Switching Concepts

Before long, Dai Mubai led them to an open space.

Wooden cabins stood all around. The open space was roughly five hundred square meters and happened to lie right in the center of Shrek Academy. The examinees who had passed the preliminary test were gathered ahead of them, and the obvious fluctuations of Soul Power made the air tremble irregularly.

Dai Mubai pointed at the examinees standing in line ahead and explained to the two girls, "Anyone whose Soul Power exceeds level twenty-five can go straight to the Fourth Trial without wasting time here. That person whose martial soul was Golden Pattern Grass went directly to the Fourth Trial."

"Oh, I'm level twenty-six. Then I should be able to go straight to the Fourth Trial too." Ning Rongrong nodded at his words, then turned to Zhu Zhuqing. "Zhuqing, what about you? What level are you?"

Zhu Zhuqing replied calmly, "My Soul Power is level twenty-seven."

"In that case, I'll take the two of you straight to the Fourth Trial." After hearing their levels, Dai Mubai nodded. Then he turned around and led them deeper into the academy.

As they walked, Dai Mubai did not forget to introduce the academy to the two girls in order to ease the atmosphere. "Our academy's entrance examination has four trials in total. You've already gone through the first one. It eliminates examinees whose Soul Power is below level twenty-one, or who are over thirteen years old. This trial filters out the most people. The second trial evaluates Soul Power and identifies martial souls. Powerful Soul Power alone is not enough to prove one's future potential for development. This trial mainly examines the martial soul. Only Soul Masters whose martial souls have sufficient potential for growth and whose previous cultivation has followed the right direction may enter the third trial. Of course, those with exceptionally strange and unusual martial souls may also be selected."

Upon hearing Dai Mubai's words, Zhu Zhuqing remained outwardly impassive, but inwardly, she gained a hint of anticipation for this academy. After all, since they dared use such strict standards to select students, the academy itself must have some real ability, right? Perhaps it even had some exclusive secret to training students.

Dai Mubai continued, "The Fourth Trial tests practical combat experience. Some students have good martial souls and good control over them, but they grew up in noble families, pampered from childhood. They know practically nothing about the outside world, let alone combat. The academy will not accept students like that either. The Dean has said that spoiled brats are absolutely not wanted."

As Ning Rongrong listened to him, why did she suddenly feel as though he was talking about her? Unable to stop herself, she said, "Are you selecting students or picking wives? Isn't that way too strict? No wonder the teacher at the entrance said you only accept monsters here. Only monsters could probably pass all four trials. I'd like to ask, how many students does Shrek Academy currently have? And how many students can you recruit each year?"

Hearing that soul-searching question, Dai Mubai could not help but reveal a bitter smile. "Since Shrek Academy was founded, over the past twenty years, we've admitted a total of forty-two students. That averages a little over two per year. Before this, the academy had not recruited any students for two years. At present, including me, there are only three students studying at the academy."

"Three?"

Upon hearing that, Ning Rongrong could not help crying out.

Zhu Zhuqing also frowned slightly, clearly extremely surprised by that number. Was an academy with only three students even an academy? This academy already sounded unreliable!

Dai Mubai said somewhat awkwardly, "In the entire Douluo Continent, we can probably be considered the only academy with more teachers than students. Even after admitting you two, the number of students at our academy definitely won't exceed the number of teachers."

Ning Rongrong frowned. "How can the academy survive like this? Without students, there should be no income, right?"

Dai Mubai said, "Otherwise, why do you think our academy is located in such a small village? It's because we lack funds. If my family hadn't provided some sponsorship, the academy would probably have closed last year. If we still can't recruit any students this year, then the three of us currently enrolled will be Shrek Academy's final batch of students."

"Then why doesn't the academy relax its entrance requirements? I don't think there are that few people registering." Ning Rongrong asked in confusion.

At those words, Dai Mubai immediately perked up. A trace of reverence appeared on his face as he said, "The Dean has said that it is better to lack than to accept indiscriminately. No matter what, even if Shrek Academy closes down, we will never accept trash. Only monsters. Do you know what the academy's graduation requirements are? We are neither an Intermediate Soul Master Academy nor an Advanced Soul Master Academy, because our requirements differ from both. We only accept students under thirteen, and they must possess extraordinary talent!

The academy's graduation requirement is to surpass level forty before the age of twenty, reaching the level of a Soul Ancestor before one is allowed to graduate."

"The academy has admitted a total of sixty-two students, but only fourteen truly graduated. After those fourteen left the academy, every one of them became a figure who drew the world's attention. The most outstanding among them is now the youngest elder in Spirit Hall, with authority second only to the Pope!

The rest who failed to graduate were either unable to reach level forty before turning twenty or died while hunting soul beasts. The Dean has said that anyone below level forty-one should not go out and embarrass him." By the end, Dai Mubai had clearly become excited, his face filled with worship.

Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong both looked somewhat speechlessly at Dai Mubai, who had been thoroughly brainwashed. From his words, combined with Shrek's admissions advertisement—that one could become an Imperial Viscount upon graduation—

That was right, the academy had not lied.

It had merely switched the concepts around.

"Below level forty-one before the age of twenty, and you can't graduate?!"

Ning Rongrong could not help saying sarcastically, "No wonder your academy dares claim that graduates can become Imperial Viscounts. Indeed, a level forty-one Soul Ancestor at the age of twenty would have no trouble obtaining a title."

In this world, Soul Masters held very high status. High-level Soul Masters in particular were key targets for imperial nobles to recruit. With the rank of a Soul Ancestor, along with the potential these graduating students displayed—reaching the Soul Ancestor level at merely twenty years old—their futures were simply boundless!

An empire that saw the potential in these Soul Masters would definitely be more than willing to grant them a title without land in order to win over such talented Soul Masters.

Therefore, all things considered, it was certain that Shrek Academy's operation was nothing more than using the students' own future rewards, which they were bound to earn anyway, as a favor to curry goodwill.

"You can't put it that way. Without the academy's training, they couldn't possibly have achieved so much..." Dai Mubai, already thoroughly brainwashed, immediately became displeased upon hearing that.

When Dai Mubai began to retort, Ning Rongrong cut him off before he could finish. "Also, you said that among Spirit Hall's graduates, one has already become Spirit Hall's youngest elder, with authority second only to the Pope?"

"Don't you know that every known elder of Spirit Hall today possesses at least the cultivation of a Titled Douluo?" As she said this, the disdain in Ning Rongrong's eyes was practically overflowing.