Shrek Academy

"Manager Ao, this is bad. Our Great Soul Arena may be facing a terrible calamity."

The smile on Manager Ao's face froze, and Branch Curator Song's ingratiating expression stiffened.

After the man finished speaking, the air fell silent. As though he felt that was not enough, he spoke again.

"Today's spirit battle may plunge our Great Soul Arena into a point of no return. She..."

Bang! Branch Curator Song slammed his fist heavily onto the man's head and snapped furiously.

"What nonsense are you spouting? Manager Ao, don't listen to the servants' nonsense. He's probably just making a mountain out of a molehill."

"No, absolutely not, Branch Curator Song. Something huge has happened!"

"Shut up! We'll talk about it when we get back," Branch Curator Song said viciously.

"What matter requires you to go back to discuss it? Since it concerns the safety of our Great Soul Arena, shouldn't I, as its manager, hear about it?" Manager Ao's expression darkened, his tone dripping with strange sarcasm.

Yet his calm gaze made Branch Curator Song tremble in fear.

"Yes, yes, Manager Ao should indeed hear it. Xiao Wang, hurry up and report to Manager Ao."

"Manager Ao, something terrible has happened. This is what happened..."

And so he explained everything.

As Xiao Wang spoke, Manager Ao's expression grew uglier and uglier, while sweat poured down Branch Curator Song's face. When he heard that Song had promised Fu Hua ninety-nine percent of the profits, Manager Ao's gaze seemed ready to swallow him whole.

Branch Curator Song's intestines were green with regret. Who could have imagined that a passerby who had originally been all alone would turn out to be someone who might have both a powerful background and formidable strength?

If he had known this would happen, why had he acted that way in the first place?

It was all because of his inflated pride. Coupled with his position as branch curator, it had made him more and more arrogant, until he brought this disaster upon himself.

"Song Qingshu, do you have anything else to say?"

Manager Ao's eyes were icy, and rage burned in his heart. A perfectly good genius had been offended by this fool. He had heard a little about the original wager, but a thirty-percent share had not been a major issue. Now, however, all of it had been handed over. That remaining one percent might as well not exist.

This useless fool who ruined everything should never have been allowed in.

"Manager Ao, I... I didn't know it would turn out like this. Who knew she could utterly defeat a level-thirty Soul Elder at level thirty-seven? She must have concealed her level or deliberately suppressed her cultivation."

"Shut up. Don't place your own mistakes on someone else. Do you think I don't know what kind of person you are? I never should have agreed to your father's request and let you in here. Look at the mess you've made."

"Manager Ao, Manager Ao, please save me! If the manager of the Great Soul Arena in the imperial capital finds out, I definitely won't meet a good end. Just... just for my father's sake..."

It would have been better if he had not mentioned his father. The moment he did, Manager Ao's anger flared.

"Your father was at least a formidable figure of his generation. Look at you. You're already forty and still only a Soul Elder, and your cultivation was raised through external means. Low cultivation isn't the issue, but you must learn to judge people properly. Otherwise, one day you may provoke someone you simply cannot afford to offend."

"Manager Ao, Manager Ao, please save me!"

"I can't save you. If this matter isn't handled properly, we'll all be finished."

Manager Ao had no mind to deal with anything else now. He first had to keep the other side placated. Whether she was from a great clan or not, they could not afford to offend her.

"Xiao Wang, go write two letters. Send one to the royal family and one to Spirit Hall. Remember, keep it completely secret. Don't let anyone discover it."

They could only besiege Wei to rescue Zhao now. Let the royal family and Spirit Hall fight each other, preventing the other party from focusing elsewhere. Perhaps that would ease this crisis for them, and they could attempt to remedy things afterward.

By then, she should be too occupied to deal with them.

"Yes," Xiao Wang answered.

Just as he was about to turn and make the preparations, Manager Ao called him back.

"You said she'll come again in three days?"

"Yes. Lord Crimson Kite said so herself."

Manager Ao fell into thought.

"If that's the case, don't rush to write the letters yet. If possible, try your best to win over Crimson Kite. Perhaps we still have room to turn things around."

"Yes."

While Manager Ao and Song Qingshu waited in terror, Fu Hua had already set off for Shrek Academy to take its entrance examination.

Grandpa Sol had said that if she headed south from Suotuo City and kept walking, she would see Shrek Academy. Yet Fu Hua had already walked for two hours without seeing even the slightest sign of an academy. She could not help but wonder whether she had taken the wrong road.

In Fu Hua's mind, Grandpa Sol could never have been wrong. That meant she must have gone the wrong way.

With that thought, Fu Hua silently decided that if she still could not find it, she would go to Heaven Dou Royal Academy instead. There was still a month before its admissions began.

As soon as she made up her mind, Fu Hua slung her backpack over her shoulders again and continued along the country road.

Hundreds of acres of farmland stretched along both sides. From time to time, she could see farmers bent over their work. Insects and birds flitted among the flowers, creating a distinctive pastoral scene that gradually calmed Fu Hua's heart, so accustomed to the bustle of the city.

"The countryside has its own charms. Only by staying away from worldly dust can one see humanity in its purest form."

Martial cultivation placed great importance on one's state of mind. If one's temperament was lacking, then even if one mastered martial arts, it would only be superficial.

If Fu Hua had to choose between the city and the countryside, she would choose the countryside without hesitation.

"Hmm? What's that?"

Three hundred meters ahead of Fu Hua, a long queue had formed. There were quite a few boys and girls around twelve or thirteen years old among them, waiting with their parents for something.

Branch Curator Sol had wanted to accompany Fu Hua, but she had refused him outright. After all, Sol was already so old, and a long journey would not be good for his health.

Turning her gaze back ahead, she saw an old man seated beside a worn desk and chair. His aura was powerful, steady, and restrained. From time to time, sharp glints flashed through his half-lidded eyes.

His presence was more imposing than that of anyone Fu Hua had seen at the Great Soul Arena.

"Not simple."

Even a mere gatekeeper possessed such an aura. This place was definitely not simple. Looking past him again, she saw a piece of agarwood steeped in history hanging at the village entrance.

The words on it read: Shrek Academy.

Beside it was a strange green monster emblem that looked very much like a slime.

Fences surrounded the village entrance, while mud houses and thatched cottages stood within. It was a standard rural scene. If this was supposed to be an academy, perhaps only the sign hanging at the entrance told Fu Hua that this was the Shrek Academy she had been seeking.

"Today, I've finally met a headmaster who is even worse at running an academy than Headmaster Theresa."

Fu Hua remembered one time when, due to the academy's funding problems—supposedly because Theresa had spent all the money on Homu comics and figurines, leaving none for summer break—Headmaster Theresa had asked Kiana and the others to join a reality show called "Homu Rush Adventure."

In the end, their boat had capsized at sea, and they had drifted to some deserted island with Captain, who had appeared for some unknown reason. If not for Captain's courage and resourcefulness, along with Mei and the others' help, they would likely have spent the entire summer on that island.

And now, she had encountered a headmaster even more hopeless than Theresa. Fu Hua felt deeply worried about her future academy life.

Should I just go to Heaven Dou Royal Academy instead? Fu Hua thought.

But then Branch Curator Sol's face suddenly appeared in her mind, and her wavering heart firmed once more.

Even if it's for Grandpa Sol, I have to at least give it a try. Retreating before a battle is not my style.

At the entrance to Shrek Academy, the long queue before the teacher in charge of the first examination remained. However, whispers and murmurs occasionally drifted through the crowd. Most were expressing disbelief that this bizarre-looking place could possibly be an academy.

With doubtful attitudes, they waited for the examination.

Since it was an examination, there would naturally be those who failed. Such a scene unfolded near the front of the queue.

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

Beside the worn chair stood something resembling a donation box. Every boy and girl taking the first-round examination had to place ten gold coins inside, and there was only an entrance, never an exit.

After the boy's father dropped ten gold coins into the box, the old man spoke again.

"Hold out one hand."

The boy obediently extended his hand before the old man. The old man pinched it twice, then shook his head.

"You do not meet the age requirement. You may leave."

The boy was clearly stunned by those words and turned helplessly toward his father.

His father hurriedly forced a smile. "Teacher, my son only just turned thirteen. Could you perhaps make an exception?"

The old man said impatiently, "Don't hold up the people behind you. Don't you know the academy's rules? We only accept children under thirteen. Anyone over thirteen will not be accepted. You may leave."

"Then what about our registration fee..."

"Once registered, there are no refunds."

As expected, Fu Hua watched the scene without surprise. That box alone was enough to explain everything.

Yet the boy's father could not hold back his anger. "You're clearly cheating people out of money! Return our registration fee, or we won't leave! If we'd known this so-called Shrek Academy was such a dump, we never would have come!"

The old man merely glanced at him indifferently, then said to a boy behind him, "Mubai, someone wants his registration fee back. Handle it."

A figure suddenly sprang up from the ground nearby.

"You can have your registration fee back if you want. Beat me, and you'll get all of it back."

The figure had shoulder-length golden hair, like a crouching lion. His heterochromatic pupils seemed to contain endless icy glimmers. A blue-purple bruise on his youthful face marred his handsome features.

Fu Hua was surprised. It was him.

This person was Dai Mubai, the level-thirty-seven Soul Elder who had fought Fu Hua at the Great Soul Arena. She had not expected him to be a student of Shrek Academy.

Still, Fu Hua soon understood. After all, where else in Suotuo City could there be such a young Soul Elder besides Shrek Academy, which specialized in taking in monsters?

Having fought Dai Mubai head-on, Fu Hua naturally knew his strength best. At the very least, among all the young people present, he was absolutely one of the strongest.

The power of a level-thirty-seven Soul Elder was released without hesitation, instantly changing the expressions of the father and son. Even the whispers within the queue diminished significantly.

Shrek Academy's admission requirements were harsh, and its graduation requirements were even harsher.

As long as one was under thirteen—not including thirteen—and had reached level twenty-one in Soul Power, one could basically pass the first-round examination. When the old man announced this, the number of people in the queue noticeably decreased.

Incidentally, the old man's strength was that of a Soul Emperor above level sixty.

The queue of over a hundred people instantly shrank to twelve. Among them, the only person who surprised the old man was a girl. However, several people stood between her and Fu Hua, so Fu Hua could not clearly see her.

The subsequent tests proceeded normally. During that time, Dai Mubai led a boy and a girl into the inner academy. They appeared to know each other. When it was finally Fu Hua's turn, Dai Mubai suddenly reappeared anxiously at the village entrance.

His heterochromatic eyes were fixed tightly on the girl standing in front of Fu Hua.

Fu Hua did not know what the girl looked like, but judging from her back alone, she was undoubtedly a beauty. Even from behind, Fu Hua could sense her magnificent figure.

Her front must have been no less impressive.

"Ten Gold Soul Coins."

"Alright."

"Hold out your hand."

The old man's callused right hand pinched Fu Hua's palm. He was checking her bone age. Human bones differed at every stage of life, so testing age through bone structure was the most accurate method.

Most sects and academies used this method to determine age. However, Fu Hua's circumstances were unusual, and she did not know whether she could pass.

The old man nodded. "Your bone age is suitable. Release your martial soul."

Rather than a martial soul, Fu Hua's martial soul was more accurately the equipment she had used as a Valkyrie.

She extended her right hand. A golden gleam spilled from her palm, and a Golden Sword filled with sharp, treasure-like brilliance appeared.

Xuanyuan Sword, the Tenth Divine Key of the previous civilization era—the Key of Domination.

Only two remained in the present day. One was Fu Hua's Tai Xu's Grip, and the other was Ji Lin's Xuanyuan Sword. As for the one in Fu Hua's hand, it was an existence that could shift between two forms.

Sword Form—Xuanyuan Sword.

It could absorb Soul Power and transform it into natural forces such as flames, lightning, and frost to injure enemies. It possessed six types of natural elemental attacks on its own, which could be activated at the right moment.

It also came with various negative effects, such as burning, paralysis, and slowing, along with the Xuanyuan Sword's passive ability.

Xuanyuan Guard. When attacked, it would randomly select a target and fire two spectral Xuanyuan Swords. They ignored defense, pierced through targets, and carried a knockback effect, dealing damage that could not be ignored.

Fist Form—Tai Xu's Grip.

It had two skills: Wuji and Yin Yang.

Wuji could be considered an enhancement to Tai Xu's Grip's innate attributes. As long as it was worn on the hand, it directly increased attack power by six percent.

Yin Yang was a summoning-type skill. By consuming a certain amount of Soul Power, it could summon three spectral Xuanyuan Swords that locked onto the enemy and inflicted a burning effect. If they were not cleared in time, they would affect the entire battle.

Whether in sword form or fist form, each form provided an extremely powerful boost, to the point that Fu Hua's own strength might be directly overlooked.

Of course, the old man did not know any of this. Only when they were truly used against an enemy would their terrifying nature be fully felt.

PS: There are some slight differences from the settings in Soul Land 1. Just treat them as this book's settings. If that doesn't work, just consider them plot holes. Some may be addressed later, while others will probably be forgotten. Yep, it's that simple.