The Dilapidated Shrek Academy

After returning to his room, Zhao Xiaotian took a sip of water to calm himself down. He patted his chest lightly and said, "It's fine, it's fine! I won't have to see that little girl tomorrow!"

Night soon fell. After dinner, Zhao Xiaotian lay on his bed reading, while the pair of pure gold-rimmed glasses he had bought during the day sat on the bedside table.

In the dilapidated village on the other side, there was a wooden archway engraved with several large words: "Shrek Academy." A middle-aged man wearing crystal glasses stood beneath it.

Beside him stood a burly man a head shorter than him. Dai Mubai, who had rudely attacked Zhao Xiaotian during the day, limped over from the distance.

Seeing this, Flender rushed forward. "Mubai, what happened to you?"

Clutching his stomach, Dai Mubai said, "Nothing! I was just kicked flying by some pretty boy today."

"What? Someone actually dared to attack a Shrek student? Mubai, tell me where he is, and I'll go destroy him right now!"

Dai Mubai said, "Teacher Zhao, admissions start tomorrow. That pretty boy looked only a few years younger than me, about Xiao Ao's age. I'm guessing he'll come to Shrek Academy."

Flender's face darkened. "Good! If he really comes, Old Zhao, you can have some fun with him yourself."

Zhao Wuji nodded and cracked his knuckles. "Understood!"

Early the next morning, Zhao Xiaotian checked out of the Rose Hotel wearing his pure gold-rimmed glasses. Tang San and Xiao Wu also came over to check out, and the three of them met.

Zhao Xiaotian greeted them politely. "Hello!"

Tang San nodded. "Hello! Are you checking out too?"

Zhao Xiaotian nodded. "That's right! I haven't stayed here for long either. I heard there's an academy called Shrek around here that specializes in taking in monsters, so I wanted to take a look."

Upon hearing that, Xiao Wu suddenly jumped in front of Zhao Xiaotian, blinking her big eyes. "You're going to Shrek Academy too? So are we. Why don't we go together?"

Xiao Wu's sudden move startled Zhao Xiaotian a little. Tang San quickly pulled her back. "Sorry! My sister has always been like this."

Zhao Xiaotian nodded to show that it was fine. He did not make much of it, but he still agreed to go to Shrek Academy with Xiao Wu.

Before long, they arrived at a ramshackle village. From afar, they could see an archway beside it. Zhao Xiaotian pointed at it and said, "That should be Shrek. Let's head over together."

Just as Zhao Xiaotian finished speaking, Ning Rongrong suddenly jumped out. "Hey! I'm back!"

Zhao Xiaotian ignored her. He had long known that Ning Rongrong had been following them, so he said nothing more. The four of them lined up outside Shrek Academy to register.

Dai Mubai was currently sitting in a tree. If anyone caused trouble, he would jump down without hesitation and release his Soul Rings to intimidate them. After all, there were not many Soul Masters in the nearby villages who could rival him.

Behind Zhao Xiaotian, Tang San, and the other two stood a girl in tight black leather. Her eyes were fixed on the figure in the white suit up in the tree, her gaze icy.

Yesterday, outside the Rose Hotel, she had seen Dai Mubai surrounded by girls on both sides. From then on, she had begun to despise everything Dai Mubai did.

"Teacher, my son only turned thirteen yesterday. Could you make an exception?"

The elderly man sitting outside the gate said, "Your son doesn't meet the age requirement. Even if his Soul Power has reached level twenty-two, he still falls outside Shrek's admission standards."

"Fine! Then give us back the registration fee!"

The old man smiled. "Mubai, someone wants their registration fee back. Handle it."

Dai Mubai smiled slightly, jumped down from the tree, and released two yellow and one purple Soul Rings. "You can have your registration fee back if you want! Beat me, and you'll get every last coin back!"

After seeing Dai Mubai's Soul Rings, the father who had wanted his fee returned left with his child. Before leaving, he did not forget to mutter, "What a trash academy. It's such a dump, yet the registration fee is so expensive!"

Seeing this, Zhao Xiaotian also revealed an Evil God smile. Xiao Wu, meanwhile, whispered to Tang San, "Why is this academy like this?"

Though Xiao Wu spoke softly, the old man handling admissions outside the gate still heard her. At that moment, the elderly man stood up, released his martial soul, the Dragon Pattern Stick, and six Soul Rings: white, yellow, purple, purple, black, black.

Everyone who wanted to register widened their eyes at the sight. The old man said, "My name is Li Yusong. My martial soul is the Dragon Pattern Stick. I am a level sixty-two assault-type War Soul Emperor."

After a pause, Li Yusong continued, "Let me say this once more! Shrek only accepts students who are twelve years old and above level twenty in Soul Power. If your age or Soul Power does not meet the requirements, coming here will only waste your registration fee. And the name Shrek did not come from nowhere. Not just anyone can use that name. Shrek means monster, an exceptionally powerful existence even among soul beasts. Shrek has never accepted ordinary people. We only accept monsters among ordinary people!"

After hearing this, more than half the originally long registration line left. It was soon Zhao Xiaotian, Tang San, and the others' turn to register.

Li Yusong sat back down in his chair. "The registration fee is ten Gold Soul Coins!"

Tang San nodded and was just about to put down the Gold Soul Coins when Ning Rongrong beat him to it, placing forty Gold Soul Coins on the table. Tang San looked at Ning Rongrong in confusion.

Ning Rongrong waved her hand. "Oh, come on! You're friends with handsome guys. Consider it a treat from your future sister-in-law."

Zhao Xiaotian's face darkened a little, but he still said nothing. Having someone pay for you was a good thing, after all, even though Zhao Xiaotian did not like Ning Rongrong at all.

Li Yusong had the four of them release their martial souls and Soul Rings. Tang San nodded, releasing his Blue Silver Grass, two yellow Soul Rings, and the Soul Power fluctuation of level twenty-nine.

"Tang San, martial soul Blue Silver Grass, level twenty-nine Control System Soul Grandmaster!"

"Xiao Wu, martial soul Soft Bone Rabbit, level twenty-nine assault-type Soul Grandmaster!"

"Ning Rongrong, martial soul Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda, level twenty-four support-type Soul Grandmaster!"

Upon seeing Ning Rongrong's martial soul, Li Yusong stood up. "Does your family know you came here?"

Ning Rongrong smiled. "They say education should be open to all. With my Soul Power, you have no reason not to accept me, right?"

Li Yusong laughed. "Hahaha! Indeed!"

After saying that, Li Yusong shifted his gaze to Zhao Xiaotian's face. Zhao Xiaotian nodded slightly and secretly activated his Fantasy Spirit Bone.

"Zhao Xiaotian, martial soul Yin Yang Fish, level forty-five Control System War Soul Sect!"

Li Yusong nodded and took a sip of water. "A level forty-five War Soul Sect? Not bad!"

"Wait? Level forty-five?"

Li Yusong sprayed a mouthful of water at Zhao Xiaotian. Fortunately, Zhao Xiaotian was able to condense Spirit Energy to shield himself. Otherwise, that mouthful of bad-breathed water might have made him explode on the spot.

"Kid, are you really twelve?"

Zhao Xiaotian said disdainfully, "Do you want to test my bone age?"

Li Yusong walked over, pinched his wrist and lower leg, and finally confirmed Zhao Xiaotian's age. He nodded. "Mm! You really are twelve!"

Li Yusong then had Zhao Xiaotian release his Soul Rings, because he needed to confirm whether Zhao Xiaotian's Soul Ring configuration was optimal.

Zhao Xiaotian extended one finger and lightly pointed downward. Two yellow and two purple Soul Rings appeared beneath his feet. These Soul Rings were an illusion technique, a skill of Zhao Xiaotian's spirit bone that had arisen when his spirit bone suddenly mutated after he absorbed the Mirror Shadow Beast's Soul Ring.

The leather-clad girl still waiting in line had already fixed her gaze on Zhao Xiaotian. She had begun to develop a strong interest in him.

Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong all stared wide-eyed at Zhao Xiaotian as he withdrew his martial soul and Soul Rings. Dai Mubai, standing nearby, was so frightened that his legs went weak as he slowly backed away.

Zhao Xiaotian paid no attention to it and asked, "Am I good enough for your academy?"

Li Yusong laughed. "Hahaha! Of course, of course you are. Mubai, take them inside!"

Dai Mubai calmed himself a little upon hearing this. After all, Flender and Zhao Wuji, two Soul Sages, stood behind him. Even if he could not defeat Zhao Xiaotian, the Soul Sages behind him would support him.

Dai Mubai waved his hand. "Come on! I'll take you inside."

Zhao Xiaotian wore a gentle smile as he led the other three after Dai Mubai through the academy gate, when the leather-clad girl called out to them.

"Wait!"