"Teacher, that can't be right, can it? We came to take the entrance test, and not only do we not have to pay, we can even receive money?"
A student's parent standing near the front of the registration line scratched his ear, as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard.
"Shrek Academy has been around for twenty years since its founding and has cultivated countless outstanding and powerful Soul Masters. Naturally, we wouldn't lie."
A middle-aged man slowly emerged from Shrek Academy. He looked to be around fifty years old, with a tall build and a very distinctive face.
His chin protruded slightly forward, his cheekbones were broad, his face was flat, and he even had a slightly hooked nose. He looked somewhat like a shoe insole with a hook attached to it.
The middle-aged man wore a pair of black-framed crystal glasses. The frames were rigid and square, giving him an odd appearance.
"Dean!" Li Yusong and Dai Mubai said respectfully in unison.
The person who had arrived was none other than Shrek Academy's dean, Flender.
He waved at the parents and students registering around him and said with a smile, "The academy is selecting talent for the Soul Master world. We absolutely won't begrudge the money or effort."
"Besides, I've always had a wish to do charity. This time, I happen to be fulfilling that wish."
Shen He, standing to the side, sucked his teeth repeatedly. In the original story, Flender was practically known as an iron rooster and a miserly cat. His defining trait was that he never gave away a single cent!
Yet under the system's influence, Flender had actually been turned into a charity ambassador. The Rule System's ability was truly impressive!
[Host, I need to clarify something with you. The system's power also has its limitations.] [As for altering matter—for example, turning a piece of raw meat into roasted meat, or turning ten Gold Soul Coins into ten thousand—the system can currently do that.] [However, mental influence is different. For example, making Flender distribute Gold Soul Coins to the students taking the entrance test, as he is doing now, will only have a temporary effect.] [Once the system's influence disappears, he will regain his senses. The duration of the effect is related to the system's level.]
Shen He rubbed his chin. "What about the money he gives away?"
[That's really gone.]
Shen He: "..."
Brilliant! The most painful thing in life was being alive while having no money left!
Thinking of this, Shen He raised his voice and called out to Flender from afar, "If we fail the test, do we have to return these ten Gold Soul Coins to you?"
The students and parents gathered around couldn't help laughing when they heard this. The young man was handsome, but he certainly was greedy.
You hadn't even passed Shrek Academy's entrance test, yet you wanted to keep the Gold Soul Coins they handed out? How thick-skinned could you be?
However, Flender's eyebrows suddenly shot up, and he shouted angrily, "You try returning them! If you dare return them, I'll fight you to the death!"
"Doing charity is this dean's lifelong dream. Whoever dares stop me, I'll make trouble for them!"
"I swear on the martial souls of all the teachers and students of Shrek Academy that once the ten Gold Soul Coins are in your hands, they belong to you. I absolutely won't ask you to return them!"
"Anyone who brings up returning the money again had better watch out, or I'll bite your toes!"
The students and parents who had come to register were stunned. Then they immediately burst into enthusiastic applause.
What a great philanthropist! A truly rare great philanthropist!
It was just that this great philanthropist's mental state seemed a little worrying. Still, that was understandable. What normal person dreamed of doing charity every day?
Flender held his head high, so pleased by the applause and praise that his thing was practically standing at attention.
Shen He also applauded vigorously. Good! Now it was set in stone!
With the martial souls of the entire academy's teachers and students as his witness, even if Flender threw away the last shred of his dignity, there was no way he could ask for the money back.
Shen He was also a reader of the four-part Douluo Continent series. He had long found Shrek Academy's ridiculous entrance test full of questionable points.
Ten Gold Soul Coins as a registration fee—were the fees at even the famous Soul Master academies really that high?
The most outrageous part was that the fee wasn't refunded if applicants failed the test. Wasn't that blatantly setting a trap for these commoner Soul Masters and taking advantage of the fact that they had no power or influence?
Their parents had scrimped and saved to gather ten Gold Soul Coins, only to travel to this broken academy in this broken village and have their money swindled away.
Only Shrek Academy could pull off something so utterly devoid of a moral bottom line. They truly had no shame at all.
"Third Brother, I've been standing for so long. My feet hurt!"
Xiao Wu moved her ankle and said with a pitiful frown.
"Then I'll carry you for a while, Xiao Wu," Tang San said with concern.
"No, Third Brother, you're already very tired too. How could I trouble you again?" Xiao Wu shook her head "strongly."
"Giegie cares about me this much. Your little sister is already very happy."
Shen He grimaced when he heard that. Good grief, had this old rabbit spirit survived for a hundred thousand years by eating nothing but green tea?
No wonder even someone as shameless and bottomless as Tang San had been thoroughly manipulated by her. She really was an expert!
Tang San looked at Xiao Wu's slightly furrowed brows and hesitated before taking two steps forward.
His gaze swept around the area before landing on Shen He.
"Fellow student, can we stand in front of you?"
Tang San sounded as if he were asking, but his words carried an arrogant air that brooked no refusal.
Before coming here, Great Master Yu had already told him that Shrek Academy's dean was his longtime friend. Tang San was as welcome here as if he were coming home.
Moreover, the day before, he had defeated Dai Mubai, a Soul Elder-level opponent, at the Rose Hotel in Suotuo City, which had greatly boosted his confidence.
Shen He had no parents accompanying him, and his build looked so frail that he was obviously a weakling. If he didn't take this person's place, then whose would he take?
Just as Tang San had expected, Shen He was very easygoing. He nodded and agreed immediately.
What he hadn't expected was that Shen He agreed not because he was timid, but because he wanted to use Tang San to test the system's effects.
Most of the students ahead of Shen He didn't meet the entrance requirements, yet every one of them happily accepted ten Gold Soul Coins and left.
Ten Gold Soul Coins were enough to cover a family of three's expenses for an entire year. Who wouldn't be happy to receive money for free?
When it was Tang San and Xiao Wu's turn, Xiao Wu stepped forward first and extended her jade-white hand.
Since they didn't have enough money on hand, Flender had sent Li Yusong to Suotuo City with his card to withdraw some. Thus, Flender was handling the tests for now.
Flender extended his hand, kneaded Xiao Wu's palm and wrist respectively, and nodded. "Not bad. You passed."
Tang San watched with a cold gleam flashing in his eyes. How dare he touch Xiao Wu's little rabbit paws? He was practically begging to die!
He stepped forward and extended his hand toward Flender, saying coldly, "My turn."
Flender glanced at the unremarkable Tang San and frowned.
Are you out of your mind? I'm recruiting students and doing charity, and you still dare treat me like this?
Being ugly would be one thing, but you're acting so cocky too? Just watch me crush you!
However, when Flender placed his hand on Tang San's palm, his brows furrowed.
Tang San had practiced the Tang Sect's secret technique, the Mysterious Jade Hand, from a young age. Even without circulating Soul Power, the bones in his palms differed from those of ordinary people, so Flender couldn't feel his bone age.
[The bones in Tang San's palm cannot be used to determine his bone age, so Flender decides to feel Tang San's legs.]
Seeing this line of narration, Shen He chuckled and changed "legs" to "butt."
Flender smacked his lips and frowned. "That's strange. How can I not feel it?"
"Hey, you. Undo your pants and turn around so I can feel you!"
Tang San: ???
"Teacher, do you mean you want to feel the bones in my thighs?" Tang San's face flushed as he asked doubtfully. "But I remember that feeling the bones in the lower leg can also determine bone age, right?"
"Oh, your face is turning red?" Flender revealed a sinister smile. "I see you really don't understand at all."
"Jie jie jie, if you don't behave, I'll have to do it myself."
Tang San's expression changed drastically when he heard this. Frightened, he backed away step by step, shaking his head repeatedly in panic.
"No, Teacher, don't do that!"
"Jie-ge, don't! Jie-ge!"
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