Zhang Lexuan recovered her composure, and her gaze fell on Dai Yu, the interest in her eyes growing even stronger than before.
This boy had been certain from the very beginning that Huo Yuhao could do it.
Moreover, facing her, he neither humbled himself nor acted overly proud, even carrying a composure that seemed to control the entire situation.
Compared to the talented yet timid-natured Huo Yuhao, this boy named Dai Yu seemed even more unfathomable.
"Of course you can."
Zhang Lexuan smiled slightly, retrieved a black iron token from her storage soul tool, and handed it to Dai Yu:
"This is my token.
Take it, go to the Registration Office, and find a director named Du Weilun. Just say that I recommended you for the Entrance Assessment.
Although the actual combat test is unavoidable, this token can help you skip many tedious preliminary screening steps."
At this, Zhang Lexuan paused, her beautiful eyes shifting as she looked at Dai Yu with a half-smile:
"I've already seen Huo Yuhao's talent.
As for you, little brother.
You haven't told me your martial soul and soul power yet, have you?
To be able to bring such a 'potential stock' to Shrek, I imagine you yourself won't be bad either?"
Dai Yu took the iron token, tossed it casually in his hand, and felt its heavy texture, the smile at the corners of his lips deepening.
Instead of answering directly, he asked in return:
"Since Senior Sister is so curious, why don't you...
Wait until I win the championship at the New Student Assessment, and I'll tell you in person?"
"New Student Assessment Champion?"
Zhang Lexuan was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help bursting into laughter:
"Giggles... Little brother, your ambition is really quite something.
Do you know how many monsters there are among the new students in every generation at Shrek?
However..."
Zhang Lexuan's tone shifted, a trace of appreciation flashing in her eyes:
"I'm looking forward to it."
"In that case, I'll wait for your good news in the Inner Court."
With that, Zhang Lexuan glanced deeply at the two of them, lingered no longer, and turned to walk toward Shrek City.
Until her figure disappeared at the city gates, Huo Yuhao let out a long breath, feeling as if his back had been soaked in cold sweat.
"Yu Ge, you scared me to death...
That senior sister's aura just now was so strong!
Still, she's really nice and even gave us a recommendation token!"
Huo Yuhao looked at the iron token in Dai Yu's hand with an expression of relief.
Dai Yu put away the iron token, looked in the direction Zhang Lexuan had left, and silently calculated the initial binding reward he had just received -- [Spiritual Power +50].
"Nice?"
Dai Yu chuckled lightly and patted Huo Yuhao's shoulder:
"Yuhao, remember this.
In Shrek, there is no such thing as unreasoned goodwill.
She values your worth.
If your soul skill really were trash just now, she would only smile and turn away, not even sparing us a second glance."
"Is... is that so?"
Huo Yuhao nodded, half-understanding.
"Let's go."
Dai Yu took a step forward.
Shrek City.
"Wow... Yu Ge, there are so many people here, and everyone looks so powerful."
Huo Yuhao was like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden, his eyes unable to take it all in as he followed closely behind Dai Yu, afraid of getting lost.
Dai Yu's expression was calm, his gaze sweeping across his surroundings without letting the bustling atmosphere captivate him.
"Shrek City is the holy land in the hearts of soul masters across the entire continent, so it's only natural that it's bustling."
Dai Yu explained casually as he walked:
"Besides, right now is precisely the time for Shrek Academy's admissions. Young geniuses from the Three Empires have all gathered here. How could there not be many people?"
Passing through the streets, they arrived outside the East Gate of Shrek Academy.
It was even more crowded here; thousands of people had gathered outside the huge archway, most of them parents who had brought their children to register.
The noisy discussions and shouts rose one after another, bustling even more than a vegetable market.
Behind that archway stood ten huge statues, which were symbols of Shrek Academy's ten thousand years of glory.
The first generation of the Shrek Seven Devils, as well as the Golden Iron Triangle who laid the foundation for the academy's revival.
Huo Yuhao looked at those statues, an infinite yearning and reverence welling up in his eyes.
Yet Dai Yu's expression remained unchanged.
His gaze toward Tang San carried a slightly odd look.
Then, glancing at Dai Mubai's statue, Dai Yu sighed inwardly.
As fellow members of the Shrek Seven Devils, and even with Dai Mubai initially being 'Boss Dai'.
In the end, after achieving divinity, he completely devolved into a mere background board. Otherwise, he could have at least held his ground against Tang San.
Dai Mubai was merely a Second-Class God of War in the Divine Realm, and Tang San didn't consult him about anything at all. Never mind me; Huo Yuhao, as Dai Mubai's descendant, was still trained like a dog by Tang San.
In the end, you still have to rely on yourself. Fortunately, I bound the Background Suppression System, this heaven-defying cheat.
As for the White Tiger Duke's Mansion?
The White Tiger Duke's Mansion... the Dai Family...
Dai Yu sneered inwardly.
One day, he would step that decadent family under his feet with an absolute, overwhelming posture.
"Yu Ge, there are so many people lining up over there. Should we go line up too?"
Huo Yuhao's voice interrupted Dai Yu's train of thought.
Dai Yu recovered and looked in the direction Huo Yuhao was pointing.
He saw that at the academy entrance, dozens of tables had been set up, with teachers wearing Shrek uniforms sitting behind each table, conducting preliminary bone-age and soul-power tests.
Every single queue formed a long dragon, and judging by this momentum, it might not even be their turn by evening.
"Lining up?"
Dai Yu's lips curved upward slightly as his fingers gently rubbed the cool black iron token in his hand:
"Silly boy, that's a passage prepared for ordinary people.
Since we have this token, we should take the 'privilege' passage."
With that, Dai Yu directly ignored those long queues and led Huo Yuhao straight toward a table at the very front.
Sitting there was a middle-aged teacher who looked to be in his thirties, frowning and impatiently reprimanding a chubby boy who could not release his martial soul due to nervousness.
"Next!
Hurry up!
Stop dawdling!"
The middle-aged teacher waved his hand and was about to call the next number when he noticed two youths walking straight up in front of the table.
"What are you doing?
Don't you know the rules?
Go line up at the back!"
The middle-aged teacher's brows rose, and soul-emperor-level pressure was instantly released, attempting to frighten away these two ignorant gatecrashers.
Huo Yuhao turned pale from this pressure and instinctively took half a step back.
Yet Dai Yu stood motionless, as if that pressure did not exist at all.
With a calm expression, he looked at the teacher and gently placed the black iron token carved with bizarre patterns on the table.
"Teacher, we're here to register."
"If you're registering, go li—"
The middle-aged teacher was about to fly into a rage, but the moment his gaze touched that black iron token, it suddenly froze.
The iron token was pitch-black all over with a special material, and only the pattern of a crescent moon was carved upon it, emitting a faint, chilly aura.
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