Can a Mere Chicken Dare Vie with a Divine Bird?

In the original timeline, Dai Mubai had personally said that in the twenty years since Shrek Academy opened, it had enrolled a total of over sixty students, and only a dozen or so had graduated normally.

Shrek Academy never helped its students with Soul Hunting. Of the fifty-some who had failed to graduate, most had likely died during Soul Hunting or suffered severe injuries that left them unable to continue cultivating!

Wu Qi knew that having a Soul Power Level above twenty-one before the age of thirteen was merely a prerequisite. There were still two further entrance tests afterward.

In short, to pass those trials, one needed at least level twenty-five Soul Power and Innate Soul Power of at least level seven.

What a pity for those fifty-some geniuses with Innate Soul Power above level seven. Shrek Academy had ruined them.

Their teaching model was no different from raising poisonous insects in a jar.

They left the students to fend for themselves and hunt souls alone. Those who survived would naturally be top-tier geniuses.

Once they graduated, their future achievements would all become Shrek Academy's credit.

Conversely, those who failed to graduate were mediocrities in their eyes!

If they could not even hunt souls on their own, were they worthy of being Shrek Academy students?

Every Advanced Soul Master Academy on the continent encouraged students to hunt souls independently, but the premise was that the students could form groups on their own and cooperate during Soul Hunting—not face the Soul Beasts in the forest alone.

The teachers did not simply leave them unattended. They watched from the shadows at all times to prevent accidents.

But what about Shrek Academy? It had so few students in total that it could not even form a proper team. Moreover, its teachers did not secretly protect the students either.

Such an academy was a disgrace to Soul Master education. No wonder the Balak Kingdom Ministry of Education refused to approve it.

Looking to the future, Shrek Academy was undoubtedly a den of rebels in Spirit Hall's eyes.

People like Oscar and Ma Hongjun had received so many Soul Master subsidies from Spirit Hall, only to become the vanguard against it in the end!

Setting those thoughts aside, Wu Qi looked out the window.

He could almost foresee that this trip to Suotuo City would be exceptionally exciting!

Shrek Academy was about to begin its term, and the Shrek Seven Devils would gather there as well.

Elsewhere in Suotuo City.

Ning Rongrong wandered through the city in boredom.

After seeing the sights within the city, she could not help muttering, "Suotuo City isn't as good as the rumors make it out to be."

The only thing that could pique her interest was probably Shrek Academy.

With the school term approaching, many people in the city were discussing how many students Shrek Academy would recruit this year.

Ning Rongrong was extremely confident about it. She possessed the top-tier Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul and Innate Soul Power as high as level nine.

If she still could not join Shrek Academy with such qualifications, then the problem would not be hers.

Xue Qinghe had said that Wu Qi and the other boy had come to Suotuo City to carry out a mission. She had searched for so long, yet had not seen any trace of them.

At the same time, another possibility occurred to her.

Wu Qi and the other boy were not very old. Had they come to Suotuo City at this time to join Shrek Academy as well?

If that was the case, they would be classmates in the future and could see each other every day.

Lost in her imaginings, she arrived at a restaurant with local specialties.

As Ning Fengzhi's beloved daughter, she had never lacked food or drink since childhood, but that did not mean she had tasted every delicacy on the continent.

Filled with curiosity, Ning Rongrong walked inside.

At the same time, Wu Qi and Qiangu Changkong happened to pass by from across the street.

"Say, does this place really have shops that sell Soul Tools?" Qiangu Changkong was skeptical.

The shop Wu Qi had mentioned was Flender's shop.

The main purpose of this trip was to buy the Banjing Fajin.

Showing mercy to an enemy was being cruel to oneself. Taking away the Banjing Fajin would indirectly weaken Tang San's overall strength.

Later, during his clash with Zhao Wuji, he would probably only lose even more miserably. But what did that have to do with Wu Qi?

As they spoke, the two arrived before a shop without a signboard.

Wu Qi had already noticed the place when they entered the city.

Earlier, they had been busy finding lodging and obtaining their Soul Fighting Badges, so they had not had time to come over.

Inside, the decor was old-fashioned and simple. In other words, there was practically no decoration at all—only a few shelves casually placed around.

The objects on the shelves emitted faint Soul Power fluctuations. As Soul Masters, they were exceptionally sensitive to such Aura.

"There really are Soul Tools here."

Qiangu Changkong found it novel and kept searching through the shelves for things that caught his eye.

Normally, Soul Tools would only appear at Auction Houses or high-end malls.

The Qian Family had produced two consecrated elders. Though the family was wealthy, the allowance Qiangu Changkong received was pitifully small.

Seeing such a large number of Soul Tools outside those places for the first time, how could he not be curious?

The shop was not large. With a turn of his head, Wu Qi saw a hawk-nosed man lying in a chair behind the counter.

Flender's Martial Soul was the Cat Eagle, and his perception was extremely sharp. No slight movement within the shop could escape him.

Wu Qi withdrew his gaze and began searching the lower shelves for something.

Flender was a profiteer. If he noticed any curiosity toward an item, he would definitely ask an outrageous price.

The man could sense his expressions and movements, but could he sense his thoughts?

As he searched, he also kept an eye out for the Banjing Fajin, though he did not show much interest in it.

Before long, he noticed a stone casually placed in the corner by the wall.

At the same time, a voice came from outside the shop. "Teacher, are you in the shop?"

The voice drew closer, and a round-bodied youth appeared at the entrance.

"Nice. Someone actually dares steal while Teacher isn't around!" The youth crossed his arms over his chest and shouted.

"Are you talking to us?" Qiangu Changkong looked around, but saw no one else.

Wu Qi turned his head and found that, at some point, Flender had already left the shop.

Well then. They had been mistaken for thieves.

"If not you two, then me?"

The youth had a fiery temper. As he spoke, a Martial Soul radiating flames emerged behind him.

"A top-tier Martial Soul!?" Qiangu Changkong was startled at first, then could not help laughing. "I thought it was a phoenix, but it turned out to be nothing more than a chicken set on fire. So, when are you turning into roast chicken?"

Just as I thought.

He called Flender Teacher and possessed a phoenix Martial Soul. He had to be Ma Hongjun.

Both had Flying Beast Type Martial Souls, and Wu Qi could easily sense that the other's bloodline was impure and fundamentally riddled with enormous flaws.

"You're courting death!" Ma Hongjun flew into a rage.

The thieves were still acting so arrogantly. Did they think he was made of dough?

"First Soul Skill, Phoenix Fire Line."

Soul Power gathered in his mouth before he spat out a stream of flames.

Qiangu Changkong was eager to give it a try, but Wu Qi stepped in front of him.

How could a mere chicken dare vie in splendor with a Divine Bird?

The Qing Luan Martial Soul appeared, its cries ringing without end.

As the Martial Soul flapped its wings, the surrounding air churned and formed a wall of wind.

No matter how Ma Hongjun increased his Soul Power output, his flames could never cross that wind wall!