Ma Xiaotao

In the east of Douluo Dalu.

Lima Plain.

A city built in a traditional ancient style sat upon the plain, occupying a vast area. Thick city walls extended to both sides, and the three large characters "Shrek" on the gate tower were written with bold, sweeping strokes, exuding a sharp, piercing aura.

Looking at the map, Shrek Academy was located in the southeast of the Heaven Dou Empire. To its southeast lay the Star Dou Forest, to the east was the Douling Empire, and to the south was the Star Luo Empire. It could be said to be at the core intersection of the three great empires.

On Douluo Dalu, Shrek City was one of the premier major cities, home to over two million residents.

Because it was situated at the core intersection of the three nations and maintained excellent public order, it was also the most important commercial hub where the three nations met.

Shrek Academy held sole governing authority over this city and was not required to pay taxes to any nation.

Shrek Academy was not located in the center of Shrek City, but rather in the eastern part, as this side faced the direction of the Star Dou Forest.

The south, west, and north gates of Shrek City were open for anyone to enter and exit, but the east gate was reserved exclusively for Shrek Academy.

However, the east gate was exceptionally lively at this moment. At least five thousand people had gathered outside, forming a long queue. Today was the day of Shrek's annual entrance examination.

At the front of one of the long lines, a female student with an ordinary appearance sat hunched over a desk, registering information for the entrance exam one by one, appearing exceptionally busy.

As a shadow fell over her, she organized the previous person's information and said without looking up, "Give me your recommendation letter."

That's right, to join Shrek, one needed at least a recommendation letter from a main-city-level official. As for those without one, why were they even here?

Of course, if one's talent was enough to alarm the upper echelons of Shrek, that would be a different story.

An envelope was handed over. The fair, white hand holding the envelope looked crystal clear under the sunlight.

After verifying its authenticity, the female student tossed the recommendation letter into the wooden box behind her and continued to say, still looking down:

"Name?"

"Ma Xiaotao."

"Age?"

"Eleven."

"Martial Soul?"

"Evil Fire Phoenix."

The female student's hand, which had been writing, suddenly paused. As a student of Shrek, she naturally knew of this Martial Soul—or rather, the vast majority of people did. After all, Ma Hongjun, one of the original Shrek Seven Devils, had started with this very Martial Soul. That was a figure who had ascended to godhood.

She looked up in astonishment. Before her stood a girl in a red dress with a pointed chin, pale pink eyes that gave off a soul-stirring feeling, and long, wine-red wavy hair draped behind her.

Although she was only eleven, her figure beneath the red dress already appeared quite developed, especially her chest, which was somewhat exaggerated compared to her peers, drawing attention. Coupled with her slender waist, a rich aura of youth rushed toward her.

The female student glanced enviously at Ma Xiaotao's face and chest, then said with some curiosity:

"Test your soul power. We need to prevent anyone from cheating or swapping candidates."

A blue crystal ball was placed on the table. Ma Xiaotao placed her palm on it, and instantly, a brilliant blue light erupted.

"Level thirty-one?!"

The surrounding crowd grew even more clamorous.

The female student's mouth hung open, so shocked she forgot to register the result.

"Is this enough?"

A slightly cold voice rang out. The female student finally snapped back to reality and hurriedly said, "Yes, yes, it's enough. You can go straight in. There are a few more exams behind this, but you will definitely pass."

Ma Xiaotao nodded and turned to enter the city.

Meanwhile, among the surrounding crowd, a figure shrouded in a black robe kept their eyes fixed on the girl in the red dress until she disappeared from sight.

Inside Shrek Academy.

Sea God Island.

There were many buildings on Sea God Island, but only one was the tallest and most magnificent: the Sea God Pavilion, located at the heart of the island. The Sea God Pavilion had six stories above ground, each over ten meters high, making it extremely grand.

Whenever Shrek Academy had a major event, a meeting would be held in the Sea God Pavilion; this was the highest-level meeting of Shrek Academy.

At this moment, the main conference hall of the Sea God Pavilion was silent.

Ten people sat around an oval long table. At the head of the table, in the innermost position, sat a reclining chair. The area where the chair was located was quite dim, and one could only vaguely see a person lying back on it.

"Since everyone has arrived, let us begin the meeting."

A gentle voice rang out, and Mu En, lying on the reclining chair, swayed slightly.

"I won't waste time with unnecessary words. The main purpose of this meeting concerns the Sun Moon Empire, Soul Guidance Devices, and Evil Soul Masters."

Following this, Mu En recounted his recent experiences in the Sun Moon Empire.

Listening to Mu En's description, the conference hall fell into a heavy atmosphere. Even Xuanzi, who had been eating chicken legs and drinking wine quite leisurely, stopped, his expression grave.

"Therefore, in the face of the wars constantly initiated by the Sun Moon Empire, as well as those Evil Soul Masters hiding in the shadows, please share your thoughts."

After Mu En finished speaking, the scene fell into silence. No one spoke; clearly, they were all shocked, digesting the content and pondering what they should say.

"I believe the most urgent priority is to force the Sun Moon Empire to halt its war efforts!"

"That's right, too many people have died in this war. It must stop; doing so will also indirectly curb the growth of those Evil Soul Masters."

"But as an academy, is it really appropriate for us to rashly intervene in the war?"

"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. As the number one academy on the continent, it is our duty to maintain peace!"

"But a war cannot be stopped just because we want it to. We should prioritize suppressing those Evil Soul Masters first, to prevent them from growing any stronger."

"Can you even find those Evil Soul Masters?"

The people present voiced their own opinions, arguing until their faces were red and spittle was flying, yet they could not reach a unified conclusion.

"Alright, let me share my thoughts," Mu En said helplessly.

The meeting hall, which had been as noisy as a vegetable market just a moment ago, immediately fell silent as everyone sat up straight to listen to Mu En.

"As an academy, we hold a special status. Unless absolutely necessary, we should not easily involve ourselves in the war, otherwise, it is highly likely to trigger a full-scale outbreak of the conflict prematurely. Let us shelve that for now.

Evil Soul Masters must certainly be suppressed. Starting today, the Shrek Inspectorate will increase its manpower, especially within the borders of the Sun Moon Empire. Search carefully, and once any Evil Soul Masters are discovered, report it immediately.

Furthermore, the academy's resources will be appropriately tilted toward the Soul Guidance Department. I know many of you have reservations about Soul Guidance Devices. Although the top-tier combat power currently remains with Soul Masters, it cannot be denied that the future world belongs to Soul Guidance Devices. We must not let the past glory of Soul Masters blind us, causing us to become stagnant and left behind by the era.

Let's leave it at that for now. Does anyone have any objections?"

Yan Shaozhe, as the Dean of the Martial Soul Department, opened his mouth after hearing the final part, but stopped himself and chose to remain silent.

Needless to say, the others were the same.

"Since that is the case, it is decided. The meeting is adjourned."

Mu En waved his hand and said indifferently, "Xuanzi, you stay behind."

Xuanzi was startled; he stopped his steps as he was about to leave with the others and returned to Mu En's side.

A moment later.

Only Mu En on his recliner and Xuanzi standing behind him remained in the meeting hall.