Eating and the Start of the Exam

Bei Bei had come by in the morning, but when his knocking received no response, he assumed Huo Yuhao was deep in meditation and had lost track of time, so he left. When he returned at noon to call Huo Yuhao for lunch—knowing the boy was so poor he was practically scraping the bottom of the barrel—he still received no answer. Growing anxious, he wondered if Huo Yuhao had been reckless and suffered a cultivation deviation. He quickly retrieved the spare key to open the door and check the situation.

Upon entering, he saw blood splattered everywhere, which terrified him into thinking something terrible had happened to his junior brother. It wasn't until he saw Huo Yuhao's deep blue Spirit Eye, still as clear as ever, that he was certain he was safe, though the blood-soaked image still made him doubt his own judgment.

"Junior brother, did you suffer a cultivation deviation? Don't be too aggressive with your training." Bei Bei checked Huo Yuhao's physical state with great concern, but remembering that Huo Yuhao had been training alone in the Star Dou Great Forest, he didn't press the issue.

"Xiao Ya has been waiting downstairs for a long time. You can't go out looking like this; hurry up and clean yourself up so we can go eat."

Although Huo Yuhao was already full, he felt he could still manage a few more bites, so he ran off to shower. After only a few steps, he was already panting, which made him realize just how weak his body was; he had to adjust his physical state over these next few days. The most essential thing for adjusting one's state was money—without it, how could he buy supplements? Without money, how could he cultivate properly? Even basic food and shelter were becoming a problem. If he failed the exam, Huo Yuhao would have to run back to the Star Dou Great Forest to live like a savage. Surely Shrek Academy would provide meals? These worries didn't weigh on Huo Yuhao's heart; the dark clouds had dispersed, and he should face life with a smile.

Lost in happy thoughts, Huo Yuhao finished washing up and found the address provided by Bei Bei. As soon as he entered, an alluring aroma rushed into his nose, igniting a genetic craving for energy and making his already full body feel hungry again. At a glance, Huo Yuhao spotted Tang Ya and Bei Bei in the corner, waiting for him to start the meal. The Shrek uniform and the temperament of Shrek students were far too prominent.

"Yuhao, over here, over here." Tang Ya excitedly waved at Huo Yuhao. "You came so late that I was starved to death. Hurry over and eat."

Huo Yuhao quickly took his seat, and the three of them immediately began to eat. They devoured the dishes on the table like a whirlwind. When he felt he couldn't swallow any more, he stopped, feeling the warm food churning in his stomach. The overstuffed Huo Yuhao felt a heat flow spread from his stomach to his entire body, nourishing his weak frame.

The Green Aura that had just finished causing a ruckus in his Sea of Spirit emerged once more. Ignoring his surprise and intended opposition, it directly absorbed most of the energy, then traveled through Huo Yuhao's body at an incredible speed, simultaneously splitting off tiny filaments that merged into his flesh.

A tingling sensation spread across his body, and his pale complexion slowly began to turn rosy. Before Huo Yuhao could enjoy it for long, a surge of heat rushed into his nasal cavity, and a nosebleed shot out.

Tang Ya, who had almost never seen anyone get a nosebleed, scrambled to find something to plug it. Following folk wisdom, when she couldn't find anything, she pinched Huo Yuhao's nose and made him tilt his head back.

"You're having a nosebleed, hurry and tilt your head back! If you lose too much blood, your body will get worse."

Huo Yuhao was grateful for Tang Ya's sincerity and help, but could she please let the blood flow out? It was already running into his mouth, leaving a metallic, bloody taste.

"Sister Tang Ya, let me handle it myself. You're kind of making things worse."

After Tang Ya hurriedly let go, looking embarrassed, Huo Yuhao realized that using his hands would only block the blood from coming out, force it into his fingernails, and make it harder to clean. It also caused the blood that wouldn't have reached his mouth to flow into it, as his hand had negated the natural curve of his upper lip. Huo Yuhao quickly lowered his head toward the ground to let the blood drain, then lifted his head to relax his body. Once his head was raised and the pressure was gone, it stopped flowing after a moment.

"Sister Xiao Ya, don't listen to the rumors others spread. This nonsense about tilting your head back for a nosebleed—it just makes the blood pour into your mouth. I've had this happen so many times, do you think I don't know how to handle it?"

Tang Ya nodded sheepishly and apologized to Huo Yuhao: "I'm sorry, Yuhao, I didn't think it through."

"By the way, Sister Xiao Ya, what kind of place is this? The food is so nourishing?" Huo Yuhao finally asked, carefully observing the restaurant. It was located in a corner of Shrek City, semi-open-air, with few people passing by. The customers didn't seem numerous, and they all appeared to have come to this restaurant specifically. The tables and chairs looked ancient, but upon closer inspection, they were made of aged Soul Fir Wood. Food that could cause such a strong reaction in his body couldn't be simple, and the people capable of processing it on a large scale were even more extraordinary. Not only did the sourcing and processing of the ingredients require Soul Masters of a certain strength, but the power required to obtain and maintain such qualifications couldn't be small either. If they weren't strong enough to be recruited, they must have had formidable backgrounds and some level of strength.

But this was Shrek; people with formidable backgrounds were a dime a dozen. Princes, princesses, and even the future emperor—the crown prince—had all studied here. With the second possibility ruled out, only one remained.

"The origin of this shop is unclear. It's currently managed by two powerhouses who graduated from Shrek. They wanted to live in seclusion here, so the academy provided some help. It's actually a mutually beneficial arrangement: the academy provides difficult-to-process ingredients or Spirit Beast Meat that no one else can handle or wants to bother with, and the two of them process it, providing some to the academy while keeping the rest. What we're eating is part of what they kept."

"This is internal food for Shrek Academy. Very few people know about this place; it mainly circulates within the Shrek circle. The people who come here are mostly natives of Shrek City, people of some status who come by reputation, and students. Although the prices here are expensive, compared to the outside world, they can still be called people-friendly."

Huo Yuhao suddenly realized; so there was that layer of connection. No wonder there were so few people.

After speaking, Bei Bei wore a pained expression: "But no matter how cheap it is, my wallet can't take it. This one meal cost me 50 Gold Soul Coins. It took me a whole semester of savings to afford one meal." This exaggerated expression made both Huo Yuhao and Tang Ya laugh, and Tang Ya laughed so hard she doubled over. She then suddenly composed herself and said, "Little Yuhao, in order to help you get into Shrek Academy, this Sect Master has decided that I will pay for us to come here and eat again tomorrow to help you improve your strength."

"But only this once! Bei Bei and I are both almost out of money. We both rely on the monthly allowance from the academy, and it took us this long to save up for two meals. You must make me Grilled Fish in the future; no backing out."

"Mhm, Senior Brother, Sister Xiao Ya, I'm already level 15. I definitely won't let you down."

Amidst Tang Ya's loud chatter, Bei Bei's occasional jokes, and Huo Yuhao's shy laughter, time passed quickly. Huo Yuhao returned to his dormitory to cultivate and prepare for the exam.

During these few days, Huo Yuhao had no activities other than going out for a meal at the "Shrek Canteen," focusing his efforts on cultivating the Mysterious Heaven Skill in his dormitory. The soul power circulating according to the Mysterious Heaven Skill slowly nourished Huo Yuhao's body, working with the energy left behind by the Green Aura to repair and improve his tiny, scar-ridden meridians. The Green Aura had been moving through his internal organs for the past few days; it must have been the two high-energy feasts that gave it the strength to move. Improving fragile internal organs was a heaven-sent fortune—something countless defensive Soul Masters longed for but had few ways to achieve.

The problem was the itching—an itch that came from the depths of his heart, and you couldn't even scratch it, only pound your chest. He had to stop his cultivation because he couldn't concentrate. By the previous day, the energy was almost exhausted, and it had retreated back into his Sea of Spirit.

After absorbing and releasing energy, that wisp of Green Aura had formed a small cocoon in his Sea of Spirit. Huo Yuhao couldn't understand what state it was in; it seemed to be evolving. Huo Yuhao could only set it aside; he couldn't manage it, and Wang Yi, who had brought it, couldn't manage it either—one could even say it had brought Wang Yi along. He could only let it be. Besides, up to this point, the benefits to his body had been immense.

Although his intensive training hadn't raised his soul power by several levels, Huo Yuhao's heart had calmed down. He had begun to grasp the Tang Sect techniques, and the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track meant he could run if he couldn't win. His physical fitness had improved, and he felt he had even grown a few centimeters taller.

Just like that, the highly anticipated Shrek enrollment began. For a time, the streets were packed with people, shoulder to shoulder. The Shrek City guards began to maintain order. Over these few days, both the locals and travelers who had come from thousands of miles away to see the enrollment had gathered on the main streets. Carriages followed one after another down the center of the avenue, carving a gap through the crowd and looking particularly conspicuous. The emblems fluttering on the carriages displayed the glory of the families the passengers belonged to. Some families with long-standing feuds would engage in petty, underhanded competition when they crossed paths, trying to make the other side uncomfortable. But that was as far as it went; the kind of direct brawls between families that had happened before could not appear in public today. Even during the competition, it wasn't supported—after all, few people were brainless enough to provoke the dissatisfaction of Shrek Academy. More often, it was a display of their own power and wealth. The most intuitive display of power was the Soul Ring; the family members leading the way or specifically chosen for this task would show off their family's Soul Rings and Martial Souls.

Huo Yuhao followed Tang Ya and Bei Bei toward the enrollment office, also observing the once-a-year grand spectacle. An emblem flashed into Huo Yuhao's field of vision: a majestic white tiger roaring at the heavens. This emblem represented the Evil Eye White Tiger Family, a former imperial clan. As a royal family that had once produced gods, they retained immense power even after abdicating. No one would underestimate a family draped in such glory, and many would scream for its brilliance. Huo Yuhao was a bit distracted when he saw it, but Bei Bei called out to him to hurry and keep up, as he had almost gotten lost.

Huo Yuhao apologized and collected his thoughts. Although today was just the simplest physical examination combined with an Ideological and Political Examination, he still had to ensure he was in the best mental state. He couldn't let down the kindness and help of his Senior Brother and Sister Xiao Ya. With that, he put on a smile and followed them.

There were no issues during the examination phase, though the teacher conducting the check looked at Huo Yuhao with some surprise when he saw the recommendation letter from the Tang Sect. Without saying anything, he gave Huo Yuhao a Mechanical Token that looked quite complex and let him in, warning the new student to protect the token well, as it was the credential for entering the exam hall and identifying his information later.

The wait was long. The surrounding candidates didn't speak, but they were all secretly sizing each other up. Huo Yuhao had a great advantage in this regard; his ultra-long-range vision and high-definition clarity allowed him to see that the candidates' bodies didn't seem difficult to deal with. There were very few who looked as thin and weak as he did. Even though his body had become much stronger over the past few months, his foundation was simply too poor; it was impossible to change in such a short time without a great opportunity.

After an unknown amount of time, it was Huo Yuhao's turn. The examiner told him to place his hand on the Testing Pillar and release his Martial Soul. Huo Yuhao did as he was told, and when a single white Soul Ring rose, all the examiners frowned. What the Testing Pillar displayed afterward stunned everyone: there was no problem with his age, but the problem was that he was only level 15.

It wasn't that there were no one-ring candidates coming to take the exam, but the lowest was level 18. Even that was a rarity. There were also cases where those who had conflicts with Shrek wouldn't send their geniuses over. But they hadn't heard of any grudges with anyone recently?

The chief examiner shielded the others so the examiners could discuss it together. He had a few questions to ask.

"Who recommended this person? His talent is too poor, and it's a Body Martial Soul. Is someone trying to give Shrek a hard time?"

"No, no, Chief Examiner, this was recommended by the Tang Sect."

"We only accept people from the Shrek branch of the Tang Sect, but didn't they all die out?"

"There's one left, named Tang Ya. She's a student at our school."

"Isn't this nonsense? Is she just recommending people blindly? Get him out of here."

The examiners below looked troubled. "That's not according to the rules."

"Is it according to the rules for a student to recommend a candidate?"

"Yes, yes, we'll do it immediately."

"Wait a moment, I have an objection." A voice full of majesty suddenly appeared.

The chief examiner was very unhappy that his decision had been questioned, but seeing that it was the Vice Examiner, Zhou Yi, he forced a smile and asked what was the matter.

"Is there a problem with this candidate? He hasn't made any mistakes, and there is no reason to stop him from entering the assessment."

"But Tang Ya is just a student," Zhou Yi interrupted, "she is the Tang Sect Master."

"No, if he enters the assessment, where does that leave Shrek Academy's reputation?"

"It's the Tang Sect Master."

"Absolutely not."

After several rounds of bickering, Zhou Yi couldn't hold back anymore and said, "It's Bei Bei."

"Hmm." The final hum was drawn out long, and before the chief examiner could speak, she replied directly, "It's Thunderbolt Bei Bei."

The chief examiner fell silent for a moment, then broke into a smile.

"I suddenly need to use the restroom. Examiner Zhou, you take a look; I'll be stepping away for a while."

Zhou Yi looked around at the circle of people and gave the order: "Follow the rules. If there are no violations, pass them."

Huo Yuhao had waited here for a long time without receiving any news, feeling somewhat anxious, but eventually, he received the notification that he had passed the qualifications. This allowed the heavy stone in his heart to settle a little. He then followed the arrangements to join a group of examinees for the test; the Ideological and Political Examination, much like the dormitory assignments, was something learned through bitter experience. Shrek Academy was a massive institution with vast resources, and it could no longer afford to be as selective as it was ten thousand years ago, though the talent of the students was certainly not in question.