Eating and the Exams Begin

Bei Bei had come by once that morning and knocked, but when there was no answer, he assumed Huo Yuhao had lost track of time while cultivating and left. At lunchtime, he came to invite Huo Yuhao to eat with him. Huo Yuhao was already so broke he could barely afford food, but once again, he got no response. Bei Bei grew nervous. Could Yuhao have pushed himself into a cultivation deviation? He hurried to find the spare key and opened the door to check on him.

As soon as he stepped inside, he saw blood splattered everywhere. Bei Bei was terrified that something terrible had happened to his junior brother. It was only when he saw Huo Yuhao's clear, deep-blue Spirit Eyes that he was sure he was all right. Even then, seeing him covered in blood made Bei Bei doubt his own judgment.

"Junior brother, did you have a cultivation deviation? Don't push yourself too hard when you cultivate." Bei Bei anxiously checked Huo Yuhao's condition. He remembered that Huo Yuhao had cultivated on his own in the Star Dou Great Forest, so he decided not to say any more.

"Xiao Ya's been waiting downstairs for ages. You can't go out looking like that, so hurry up and get cleaned up. Then we'll go eat."

Huo Yuhao was already full, but felt he could still manage a few more bites, so he hurried off to bathe. After only a few steps, he was already panting. That made him realize how weak his body was. He had to get back into shape over the next few days. Getting back into shape required money above all else. How could he buy tonics without money? How could he cultivate properly? Even meeting his most basic needs was a problem. If he failed the entrance exam, he'd have to run back to the Star Dou Great Forest and live like a wild man. Shrek Academy probably provided meals, right? None of these worries took root in Huo Yuhao's mind. The clouds had already cleared, and he ought to face life with a smile.

In a good mood, Huo Yuhao finished washing and followed the address Bei Bei had given him. The moment he walked in, an enticing aroma wafted into his nose, awakening his genes' hunger for energy. Even though he was full, his stomach began to rumble again. Huo Yuhao spotted Tang Ya and Bei Bei waiting in a corner for him to arrive and start eating. Their Shrek uniforms and the bearing of Shrek students made them stand out too much to miss.

"Yuhao, over here!" Tang Ya called excitedly. "You took so long, I'm starving. Hurry over and eat!"

Huo Yuhao quickly took his seat, and the three of them immediately dug in. They devoured all the dishes on the table in no time, stopping only when they could barely swallow another bite. As he felt the warm food settle in his stomach, Huo Yuhao sensed a wave of heat spreading from his belly throughout his body, nourishing his weakened frame.

The Green Aura, which had just been causing a fuss in the Sea of Spirit, emerged again. Ignoring its apparent surprise and protest, Huo Yuhao absorbed most of the energy. The aura then raced through his body at incredible speed, continuously shedding tiny filaments that merged into him.

A tingling numbness spread through his body, and his pale face gradually flushed. Before Huo Yuhao could enjoy the feeling for long, warmth surged through his nose. Blood abruptly gushed out.

Tang Ya had hardly ever seen anyone get a nosebleed. In a panic, she searched for something to stop it. Finding nothing, she followed an old folk remedy and pinched Huo Yuhao's nose, making him tilt his head back.

"You're bleeding! Tilt your head back, quick. If you lose too much blood, you'll get weak!"

Huo Yuhao was grateful for Tang Ya's kindness and help, but couldn't she let the blood flow out? It was already running into his mouth, leaving a strong taste of blood.

"Xiao Ya-jie, let me handle it myself. You're making it worse."

Once Tang Ya sheepishly let go, Huo Yuhao realized that blocking his nose with his hand wouldn't stop the bleeding. It would only get blood under his fingernails and make things harder to clean up. It also made the blood, which otherwise wouldn't have reached his mouth, run into it, since his hand pushed up his upper lip. Huo Yuhao hurriedly leaned forward so the blood could drain onto the ground, then raised his head and relaxed. Once he lifted his head and relieved the pressure, the bleeding stopped after a while.

"Xiao Ya-jie, don't listen to the nonsense people spread. They say you should tilt your head back when you get a nosebleed, but that just makes the blood run into your mouth. I've had plenty of nosebleeds. Do you think I don't know how to deal with them?"

Tang Ya nodded, embarrassed, and apologized to Huo Yuhao. "Sorry, Yuhao. I didn't think it through."

"By the way, Xiao Ya-jie, what kind of place is this? The food here is so nourishing." Only then did Huo Yuhao ask the question. He took a closer look at the restaurant. It sat in a corner of Shrek City, partly open to the air, with few passersby and not many customers. They all seemed to have come here on purpose. The tables and chairs looked old, but a closer inspection showed they were all made of Soul Fir Wood that had been deliberately aged until it was hard to tell how old it was. Food that could affect his body so strongly couldn't be ordinary, and the people capable of preparing it on a large scale were even more extraordinary. Both sourcing and preparing the ingredients required Soul Masters with a certain level of skill. Gaining the right to do so—and having the strength to hold onto it—couldn't be easy. Either they were powerful enough to attract the restaurant's owners, or they had influential backgrounds and considerable strength.

But this was Shrek, where influential people were everywhere. Princes, princesses, and even the crown prince—the future emperor—had studied here. That ruled out the second possibility, leaving only the first.

"The restaurant's origins are hard to trace. These days, it's run by two powerful people who came from Shrek. They wanted to live in seclusion here, so the Academy gave them a bit of help. It's really a mutually beneficial arrangement. The Academy supplies ingredients that are difficult to prepare, like Spirit Beast Meat that only powerful people can handle but that no powerful person is willing to deal with. The two of them prepare it and give some of it to the Academy, keeping the rest for themselves. This is the portion they keep."

"This is the Shrek Academy staff canteen. Not many people know about it. Word mostly spreads within the Shrek circle. Most of the people who come here are locals from Shrek City, people with some standing who've heard about it, and students. The prices are high, but compared to those outside, they're still quite reasonable."

Huo Yuhao suddenly understood. So that was how it worked. No wonder there were so few people.

When he finished, Bei Bei put on a pained expression. "Even if it's cheap, my wallet can't take it. This meal cost me fifty Gold Soul Coins. I saved up for an entire semester just to afford one meal." His exaggerated expression made Huo Yuhao and Tang Ya laugh. Tang Ya laughed so hard she nearly fell over. Then she abruptly stopped and said, "Little Yuhao, to help you get into Shrek Academy, this Sect Master has decided to pay for another meal here tomorrow. It'll help you improve your strength."

"But just this once. Bei Bei and I are nearly broke. We only managed to save enough for two meals because the Academy gives us money every month. You have to make me Grilled Fish in the future, all right? Don't you dare go back on your promise."

"Mm. Eldest Senior Brother, Xiao Ya-jie, I'm already at level fifteen. I definitely won't let you down."

With Tang Ya chattering away, Bei Bei cracking the occasional joke, and Huo Yuhao laughing shyly, time passed quickly. Huo Yuhao returned to his dorm to cultivate and prepare for the exam.

Over the next few days, Huo Yuhao did nothing but cultivate diligently with the Mysterious Heaven Skill in his dorm, apart from going out for one meal at the "Shrek Canteen." The Soul Power circulated by the Mysterious Heaven Skill slowly nourished his body, repairing and strengthening the tiny meridians riddled with injuries alongside the energy left behind by the Green Aura. The Green Aura had been moving through his internal organs for the past few days, probably energized by the two high-energy meals. Improving his fragile organs was an enormous blessing. Countless defensive Soul Masters dreamed of it, but few had any way to achieve it.

The problem was the itch. An itch that came from deep inside, one he couldn't scratch—he could only pound his chest a little. It even made him stop cultivating because he couldn't concentrate. The day before, once the energy was nearly exhausted, the aura had fled back into his Sea of Spirit.

After absorbing and releasing energy, that wisp of Green Aura had formed a small cocoon in the Sea of Spirit. Huo Yuhao couldn't tell what state it was in; it seemed to be evolving. There was nothing he could do but set it aside. He couldn't control it, and neither could Wang Yi, who had brought it along. In fact, Wang Yi might as well have been brought along by it. All Huo Yuhao could do was let things take their course. Besides, so far it had done his body a great deal of good.

Although intensive cultivation hadn't raised his Soul Power by several levels, it had calmed his mind. He had begun to grasp the Tang Sect techniques, and Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track meant he could at least run away when he couldn't win. His physical strength had improved, and he felt as if he'd grown a few centimeters taller.

At last, the long-awaited Shrek admissions began. The streets were packed, and people jostled shoulder to shoulder. Shrek City's officers began keeping order. In recent days, the streets had filled with locals and travelers who had journeyed thousands of miles to see the admissions. Carriages followed one another down the center of the main road, parting the crowd and drawing attention. The emblems fluttering above them proclaimed the glory of the families inside. When old rival families crossed paths, they couldn't start a fight here, so they competed in secret, using little tricks to make things difficult for one another. But that was as far as it went. Open brawls between members of two families, like the ones that had happened before, couldn't take place in broad daylight today. Even during the competitions, such behavior wasn't encouraged. After all, few people were foolish enough to provoke Shrek Academy. Most were there to display their family's power and wealth. The most direct way to display power was with Soul Rings. Family members leading the group—or specially chosen for the task—showed off their Martial Souls and Soul Rings.

Huo Yuhao followed Tang Ya and Bei Bei toward the admissions area, taking in the once-a-year spectacle along the way. An emblem caught his eye: a mighty white tiger roaring beneath the heavens. It represented the Evil Eye White Tiger Family, a former imperial family that had once produced a god. Even though they had given up the throne, they still held tremendous power. No one would underestimate a family cloaked in glory, and many people would cheer at the sight of its splendor. Huo Yuhao stared for a moment, lost in thought, until Bei Bei called to him to hurry up. He had almost been left behind.

Huo Yuhao apologized and collected himself. Today was only the simplest check of his physical condition, followed by the Ideological and Political Examination, but he still had to be in the best possible state of mind. He couldn't let down Eldest Senior Brother and Xiao Ya-jie after all their kindness and help. So he put on a smile and followed them.

The physical examination went smoothly. The only unusual moment came when the teacher administering the check saw the Tang Sect recommendation letter and glanced at Huo Yuhao in surprise. The teacher said nothing, handing him a complicated-looking Mechanical Token and letting him through. Before that, the teacher had warned the new students to protect their tokens. They would serve as both admission tickets to the later exams and proof of identity.

The wait was long. None of the other applicants spoke, but they all sized one another up in secret. Huo Yuhao had a major advantage in that regard: with his exceptionally long-range vision and high-definition sight, he could tell that the other applicants were all in decent shape. Very few looked as thin and weak as he did. Even though his body had grown much stronger over the past few months, his foundation had been too poor to change much in such a short time without some great stroke of luck.

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 instructed. When a white Soul Ring rose around him, every examiner frowned. The display on the Testing Pillar astonished them even more: his age was fine, but he was only level fifteen.

It wasn't that none of the applicants had only one Soul Ring. But even the weakest were at least level eighteen, and such candidates were already exceptionally rare. There were also cases where families with grudges against Shrek kept their geniuses away. But Shrek hadn't heard of falling out with anyone recently. What was going on?

The chief examiner blocked the others from hearing and called the examiners together to discuss the matter. He wanted to ask a few questions.

"Who recommended this applicant? His talent is too poor, and he has a Body Martial Soul. Is someone trying to make a fool of Shrek?"

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

"We only accept members of the Shrek branch of the Tang Sect. Aren't they all dead?"

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

"Is this a joke? Did they let her recommend people at random? Fail him."

The examiner below him looked troubled. "That wouldn't be in keeping with the rules."

"Is it in keeping with the rules for a student to recommend an applicant?"

"Yes, yes. We'll do it right away."

"Wait. I object." A woman's voice, full of authority, suddenly rang out.

The chief examiner was unhappy that someone had challenged his decision. But when he saw that it was the deputy examiner, Zhou Yi, he forced a smile and asked what the matter was.

"Is there anything wrong with this applicant? He hasn't done anything wrong. There's no reason to stop him from entering the assessment."

"But Tang Ya is just a student—"

"Was interrupted by Zhou Yi. "She's the Tang Sect Master."

"That won't do. What about Shrek's reputation if he enters the assessment?"

"She's the Tang Sect Master."

"No."

After they went back and forth several times, Zhou Yi couldn't hold back any longer. "It's Bei Bei."

"No—" He drew out the final syllable, then answered before the chief examiner could speak. "It's Thunderbolt Bei Bei."

The chief examiner fell silent for a moment, then smiled.

"I suddenly need to use the bathroom. Examiner Zhou, take over for me. I'll be back later."

Zhou Yi looked around and gave an order. "Follow the rules. Anyone who hasn't broken them passes."

Huo Yuhao had been waiting alone for a long time without hearing anything, and he was getting nervous. Eventually, he received notice that he'd passed the qualification check. The weight on his heart lifted a little. Then he followed the instructions and joined the other applicants for the exam. The Ideological and Political Examination and the dorm assignments were both lessons learned through bloodshed. Shrek Academy had grown large and powerful, and it could no longer be as selective as it had been ten thousand years ago. The students' talent was certainly no longer in question.