Dai Mubai led Tang San and the others into the academy.
It was called an academy, but it looked more like an old village.
The buildings were low.
The training grounds were small.
There was even a pile of miscellaneous things beside the practice field.
Xiao Wu looked around and couldn't help asking in a low voice:
"Tang San, can this place really be called an academy?"
Tang San didn't answer right away.
He found it strange too.
Shrek Academy did have a few teachers with decent strength. Just from Dai Mubai and the admissions teacher they'd met earlier, it was clear this wasn't a place that was simply out to scam people.
But the facilities were hardly what you'd expect from a proper academy.
Ning Rongrong seemed quite interested.
"This is pretty interesting."
Zhu Zhuqing said nothing, but her gaze remained cold.
Especially when she looked at Dai Mubai.
Dai Mubai could tell.
He wanted to explain, but didn't know where to begin.
The matter at the Rose Hotel had only just happened.
Then Xiao Wu had called him out over the registration fee right in front of everyone.
Whatever he said now seemed like it would only make things worse.
Halfway there, Dai Mubai gave a slight cough.
"Your Soul Power is all quite high."
"You don't need to take the first few tests. You can go straight to the final one."
Xiao Wu immediately looked up.
"If we don't need to take the first few tests, shouldn't the registration fee be lower?"
Dai Mubai stopped in his tracks.
Tang San glanced at Xiao Wu too.
Xiao Wu looked perfectly justified.
"I'm not wrong."
"If there are fewer tests, the costs are lower, aren't they?"
Ning Rongrong burst out laughing.
Zhu Zhuqing didn't laugh, but there was a flicker in her eyes.
Dai Mubai felt a headache coming on.
He'd never encountered a student like this before.
And this Xiao Wu even had an Appeal Form from the Spirit Hall in Suotuo City in her hand.
"You'll have to take that up with the dean."
Dai Mubai said,
"I don't handle the money."
Xiao Wu narrowed her eyes.
"Then your dean had better be reasonable."
Dai Mubai didn't respond.
He had a feeling the dean wouldn't like this topic.
They continued onward.
As they passed a wooden shed, they heard someone calling out.
"Hot sausages for sale! Hot sausages!"
"Big Sausages, soft and delicious!"
Xiao Wu stopped.
Tang San turned to look as well.
A teenager with a face full of stubble, who looked much older than he really was, was pushing a small cart.
Several freshly made sausages were laid out on it.
They smelled pretty good.
Xiao Wu looked at him, then at the sausages.
"Are you a student too?"
The boy grinned.
"Of course."
"My name's Oscar."
"My Martial Soul is a sausage. I'm a food-type Soul Master."
Xiao Wu blinked.
"A food-type Soul Master?"
Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up.
Having been born into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, she knew how rare food-type Soul Masters were.
Food-type Soul Masters who could produce restorative foods were especially valuable.
Dai Mubai was just about to stop Oscar from acting up, but Oscar had already raised a hand with practiced ease.
"I Have a Big Sausage!"
A flash of Soul Power, and a sausage appeared in his hand.
Xiao Wu's expression stiffened.
Ning Rongrong's smile froze too.
Zhu Zhuqing took half a step back.
Tang San fell silent.
Oscar hadn't even lowered his smile when he noticed that all four of them were looking at him strangely.
Xiao Wu spoke slowly:
"Can this thing... really be eaten?"
Oscar immediately replied,
"Of course! It works really well!"
Tang San cleared his throat.
"The Spirit Hall School textbook mentions that the food created by a food-type Soul Master's Soul Skill can be very valuable in battle."
"But it also says that when selling it for others to eat, you should explain the effects, duration, and any restrictions."
Oscar blinked.
"There are rules for that?"
Tang San nodded.
"Yes."
Xiao Wu added at once:
"You should explain the incantation too."
Oscar: "..."
Dai Mubai rubbed his forehead.
What was all this?
In the past, when Oscar sold sausages, at most the new students would make a few disgusted remarks.
Now he was expected to explain the effects, duration, restrictions, and even the incantation.
Did you need to follow Spirit Hall procedures just to eat a sausage these days?
Oscar looked a little aggrieved.
"It's a Soul Skill. I have to say the incantation."
Xiao Wu said,
"Then you can explain that beforehand."
"For example: before eating, please make sure you're okay with the Soul Skill incantation."
Ning Rongrong was already laughing so hard her eyes had curved into crescents.
Zhu Zhuqing looked at Oscar and said coldly,
"What does it do?"
Oscar quickly replied,
"My first Soul Skill is Recovery Big Sausage. It restores Soul Power and stamina."
"It works quite well."
"It should remain effective for about twelve hours."
"Restrictions... I don't think there are any."
Tang San nodded.
"Then it's quite valuable."
Oscar's eyes lit up.
"Do you want to buy one?"
Tang San paused.
"Not right now."
Oscar: "..."
Dai Mubai hurriedly led them onward.
"Let's do the test first."
"We can talk about the sausages later."
Xiao Wu muttered under her breath behind them:
"We might not talk about them later either."
Oscar looked deeply wounded.
When they arrived at the final test ground, a sturdy, short middle-aged man was sitting there with his eyes closed, resting.
Dai Mubai stepped forward.
"Teacher Zhao."
"We've got a few promising candidates this year."
The middle-aged man opened his eyes.
His gaze swept over Tang San, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing in turn.
"They've all passed the first few tests?"
Dai Mubai replied,
"Their Soul Power and ages are both fine, so I brought them straight to the fourth test."
Zhao Wuji stood up and rolled his shoulders.
"In that case, I'll handle it myself."
Dai Mubai's expression changed.
"Teacher Zhao, isn't that against the rules?"
Zhao Wuji grinned.
"Flender isn't here, so I'm in charge."
"The rule is to last one incense stick under my attacks."
Xiao Wuji immediately raised her hand.
Zhao Wuji looked at her.
"What is it?"
Xiao Wu asked very seriously,
"Is there a safety briefing before the test?"
Zhao Wuji: "?"
Tang San spoke too.
"Teacher Zhao, we accept the test."
"But since this is an entrance examination, does the academy provide medical treatment?"
"If someone is seriously injured, how will responsibility be assigned?"
"Will the test exceed the normal standard for admission?"
Dai Mubai closed his eyes.
Here we go.
Again.
Zhao Wuji looked at Tang San and Xiao Wu, his expression odd.
"Are you here to take the entrance exam, or to inspect the academy?"
Xiao Wu replied,
"Those two things aren't mutually exclusive."
Ning Rongrong's shoulders shook with laughter.
Zhu Zhuqing also glanced at Xiao Wu.
Zhao Wuji was so angry he laughed.
"Fine."
"I promise I won't hit you too hard."
"If you do get hurt, the academy will treat you."
"That work for you?"
Xiao Wu nodded.
"Sure."
Tang San nodded too.
"Thank you for clarifying, Teacher Zhao."
Zhao Wuji snorted.
"These little monsters sure have a lot of rules nowadays."
In the distance, a gray-and-white cat crouched among the branches of a tree, quietly watching the scene.
It lowered its head and licked its paw.
Then, through the Cat Net, it sent out its first report.
[Shrek's fourth trial: No proactive safety briefing before the test.]
[Supplemented after students asked.]
[Under observation.]
In Spirit City.
Meow Meow looked at the Cat Net report and nodded with satisfaction.
"Nicely written."
Bibi Dong glanced at him.
"You've got the cats watching very closely."
"Of course,"
Meow Meow replied.
"Every account needs to be kept one entry at a time."
"We can't wrong the innocent, and we can't let bad debts slip through."
Bibi Dong didn't object.
She had gotten used to Meow Meow's ledger logic by now.
At Shrek, Zhao Wuji lit a stick of incense.
"Begin."
As soon as he spoke, Ning Rongrong was the first to release her Martial Soul.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda appeared.
"Seven Treasures Have Names: First, Strength."
"Seven Treasures Have Names: Second, Speed."
Two beams of light fell on Tang San and Xiao Wu.
Zhao Wuji's gaze shifted.
"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"
He had barely finished speaking when Zhu Zhuqing vanished from where she stood.
The Nether Civet Martial Soul possessed her.
Moving at incredible speed, she circled toward Zhao Wuji's rear flank.
Xiao Wu charged in from the front.
Tang San didn't rush to attack. Instead, he took two steps back.
Blue Silver Grass spread along the ground.
He remembered what Xie Yue had told him.
The first thing a control-type Soul Master had to do was control the distance.
So he didn't send all his Blue Silver Grass to bind Zhao Wuji.
He sealed off the routes first.
Zhao Wuji had planned to charge straight at them, but found three barriers of Blue Silver Grass already blocking his path.
They weren't strong.
Just annoying.
He crushed a patch of Blue Silver Grass underfoot and was about to press on when Xiao Wu, boosted by the speed increase, had already reached him.
Soft Skill activated.
Xiao Wu tried to use his momentum to throw Zhao Wuji.
Zhao Wuji stood firm, like a rock.
"Not strong enough."
As he spoke, Soul Power surged through him.
Xiao Wu was blasted away.
Tang San's Blue Silver Grass caught her at once and pulled her back.
At the same time, Zhu Zhuqing cut in from the side, claws slashing toward Zhao Wuji's shoulder and neck.
Zhao Wuji raised a hand to block.
Zhu Zhuqing's attack couldn't break through his defenses, but she immediately retreated instead of pressing the attack.
Zhao Wuji's expression shifted.
These children worked well together.
Especially Tang San.
The Blue Silver Grass wasn't just there to ensnare people. He was using it to control the battlefield.
Zhao Wuji took a step forward.
"Immovable Bright King Body!"
His powerful Soul Power blasted the Blue Silver Grass away.
Tang San's expression changed.
The gap was too great.
Zhao Wuji was a Soul Saint.
Even without using his full strength, he was far beyond what a few new students could withstand head-on.
But Tang San didn't panic.
"Spread out!"
He shouted, and Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing immediately pulled back.
Ning Rongrong retreated to a safer position.
Zhao Wuji laughed.
"Pretty quick to react."
He raised a hand and slammed it into the ground.
The shock wave from Vajra Palm spread outward.
Tang San activated Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and dodged the force head-on.
His Blue Silver Grass skirted around the cracks in the ground and emerged from another side, wrapping around Zhao Wuji's arm.
Zhao Wuji yanked it free with a single tug.
But the severed Blue Silver Grass carried Datura Serpent venom.
The poison wasn't much use against Zhao Wuji.
Still, it left him slightly numb.
Zhao Wuji raised an eyebrow.
"Poison?"
Tang San didn't answer.
Seizing that brief moment of sluggishness, he immediately sent out a second wave of Blue Silver Grass.
Xiao Wu took the opportunity to close in.
Zhu Zhuqing launched a surprise attack from behind.
Ning Rongrong's boosts continued to fall over them.
The four of them worked together more and more smoothly.
Dai Mubai watched from the side, a little surprised.
They were stronger than he'd expected.
Not individually.
Their overall rhythm was strong.
Tang San was constantly adjusting the distance between them.
Ning Rongrong wasn't just standing there boosting them, either. She kept changing position to avoid being grabbed by Zhao Wuji.
Zhu Zhuqing was the calmest.
She never overcommitted when she attacked.
Xiao Wu charged the hardest, but Tang San always managed to catch her when she was blasted away.
Their teamwork didn't look like something forged by people who had just met.
But in truth, they had only met Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing that very day.
Zhao Wuji's interest grew.
"Interesting."
The incense had burned down by a third.
Zhao Wuji finally decided to put in a little more effort.
He moved, and his speed suddenly increased.
His target wasn't Tang San.
It was Ning Rongrong.
Tang San's pupils contracted.
"Rongrong, get back!"
Ning Rongrong went pale.
She had a sense for supporting her teammates, but she still lacked real combat experience.
As Zhao Wuji closed in, she instinctively panicked for a moment.
Zhu Zhuqing immediately moved to block him.
Xiao Wu lunged in from the side as well.
Tang San spread out all his Blue Silver Grass.
But Zhao Wuji merely released a surge of Soul Power, knocking all three of them back.
His hand was almost on Ning Rongrong's shoulder.
At that instant, Tang San raised a hand.
The Blue Silver Grass didn't wrap around Zhao Wuji.
It wrapped around Ning Rongrong's waist and yanked her backward.
The pull sent Ning Rongrong tumbling, but it also kept Zhao Wuji from grabbing her.
She landed awkwardly.
But he hadn't caught her.
Zhao Wuji paused in surprise.
Then he laughed.
"Clever."
Ning Rongrong sat on the ground, her heart racing.
For the first time, she realized that if a support Soul Master took up a poor position, she could become the weak point of the whole team.
"Thank you,"
she said quietly to Tang San.
Tang San didn't turn around.
"Keep going."
The incense burned halfway down.
Zhao Wuji increased his strength again.
This time, the four of them were under even more pressure.
Xiao Wu was blasted until her face went pale.
Zhu Zhuqing's arm went numb.
Ning Rongrong had also used up a fair amount of Soul Power.
Tang San, meanwhile, kept the Blue Silver Grass spread across the battlefield, sweat already beading on his forehead.
But they held on.
When the incense had burned down to its final third, Zhao Wuji suddenly paused.
"Not bad."
"You've passed. You've held out this long."
Xiao Wu froze.
"Really?"
Zhao Wuji said,
"Of course."
"But..."
He grinned.
"Let's test your limits one last time."
Alarm bells rang in Tang San's mind.
Zhao Wuji suddenly took a step forward.
This time, the pressure was even heavier than before.
Tang San immediately assessed the situation.
They couldn't hold him off.
They had to retreat.
"Group up!"
He barked the order.
The four of them immediately converged in one direction.
Zhao Wuji charged.
Tang San unleashed all his Blue Silver Grass, layering it into a barrier before them.
With Ning Rongrong's speed boost, Xiao Wu harried Zhao Wuji from the side.
Zhu Zhuqing darted toward the blind spot in Zhao Wuji's vision.
Ning Rongrong used her final boost on Tang San.
Zhao Wuji smashed through the Blue Silver Grass with one palm.
But in the next instant, his foot suddenly caught on something.
The severed Blue Silver Grass hadn't fully vanished. Tang San had buried it in the ground beforehand, forming one last tripwire.
It only held him for an instant.
But that was enough.
The incense burned out.
Zhao Wuji stopped and stared silently for a moment at the stick that had just finished burning.
Then he burst out laughing.
"Good."
"You passed."
All four of them breathed a sigh of relief.
Xiao Wu sat right down on the ground.
Ning Rongrong nearly sat down too.
Zhu Zhuqing was still standing, but her breathing was noticeably labored.
Tang San withdrew his Blue Silver Grass, his face somewhat pale.
Zhao Wuji looked at them, his eyes bright.
"This year's newcomers really are a bunch of monsters."
Dai Mubai walked over, his feelings complicated.
"Congratulations."
Xiao Wu caught her breath, but her first question was:
"Since we passed, the registration fee isn't refundable, right?"
Zhao Wuji: "..."
Dai Mubai: "..."
Ning Rongrong burst into laughter.
Tang San couldn't help smiling too.
The corner of Zhu Zhuqing's mouth seemed to twitch, but she quickly suppressed it.
Zhao Wuji scratched his head.
"You little rascal, why are you still thinking about money?"
Xiao Wu answered seriously,
"Money matters."
"And so do the rules."
Zhao Wuji looked at her and suddenly realized he couldn't argue with that.
In a distant tree, the Grey-White Cat continued taking notes.
[The fourth test was fairly intense.]
[After the students proactively requested a safety briefing, the teacher made a promise.]
[Four students passed.]
[Xiao Wu remained concerned about the registration fee.]
[Assessment: Improvement noted. Continue observing.]
In Spirit City.
Meow Meow finished reading the report, thoroughly satisfied.
"This rabbit's pretty good."
"She can fight, follow the rules, and keep an eye on the books."
Bibi Dong regarded him coolly.
"Are you starting to like her more and more?"
Meow Meow stiffened.
"This cat merely appreciates her."
Bibi Dong said nothing.
Meow Meow hurried to add,
"Of course, I like His Holiness the Pope best."
Bibi Dong looked at him.
"Really?"
Meow Meow nodded.
"Really."
As soon as he said it, an unhappy meow came from beside the window.
"Meow."
Meow Meow turned around.
Oh no.
He'd forgotten that cats could get jealous too.
A trace of amusement appeared in Bibi Dong's eyes.
Meanwhile, at Shrek Academy, Zhao Wuji had already started arranging the new students' enrollment.
At the same time.
A modest carriage came to a slow stop outside Suotuo City.
Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan climbed down from it.
Yan glanced toward Shrek Academy in the distance and rolled his wrists.
"We're finally here."
Hu Liena said softly,
"Remember, Lord Holy Cat said this was a friendly exchange."
Yan nodded.
"I know."
Xie Yue glanced at him.
"You'd better."
Yan snorted.
"Relax."
"I won't make the first move this time."
He paused, then added,
"Unless they break the rules first."
Before you continue