Shrek Academy

"Click."

A faint mechanical sound rang out as a narrow slit quietly slid open at the top of the needle box.

The next instant, countless nearly transparent golden needles, as fine as ox hairs, silently extended outward.

Tang San's pupils suddenly contracted at the sight!

With his keen eyesight and sensitivity to hidden weapons, he instantly sensed that these golden needles were anything but ordinary.

"Brother Chen, c-can you let me take a look?"

Tang San almost instinctively reached out, his voice trembling slightly.

Under the Purple Demon Eyes, he could vaguely make out the outlines of those fine needles.

Invisible and formless, yet carrying a razor-sharp aura that made one's heart tremble.

This was absolutely a hidden weapon crafted by a master artisan.

Jiang Chen raised a brow and casually handed him the Thousand Mechanism Needle Box. "Be careful. This thing doesn't have eyes."

Tang San accepted it solemnly, carefully inspecting its outer structure as his fingers occasionally brushed across the dark-golden surface of the box.

This material... he had never seen it before!

Neither metal nor jade, yet exceptionally heavy. The cloud patterns on its surface were so fine they looked as though they had grown there naturally.

Even more outrageous, the box was clearly not large, yet holding it gave him the illusion of gripping an entire arsenal.

Tang San stared at the box in his hands, his breathing growing hurried.

He could say with absolute certainty that this box had come from the hands of a hidden weapon master.

Its craftsmanship was so exquisite that even Tang San had to call its maker a master.

"Brother Chen, can I borrow this for a few days to study it?"

Tang San felt that if he could grasp the construction method behind this box, his skill with hidden weapons would surely rise to another level.

Jiang Chen waved dismissively. "Look at it for as many days as you want."

He had little use for hidden weapons in everyday life.

Rather than letting it gather dust in the Green Lotus Pendant, he might as well let Tang San study it. Maybe Tang San would figure something out and return a reward to him.

"Thank you, Brother Chen."

With Jiang Chen's permission, Tang San happily carried the Plate Crystal and the box to a corner to study them.

Before long, the room filled with the clanging sounds of a forging hammer striking iron.

The next morning.

Jiang Chen, lying on the sofa, sat up and stretched. The moment he opened his eyes, he saw Tang San sitting on the balcony, excitedly fiddling with the Thousand Mechanism Needle Box.

The kid had been so excited studying the Thousand Mechanism Needle Box last night that he had not slept at all. Afraid of disturbing them, he had voluntarily stayed on the balcony.

After waking Xiao Wu, who loved to sleep in, the three of them tidied up, checked out, and set off to find Shrek Academy.

After leaving Suotuo City and heading south, the official road outside the city gradually turned into a dirt path, while the sparse houses were gradually replaced by golden wheat fields.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, they reached a fork in the road. At one branch stood a crooked wooden sign with the words "Shrek Academy Entrance" scribbled messily in charcoal.

"Why is this academy built out in the middle of nowhere? Could it be because they're poor?"

Seeing the sign, Xiao Wu had a bad feeling.

"I think so," Tang San nodded.

An academy connected to Master could not possibly be that wealthy.

But they had already come this far, so it was too late for regrets.

After entering the small path, the surroundings grew more desolate the farther they went.

After walking for a while, Xiao Wu kept complaining that her legs were tired and wanted Jiang Chen to carry her.

But this dense guy did not fall for it at all. He directly summoned the Glazed Green Lotus and coated her in a layer of green light.

Jiang Chen held the emerald Glazed Green Lotus and looked at Xiao Wu with complete sincerity. "Is this enough? If not, I'll add another enhancement. I guarantee you'll walk as fast as the wind."

Xiao Wu was so angry that even her rabbit ears stood straight up. She ignored him and stomped forward with puffed cheeks.

As she walked, she muttered, "Blockhead! Idiot! You deserve to be single for the rest of your life!"

Tang San followed behind, trying hard to hold back his laughter.

He had thought his own emotional intelligence was low enough, but Brother Chen was not much better.

Jiang Chen did not mind. He put away the lotus and leisurely followed after them.

After another half li, an open patch of dirt slope finally appeared ahead. Several crooked wooden houses stood on it, making it look like a village.

"Is that it?" Xiao Wu pointed at the village ahead.

Using the powerful perception of his Glazed Divine Eyes, Jiang Chen looked over and quickly saw the entire layout of the village.

Then he noticed a wooden sign hanging at the village entrance. It bore the image of a green monster's head, with the five crookedly written characters for "Shrek Academy" beside it.

Tang San had clearly noticed the sign as well, and his brows furrowed slightly.

This Shrek Academy was actually smaller than Holy Soul Village, not even one-third the size of Notting College.

And it dared call itself a Soul Master Academy?

At that moment, a commotion suddenly erupted ahead.

"I'll say it one last time: Shrek Academy only accepts monsters. Read the academy's requirements carefully, or you'll only waste your registration fee."

An old man stood up and swept his gaze over the long line behind him, his voice deep. "Anyone over twelve years old and below level twenty-one may leave now."

As soon as the old man finished speaking, one white, one yellow, three purple, and one black Soul Ring lit up beneath his feet!

A Soul Emperor was truly terrifying!

A stir immediately ran through the line.

Many parents who had been harboring hopes of getting lucky saw this and left dejectedly with their children.

The originally long line quickly dwindled by more than half.

"Twelve years old, level twenty-one... Those requirements are way too high..." Xiao Wu stood on tiptoe to look ahead, muttering softly.

Tang San remained calm. "Master said this academy's admission standards weren't low."

"Now that there are fewer people, let's get in line first."

Jiang Chen walked at the front and gestured for Tang San and Xiao Wu to follow.

The line moved slowly, but Jiang Chen was in no hurry. His golden eyes casually swept over the scene ahead.

Soon, his gaze landed on a girl standing in front of them.

The girl looked slightly younger than Xiao Wu. Her expression was cold, and she radiated an icy aura that warned strangers to stay away.

Her black leather outfit accentuated her fair skin. Most eye-catching of all was her astonishing figure, utterly mismatched with her cool, youthful face—the very picture of a baby-faced beauty with a voluptuous body.

Jiang Chen's gaze lingered on the girl for a moment before he withdrew it.

Damn, that contrast was way too unfair. It hit his preferences perfectly.

Indeed, Jiang Chen did not have many hobbies, and one of them happened to be liking them big.

But that tiny movement was immediately caught by Xiao Wu, who had been watching him beside him.

Following the direction of Jiang Chen's lingering gaze, she instantly locked onto the back of the Black-clad Girl. Her brows immediately knitted together, and her cheeks puffed out slightly.

But Xiao Wu could not think of any reason to criticize Jiang Chen, so she could only sulkily kick Tang San.

Tang San: "???"

"Huh?"

Just then, the old man at the front suddenly let out an uncertain exclamation.

The three looked over and saw a girl in a white dress standing at the very front, her skin so fair and tender it seemed to glow. She extended a slender, pale arm toward the old man.

"Can I pass?"

A sweet, ethereal voice rang out.

The old man did not answer directly, instead asking, "Does your family know you came here?"

The girl blinked her large eyes and asked in return, "I heard this place accepts all who come to learn. I've paid the fee, and I meet the academy's requirements. You have no reason not to admit me."