First Arrival at Shrek, Soul Sage Zhao Wuji

However, these doubts could be temporarily pushed to the back of his mind in the face of the massive temptation of "recruiting a peerless genius."

Flender nodded almost without hesitation: "Agreed."

"The academy already has a curriculum that organizes students for regular practical combat training, and obtaining spirit rings also requires entering spirit beast forests. I can promise this requirement."

"I will arrange it personally to ensure you receive high-quality combat opportunities, provided that you follow orders and do not act on your own."

"Then I agree."

Xiao Qing also nodded; all he wanted was an environment that would allow A'Man, Xiao Feng, and the others to continue fighting and growing, as well as a temporary, relatively safe sanctuary.

In the original story, although Shrek Academy was impoverished, it was indeed protective of its own and had its own principles.

Furthermore, the Flender before him, while greedy for money, had clear bottom lines.

"Then it's settled." A smile appeared on Flender's face, looking much more genuine this time. "From now on, you are a student of Shrek Academy. I am Dean Flender, a level 78 Spirit Saint."

As he spoke, Flender turned to the side to reveal Oscar, introducing him to Xiao Qing.

"This is Oscar, a student of the academy and your future senior. Let's leave here first; this place is no longer safe. That group of One-Eye, or others who have caught wind of this, are likely creeping toward us right now."

Xiao Qing did not hesitate further; with a thought, he recalled Xiao Feng and A'Man into the Prism Ball.

Seeing Xiao Qing put away his spirit beasts, Flender did not ask any questions. Everyone had their own secrets, and prying blindly would only be annoying.

"Follow me; I know a relatively hidden route out."

Flender turned and signaled for Xiao Qing to follow.

Oscar stood beside Flender, waved at Xiao Qing with a friendly smile, and then hurried to keep up with the Dean's pace.

For the final stretch of leaving the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest, Flender chose a path that was relatively secluded but rugged.

However, just as Flender had said, the "bounty" on Xiao Qing had already begun to ferment.

During three brief rests, they avoided at least five groups of spirit masters who were looking for Xiao Qing.

Upon leaving the forest and reaching the edge of the nearest town, Flender chose not to enter to resupply or hire transportation.

He stopped in his tracks and said to Xiao Qing and Oscar with a serious expression: "To train your stamina, we will walk back to the academy. The entire journey will be on foot."

Oscar was clearly accustomed to this, though he nodded with a bitter face.

Xiao Qing did not raise any objections either. Under the guidance of a Spirit Saint like Flender, choosing wild paths was time-consuming and exhausting, but it offered the highest level of concealment.

Nearly thirty hours of continuous travel was a huge burden for Oscar, and for the latter half of the journey, he was almost being dragged along by Flender.

Although Xiao Qing also felt fatigued, the physical fitness and willpower he had forged in the forest supported him through the entire trek.

When a playground that looked like it had been abandoned for a long time and a few dilapidated houses appeared in the distance, Flender stopped.

"We're here."

Xiao Qing's gaze swept over the "Shrek Academy" sign nailed together with simple wooden boards, the weed-choked playground, and the roofs that looked somewhat precarious.

The environment was even more primitive than he had expected, but strangely, he did not feel disappointed—perhaps it was because he had lived in the Star Dou Forest for too long.

Just as they approached, a few people on the playground were moving some old wooden tables, chairs, and equipment.

One of them was extremely burly; he noticed the approach of Flender and the others immediately, looked up, and spoke with a voice like a booming bell:

"Flender, you're back! Is this the 'special situation' you mentioned in your letter?"

Flender first introduced him to Xiao Qing: "This is Vice Dean Zhao Wuji, a level 76 Power Attack System Spirit Saint. But I believe that in a while, Vice Dean Zhao will become a Spirit Douluo!"

Then he turned to Zhao Wuji to introduce: "His name is Xiao Qing, our new student."

Zhao Wuji's gaze landed on Xiao Qing as if it were physical, carrying scrutiny and a hint of curiosity.

"Kid, how old are you? What's your spirit power?"

"Over eight years old, a level 22 Battle Spirit Master."

Xiao Qing answered Zhao Wuji in a steady tone.

Zhao Wuji's eyes widened instantly, and a look of disbelief flashed across his face.

He looked sharply at Flender, then back at Xiao Qing, his voice rising involuntarily: "Eight years old? Level 22? Flender, are you mistaken?"

Flender could finally no longer suppress the corners of his mouth; that secret delight was almost overflowing, but he still tried to maintain the "composure" of a Dean and pushed up his glasses:

"Do you think my perception is wrong? Xiao Qing's martial soul is a mutated summoning type; he will demonstrate its specific abilities himself later."

"Additionally, he made a request to have regular practical combat training with spirit beasts arranged, and I agreed."

Zhao Wuji's shock quickly transformed into a near-manic excitement. He slapped a broken wooden table beside him, causing it to groan under the weight.

"Good! Good! This is a real monster! I like it!"

The look in his eyes as he stared at Xiao Qing became instantly fervent; it was the look of someone seeing a peerless treasure.

But Flender's next words made him calm down slightly: "There were some complications on the way back, and I didn't have time to find a spirit ring for Oscar. But enrollment day is in a few days, and there's a lot to do."

Zhao Wuji immediately understood what Flender meant.

During enrollment, Flender had to be present as the Dean, and finding a suitable spirit beast for a Food System Spirit Master like Oscar required time, patience, and potentially combat.

He didn't hesitate at all, waving his large hand to take the task upon himself: "You handle the trivialities of enrollment; I'll take these two to the Sunset Forest. If we get Oscar his spirit ring early, this kid will have a bit more self-preservation power."

Zhao Wuji pointed at Oscar, then looked toward Xiao Qing, grinning as he said, "We might as well see just how much mettle our new little monster really has. Kid, are you afraid of tangling with a Spirit Beast?"

"Not afraid."

Xiao Qing's reply was short and forceful, which was exactly what Zhao Wuji wanted.

Clean and crisp!

"Then it's settled. We set off first thing tomorrow morning."

Zhao Wuji made the final call, then shouted to two other men on the training ground who appeared to be teachers, "Lu Qibin, Li Yusong, put your things down for a moment and come meet our new student!"

After a brief introduction to the two Spirit Emperor-level teachers, Flender had Oscar take Xiao Qing to the dormitory to get settled.

The dormitory was a simple bungalow; the furnishings were sparse, but it was reasonably clean.

Oscar pushed open a door and said with a hint of embarrassment, "Conditions are a bit rough, so we'll be staying in this room for now. I sleep on that bed over there."

Xiao Qing nodded, his gaze sweeping across the room: three hard wooden beds, a simple table and chairs, and almost nothing else besides.

For Xiao Qing, who had lived in the Star Dou Forest for so long, this was already enough.

Just then, the quilt on the bed tucked into the far side of the room stirred, and a messy head of red hair poked out, seemingly woken by the commotion.

It was a chubby boy with sleep still clinging to his face, though his eyes darted around with remarkable agility.

He looked at Oscar first, then his gaze landed on the stranger, Xiao Qing, filled with clear curiosity and appraisal.

"Oscar, you're back from getting your second Spirit Ring already! Who's this next to you?"

The red-haired boy rubbed his eyes and sat up; his frame was round, but his movements were not clumsy.

"Fatty, you just woke up? This is Xiao Qing, a student the Dean just recruited. He'll be with us from now on. Xiao Qing, this is Ma Hongjun, he's our classmate too."

Oscar introduced Xiao Qing and Ma Hongjun to each other without haste.