Entrance Exam

Returning to the hotel with food, Tang San and Xiao Wu were nowhere to be seen in the lobby. Feng Xinglie went straight upstairs to Zhu Zhuqing's door.

"Miss Zhuqing, are you alright?"

After calling out several times and seeing no response from inside, Feng Xinglie anxiously twisted the doorknob and the door together into a spiral, then stepped inside.

"Miss Zhuqing! Ah... I'm glad you're okay."

At this moment, Zhu Zhuqing was sitting on the bed hugging her knees. Although there were still tear stains at the corners of her eyes, her wide eyes stared unblinkingly at Feng Xinglie.

"Are... are you alright?"

Zhu Zhuqing's gaze shifted between Feng Xinglie and the completely deformed door several times before she nodded.

"I'm sorry, I was a bit anxious just now... Miss Zhuqing, I know you're very sad, but you won't have the strength to become stronger if you don't eat enough. You need a good body to resist fate."

"Thank you..."

Looking at the food placed before her, tears began to well up in her eyes again. Zhu Zhuqing choked out, "Actually, that person just now was my fiancé."

"Fiancé? White Tiger Martial Soul... Is he a prince of the Star Luo Royal Family?"

"Yes, the Star Luo Royal Family and the Zhu Family have intermarried for generations, and only the strongest pair survives. Dai Mubai and I, because we are young and have trained for less time than our older siblings, have always been suppressed. Dai Mubai abandoned his responsibilities and fled alone years ago."

"Hell White Tiger..."

Seeing that Feng Xinglie had guessed the answer, Zhu Zhuqing no longer hid anything. "My sister also pushed me to a dead end, and I came here to find him. If we have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, perhaps there's a way to defeat my sisters."

"Turns out, you suffered greatly in the Zhu Family, while he, a deserter, lived a life of luxury and debauchery in Suotuo City."

Zhu Zhuqing fell silent, her fists clenched tighter. Seeing that his goal was achieved, Feng Xinglie quickly comforted her, "It's okay, isn't Shrek Academy known as Monster Academy? Perhaps we can find a way to become stronger there. If all else fails, you can also consider what I mentioned before, finding a backer to get through this."

"Dai Mubai... is a student at Shrek Academy."

"Isn't that even better? You can investigate Shrek while also finding an opportunity to beat him up soundly to vent your anger. Don't worry, I'll help you if you need it."

"Mhm!"

Zhu Zhuqing looked at Feng Xinglie gratefully, while he handed her the food. "Eat up, you need strength to beat people up too. Don't starve yourself for a scumbag."

Seeing the once aloof beauty now eating bite by bite like a docile kitten, Feng Xinglie sighed inwardly. "She's still just a child. A little coaxing and she lets down her guard, even revealing the royal family's secrets so easily. But... this child has indeed suffered quite a bit."

After finishing the meal together and spending over an hour coaxing Zhu Zhuqing until she smiled again, bandaging her hand wound, and moving to a room with an intact door, Feng Xinglie finally returned to his own room. After confirming the intelligence, he made several arrangements and, despite his fatigue, plopped onto the soft bed.

"Sigh, coaxing people is more tiring than fighting... But the effect was good. We're officially enrolling tomorrow, I hope everything goes smoothly."

After a good night's rest, Feng Xinglie and Zhu Zhuqing had breakfast the next day and set off for Shrek Academy together. Leaving Suotuo City and heading south, Zhu Zhuqing's expression became increasingly interesting as she looked at the growing farmland by the roadside. In fact, if Feng Xinglie hadn't known the plot, even he would have doubted if they had taken the wrong path. Fortunately, not long after, a small village appeared at the end of the road, with many people gathered at the entrance, most of them children of similar age to them.

"This... is Shrek Academy?"

Looking at the large characters "Shrek Academy" on the swaying sign at the village entrance, Zhu Zhuqing's brows furrowed into a deep line. This place was ridiculously simple, and the only person recruiting was an old man around sixty years old, who was lazily leaning behind a table, sizing up the children before him.

"The registration fee is ten Gold Soul Coins. Just put it in that box."

Seeing someone come to register, the elder pointed to the wooden box on the table. After the parent paid the fee, he took the child's hand to check their bone age. After a bit of kneading, he shook his head. "Your age doesn't meet the requirements, you can leave."

The father hurriedly said with a smile, "Teacher, my son just had his thirteenth birthday. Can you make an exception?"

The elder said impatiently, "Don't hold up the people behind you. Don't you know the academy's rules? We only accept children under thirteen years old. Anyone over thirteen will not be admitted. You can leave."

The young man's father said, "Then our registration fee..."

The elder said unceremoniously, "Once registered, no refunds."

Even a clay figurine has some spirit. The young man's father couldn't help but angrily say, "You're clearly trying to scam us. Return our registration fee, or we're not leaving. If we had known this so-called Shrek Academy was so run-down, we wouldn't have come!"

The elder glanced at him and said faintly, "Mubai, someone wants a refund. Handle it."

From the ground nearby, a figure suddenly leaped up. "If you want a refund, you can have it. Beat me, and I'll return it all!"

As soon as he finished speaking, three soul rings, yellow, yellow, and purple, appeared beneath his feet, and his majestic soul power pressed down on the father and son. Feeling that the opponent's strength far surpassed his own, the child's father could only sigh and prepare to accept the loss and leave with his child.

"You said if I beat you, you'd return it all."

Everyone present looked on in surprise as Feng Xinglie stepped in front of Dai Mubai and cupped his hands. "Please."

Dai Mubai sized up Feng Xinglie from head to toe. After a moment, he seemed to recall something and sneered, "Oh? You want to play the hero? I think I saw you at the Rose Hotel yesterday. What, you don't want to be a turtle hiding in its shell anymore and decided to stand up today?"

"Yes, I hope you'll keep your promise after you lose."

"Hmph, you?"

Seeing Feng Xinglie with his eyes lowered and his hands in his pockets, completely disregarding him, Dai Mubai was thoroughly enraged. The distance between them was only a meter. Without any warning, Dai Mubai suddenly threw a punch at Feng Xinglie's face, and at the same time, the purple soul ring beneath his feet emitted a dazzling light.

"Third Soul Skill: White Tiger Vajra Transformation!"

Having decided to teach this ignorant brat a lesson, Dai Mubai unleashed his strongest soul skill right off the bat. Upon activation, his muscles suddenly bulged, and his launched fist smashed forward with a whistling gale.

"Careful!"

Completely caught off guard by Dai Mubai's sudden attack, Zhu Zhuqing cried out. But before she could finish speaking, everyone saw that Dai Mubai, who had attacked first, was flying backward in a strange posture. It wasn't until he smashed into the wooden plaque bearing the Shrek Academy's name, splitting it in two, that the onlookers realized:

"Dai Mubai got hit!?"