Heaven Dou Academy

It had to be said, Shrek's public relations were well handled. To ease the concerns of parents who had brought their children to register, they had specially hired several villagers from the village where Shrek Academy was located to mingle among the applicants and talk about how graduating from Shrek would earn you an Imperial viscount's title, and so on. At the end, they didn't forget to add, "That's what someone from Spirit Hall told me."

The parents were completely taken in, then paid the ten Gold Soul Coin registration fee.

Over twelve years old? Unqualified. Eliminated!

Soul Power below level twenty? Eliminated!

Soul Ring Configuration not optimal? Eliminated.

The reasons for elimination were all over the place. In short, they never told you the requirements beforehand.

Want your registration fee back? Sure. Just beat Dai Mubai.

As he spoke, Dai Mubai released his White Tiger Martial Soul, and three Soul Rings—yellow, yellow, and purple—rose around him.

Zhu Zhuqing watched the whole thing, a look of disdain passing through her eyes. What she had just witnessed was almost exactly what Lan Si had described, and she couldn't help wondering: Could an academy like this really make her stronger?

"You're a new student, right? I just heard Teacher Li Yusong say you passed the first test and your Soul Power is above level twenty-five. Wait here a moment. I have two friends over there in the same situation. I'll take you all straight to the fourth test in a bit."

After displaying his Soul Elder strength and driving off the parents who had wanted their registration fees back, Dai Mubai walked over to Zhu Zhuqing with what he thought was a handsome, sunny smile.

From the first moment he saw Zhu Zhuqing, Dai Mubai had recognized her as the girl he had seen at the Rose Hotel the day before—the one whose presence had stirred a response from the White Tiger Martial Soul within him. On top of that, she was more beautiful and had a better figure than any woman he had ever slept with, so he was taken with her and planned to win her over while they were at the academy.

The reason he hadn't gone to greet her right away was, on the one hand, that the two of them were "strangers." On the other, he needed to first show off his "strength" to make his move easier.

At his words, Zhu Zhuqing glanced at Dai Mubai with icy eyes and said nothing.

Dai Mubai looked embarrassed, but didn't get angry. He merely assumed she was the proud, haughty sort of girl. But that was exactly why she was worth pursuing for him, Dai Mubai, the Evil-Eyed White Tiger.

"I'll head over first. If you need anything, just call for me. No need to be polite. My name's Dai Mubai, my Martial Soul is the White Tiger, and I'm a level thirty-seven Power Attack System Battle Soul Elder. I'm your senior." As he spoke, Dai Mubai turned and headed toward Tang San and Xiao Wu.

Registration didn't last long. In the end, aside from Tang San, Xiao Wu, and a girl who seemed to come from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, everyone else was eliminated in the first three tests.

At the fourth test, they faced Zhao Wuji, a Battle Soul Saint with Soul Power at level seventy-six. Zhu Zhuqing and the other three ultimately passed, but since Zhu Zhuqing had already decided that if she didn't pass, she would simply leave, she didn't fight with all her strength. The test ended when Xiao Wu's Charm failed and she fainted from the mental backlash, while Tang San unleashed his Hidden Weapons.

Meanwhile, while Zhu Zhuqing was enrolling at Shrek, Lan Si had left the Star Dou Great Forest and traveled while cultivating. After a month of wandering along the way, he finally arrived at Heaven Dou Royal Academy on the first day of the new school year.

"Stop! Who are you? How dare you trespass into Heaven Dou Royal Academy?" As soon as Lan Si reached the academy gates, ten Soul Masters around eighteen or nineteen years old blocked his way. Though they hadn't summoned their Martial Souls, their goose-yellow uniforms made it clear that they were students of Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Lan Si furrowed his brows. Before he could speak, someone across from him shouted, "How dare you! You saw His Highness Xue Beng and didn't even bow. Do you have a death wish?" Then, with a fawning look toward the Soul Master at the front, he added, "Your Highness Xue Beng, this commoner doesn't know any better. Don't stoop to his level. I'll teach him a lesson for you."

The Soul Master at the front gave the immediate impression of a spoiled wastrel. It wasn't just his appearance; he seemed rotten to the core. His pale complexion, sunken eyes, and frail body were all obvious signs of excessive indulgence.

Lan Si suddenly understood. He rubbed his chin and thought, No wonder he feels so familiar. So I've run into Xue Beng, the guy who gets beaten up by Dai Mubai as soon as he appears in the original story!

As he recalled, Xue Beng had been pretending to be a fool and playing the wastrel. In the end, with Tang San's help, he had thwarted Qian Renxue's Heaven Dou Palace Coup, emerged as the biggest winner in the Heaven Dou Empire, and inherited the throne.

But since he had run into Lan Si, Xue Beng was doomed to fail!

Xue Beng maintained his wastrel's air. He raised his eyelids and gave Lan Si a discreet once-over. When he noticed that Lan Si's clothes didn't look noble and that he seemed to be a commoner, he waved a hand and yawned lazily. "Don't beat him up here. I don't want to see blood."

"Heh, as you command." The man chuckled, turned toward Lan Si with ill intent, rubbed his fists together, and slowly advanced.

Boom!

Before Xue Beng or the other eight wastrels could react, a deafening bang rang out. The man sailed over their heads in an arc, his body flying backward like a cannonball before crashing heavily to the ground, unconscious. The left side of his face was swollen into a bun as big as a palm, with wisps of white smoke rising from it.

Silence. The entire scene fell deathly quiet. Even some of the Heaven Dou students who weren't afraid of Xue Beng stopped in surprise and watched from a short distance away with interest.

"Did you misunderstand something?" Lan Si clenched his fist, which was also smoking, and looked at Xue Beng and the others with a harmless smile. "I'm just here to apply for admission to Heaven Dou Academy."

Looking at the wastrel who'd been beaten beyond recognition, Xue Beng felt a bad premonition. A bead of cold sweat trickled down his forehead. It was true that he had to pretend to be a wastrel to hide his true self, and that he even enjoyed it—but he didn't want to get beaten up. The person in front of him was clearly someone who didn't play by the rules.

"How dare you fight back! What are you all standing around for? You bunch of useless trash! Summon your Martial Souls and get him!"

The other eight wastrels paused for a moment, then summoned their Martial Souls as ordered. The Beast Soul Masters' bodies changed, while the Tool Soul Masters summoned their Martial Souls. The entrance to Heaven Dou Academy was instantly ablaze with dazzling colors. Two Soul Elders and six Soul Grandmasters—that was their lineup.

Taking advantage of the moment while they summoned their Martial Souls, Xue Beng turned and ran. He wasn't stupid enough to stand there. If the eight of them won, fine. But if they couldn't, he'd probably end up taking a beating too.

"They really are flowers raised in a hothouse. They have Soul Power, but their combat ability is a complete mess."