The Golden Sacred Dragon Is No Inferior to the Dark Sacred Dragon! Founding Shrek Academy, with Strict Admission Requirements!

His nails split, and blood mixed with dirt, staining both hands red.

Yet Yu Xiaogang seemed unable to feel the pain. He just stared fixedly in the direction of Heaven Dou City.

His eyes were bloodshot, and he panted like an ox.

"Why... Why is heaven so unfair to me!"

"I clearly have the most invincible theories!

I clearly could command the strongest Martial Soul Fusion Skill!

Why is my Soul Power only rank twenty-nine!"

Liu Erlong's heart ached as tears streamed down her face. She held his trembling body tightly.

"Xiaogang, don't be like this. So what if you're only rank twenty-nine? You're still the smartest, greatest person in my heart."

Yu Xiaogang's eyes brimmed with hatred and madness. He ground his teeth and roared inwardly.

"Qian Yu... You took Dong'er away, and now you've trampled the dignity of my Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan underfoot!"

"I, Yu Xiaogang, swear that one day I'll prove my theories!

I'll bring forth the perfect Golden Sacred Dragon and, before the eyes of the whole world, trample you beneath my feet and wash away this humiliation!"

Flender watched Yu Xiaogang sink into extreme obsession and opened his mouth.

In the end, he let out only a heavy sigh and said nothing more to dissuade him.

Liu Erlong carefully wiped the blood from the corner of Yu Xiaogang's mouth. Her voice carried a hint of pleading.

"Xiaogang, stop training. Let's go into the city and find a healing-type Soul Master to look at your legs.

If this keeps up, your foundation will be completely ruined."

Yu Xiaogang shoved Liu Erlong's hand away. He struggled to stand, only to slump helplessly back down.

"No!

I can't stop!

Qian Yu is riding high right now. If I can't even master the Golden Sacred Dragon, how am I supposed to defeat him?

How am I supposed to prove myself?"

Flender couldn't bear to watch any longer. He gripped Yu Xiaogang's shoulder and spoke gravely.

"Xiaogang!

Calm down!

In your current state, forget defeating Qian Yu—you can't even make it to Heaven Dou City!"

Yu Xiaogang bit his lip hard, glaring at Flender with bloodshot eyes.

"Then tell me, what am I supposed to do?

Am I supposed to spend the rest of my life as a good-for-nothing everyone laughs at?!"

Flender sighed, his tone softening a little.

"No one thinks you're a good-for-nothing.

Your theories are priceless. You just need time, and so do we.

The situation in Heaven Dou City is complicated right now. Let's not wade into those troubled waters for the time being."

Liu Erlong nodded repeatedly in agreement.

"That's right, Xiaogang. Boss Fu is right.

As long as the green hills remain, there'll be no shortage of firewood.

Let's heal up first, then think things over."

Yu Xiaogang clenched both fists until his knuckles turned white.

After a long silence, he forced a question through gritted teeth.

"Think things over... What are we going to do?"

Flender pushed up his glasses and looked toward the outline of Suotuo City in the distance.

"If you want to prove your theories to the world, the three of us alone won't be enough. The Golden Sacred Dragon alone won't be enough, either.

We need a platform—a place where your theories can shine."

Yu Xiaogang froze.

"A platform?"

"That's right. We'll open an academy."

A gleam flashed through Flender's eyes.

"We'll open a Soul Master Academy near Suotuo City that accepts only monstrous geniuses!

You'll be the Grandmaster and personally guide them with your theories.

Once these geniuses grow up and shock the continent, who would dare question your theories?

Who would dare look down on you, Yu Xiaogang?"

Liu Erlong's eyes lit up, and she spoke excitedly.

"That's a great idea!

Xiaogang, when your students defeat the geniuses from Spirit Hall, it'll be even more satisfying than doing it yourself!"

The deadness in Yu Xiaogang's eyes gradually faded, replaced by a strange, fervent excitement.

"Open an academy... teach geniuses..."

Yu Xiaogang murmured to himself. Involuntarily, Qian Yu's face, the one he hated to the bone, appeared in his mind.

"Good.

Boss Fu, Erlong, we'll open an academy!"

Yu Xiaogang spoke through clenched teeth, each word distinct.

"I'll recruit the strongest geniuses on the entire continent and train them with my most perfect theories!

One day, I'll have my students trample that Qian Yu underfoot with their own hands,

and prove to the whole world that I, Yu Xiaogang, am the one with truly invincible theories!"

Seeing Yu Xiaogang regain his resolve, Flender secretly breathed a sigh of relief and helped him up from the mud.

"Now that we've decided, we need to give the academy a resounding name."

Yu Xiaogang's gaze darkened, and he said coldly.

"Since we'll accept only monsters and no ordinary people,

let's call it Shrek.

In ancient language, that means monster."

"Shrek Academy?"

Flender rolled the name around in his mouth, then smiled.

"Good name!

Shrek it is!

But Xiaogang, if we're only taking monsters, what admission standards are you planning to set?"

A hint of pride flashed through Yu Xiaogang's eyes. He answered without hesitation.

"First, applicants must be no older than twelve.

Second, their Soul Power must be at least rank twenty.

Third, their Martial Souls must have immense potential or be a special Mutated Martial Soul.

If they don't meet all three requirements—even by the tiniest margin—we won't accept them!"

Liu Erlong was secretly astonished. She couldn't help hesitating.

"Xiaogang, aren't these requirements too strict?

Reaching rank twenty as a Soul Grandmaster by the age of twelve is exceedingly rare across the entire continent.

Even at Spirit Hall and the two empires' Imperial Academies, students like that are top-tier core candidates.

Can we really recruit geniuses like that here in remote Suotuo City?"

Yu Xiaogang snorted, his tone filled with unyielding obsession.

"Better to have none than to accept the unworthy!

I'm going to train peerless geniuses who can one day trample Qian Yu underfoot, not just any Tom, Dick, or Harry!

If they don't even have that level of talent, they don't deserve my personal guidance!"

Flender smiled wryly and rubbed his empty purse.

"It's fine to set high standards. We don't have much startup money anyway.

If we really took in hundreds or thousands of students, I couldn't afford to support them.

We'll find a cheap village outside Suotuo City, rent a few farmhouses, and get the academy started."

Liu Erlong furrowed her brows slightly, looking at Yu Xiaogang with concern.

"Boss Fu, how can Xiaogang live in some rundown farmhouse?

I still have some savings. Why don't we get a place in the city..."

"No need, Erlong."

Yu Xiaogang cut her off, his gaze dark as he looked into the distance.

"When Heaven is about to entrust someone with a great responsibility, it first wears down their will.

What does a mere farmhouse matter?

As long as I can prove to the world that I'm the one who's right, I can endure even the harshest conditions!"

As he spoke, Yu Xiaogang glanced at Luo Sanpao, still unconscious on the ground, and gritted his teeth.

"Boss Fu, help me into the city.

I need to find a healing-type Soul Master as soon as possible and get my legs treated.

Shrek Academy's preparations begin tomorrow!"

Flender nodded, bent down, and hoisted Yu Xiaogang onto his back.

"Good. Let's head into the city.

Erlong, bring Sanpao and keep up."

Liu Erlong picked up the heavy Luo Sanpao and hurried after them.

The three of them and a pig slowly made their way toward Suotuo City.