The moment the old man spoke, the child's father grew anxious.
"Teacher, please make an exception. My child just turned thirteen, and look—the proportions of his Soul Rings are the best possible. He has two Century Soul Rings!"
The child's father bowed and clasped the old man's hand, pleading with him.
But the old man's expression didn't change in the slightest. He shook off the father's hand and said coldly,
"Rules are rules. Our Shrek Academy is the Monster Academy, so naturally, the students we accept must be monsters too."
"A thirteen-year-old Soul Grandmaster might be a genius elsewhere, but at Shrek Academy, the one thing we don't lack is geniuses. The geniuses we want are the geniuses among geniuses—the monsters!"
"Any student who graduates from Shrek Academy can receive a noble title from the empire."
"Besides, we made the requirements clear before admissions began. Anyone who wants to enroll at Shrek Academy must be twelve or younger, possess two Soul Rings, and have reached the Soul Grandmaster level."
"Anyone who doesn't meet the requirements can leave. Don't waste the application fee or anyone's time."
"What about the application fee we paid?"
The child's father was a little indignant and wanted his application fee back.
The application fee for Shrek Academy was ten Gold Soul Coins. Although the residents of Suotuo City in the Balak Kingdom were generally quite well-off, ten Gold Soul Coins was still a considerable sum.
"Application fees are nonrefundable!"
The old man's tone was firm, leaving no room for argument.
The moment the old man spoke, the child's father grew anxious.
"If you don't give us our money back, I'll report you to Spirit Hall!"
Spirit Hall held a very high standing in the hearts of ordinary people across the Douluo Continent. Whenever they ran into trouble or were bullied, the first thing common folk thought to do was ask Spirit Hall for help.
And most of Spirit Hall's grassroots personnel were practical people. They would even help mediate ordinary disputes among the public.
The moment the old man heard Spirit Hall's name, he clearly grew anxious.
After all, Shrek Academy hadn't registered as a legitimate educational institution and didn't officially qualify as an academy.
If Spirit Hall's people really came knocking, Shrek Academy would certainly be in the wrong.
He summoned a Dragon Pattern Staff into his hand, and six Soul Rings rose in sequence from beneath him.
"Li Yusong, sixty-three-level Power Attack System Battle Soul Emperor, Martial Soul: Dragon Pattern Staff."
"White, yellow, purple, purple, purple, black."
"Hiss! A Soul Emperor!"
When the child's father saw that the old man handling admissions was actually a Soul Emperor, he sucked in a sharp breath and retreated again and again.
"If you want your application fee back, it's not impossible. Just beat one of my students, and you'll get all ten Gold Soul Coins back."
"Come out and earn your keep, Mubai!"
At Li Yusong's call, a blond man emerged from who-knows-where.
It was Dai Mubai.
A White Tiger phantom appeared behind Dai Mubai, and three Soul Rings—yellow, yellow, and purple—rose beneath him.
"Dai Mubai, thirty-seven-level Power Attack System Battle Soul Elder, Martial Soul: White Tiger."
"If you can beat me, you'll get your application fee back in full!"
Dai Mubai's tone was arrogant. As a prince of the Star Luo Empire, honestly, he looked down on the commoners standing before him.
"Hiss, a Soul Elder with a Thousand-Year Soul Ring!"
The child's father and the people waiting in line behind him all sucked in a sharp breath.
The Thousand-Year Soul Ring put tremendous pressure on them.
"We don't want it back, all right? You win. We're leaving!"
The child's father grabbed his child and prepared to leave.
Li Yusong immediately poured cold water on the people still waiting in line behind them.
"I know you heard that students from Shrek Academy can receive a noble title as soon as they graduate, so you came to apply hoping to get lucky. But I'll say the requirements again."
"To apply, you must be no older than twelve and have reached the Soul Grandmaster level. Anyone who doesn't meet the requirements can leave."
"Application fees already paid are nonrefundable."
After hearing Li Yusong's words, the child's father abandoned any thought of getting justice. If even the old man guarding the entrance and handling admissions was a Soul Emperor, then the teachers at the academy must be Soul Saints, or even stronger.
Suotuo City was, after all, just an ordinary city in the Balak Kingdom. The highest-ranking Spirit Hall official stationed there was only a Cardinal, which meant a Soul Emperor.
Even if he went to Spirit Hall for help, he might not get justice. Worse, he could even face retaliation from Shrek Academy afterward.
At least, that was what he thought.
So now he just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. He'd treat the ten Gold Soul Coins he'd paid as if he'd fed them to a dog.
But an academy as arrogant as Shrek was bound to have people who couldn't stand the sight of it.
"Wait! Hold on!"
Just then, a young voice rang out, stopping the child and his father as they prepared to leave with their grievance swallowed.
The voice belonged to Li Luo.
He was going to help the wronged father this once.
Li Luo didn't think of himself as a saint, but he truly couldn't stand the way Shrek Academy behaved.
Li Luo had come from the impoverished Holy Soul Village, so he knew how hard it was for ordinary people to earn money.
And in his previous life, Li Luo had been a well-educated, forward-thinking young man. He couldn't turn a blind eye to injustice. Though he couldn't change all of the Douluo Continent's problems, he was now capable of helping ordinary people who were being bullied. As long as it didn't go against his principles, he was willing to step in.
Nothing more than wanting a clear conscience and peace of mind.
At the sound of Li Luo's voice, the child's father seemed to have seized onto hope and turned around.
He fixed his eyes on Li Luo.
Li Luo, Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong were clearly no ordinary people, whether you judged by their looks, their clothes, or their bearing.
The child's father once again felt hope that he might get his hard-earned money back.
"I'll fight you. If I beat you, you'll return this father's money."
Li Luo pointed at Dai Mubai, but his eyes were on Li Yusong.
Li Yusong looked Li Luo over, considered for a moment, then agreed.
"Fine. If you beat Mubai, I'll return his application fee."
After all, Li Yusong was genuinely afraid the father would report Shrek Academy to Spirit Hall. Since they weren't a legitimate educational institution, being reported would surely cause them considerable trouble.
If they settled it through a Soul Fighting match, then they'd have a reason to stand on if Spirit Hall came knocking.
But Li Yusong didn't notice that Dai Mubai's expression had turned rather grim.
When Dai Mubai first heard that someone who didn't know his place wanted to challenge him, he'd been dismissive.
But the moment he saw Li Luo, his expression changed completely.
"Teacher Li, this... I'm afraid..."
Dai Mubai called out softly to Li Yusong, stammering and hesitating, unable to finish.
"What's wrong, Mubai?"
Only then did Li Yusong notice that something was off with Dai Mubai and ask him what was going on.
Dai Mubai leaned close to Li Yusong's ear and told him, in full, how Li Luo had easily defeated him the day before.
That included how Li Luo was a forty-level Blue Silver Grass Quasi-Soul Ancestor with three Thousand-Year Soul Rings.