"Her!"
Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing had not met often, and he had fled the Star Luo Empire several years ago, so he hadn't recognized Zhu Zhuqing at once.
But the Nether Civet Martial Soul was an unmistakable marker.
The moment Zhu Zhuqing released her Martial Soul, Dai Mubai was certain that this girl was none other than his fiancée in name, Zhu Zhuqing.
Dai Mubai tried to approach Zhu Zhuqing, but she nimbly dodged him, keeping a constant distance between them.
Dai Mubai wasn't in a hurry. He had spent years moving among women and was very good at dealing with them.
In his eyes, since Zhu Zhuqing was his fiancée, she would eventually fall into his hands. It was only a matter of time.
But Zhu Zhuqing wasn't the sort of ordinary girl Dai Mubai imagined. She had dared to travel thousands of miles, crossing into the foreign Balak Kingdom and coming to Suotuo City, to seek out her nominal fiancé at an obscure, remote, and shabby place like Shrek Academy.
That was enough to prove Zhu Zhuqing wasn't ordinary. At the very least, she had a strong character—she was determined and resilient.
She had come here to grow stronger. If Dai Mubai couldn't demonstrate the strength to match her, Zhu Zhuqing would never acknowledge him.
So Dai Mubai's plan was bound to fail.
With Dai Mubai leading the way, the group headed to the second round of Shrek Academy's entrance assessment.
"Li Luo, Tang San, and Xiao Wu, the three of you don't need to take the rest of the entrance assessment. Come with me later, and we'll go straight to the final round."
Dai Mubai spoke to Li Luo, Tang San, and Xiao Wu.
At that moment, the other applicants testing their Soul Power nearby heard Dai Mubai and immediately protested.
"Why don't they have to take the rest of the assessment? That's not fair!"
"Exactly! There's favoritism!"
Dai Mubai looked at the protestors with disdain, but his tone was firm.
"If your Soul Power is above level twenty-five, you can skip the assessment and go straight to the final round too."
After hearing Dai Mubai's words, the protestors fell silent, though they still looked unconvinced.
Clearly, they didn't believe Li Luo, Tang San, and Xiao Wu could have reached level twenty-five or higher by the age of twelve.
Dai Mubai couldn't be bothered to explain. When he had arrived at Shrek Academy at twelve, his Soul Power had been exactly level twenty-five.
That was why he looked down on applicants who still hadn't reached level twenty-five by the age of twelve.
It was the pride of someone who called himself a "monster," and an arrogance etched into his bones.
After hearing Dai Mubai say that anyone with Soul Power above level twenty-five could skip straight to the final round, Ning Rongrong raised her hand and spoke.
"Um, my Soul Power Level is already twenty-nine. Can I apply to skip the assessment too?"
Dai Mubai was taken aback by Ning Rongrong's words.
He felt a little stung. He could accept Li Luo, Tang San, and Xiao Wu having higher Soul Power Levels than he'd had at twelve.
But Ning Rongrong was an auxiliary-type Soul Master. Auxiliary-type Soul Masters were famous for how difficult it was to cultivate.
Dai Mubai suddenly felt his pride take a hit.
Then he remembered that Ning Rongrong's Martial Soul was supposedly the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. Only then did he let go of the resentment welling up inside him.
As a prince of the Star Luo Empire, Dai Mubai naturally knew about the flaws of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. He had also heard the legend passed down through the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect about the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul.
So he believed Ning Rongrong was a once-in-a-century genius of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. He could accept that her talent surpassed his own.
But just as Dai Mubai had breathed a sigh of relief, Zhu Zhuqing spoke again.
"My Soul Power Level is also above twenty-five. I'd like to apply to skip straight to the final round too."
This time, Dai Mubai was truly astonished. In his memory, his nominal fiancée wasn't especially talented. Her Innate Soul Power had even been lower than his.
Dai Mubai's Innate Soul Power was higher than Dai Weisi's, but the age gap between them was enormous. Zhu Zhuqing's Innate Soul Power wasn't high either, so Dai Mubai had completely lost hope of defeating Dai Weisi. That was why he had fled to Shrek Academy in the Heaven Dou Empire.
This time, Dai Mubai's pride was thoroughly wounded.
Dai Mubai took Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing to have their Soul Power tested. They didn't have third Soul Rings, unlike Li Luo, Tang San, and Xiao Wu, whose Soul Elder rank could be confirmed at a glance. Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing's exact Soul Power Levels weren't obvious.
After the test, Ning Rongrong's Soul Power Level was twenty-nine, only one step away from becoming a Soul Elder.
Zhu Zhuqing's Soul Power Level was twenty-seven. She was younger than Ning Rongrong, only eleven years old, yet her Soul Power Level had already reached twenty-seven.
That meant Zhu Zhuqing could reach the Soul Elder realm by the time she was twelve. It was clear how hard she had worked at her cultivation.
While Dai Mubai was taking Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing to have their Soul Power Levels tested, the call of a vendor nearby caught Xiao Wu's attention.
"Buy sausages! Freshly made Big Sausages!"
The sausage's aroma drifted through the air, teasing Xiao Wu's nose.
Following the scent, Xiao Wu walked over to the sausage stall. She pointed at a grilled sausage that looked delicious and asked the vendor,
"Boss, how much are the sausages? How much for one?"
The vendor looked like an uncle, with a scruffy beard and a pair of peach-blossom eyes rarely seen on men. He seemed a little lecherous.
When he saw a customer, he immediately perked up. He picked up a grilled sausage and said,
"Three Copper Soul Coins each, or five Copper Soul Coins for two."
When Xiao Wu heard that the grilled sausages were reasonably priced, with a discount for buying more, she immediately took out a Silver Soul Coin, intending to buy four.
But just then, Li Luo stopped Xiao Wu's hand as she reached for the money and waved at the sausage uncle.
"Sorry for the trouble, but we don't want any."
Li Luo naturally knew that the sausage uncle was Oscar, and that the sausages were created from Oscar's Soul Power.
There was nothing wrong with their hygiene or safety, and they tasted pretty good too.
But when Li Luo thought of Oscar's lecherous incantation and expression while making the sausages, as well as his indecent thoughts when girls ate them, a wave of nausea rose up in him.
There was nothing wrong with the sausages. They were good sausages.
But there was something wrong with the man.
Li Luo couldn't bear to let Xiao Wu feel disgusted, so when he saw her about to buy a sausage, he quickly pulled her away.
Tang San had also been planning to try a sausage, but after seeing Li Luo's reaction, he changed his mind.
He didn't ask Li Luo why. In Tang San's heart, Li Luo's attitude was an unbreakable imperial decree, the highest priority of all.
At that moment, Dai Mubai returned with Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing, whom he had taken to have their Soul Power Levels tested.