"Hello, my name is Jiang Yi!"
Jiang Yi looked at the little girl in front of him, blinked, and held out his hand with a polite smile.
He liked cute girls best.
"Want some? It'll be a long time before it's our turn..."
Xiao Xiao shook his hand, then eagerly pulled a few pieces of jerky from her pocket and offered them to him without hesitation.
She'd been waiting in line for ages and was bored to death. Now, at last, someone was willing to talk to her, and what's more—
She glanced up ever so slightly, sneaking a look at Jiang Yi's face.
He was kind of handsome, too?
Because of Soul Power, people on Douluo Continent generally matured early.
Nourished by the vitality of two Soul Beasts, Jiang Yi's body had developed ahead of schedule. Standing among the crowd, he stood out like a crane among chickens.
He wasn't exactly devilishly handsome, but there seemed to be something special about him.
At least to Xiao Xiao, there was something about him that made her feel comfortable, as if she'd met... her master?
Bah, bah, bah!
A hint of red crept across Xiao Xiao's little face, and she felt ashamed of the bizarre thought that had suddenly popped into her head.
Why would she think that?
"Thanks!"
Jiang Yi didn't stand on ceremony. He took the jerky and started eating.
Maybe it was all in his head, but it tasted pretty good, with a special, fragrant aroma.
"Hehe, tasty, right?"
Xiao Xiao struck up a conversation, a touch of pride on her little face.
"This is a specialty of Wansheng City, specially supplied to the royal family! Oh, right, Jiang Yi, where are you from?"
"Heaven Soul, Zhenxin Town."
"Zhenxin Town? Never heard of it... But it's a nice-sounding name."
The two of them chatted on and off.
The little girl Xiao Xiao was quite unguarded. In just a few exchanges, she'd spilled her whole family background.
She didn't come from some prominent clan. Her family was in business, and now that a genius like her had emerged from it, she was bringing honor to the family.
The line was long. Even after more than half an hour, there was still a long stretch ahead of them. The only consolation was that they'd moved from the very end to somewhere around the middle.
"Xiao Xiao, what's that line over there?"
Jiang Yi suddenly pointed to the side and asked curiously.
Besides their long line, there was another one, though it was much shorter—so short, in fact, that there were hardly any people in it.
"Oh, that one! I think it's the special entrance for Soul Engineers. I heard that people with a talent for Soul Tools get lower admission requirements..."
Xiao Xiao explained, then shrugged, looking rather unconcerned.
"But who would come to Shrek Academy to study Soul Tools? This is the sacred land of Soul Masters across the whole continent."
Jiang Yi understood.
Still, he didn't think much of it. He could learn about Soul Tools, but there was no need to waste time on them so early.
The Soul Tools of this era were only decorative flourishes; they couldn't compare with the Battle Armor of later generations.
Wait! No, that wasn't right~
Tian Meng could learn a thing or two. That big lazybones slept all day and lived a more comfortable life than his own master.
If the pet didn't work hard, the boss would suffer!
Everybody, get grinding! How could they carry him to the top if they didn't?
Another half an hour passed, and at last it was their turn.
"Recommendation letter! Show me your Martial Soul, and tell me your name..."
The man handling registration was middle-aged, with a weathered face and a stern expression. Sitting there, he gave off an imposing air.
"Xiao Xiao, eleven years old, twenty-one-level Control-Type Battle Soul Master. My Martial Soul is the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron..."
Xiao Xiao stepped forward and lightly swept out her slender fingers. A golden cauldron taller than she was appeared behind her. It had three legs and two handles, and its body was covered in flowing carved patterns, with a faint gleam of treasure-light shimmering across it.
"Not bad! Go straight to the fourth test!"
The middle-aged man nodded approvingly and handed Xiao Xiao's information to a student beside him.
Shrek's admission requirements were that applicants be no older than twelve and have Soul Power of at least level fifteen. This little girl was already above average.
Even ten thousand years ago, she would've met the requirements.
According to the academy's internal rankings, an eleven-year-old Two-Ring Soul Master was already a candidate for the Inner Academy's reserve ranks.
"Yay! Thank you, teacher!"
Xiao Xiao hopped happily and beamed at the admissions teacher.
This was the greatest academy on the continent. Getting a teacher's encouragement was definitely something to be happy about.
"Mm, next!"
The middle-aged man even managed a rare smile. Cheerful, innocent girls were always endearing.
"Jiang Yi, it's your turn."
After registering, Xiao Xiao didn't leave. Instead, she stood to one side, ready to wait for Jiang Yi.
Spending the past hour together had earned Jiang Yi a perfect score in her book. She was also curious about what his Martial Soul was.
"Recommendation letter."
The middle-aged man looked at Jiang Yi and spoke without expression.
Jiang Yi brushed his hand across the Crystal Belt at his waist, and three stamped letters appeared in his palm.
He'd prepared them beforehand.
Shrek Academy's recommendation-letter system had originally been a way for the three great empires to keep Shrek in check.
In practice, however, the policy hadn't worked especially well. Getting a recommendation letter from a major city wasn't difficult.
Anyone who met Shrek's admission requirements was a young genius. City lords were only too happy to build a good relationship with them.
Combined with Shrek's brutally high elimination rate, the system had instead become a way for the city lords to recruit talent.
City lords across the land: accepting applications from Shrek dropouts online...
"Martial Soul? Age?"
The middle-aged man glanced at Jiang Yi. Judging by his bones, the boy seemed a little too close to the age limit.
Strictly speaking, twelve was already considered old here.
"Jiang Yi. My Martial Soul is the Soul Beast Ball. I'm twelve years old, a level twenty-eight Power Attack System Battle Soul Master..."
Jiang Yi held out his hand. The Master Ball Martial Soul appeared in his palm, and at the same time, two Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet.
One yellow, one purple!
Whoosh—
The middle-aged man, who'd looked bored moments before, shot up from his chair and fixed his gaze on Jiang Yi.
More precisely, he stared at the purple Soul Ring on him.
At the same time, the boys and girls waiting nearby all widened their eyes.
"A purple Soul Ring? His second ring is already a thousand-year one?"
"He's only twelve, right? A twelve-year-old Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster is already outrageous, and his second ring is a thousand-year one?!"
"Shrek... It really is a gathering place for monsters..."
Countless gazes from the crowd swept over Jiang Yi, filled with both shock and envy.
This was Shrek Academy!
A sacred land where countless geniuses and monsters gathered.
And this was the second genius to appear this year who'd absorbed a Soul Ring beyond the usual age limit.
"Good, good, good! Another little monster with a thousand-year second ring!"
The middle-aged man burst out laughing, his earlier indifference gone without a trace.
"I knew it! You're a fine-looking young man! A twelve-year-old level twenty-eight Soul Grandmaster, with a thousand-year second ring to boot. You've got a real shot at the Inner Academy!"
Even in this era, Soul Masters who could absorb Soul Rings beyond the usual age limit were geniuses among ten thousand.
"Thank you, teacher!"
Jiang Yi replied calmly and took the registration form with both hands.
"Wow—!"
Xiao Xiao's eyes lit up, and she was so happy she nearly jumped.
"You have a purple Soul Ring! A thousand-year Soul Ring!"
She'd never imagined that a friend she'd met by chance would turn out to be such a genius.
"Just lucky!"
Jiang Yi touched the bridge of his nose like a story's protagonist.
Still, being the center of attention like this... felt kind of nice, especially with the admiration in the little girl Xiao Xiao's eyes.
"Come with me."
A student in uniform came over and led them into the academy, under the envious gazes of the crowd.
No one begrudged them their good fortune.
This had been a tradition at Shrek ever since the academy was founded.
Before you continue