"?!"
Bei Bei and Tang Ya blinked,
and instantly understood,
So... Dean Yan was waiting for Lu Ran?!
Waiting for Lu Ran to enroll?!
No way?!
The two exchanged a glance, shock plain in their eyes.
Just who was Lu Ran?!
A sense of unreality rose within them. Even at the limits of their imaginations, they would never have dared think the dean would personally wait for someone!
That was the dean!
A being whom the kings of the three great empires had to bow to!
"Brother Sky Dream,"
Huo Yuhao asked in disbelief.
Before he could finish his next sentence,
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's calm voice rang out. "That's right,"
It watched Yan Shaozhe, sensing the aura radiating from the Super Douluo.
"Just as you thought,"
"He came specifically to wait for Lu Ran."
Huo Yuhao struggled to accept it. He secretly glanced at Lu Ran from the corner of his eye,
as if looking at some incredible being.
That already tall and mysterious figure
seemed even taller, even more mysterious.
Just standing there, he radiated an oppressive presence that made it hard to breathe,
along with an indescribable aura.
"What are you afraid of?"
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm encouraged Huo Yuhao. "No matter how amazing he is, can he have a million-year Soul Beast at his side? Trust me, you can do it!"
Right!
Huo Yuhao clenched his fists in secret, his resolve growing firmer.
That's right, I have Brother Sky Dream. I still have my revenge to take, and I'll trample the Duke's Mansion!
It'll be fine!
Yan Shaozhe led everyone to the registration area, the Outer Academy's plaza.
Bei Bei, Tang Ya, and the others followed behind in a daze.
They had never imagined that one day the dean of Shrek Academy would accompany someone to register.
No one would believe it if they told them.
The Outer Academy's plaza was enormous,
over three hundred meters in diameter.
Earth-attribute Soul Masters had reinforced its brick-and-stone ground, making it flat and sturdy.
Even when lower-year students fought on the plaza, the ground wouldn't be damaged anytime soon.
Compared with the first day of registration,
four or five days had passed, and there were far fewer people at the registration area. It was nowhere near as lively as before.
Only a handful of students were still waiting in line.
The registration process at Shrek Academy had barely changed in ten thousand years:
line up, have your Soul Power and bone age tested,
and if you passed, you could enroll. If you failed, you left.
There was no room for discussion.
The difference was that before, the students hoped no one would cause trouble, though someone inevitably would. Now no one dared cause trouble, and the students actually hoped someone would make a scene,
because dealing with that sort of thing
earned them extra credit.
Extra credit—a phrase so alluring
that countless students yearned for it, going wild.
Just like on the first day,
the moment Lu Ran and the others appeared in the plaza, they immediately drew everyone's attention.
All around, people looked their way,
with envy, jealousy, surprise, and curiosity...
Huo Yuhao felt a little uneasy.
He instinctively wanted to step behind Bei Bei.
He knew he wasn't the focus, but with so many people watching,
he still couldn't help shrinking in on himself.
"Little Huo Zai, chest out, head up!"
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's voice sounded like a drill instructor's.
At that,
he thrust out his chest and walked forward, his steps a little stiff.
Only when they drew closer did Lu Ran notice
two exceptionally eye-catching young women in the crowd.
They wore understated yellow-and-white clothes.
The girl at the front had platinum hair falling to her waist, long lashes, and pure blue eyes like a lake. She was clearly the more important of the two.
The other girl had crimson hair tied in a high ponytail and unusually rare red eyes. They were striking, accentuating her delicate features and fair, jade-like skin.
When Lu Ran and the others approached,
the two girls also seemed a little surprised, but quickly regained their composure
and continued with registration.
"Ning Tian."
Ning Tian's slender hand turned over, and a Seven-Colored Glazed Pagoda hovered above her palm, making her already flawless, fair face appear even more sacred and untouchable.
"My Martial Soul is the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda."
"Twelve years old, level thirty-one."
Three Soul Rings—yellow, yellow, and purple—slowly emerged.
The middle-aged male teacher in charge of registration was tall.
His face lit up with delight.
Most talented and capable students enrolled during the first few days of registration. By the middle of the half-month registration period, there usually weren't any gifted students left.
He hadn't expected a Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda to show up now.
He handed her a school badge, clearly impressed.
"Qualified."
The red-haired girl stepped forward.
"Wu Feng."
"My Martial Soul is the Fire Dragon."
She held out one arm. Two yellow Soul Rings rippled up from beneath her, and she clenched her hand. Red, fiery diamond-shaped dragon scales spread from her fingertips to her forearm.
It was quite the sight.
"Twelve years old, level twenty-five."
The middle-aged teacher nodded with equal satisfaction and handed her a school badge.
Then he stood up
and bowed slightly to Yan Shaozhe. "Dean."
He had noticed Yan Shaozhe's arrival long ago, but couldn't interrupt Ning Tian and Wu Feng's enrollment process.
Yan Shaozhe was particular about proper conduct, though he didn't pay much attention to this sort of etiquette.
But if rumors got out that
"Shrek Academy's director of studies ignored a student's enrollment just to curry favor with the dean," then Yan Shaozhe would certainly have a serious talk with him.
After all, what Yan Shaozhe cared about most was Shrek's reputation.
Yan Shaozhe gave a slight nod. "Wilun, carry on."
Du Weilun, director of studies for the Martial Soul Department's Outer Academy, sat down again and looked at Lu Ran expectantly.
Given what Lu Ran had done, it was impossible for him not to know about him.
He'd been eagerly waiting for Lu Ran to show up these past few days.
Lu Ran stepped forward.
"Lu Ran."
"My Martial Soul is Summon Beast."
"Eleven years old."
"My level is..."
Three purple Soul Rings surged into view, floating around him.
"Level thirty-six."
The crowd burst into an uproar.
"Level thirty-six at eleven?!"
"Three purple Soul Rings?!"
"What kind of monster is this?"
"What's a Summon Beast Martial Soul?!"
"You can summon Soul Beasts?!"
Excited yet hushed discussions rang out all around them.
Du Weilun stared at the three purple Soul Rings,
his breathing growing heavier without him realizing it.
His face broke into a broad grin. After the usual bone-age test,
he handed Lu Ran a school badge.
"Excellent. You're enrolled!"
Those guys from the Soul Guidance Department had no chance now!
Yan Shaozhe, standing to one side, nodded in satisfaction.
He held his hands behind his back,
his eyebrows practically reaching the sky.
Lin'er, oh, Lin'er, sorry about this...
When Du Weilun saw Huo Yuhao,
he said, "Come forward, child."
Huo Yuhao glanced at Tang Ya and Bei Bei, then nervously stepped up and introduced himself like Ning Tian and Lu Ran had.
He said timidly,
"My name is Huo Yuhao. I'm eleven years old. My Martial Soul is Spirit Eye. My Soul Power is... level eleven..."
He activated his Soul Power.
A faint golden light appeared in his deep-blue eyes, and a pale white Soul Ring rose from beneath his feet.
Even with a million-year Soul Beast at his side, the personality shaped by a childhood of bullying and oppression hadn't changed.
He was still somewhat timid.
"Level eleven?"
The crowd started discussing again. "What's someone at level eleven doing here?"
"What kind of Martial Soul is Spirit Eye? The eyes?"
Du Weilun froze.
He looked over the somewhat ill-at-ease Huo Yuhao, whose eyes were glowing gold.
A Body Martial Soul?
Or a spiritual-type Martial Soul?!
So rare?
But when his gaze shifted to the pale white Soul Ring floating there, he couldn't help feeling regretful.
He really was too weak.
Du Weilun turned his eyes to Yan Shaozhe,
looking to him for guidance.
Level eleven was nowhere near Shrek's enrollment requirements.
Normally, he should have simply told him he wasn't qualified. But the man who set the rules was right there, and Huo Yuhao had come with him.
Unsure of what was going on, he decided to ask the man who set the rules for an explanation.
"Um... Director,"
Tang Ya stepped forward.
Before you continue