Li Changsheng looked at the middle-aged man, puzzled.
The man's gaze seemed to drift, and he didn't scan the students before him the way an ordinary teacher might before teaching a class.
Instead, beneath his gentle expression, there was a hint of the way one might look at objects.
Everyone around him, including Su Xinhe and the five prodigies from the Pre-Education Academy, waited quietly for him to speak.
Li Changsheng and the others did the same.
The middle-aged man was silent for a moment before finally speaking, his tone teasing as he enunciated each word:
"This year, for certain reasons, the Pre-Education Academy's system has been overhauled."
"Children with Innate Soul Power below level nine can go home now."
What?
His words immediately set off a commotion.
Even Su Xinhe, standing off to the side, had a flicker of shock in his eyes.
Children with less than level-nine Innate Soul Power were being sent away outright?
Would the Shrek Pre-Academy only accept children with Innate Soul Power of level nine or higher from now on?
How many students would that leave?
Wasn't this driving the academy to ruin?
Li Changsheng, however, remained calm. That's it? I thought it would be something serious.
Sorry, but I have Innate Full Soul Power.
Li Zishuo, standing beside him, was clearly stunned.
His Innate Soul Power was only level six. At their age, Soul Power still increased quickly, and he was confident he could catch up to the children with level-eight Soul Power.
But accepting only students at level nine or above...
He was worried that, even with his interview exemption, there might be even harsher requirements.
The other children fell silent, one after another.
"Why? Why are you only accepting children with level-nine Soul Power or higher?"
A voice that was hard to pick out rang from the crowd.
The middle-aged man's gaze remained mild as he replied, "Because your Soul Power is too low, you won't pass the assessment. So sending you home now saves you trouble, and it's for your own good."
"What assessment? We're all geniuses with level-eight Innate Soul Power!"
A boy who looked like a young noble clenched his fist and shouted.
The middle-aged man's expression remained unchanged. He didn't answer, but glanced at the young man beside him—the team captain, a fellow called Centrifugal Killing Mirror.
Centrifugal Killing Mirror stepped forward.
A cold mask covered his face, hiding his expression. But the chill in his voice made many of the children's hearts tremble.
It wasn't the words' murderous intent that shook them. It was what they said.
"The assessment is simple..." Centrifugal Killing Mirror began.
"Within fifteen days, cultivate to the limit of a Soul Scholar. Then, using your own abilities, hunt a Soul Beast of at least four hundred years within the designated area and absorb it as an additional Soul Ring. That's the first assessment."
Even Li Changsheng's pupils contracted.
That was an assessment?
Wasn't that just sending people to their deaths?
Cultivate to the limit of a Soul Scholar within fifteen days.
That meant even a child with level-nine Innate Soul Power had to raise their Soul Power by one level on their own in fifteen days. For those at level eight, it would be even harder.
But that wasn't the worst part.
They had to rely on their own strength to hunt a Soul Beast at least four hundred years old, then attach it to their Martial Soul.
What kind of test was that?
A Soul Scholar killing a four-hundred-year Soul Beast?
That was unheard of.
And Centrifugal Killing Mirror's final words—"That's the first assessment"—rumbled like thunder in nearly everyone's heart.
If the first assessment was already hellishly difficult, what would the second be like? How many assessments were there in total?
After he finished speaking, Centrifugal Killing Mirror bowed slightly to the middle-aged man, then returned to the group.
The middle-aged man still wore a serene, easygoing smile.
"Children, little ones, what do you think? This is for your own good, isn't it? Of course, if you believe you can do it, you can come with us to the Pre-Education Academy. Just have your family sign a life-and-death waiver."
Li Changsheng couldn't help finding it funny. They'd even brought out a life-and-death waiver?
The children around them began whispering among themselves.
The middle-aged man spoke at the right moment. "All right, you can go discuss it with your families now. I'll give you ten minutes. If you're not back by then, you'll be considered to have forfeited."
With that, he plopped down on the steps, crossed one leg over the other, and lounged there at his ease.
The children ran to their families like swallows returning to their nests.
Only Li Changsheng and Li Zishuo remained in the open area.
Li Changsheng sat cross-legged where he was. Just as he was about to close his eyes and rest, he noticed Li Zishuo sitting down too.
The middle-aged man's gaze settled on the two of them.
He looked at Li Changsheng first, then turned his attention to Li Zishuo.
"Little fellow, you're the one with the interview exemption, right?"
Li Zishuo nodded, looking a little excited.
The man stroked his chin and hummed, drawing out the sound before advising him, "Your Innate Soul Power is only level six. In the past, you might have graduated safely, but I doubt that'll be possible this year."
Li Zishuo grew anxious. "W-why?"
The middle-aged man was patient, perhaps because he was bored. Smiling, he said, "Why? Because you're weak, and you might die."
Li Changsheng slowly opened his eyes.
He was becoming more and more certain that something was wrong with the Pre-Education Academy this year.
The man kept talking about death.
It sounded even more dangerous than Shrek Academy proper.
The more he heard, the more he wanted to see just what kind of dragon's den and tiger's lair this place was.
"Die? Dad said the Pre-Education Academy was meant to be on par with a Junior Soul Master Academy. Even Shrek Academy wouldn't casually say its students might die, would it?"
Li Zishuo spoke in such a rush that he even stumbled over his words.
The middle-aged man replied, "That's right. The Pre-Education Academy used to be on par with a Junior Soul Master Academy. But the system has changed this year. I don't mind telling you."
He raised a hand and pointed at the five prodigies behind him.
"From now on, the Pre-Education Academy's teaching method will be for one teacher at Soul Emperor rank or above to lead three students through six years of mission-based training."
"You may not understand what I mean by missions."
"It means going out as Soul Masters to wipe out bandits, or taking part in Exchange Battles at Junior Soul Master Academies and Soul Fighting Arenas across the land. People get hurt or killed."
"Don't think it's easy just because I make it sound that way. That's the short version. There are plenty of rules. So I'd advise you to find a Junior Soul Master Academy instead. You won't waste your exemption, either. After graduating from an ordinary Junior Soul Master Academy, you can still enter Shrek Academy."
After explaining a few things, the middle-aged man leaned back against the steps and lounged there.
Li Changsheng, still sitting cross-legged on the ground, was stunned too.
A three-person team?
They'd complete missions together?
Led by a teacher at Soul Emperor rank or above.
Did that mean each class consisted of three students?
This Pre-Education Academy was certainly interesting.
Missions like wiping out bandits meant killing, didn't they?
Bandits? Were bandits dangerous?
Of course they were. They had Soul Masters among them, too.
And perhaps the most dangerous of all weren't the bandits, but the Evil Soul Masters active among the three great empires!
"Interesting. This is really interesting."
Li Changsheng could hardly wait to enter the Pre-Education Academy and begin studying.
This was far more exciting than Tang San's peaceful six years.
It was absolutely a place for cultivating peerless geniuses.
Of course, that was only if you managed to graduate—and make it out of the Pre-Education Academy alive at the age of twelve.
By then, whether you entered Shrek Academy or another empire's Imperial Royal Soul Master Academy...
You! Would! Be! A! Peerless! Genius!
Li Zishuo, meanwhile, had gone pale.
He might not understand what the man really meant.
But the middle-aged man had said "die" several times, and the small boy's body trembled uncontrollably.
He glanced down at Li Changsheng.
The gap between them felt enormous.
Li Changsheng simply sat cross-legged on the ground, his Soul Power flowing as the Mysterious Heaven Skill circulated. He looked perfectly at ease, as if even a landslide wouldn't frighten him.
Li Zishuo gritted his teeth and stopped looking at the middle-aged man. He showed his resolve through action.
He plopped down on the ground and began meditating.
The middle-aged man's expression remained serene and composed. He only turned to the people behind him and said, "Aren't you tired of standing? Come sit down too."
Su Xinhe was already dumbstruck.
What kind of system was this? Who would dare go?
The other five prodigies sat down on the ground without hesitation. Some stared coldly into the distance at the children leaving one after another; others sat cross-legged and meditated.
The Seven Absolute Zither Master's gaze kept drifting toward Li Changsheng.
Before long, ten minutes had passed. Li Changsheng opened his eyes almost as soon as the time was up.
The area around him had fallen quiet, but several people were still there.
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