Shrek

Two days later, Jiang Jiu and the others set out from the south gate of Suotuo City, heading for Shrek Academy.

On the way, Xiao Wu lay across Jiang Jiu's back, softly humming a tune.

Although she hadn't gotten everything she wanted, at least they'd made some progress.

"Brother Jiu, that little village up ahead should be it."

A crowd had gathered about a kilometer ahead. They were probably other people who'd come to register at Shrek Academy.

Jiang Jiu and the others walked quickly and soon reached the spot.

"Looks like there's some excitement up ahead!" Hearing the commotion, Xiao Wu perked up at once and hopped down from Jiang Jiu's back.

"Hi there. Could you tell me what's happening up ahead?"

Xiao Wu patted the shoulder of a black-haired girl standing in line ahead of them.

Looking down at her, Xiao Wu caught sight of the girl's chest and had no chance of mistaking her gender.

The black-haired girl turned around and saw Xiao Wu, who was half a head taller than her, along with Jiang Jiu and Tang San.

She was a little surprised. It was rare to see someone as strong as Xiao Wu, and Jiang Jiu's strikingly handsome face caught her attention too. But her expression remained unchanged.

She replied coolly, "The registration fee."

Brief and to the point.

"The registration fee?" That short answer wasn't enough for Xiao Wu to understand what was going on.

By then, Jiang Jiu had also recognized the person standing in front of them.

Wasn't this Zhu Zhuqing? Her build and overall bearing made her easy to recognize.

But hadn't they arrived too late? Jiang Jiu thought of Xiao Wu's habit of staying in bed and couldn't help tapping her on the head again.

"Xiao Jiu, she's a girl! Look, she's got such a big—"

Jiang Jiu clamped a hand over Xiao Wu's mouth before she could say anything even stranger.

"Sorry about that. Please excuse her."

"It's fine." Zhu Zhuqing turned away, expressionless.

She could keep a straight face through even that. She really was the cold-on-the-outside, warm-on-the-inside type.

Jiang Jiu had a vague idea of what was going through Xiao Wu's head and couldn't help twitching the corner of his mouth.

He gave her a stern look first, then finally let go.

"Hehe." Xiao Wu scratched her head and gave him a sheepish grin.

But she stayed quiet for barely a moment before slipping back into her old ways.

"Hey, isn't that the playboy? Looks like he changes partners every day. Xiao Jiu, are you jealous?"

As the confrontation at the front of the line grew more heated, Xiao Wu spotted Dai Mubai using Martial Soul Possession. They'd run into him while staying at the Rose Hotel, and Dai Mubai was hard to miss.

Jiang Jiu rolled his eyes, too lazy to answer.

But Zhu Zhuqing, standing in front of Xiao Wu, twitched her ears.

"Two yellow and one purple. Not bad. He's a Soul Elder and still hasn't graduated—our academy really is a good fit for them," Xiao Wu continued, commenting to herself.

To her, two yellow and one purple Soul Ring were nothing special. But to the applicants and their parents, they were quite intimidating.

A third of the people ahead of Jiang Jiu and the others immediately left.

"Xiao Jiu, I think I get what's going on."

"They're talking about refunding the registration fee? If someone beats that blond guy—uh, the weird-eyed guy—they can get their fee back."

"Xiao Jiu, do you think we could fight in their place and split the money fifty-fifty?"

They were both Soul Elders, and Xiao Wu was confident she could beat Dai Mubai.

"Just take it easy. You've got all this energy, so later we'll enter the two-person Soul Fighting competition. We can win ten Gold Soul Coins per match."

"Really? It's a promise!" Xiao Wu's attention was instantly diverted, though she hadn't meant what she'd said before.

As Xiao Wu imagined the two of them sweeping through the Soul Fighting Arena with their flawless teamwork, the line ahead dwindled by nine-tenths. Only a dozen or so applicants remained in front of them.

This time, a Soul Emperor had made his move.

"A Soul Emperor? Are all the teachers in charge of admissions Soul Emperors?" The sudden silence interrupted Xiao Wu's daydream. She looked up at what was happening ahead.

"Xiao Jiu, do you think the dean might be a Soul Saint, or even a Soul Douluo?"

"There's a good chance the dean is a Soul Saint. But you can forget about a Soul Douluo. If you want to know, we can ask the students once we get into the academy."

As he spoke, Jiang Jiu couldn't help thinking, Xiao Wu's finally using her head. My teaching really is paying off.

Time passed, and the dozen or so people ahead of them all passed the first round of registration tests.

Jiang Jiu and the others had no trouble passing, though Xiao Wu's two yellow and one purple Soul Ring startled the Soul Emperor teacher.

There was no need for further testing. Forget the tests still to come—even Teacher Li Yusong wanted to waive the registration fee.

But when he thought of how stingy Flender was, he decided not to make that call on his own. After all, he was only in charge of the accounts.

After a cursory look at Jiang Jiu and the others' Soul Rings, Li Yusong led them straight into the academy.

"Old Li, why are you bringing people over yourself?"

The teacher in charge of the second round was there to test the applicants' exact Soul Power Level. He looked surprised to see Li Yusong bringing people over.

"That Flender only knows how to sit in that lousy shop of his. Now that we've actually got a Little Monster, he's nowhere to be found."

"What's going on?"

"Soul Elder."

Those two words immediately drew everyone's attention.

Even Dai Mubai, who'd been looking rather distracted, came to his senses.

With so many people staring at her, Xiao Wu didn't seem nervous at all. She hugged Jiang Jiu's arm and looked around without a care.

"Twelve years old?" The teacher who'd been sitting down stood up too.

Li Yusong nodded.

"Hiss—"

It was hard not to suck in a breath.

"Enough. I'll take them straight to Old Zhao. They're all together. By the way, what are your Soul Power levels? I have a feeling you're all impressive."

"Xiao Jiu is level thirty too." Xiao Wu lifted her chin. She looked even prouder of him than she was of being a Soul Elder herself.

"Xiao San and I are both level thirty. We only need Soul Rings to become Soul Elders. We came to your academy on our teachers' recommendation."

"Hiss—"

Well, that settled it.

Lu Qibin, the teacher in charge of the second round, wasn't having any of it either.

"Mubai, you take over the second round. Teacher Li and I are going to find Old Zhao."

They had to secure these students first. If they left, it would be too late to cry about it.

Shrek Academy had never seen geniuses of this caliber.

Compared with these three, even Dai Mubai, a thirteen-year-old Soul Elder, seemed to pale into insignificance, let alone the students they'd had before.

Li Yusong had made up his mind too. He'd convince Flender to waive their tuition no matter what—and make Flender pay out of pocket as well.

"Soul Elders? Level thirty?"

Dai Mubai was stunned. He hadn't expected the two people who'd turned down his advances to be so formidable. Their talent left him too shaken to think about whether their Martial Souls had resonated or not.

"Leaving home really was the right choice. I've already run into something this interesting." Ning Rongrong, dressed in a white skirt, still wore her gentle smile, but inside she was already itching to see what would happen.