Shrek

Two days later, Jiang Jiu and the others departed from the south gate of Suotuo City, heading toward Shrek Academy.

On the road, Xiao Wu draped herself over Jiang Jiu's back, humming a soft tune.

Although they hadn't fully achieved everything they wanted, there was at least some progress.

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

A group of people had gathered about a kilometer ahead, likely others who had come to sign up for Shrek Academy.

Jiang Jiu and his companions moved quickly, reaching the location in no time.

"It looks like there's a show to watch!" Sensing the clamor ahead, Xiao Wu instantly perked up and hopped off Jiang Jiu's back.

"Hello there, may I ask what's happening up ahead?"

Xiao Wu tapped the shoulder of a black-haired girl standing in line in front of them.

Looking down from her height, Xiao Wu caught a glimpse of the girl's chest, leaving no risk of misidentifying her gender.

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

She felt a flicker of surprise; Xiao Wu's strength, which was even greater than her own, was a rare sight, and Jiang Jiu's monstrously handsome face was equally striking. However, the black-haired girl's expression remained unchanged.

"An issue with the registration fee," she said coldly.

Concise and to the point.

"Registration fee?" Such a short sentence wasn't enough for Xiao Wu to understand.

At this moment, Jiang Jiu recognized the person standing before them.

Isn't this Zhu Zhuqing? Her physical features and overall aura were quite distinct.

But had they arrived too late? Jiang Jiu thought of Xiao Wu's habit of lingering in bed and couldn't help but tap her on the head again.

"Little Jiu, she's a girl! Look, they're so big!"

Jiang Jiu clamped a hand over Xiao Wu's mouth, preventing her from saying anything else strange.

"Sorry, please excuse her."

"It's fine." Zhu Zhuqing turned her head back, expressionless.

The fact that she could keep her composure like that suggested she was indeed the type to be cold on the outside but warm on the inside.

Jiang Jiu vaguely sensed the way Xiao Wu's mind worked and couldn't help but twitch his lips.

After a warning glare, Jiang Jiu finally let go of Xiao Wu.

"Hehe." Xiao Wu scratched her head, trying to play it off with a cute smile.

But she didn't stay quiet for long before returning to her old ways.

"Yo, isn't that the playboy? I heard he changes partners every day. Little Jiu, are you envious?"

As the conflict at the front intensified, Xiao Wu spotted Dai Mubai with his martial soul manifested. They had crossed paths while staying at the Rose Hotel, and Dai Mubai was quite recognizable.

Jiang Jiu rolled his eyes, too lazy to engage with her.

Zhu Zhuqing, standing in front of Xiao Wu, pricked up her ears.

"Two yellow, one purple. Not bad, but he's still not graduated despite being a Spirit Elder. This academy really is a fit for us," Xiao Wu continued to comment to herself.

To her, two yellow and one purple rings were nothing special, but to the applicants and their parents, it was quite intimidating.

The line in front of them instantly shrank by a third.

"Little Jiu, I think I understand what's going on now."

"They're talking about a refund? If you beat that blondie—er, that double-pupiled freak—you can get your registration fee back."

"Little Jiu, do you think we could fight on behalf of others and split the fee fifty-fifty?"

Both were Spirit Elders, and Xiao Wu was full of confidence in defeating Dai Mubai.

"Just settle down. If you have so much energy, we can go do duo spirit battles later; we'll earn ten Gold Soul Coins for every win."

"Really? It's a deal then!" Xiao Wu's attention was instantly diverted, though she had only been joking earlier anyway.

By the time Xiao Wu was envisioning her and Little Jiu sweeping the arena with their seamless teamwork, the line had thinned by another eighty or ninety percent, leaving only a dozen people ahead of them.

This time, it was a Spirit Emperor showing his power.

"A Spirit Emperor? Are all the teachers in charge of recruitment Spirit Emperors?" Xiao Wu's daydream was interrupted by the sudden silence, and she looked up at the situation ahead.

"Little Jiu, do you think the Dean is a Spirit Saint, or maybe even a Spirit Douluo?"

"The chances of the Dean being a Spirit Saint are quite high, but you can basically forget about a Spirit Douluo. If you want to know, we can just ask the students once we get inside."

As he said this, Jiang Jiu felt a sense of pride; Xiao Wu was finally using her brain. His education was proving effective.

Time passed, and the dozen people ahead all passed the first round of testing.

Jiang Jiu and his group passed without any issues, though Xiao Wu's two yellow and one purple rings gave the Spirit Emperor teacher quite a shock.

There was no need for further testing; the teacher, named Li Yusong, even wanted to waive the registration fee.

But thinking of how stingy Flender was, he didn't dare make the decision on his own, as he was only responsible for the accounts.

After a cursory glance at the spirit rings of Jiang Jiu and his companion, Li Yusong led them directly into the academy.

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

The teacher in charge of the second round of testing, responsible for verifying specific spirit power levels, looked at Li Yusong with surprise.

"That fellow Flender only knows how to guard his dilapidated shop; when real little monsters finally appear, he's nowhere to be found."

"What's the situation?"

"Spirit Grandmaster."

Those two simple words instantly drew everyone's attention.

Even the somewhat distracted Dai Mubai sobered up in an instant.

Xiao Wu was not the least bit intimidated by the many eyes on her; she clung to Jiang Jiu's arm and looked around nonchalantly.

"Twelve years old?" The teacher who had been sitting down stood up as well.

Li Yusong nodded.

"Hiss—"

It was hard not to gasp.

"Alright, I'll take them to find Old Zhao directly. They are all together. By the way, what are your spirit power levels? I get the feeling neither of you is lacking."

"Little Jiu is also at level thirty," Xiao Wu said, lifting her chin with a look of pride that surpassed even her own status as a Spirit Grandmaster.

"Both Little San and I are at level thirty. We only need spirit rings to become Spirit Grandmasters. We came to your esteemed academy this time on the recommendation of our teachers."

"Hiss—"

What else was there to say?

Lu Qibin, the teacher in charge of the second round, stopped what he was doing.

"Mubai, I'll leave the second round to you. Teacher Li and I are going to find Old Zhao."

They had to secure these candidates first; if they let them slip away, there would be nowhere to cry.

Shrek Academy had never seen geniuses of this caliber.

Compared to these three, even Dai Mubai, a thirteen-year-old Spirit Grandmaster, seemed to lose his luster, let alone the students from the past.

Li Yusong had also made up his mind: he would persuade Flender to waive their tuition fees, even if it meant making Flender bleed a little.

"Spirit Grandmaster? Level thirty?"

Dai Mubai was stunned. He hadn't expected the two people who had rejected his advances earlier to be so formidable. This talent left him so shocked that he couldn't even spare a thought for martial soul resonance.

"I ran into such an interesting matter the moment I left home. Running away from home was definitely the right choice." Ning Rongrong, dressed in a white gown, maintained her gentle smile, but she was already eager to test them herself.