Yan Shaozhe of Shrek Academy

"Thank you for your kindness, but I refuse." Jing Chen shifted to the side, moving farther away from the three of them.

"Why?" Fan Yu froze, not expecting such a reaction from him.

The other two also frowned slightly. Did this child not know how formidable Shrek Academy was?

"No particular reason. I simply don't want to," Jing Chen said.

"You're in Shrek City, so you should know how impressive Shrek Academy is. This is the number one academy on the continent."

"There is absolutely no academy in this world that can surpass Shrek Academy in terms of teaching quality."

"Enrolling in Shrek would be an enormous blessing for you. This admission opportunity is also exceedingly rare, so you'd better think it through."

"How about this? Go back and discuss it with your father. Tell him that Shrek Academy is willing to specially admit you."

"I believe that once he learns this news, he'll definitely make the more sensible decision," Fan Yu said.

He merely assumed Jing Chen was too young and immature. It was normal for a child to instinctively refuse an invitation from strangers.

"I've already made myself quite clear. Thank you for your kindness and appreciation, but I refuse your special admission offer."

"There's no need to discuss this with my father. I can make my own decisions, and I hope you'll respect that."

"I truly don't want to say no a second time. If I do, it'll be awkward for both of us," Jing Chen said, his tone growing firmer.

He found it particularly irritating when someone kept pressing him after he had already clearly refused.

"You brat, you really don't know a good thing when you see one. We saw that you had decent talent, which is why we were willing to offer you an opportunity that others could only beg for."

"But look at you. Not only are you ungrateful, you're standing here rejecting us impatiently. You really don't know what's good for you."

"Do you really think that having a little talent means you can be arrogant and look down on Shrek Academy?"

"I'm telling you, you're not qualified to do that now, and you still won't be qualified even after you grow up."

"Shrek Academy lacks nothing but geniuses. One more of you makes no difference, and one less of you makes no difference either. Come or don't come, we don't care."

One of the more hot-tempered teachers said angrily. Jing Chen's repeated refusals had thoroughly displeased him.

He was making it seem as though Shrek Academy was humbly begging him to join. It was utterly ridiculous.

They cherished talent, which was why they had said a few extra words. If they had not considered him a promising prospect, why would they waste their breath on him?

"Actually, it may be better if he doesn't join. There are plenty of geniuses in the academy. After joining, he might simply fade into obscurity among the rest."

The other teacher spoke in an eerie tone, coordinating with the first teacher in an attempt to provoke him.

Children like this were easily riled up. With a little provocation, they would get hot-blooded and start shouting about proving themselves.

Jing Chen cursed them inwardly and did not respond. He simply headed toward the stairs.

"That brat makes me want to beat him senseless. What's he so arrogant about?" The hot-tempered teacher grew even more annoyed.

"This boy really does need some discipline. If that rotten temper of his can be corrected, his future achievements will be very high," Fan Yu said, nodding in agreement.

"Let's return to the academy first. Inform the Martial Soul Department about this thorny brat. I'm sure Dean Yan will be very interested in him."

"With Dean Yan's methods, it shouldn't be difficult to get this boy into the academy," Fan Yu said with a smile.

The other two knew exactly which Dean Yan Fan Yu meant, and smiles appeared on their faces as well.

After leaving the teahouse, Jing Chen had Ma Ming return to the shop to get busy while he headed home, pondering matters along the way.

"My existence will probably be known to Shrek Academy's upper ranks soon. That's not a good thing."

Living in Shrek City, it was only natural for his talent to be noticed. He had anticipated something like what had just happened long ago.

He had also seriously considered the problems he might face once his talent was discovered.

The better outcome was something like today: being invited to join Shrek Academy.

The worst outcome was that if he refused to join the academy, he would be seen as a potential threat and perhaps be eliminated before he could grow.

He had considered appropriate countermeasures before, but those plans might no longer be suitable.

That was because he had obtained a red soul ring representing the Hundred Thousand Year level. This soul ring was not so easy to explain reasonably.

While this soul ring had granted him powerful Soul Skills, it had also brought trouble.

"I'll observe the situation first. If it really comes to it, I'll leave Shrek City for now," Jing Chen thought.

After returning home, Jing Chen entered the Time and Space Divine Tower to continue cultivating.

Now that his talent had been discovered, he was destined to be unable to live peacefully for some time.

Around dusk, Ma Ming brought an elderly man to Jing Chen's door.

Fortunately, the old man had not directly released his Spiritual Power to probe the house. Otherwise, something serious would have happened.

Hearing the knock, Jing Chen emerged from the Time and Space Divine Tower, opened the door, and saw Ma Ming standing outside with an old man in white.

The old man had quite a bit of white hair, but his skin was in excellent condition and he looked vigorous and spirited.

The moment he saw the old man, Jing Chen remained expressionless on the surface, but inwardly, he became extremely wary. This man was no ordinary person.

He could not sense any Soul Power fluctuations from the man. That was not because the man was not a Soul Master, but because the gap in their strength was too great for him to perceive anything.

"You're Jing Chen, right? Could you release your Martial Soul and let me have a look?" the old man asked with a smile.

He did not bother with pleasantries and got straight to the point. That was why he had come.

Fan Yu had not lied about his Soul Power Level. This child truly was a level thirty-one Soul Elder, an absolute super genius.

He was genuinely curious what kind of Martial Soul could grant a Soul Master such terrifying talent.

Jing Chen was not surprised that the other party knew his name. Ma Ming had brought him here—could they really have had no conversation along the way?

"Sorry, I'm not an opera performer. I don't perform for people whenever they ask," Jing Chen said, shaking his head as he refused and prepared to close the door.

One of the old man's hands, which had been behind his back, pressed against the door. With only a light touch, Jing Chen could no longer move it at all.

"You're quite an interesting child. Let me introduce myself first. My name is Yan Shaozhe, and I am the current dean of Shrek Academy."

"This time, I've come primarily as a representative of the academy to conduct a simple assessment of you. Releasing your Martial Soul is one of the assessment's requirements."

"As long as you pass these few assessments, you can become a member of Shrek Academy."

"The academy will give you many preferential benefits, including but not limited to obtaining top-grade soul rings, being equipped with top-grade soul bones, and receiving guidance from Titled Douluo."

"These are things that other academies, and even sects, would find difficult to provide for you. Only Shrek Academy can do it," Yan Shaozhe emphasized.

Jing Chen felt no stir within his heart. Yi Yi could help him with soul rings, and he already possessed several soul bones, all of them top-grade.

As for guidance from a Title Douluo, he did not need it either, since he possessed the Method of Soul Master Cultivation.

This was the first chapter of the day. The new book is setting sail—please bookmark it and vote with recommendation tickets.

Sorry, I'm not feeling very well. There will only be one chapter today; there will be two tomorrow.