Low Entry, High Exit; High Entry, Superior Exit - That's What an Academy Should Do

Tang San did not answer Xiao Wu's question right away.

He stood at the edge of the crowd, his gaze moving back and forth between the two academies as he rapidly weighed things in his mind.

When Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang had been in Notting City, he had once said something to him that left a deep impression.

"There are no useless martial souls, only useless soul masters."

Thinking of this, Tang San formed a vague judgment in his heart.

An academy that only charged one copper soul coin and allowed anyone to register... It sounded more like the kind of place the Grandmaster had spoken of, one that "took talent from wherever it came."

After all, Yu Xiaogang himself was a researcher of martial souls, and he had never looked down on anyone because of their martial soul.

As for the academy across from it, the one charging ten gold soul coins...

Tang San glanced at the shabby, run-down entrance on the left, then at the indifferent old man sitting by the gate.

"No matter how you look at it, it seems like a scam."

Tang San thought silently to himself.

Xiao Wu leaned closer and lowered her voice.

"Third Brother, I think the new one across the street seems more reliable. Look at those two admissions teachers, they have such an air about them, and it only costs one copper soul coin."

Tang San nodded slightly and was just about to speak.

"Hold on."

An aged, icy voice rang out.

Li Yusong stood up.

Leaning on his long staff, he walked out step by step from the entrance of Shrek Academy on the left. His pace was neither fast nor slow, but every step carried an indescribable pressure.

The laziness on his old face had vanished completely, replaced by a layer of frost.

He crossed the street directly, walked up to Wu Zhangkong and Le Zhengyu, and stopped.

"You're using the name of Shrek Academy to swindle people, and you're only charging one copper soul coin. What are you really plotting?"

Li Yusong's voice was not loud, but everyone could hear the anger in it.

The smile on Le Zhengyu's face did not change, and he did not respond.

"One copper soul coin? Do you have any idea how much it costs to operate a proper advanced soul master academy for a year? Teachers' salaries, maintenance of training facilities, the purchase of soul beast materials... which of those doesn't cost money?"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the hesitant parents.

"Think carefully. An academy that charges one copper soul coin—what can it provide? What good teachers can it hire? What proper training facilities can it possibly have?"

"Are they running a charity?"

Li Yusong gave a cold snort.

"There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. One copper soul coin sounds cheap, but can you see the traps hidden behind it? When the time comes, you pay one copper soul coin to get in, then they charge this fee today and that fee tomorrow. Added together, it'll be more than ten gold soul coins!"

As soon as he said this, the expressions of many parents changed.

The feet that had already stepped toward the opposite side of the street pulled back again.

"What this teacher said... seems to make sense."

"Yeah, one copper soul coin. No matter how you think about it, something's off."

The direction of the murmurs began to waver.

Tang San also furrowed his brows.

He carefully considered Li Yusong's words and had to admit that the old man made sense.

How could one copper soul coin possibly support the operation of an academy?

Unless... this academy had some ulterior motive behind it.

Tang San's gaze returned to the shabby, dilapidated academy on the left.

Perhaps... that one was the real Shrek Academy?

Just as everyone was wavering, Le Zhengyu spoke.

His voice was not loud, but his tone carried a confidence that could not be ignored.

"This old sir, you say that charging ten gold soul coins means you can teach students well. Then let me ask you this: has your academy ever produced a Titled Douluo?"

Le Zhengyu tilted his head slightly, his golden eyes looking at Li Yusong.

Li Yusong's expression stiffened.

"Or, to lower the standard a little... has it ever produced a Soul Sage?"

Le Zhengyu smiled, his tone light and casual.

The fingers Li Yusong had wrapped around his long staff trembled slightly. His lips moved, but he could not say a single word.

Shrek Academy had been established for over a decade, but as for the students it had produced... to be honest, there truly had not been a Soul Sage among them.

Le Zhengyu looked at Li Yusong's expression, his smile unchanged.

"Then let me ask you one more thing. You said that academy of yours only recruits monster students, and that the teachers are top-tier..."

He paused.

"Those monster students—did you train them into monsters, or were they monsters to begin with?"

Those words were like a knife, stabbing with pinpoint accuracy into Li Yusong's chest.

The surrounding crowd fell silent for an instant, then erupted into a wave of whispers.

"That's right. If they only take geniuses, what does that have to do with the academy?"

"A genius is still a genius wherever they go, isn't that so?"

"If you put it that way, charging ten gold soul coins doesn't seem worth it..."

Li Yusong's expression grew uglier and uglier.

He took a deep breath, then slammed the long staff in his hand down onto the ground.

Bang!

A small pit was smashed into the bluestone ground, and shattered stones flew in all directions.

"This old man can't be bothered to waste words with you."

Li Yusong swept a cold glance over Le Zhengyu, then a powerful fluctuation of soul power suddenly erupted from his body.

Rings of soul halos rose from beneath his feet.

One white, one yellow, three purple, and one black.

Six soul rings—a six-ring Soul Emperor.

And... there was even a black ten-thousand-year soul ring!

The parents' eyes went wide, their mouths hanging open for a long while without closing.

Tang San's pupils abruptly contracted, his heart filled with shock.

A six-ring Soul Emperor! And a Soul Emperor with a ten-thousand-year soul ring at that!

A powerhouse of this level would be an illustrious figure anywhere, yet now... he was merely a teacher in charge of admissions?

Tang San and Xiao Wu exchanged a glance, and both saw surprise in each other's eyes.

If even the admissions teacher was a six-ring Soul Emperor, then the true strength of this academy...

Tang San did not speak, but his gaze was already locked firmly on Li Yusong.

A six-ring Soul Emperor, a ten-thousand-year soul ring... This truly was not a setup an ordinary academy could produce.

The attitude of the surrounding parents shifted once again.

"Good heavens, a six-ring Soul Emperor! A Soul Emperor!"

"That black soul ring... that's a ten-thousand-year soul ring, right?"

"Even an admissions teacher is this strong. What level must the academy's dean be?"

"Ten gold soul coins... maybe it isn't that expensive after all?"

The wavering scales began to tilt left once more.

Li Yusong withdrew his soul rings, gave a cold snort, and looked at Le Zhengyu.

"This old man's strength is right here for all to see. We at Shrek Academy only accept monsters, not ordinary people. Every student who enters the academy is a one-in-ten-thousand genius. With the guidance of our academy's teachers on top of that, becoming a powerhouse is only a matter of time."

He paused, his voice turning even colder and harsher.

"And you? What do you have? A wet-behind-the-ears brat who only knows how to run his mouth, and a blockhead too lazy even to speak? You think you can trick people in with a single copper soul coin? What do you have to teach them with?"

Everyone's gaze turned toward Le Zhengyu.

Le Zhengyu took half a step forward, his eyes still filled with confidence.

"Our academy does not merely recruit monsters. The reason our academy is called Shrek Academy is precisely because we train every student who enters the academy into a monster. Those who enter low leave high; those who enter high leave outstanding. That is what an academy should do, isn't it?"