Do You Have the Strength to Let Your Strength Speak for You?

Yue Zhengyu's words won over quite a few people.

After all... not everyone was a genius.

Most parents who had brought their children to register knew exactly what level their children were at.

If Shrek Academy only accepted monsters, then their own children most likely would not meet the standard.

Yet they had still come, harboring a sliver of hope.

What if? What if the standards were lowered this year? What if the teachers made a mistake?

But now, the academy across the street was saying that it did not select only geniuses—it could cultivate ordinary people into monsters.

Those words struck a chord in many hearts.

"Exactly. My child might not be a genius, but he works very hard."

"That's right, that's right! Why should they only accept monsters? Do ordinary people not deserve to attend a Soul Master Academy?"

The murmurs of discussion once again shifted toward the other side of the street.

Li Yusong stared at Yue Zhengyu with an unfriendly gaze and cursed inwardly.

"Sharp-tongued little brat."

He had to admit that the blond boy was indeed skilled with words.

That single phrase—"low entry, high achievement; high entry, outstanding achievement"—had overshadowed their academy's philosophy of "only accepting monsters."

And... Li Yusong glanced beside him, where Oscar stood frozen in a daze.

Why did his academy not have anyone who could talk so well?

Li Yusong felt stifled inside, but his face revealed nothing. He snorted coldly and was about to retort.

A figure stepped forward.

Wu Zhangkong.

He had stood behind Yue Zhengyu the entire time without uttering a single word, but now he took a step forward and walked up to Li Yusong.

Li Yusong frowned and sized up the young man before him. He looked to be under thirty.

"Under thirty..."

Li Yusong quickly made an estimate in his mind.

"At that age, if his talent is decent, he is probably only at four or five rings." (Qin Ming, a genius, broke through level sixty at thirty-four.)

He was not worried. He was a Six-Ring Soul Emperor, and within Suotuo City, there were only a handful of people who could defeat him.

The moment Wu Zhangkong stepped out, everyone's eyes were drawn to him.

Not only because of his movement, but also because of his appearance.

Xiao Wu's eyes immediately lit up.

"Wow—Third Brother, look!"

She tugged on Tang San's sleeve and whispered.

"That blue-haired one is so handsome! And the blond one next to him looks good too! Everyone at this academy is so attractive!"

Tang San did not respond. His gaze settled on Wu Zhangkong, and his brows furrowed slightly as a sense of crisis rose within him.

He had actually caught Xiao Wu's attention. He already deserved death!

"Third Brother, do you think Shrek Academy specifically picks people based on whether they look good?"

Xiao Wu was still marveling.

"Why is every one of them so good-looking?"

Tang San's mouth twitched. What if Xiao Wu...

Tang San took a deep breath and forced that thought down, fixing his gaze on Wu Zhangkong once more.

Li Yusong looked at Wu Zhangkong standing before him, his frown deepening.

"What, do you want to say something too?"

There was a hint of disdain in Li Yusong's tone.

"Or are you looking to cause trouble for this old man?"

Wu Zhangkong looked at him, his calm eyes entirely without ripples.

"I do not agree with your academy's views."

"Only accepting monsters and rejecting ordinary people."

Wu Zhangkong shook his head slightly.

Li Yusong's expression darkened.

"You—"

Wu Zhangkong did not give him the chance to speak.

"I am also a recruitment teacher at this academy."

He paused, his eyes meeting Li Yusong's directly.

"Since you have displayed your strength, then I should display mine as well."

As soon as he finished speaking.

Soul rings slowly rose beneath Wu Zhangkong's feet, one after another.

Two yellow, two purple, and three black.

Seven soul rings. He was unmistakably a Seven-Ring Soul Sage!

The parents stood with their mouths agape, unable to utter a single word.

Tang San's pupils contracted sharply, and his heart skipped a beat.

A Seven-Ring Soul Sage, and he looked so young...

This man's talent... was terrifying beyond belief.

Xiao Wu was stunned as well. Her large eyes widened round, and it took her a long while to force out a sentence.

"Se... seven soul rings? And three of them are black?!"

Li Yusong froze completely.

The hand clutching his long staff trembled slightly. He stared fixedly at the seven soul rings beneath Wu Zhangkong's feet with wide eyes, his lips quivering several times before he managed to squeeze out a few words.

"How is that possible...?"

He, Li Yusong, had cultivated for most of his life. He was already over sixty, yet he was only a Six-Ring Soul Emperor.

But this young man before him, who looked to be under thirty, was already a Seven-Ring Soul Sage.

And those three black ten-thousand-year soul rings...

What kind of monster was this?

Li Yusong's mind was in chaos.

What Wu Zhangkong released was not merely his soul rings, but also the terrifying aura belonging to a Soul Sage.

That aura pressed down like an overwhelming tide. Though it was not deliberately aimed at anyone, Li Yusong, standing directly before him, felt it most clearly.

As he faced the man before him, he felt fear.

"You..."

Li Yusong's voice was somewhat dry.

"Just who are you?"

Wu Zhangkong did not answer. He withdrew his soul rings, and the oppressive feeling vanished with them.

"Registration may begin."

Wu Zhangkong turned and returned to his position. After leaving behind those words, he did not spare Li Yusong another glance.

Yue Zhengyu smiled and nodded, then spoke to the parents and children who were still standing there in a daze.

"Everyone, please line up to register. One Copper Soul Coin, and you may enroll after passing the assessment."

This time, no one hesitated.

The parents seemed as though a switch had been flipped. With a rush, they surged toward the other side of the street.

"I'm registering!"

"My child is registering too!"

"Here's the registration fee, one Copper Soul Coin! Please take it!"

The plump woman was the first to charge over, clutching a Copper Soul Coin in her hand, her face blooming with a smile.

The boy beside her jumped excitedly, shouting, "I'm going to become a monster! I'm going to become a monster!"

The other parents refused to fall behind and crowded forward eagerly, afraid that all the spots would be snatched away.

Li Yusong stood where he was, watching the scene with a livid expression.

His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he said nothing.

What could he say?

They had a genuine Soul Sage. What did he have to compare against them?

Strength? He could not match them.

Philosophy? He could not match them.

Fees? He was even less able to match them.

Li Yusong drew a deep breath, turned, and returned to his spot. He dropped into his seat, closed his eyes, and stopped looking across the street.

At present, the only teacher in the academy who could hold his own was Zhao Wuji. Dean Flender had not returned yet.

"Oscar."

Li Yusong spoke in a low voice.

"Teacher, I'm here."

Oscar had also been stunned when he saw Wu Zhangkong's strength. That Shrek Academy across the street truly had some real power.

"Go call Teacher Zhao over."

Li Yusong knew that he could not handle this matter now. He could only bring out Zhao Wuji, the one in the academy who could fight.

"Xiao Wu, let's go. We'll register too."

Tang San spoke to Xiao Wu beside him. Clearly, the Shrek Academy where Wu Zhangkong was belonged to the one Yu Xiaogang had told him to come to.