"Strange. It felt like something was watching me just now..."
No sooner had the noble girl spoken than the old man handling registration raised his eyes to look at her.
"If you're scared, go home. Shrek Academy doesn't take cowards."
The girl's expression shifted. She lowered her hand from her chest and immediately regained her haughty air.
"Who's scared? I just think this place is a dump."
Xiao Wu rolled her eyes behind her.
"If it's such a dump, why are you still in line?"
The girl glanced back at Xiao Wu. Her gaze lingered on Xiao Wu's scorpion braid, and her voice turned sharp.
"What does my standing in line have to do with you?"
Xiao Wu rolled up her sleeves and started forward.
Tang San reached out to stop her.
"Let's register first."
Xiao Wu gave a disgruntled snort but stepped back beside Tang San.
Hidden in a layer beneath Tang San's shoe sole, Ji Yuan forcibly suppressed the Sub-spore he had just formed.
The girl's Martial Soul aura was noble and clear. Her Soul Power fluctuations were unlike those of an ordinary support-type Soul Master, and she seemed to carry a natural layer of protection around her.
I can't rush this.
The higher-grade the blood bag, the more I need to wait for it to take its first drink of water on its own.
At the registration desk, a richly dressed young man was causing a scene.
"Our child is twelve, and his Soul Power has reached level twenty-one. Why won't you take him?"
The old man behind the desk could not be bothered to look up.
"Soul Ring."
The boy's father darkened.
"What about his Soul Ring?"
The old man tapped a finger on the desk.
"If his first Soul Ring isn't a hundred-year ring, get lost."
The father's face trembled with anger.
"What kind of lousy academy is this? You won't even refund the registration fee?"
The old man finally stood. His Dragon-Pattern Staff struck the ground, and a wave of Soul Power pressure swept outward. The crowd fell silent on the spot.
"The rules are written on the sign. If you can't read, don't come to register."
The father went pale and pulled his son away.
Tang San watched the Soul Power fluctuations around the old man, secretly astonished.
Even a teacher stationed at the gate to handle registration had this level of cultivation.
Xiao Wu leaned toward his ear and whispered, "Your teacher really wasn't lying to you? There are people this powerful hiding in this rundown village?"
Before Tang San could answer, Dai Mubai spoke from beside the registration desk.
"Shrek Academy only takes monsters, not ordinary people."
Xiao Wu immediately glared at him.
"Quit putting on airs. You could barely walk yesterday, and you have the nerve to call other people ordinary?"
Dai Mubai's face darkened.
"What did you say?"
Xiao Wu lifted her chin.
"I said you're weak."
Several students in line could not hold back their laughter.
Dai Mubai's expression grew uglier. He was about to step forward with his right foot when that familiar hollow sensation came from his ankle.
The White Tiger spores Ji Yuan had hidden inside Dai Mubai drew lightly, siphoning off a mouthful of the vitality he had only just recovered.
Dai Mubai slowed and forced himself to pull his foot back.
Tang San saw it, and his brows knitted.
There's something wrong with him again.
That loss of strength yesterday couldn't have been a coincidence.
But Tang San could find no answer, so he buried his doubts.
The line moved forward.
When the noble girl's turn came, she placed her hand before the old man.
He checked her bone age, then motioned for her to release her Martial Soul.
Light shone in the girl's palm, and a seven-tiered pagoda appeared.
Startled murmurs rose all around.
"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda!"
"Is she from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"
The old man's eyes finally opened a little wider.
"Twelve years old, level twenty-six. Pass."
The girl withdrew her Martial Soul and gave a soft snort as she passed Dai Mubai.
"This place had better be as impressive as you claim."
Dai Mubai glanced at her.
"Go inside and wait for the fourth test."
She ignored him and walked straight in.
Ji Yuan sent his senses skimming along the ground, but they only circled her shoe before retreating.
I can't force my way into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's support essence.
I need to wait for a water source.
The next in line was a short-haired young man with a blade of grass in his mouth. He carried the gentle Soul Power characteristic of a food-type Soul Master.
After checking his bone age and Soul Power, the old man waved him off.
"Oscar, what are you doing here?"
The short-haired young man chuckled.
"Teacher, I'm not registering. I came to see if there are any pretty new girls this year."
Dai Mubai kicked him.
"Get inside."
Oscar hopped away, clutching his leg.
"Boss Dai, why are you so irritable today? Didn't sleep well last night?"
Xiao Wu burst out laughing.
A vein twitched at Dai Mubai's temple.
"Keep talking, and you can forget about selling sausages tonight."
Oscar immediately shut his mouth.
Inside the shoe sole, however, Ji Yuan's roots spread slightly.
Food-type.
The scent of life energy is unmistakable.
His Soul Power isn't dense, but it carries a special fluctuation that can heal injuries.
Excellent.
Another blood bag.
Soon it was Tang San and Xiao Wu's turn.
Tang San placed his hand on the desk.
The old man checked his bone age, his expression unchanged.
"Release your Martial Soul."
Blue Silver Grass sprouted from Tang San's palm, and a Yellow Soul Ring rose.
Someone in the crowd laughed.
"Blue Silver Grass?"
"Someone with Blue Silver Grass came to Shrek Academy?"
The old man did not laugh.
He pinched a leaf of Blue Silver Grass and pulled. To his surprise, it did not tear easily.
His gaze returned to Tang San's face.
"You trained Blue Silver Grass to level twenty-nine?"
Tang San nodded.
"I was lucky."
The old man studied him for a while, then suddenly said, "Mubai, take him in."
Dai Mubai looked at Tang San, the fighting spirit rising in his eyes again.
"You didn't disappoint me after all."
Xiao Wu slapped her hand onto the desk.
"Me too."
The old man checked her bone age, sensed her Soul Power, and waved her through.
"Pass."
Xiao Wu shot Dai Mubai a smug look.
"Did you hear that?"
Dai Mubai could not be bothered to argue. He merely pointed inside.
"Don't wander off once you're in. There are more tests ahead."
Tang San and Xiao Wu followed Dai Mubai into the academy.
As they passed shabby wooden houses, a dirt training ground, and crooked fences, Xiao Wu grew more disgusted by the moment.
"This is really an academy? Even Notting Academy is better than this."
Dai Mubai said coldly, "If you want somewhere nice to stay, there's still time to go back to Suotuo City."
Xiao Wu fired right back.
"Now I'm definitely staying."
Looking around, Tang San asked, "What level was that teacher just now?"
Dai Mubai answered casually, "Teacher Li Yusong. A Soul Emperor above level sixty."
Tang San's heart jolted.
Xiao Wu quieted down as well.
Ji Yuan, however, withdrew his senses from Li Yusong.
The old man's Soul Power was strong, but his vitality had already begun to decline. He carried too many impurities and too little life force.
He was unsuitable as a primary blood bag.
What Ji Yuan wanted now were young geniuses, sources of essence that were still growing.
On the open ground ahead stood the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile girl from earlier. Beside her was a tall girl dressed in black.
The girl in black had a cold aura and moved lightly. She stood at the edge of the group, keeping her distance from everyone.
The instant Ji Yuan's senses touched her, she turned her head toward Tang San's feet.
Tang San noticed her too.
Xiao Wu whispered, "That girl looks like someone you don't want to mess with."
Dai Mubai's expression grew complicated when he saw the girl in black, and his voice sank.
"Zhu Zhuqing."
The girl in black did not respond. She merely turned her face away.
That indifference stung worse than a curse.
Dai Mubai's lips moved, but in the end, he said nothing.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile girl sensed something was off and let out a deliberate laugh.
"You two know each other?"
Zhu Zhuqing said coldly, "Not well."
Dai Mubai clenched his hand, then let it relax.
Ji Yuan saw it clearly from inside the shoe sole.
Emotional turmoil is nourishment too.
The more chaotic, the better.
Before long, they were led to another clearing.
A middle-aged man, short but remarkably solid-looking, lay in a chair with a straw hat over his face. An unlit stick of incense stood beside him.
Dai Mubai walked over.
"Teacher Zhao, a few qualified for the fourth test this year."
The man in the chair removed his straw hat and swept narrowed eyes over the group.
"Oh? We really have monsters this year?"
Tang San felt the crushing pressure coming from the man and immediately tensed.
Xiao Wu edged closer to him.
Ning Rongrong frowned.
"This is the teacher for the fourth test?"
Zhao Wuji sat up and rubbed his neck.
"Normally, the fourth test is a fight with Mubai. But I'm itching for a fight today, so all four of you can come at me together."
Dai Mubai's expression shifted.
"Teacher Zhao, isn't that a bit much?"
Zhao Wuji grinned.
"What's wrong with it? Last for the time it takes one stick of incense to burn, and you pass."
Tang San looked at Dai Mubai.
"What's his cultivation level?"
Dai Mubai said grimly, "Level seventy-six. A Soul Saint. Zhao Wuji, the Immovable Wisdom King."
Ning Rongrong's expression changed too.
"A Soul Saint? And you expect a few Soul Grandmasters like us to last a whole stick of incense?"
Zhao Wuji reached for a stick of incense.
"What, scared?"
Zhu Zhuqing said nothing. She tucked her dagger-like claws back into her palms, then released her Martial Soul again.
Tang San said, "We need to discuss a strategy."
Zhao Wuji planted the incense in the ground.
"I'll give you time. Just don't take too long. I'm not a patient man."
The group stepped aside.
Tang San looked at Ning Rongrong.
"You're a support type?"
Ning Rongrong lifted her chin.
"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. I can boost your strength and speed."
Tang San nodded, then looked at Zhu Zhuqing.
"Agility attack?"
Zhu Zhuqing gave only two words.
"Keep him occupied."
Xiao Wu smacked her fists together.
"I'll handle close combat."
Tang San said quickly, "I'll control him with Blue Silver Grass. Ning Rongrong will support us from behind. Zhu Zhuqing, look for an opening. Xiao Wu, don't take his attacks head-on."
Xiao Wu bristled.
"I'm not made of porcelain."
Tang San looked at her.
"He's a Soul Saint."
Only then did Xiao Wu pout.
"I know."
Ji Yuan hid beneath Tang San's shoe, his roots drawn in tight.
A level seventy-six Soul Saint.
Abundant vitality, strong defenses, and heavy waves of Soul Power.
Perfect for testing poison.
But a powerhouse like Zhao Wuji had keen senses. The slow approach of waterborne spores wouldn't work.
He would have to use the fight to slip poison into the weakest point in Zhao Wuji's defenses.
Zhao Wuji stood and rolled his shoulders.
"Finished talking? Keep dawdling and I'll light the incense."
Tang San turned around.
"Let's begin."
Zhao Wuji rubbed his fingertips together. The tip of the incense glowed, and smoke began to rise.
At the same moment, seven Soul Rings appeared beneath his feet. His dense Soul Power pressed down on the clearing until the air felt stifling.
The tip of Ji Yuan's vine slipped through a crack in Tang San's sole, the mixed toxins churning inside its barbs.
Zhao Wuji slapped a hand against his chest and grinned. "Come on. Let's see if you Little Monsters have bones hard enough to take it."
Ji Yuan's first poisoned thorn had already burrowed through the dirt toward his feet.
Before you continue