Shrek Academy Only Accepts Monsters!

After a peaceful night, dawn arrived in the blink of an eye.

After spending a pleasant night at the Rose Hotel, Ao Yin and Xiao Wu had shaken off the exhaustion of the past several days. They were refreshed, energized, and in far better spirits.

Ao Yin raised a hand and took out a yellowed, simple map. He had bought it from the innkeeper, and it marked the address of Shrek Academy, along a particularly remote route.

Following the map's directions, the two finished preparing, left the hotel, and headed all the way out of Suotuo City.

The farther they went, the fewer people they saw.

The road grew increasingly remote, surrounded by barren countryside and dirt paths. There was nothing to suggest the grandeur an academy ought to possess.

After traveling onward, they finally reached the destination marked on the map—a nameless little village so remote it was practically isolated from the world.

As far as the eye could see, the village was old and dilapidated, overgrown with weeds and deserted beyond belief.

Xiao Wu tightly held Ao Yin's arm, her delicate brows furrowing slightly, her face full of confusion.

She craned her neck to peer into the depths of the desolate village, her voice thick with unease.

"Brother Ao, what kind of proper academy would be built in such a rundown village in the middle of nowhere?"

"I feel uneasy for no reason. This really doesn't seem reliable!"

Her intuition was completely correct.

The moment the two stepped into the village entrance, their view suddenly opened up.

At the center of the entrance stood an old stone archway, weathered and cracked.

The stone surface had eroded badly and was covered in fissures, its inscription nearly illegible.

Yet the four engraved words remained clearly visible—Shrek Academy.

Beneath the archway sat a battered little wooden table with peeling paint.

The tabletop was crooked and crude beyond measure. A hand-painted wooden sign stood before it, bearing two simple words: Enrollment.

That was right. This was the top academy Ao Yin had strongly recommended, said to cultivate monsters.

Its terrible environment and ramshackle grounds utterly overturned all common sense.

But what no one expected was this.

Despite being located in such a remote, shabby village, the number of parents and children who had come to enroll was absurdly high!

A long line stretched from one end of the village to the other, packed so tightly it was impossible to squeeze through.

Everyone had come specifically because of Shrek Academy's reputation.

Ao Yin and Xiao Wu had only just approached and had yet to take a closer look at the enrollment rules when the crowd ahead suddenly erupted!

A large group of agitated parents directly surrounded the enrollment table, furious as they shouted their questions.

"What kind of trash academy is this? You're nothing but a black-hearted scam taking enrollment fees! Give us our money back!"

"My child ranked first every time at his elementary academy and has outstanding talent! How can you dismiss him with just one word—unqualified?"

"Refund us! You have to give us an explanation! This is outright fraud!"

Angry roars rose one after another, echoing through the entire village entrance.

Five or six parents crowded around the table, slamming their hands down and shouting in outrage.

Behind the wooden table lay a middle-aged man who looked lazy and carefree.

His hair was messy and his clothes plain. He had been sprawled across the table the entire time, too lazy even to lift his eyelids.

Faced with everyone's anger, his tone remained calm and utterly unruffled.

"No refunds. Unqualified means unqualified."

That casual sentence instantly ignited everyone's rage.

The parents became even more agitated and pressed forward to demand answers.

"Why won't you refund us? We came all this way and wasted our time and money for nothing?"

The lazy man finally raised his head slightly, his gaze sweeping indifferently over the crowd as he exposed their shortcomings one by one.

"Your child is overage. He exceeds Shrek's maximum admission age."

"Your daughter's talent is decent, but her Soul Power is too low. She hasn't reached the minimum admission requirement."

"And the rest of you—either you're too old, or your Soul Power is below standard. All unqualified."

He spoke slowly, but every sentence was blunt and every word cut deep.

They sounded harsh, but they were the plain truth.

No one knew that this enrollment teacher, who seemed so apathetic and perfunctory, was also filled with helplessness.

Recruitment had been going on for several days. An endless stream of people had come to enroll, yet not a single one met the requirements.

He had long since grown used to scenes like this.

Every enrollment drive began with high hopes and ended with furious parents demanding refunds.

Several parents looked unwilling to accept it, their voices pleading.

"Teacher, your standards are simply too high! Soul Power Level twenty-one at thirteen years old—how could an ordinary genius possibly achieve that? No one can meet the standard!"

"This academy is so shabby, yet your requirements are this outrageous. You're obviously just making money from enrollment fees!"

"Ten Gold Soul Coins per person for enrollment! That's daylight robbery! We won't leave unless you refund us!"

The noisy clamor droned endlessly in his ears.

The lazy man grew increasingly impatient. He frowned slightly and finally sat upright.

He could not be bothered to waste more words on them. Raising his voice, he spoke so everyone present could hear.

"I'll state Shrek's rules one last time!"

"Shrek Academy only accepts monsters, not ordinary people! Once the enrollment fee is paid, it will never be refunded!"

As his words fell, he stood up and publicly declared the hard admission requirements.

"First! Applicants must not be older than thirteen!"

"Second! Soul Power Level twenty-one is the minimum!"

"If you can't meet these two conditions, don't come here to make up the numbers. Don't waste each other's time!"

The moment those standards were announced, the entire crowd broke into an uproar!

The parents in line collectively sucked in a breath, disbelief written across their faces.

Thirteen years old, with Soul Power Level twenty-one!

That was not a genius—it was a freak!

For an ordinary soul master, breaking through level ten in their teens already counted as exceptional talent.

Reaching level twenty-one at thirteen was simply absurd!

The crowd instantly exploded into argument, with doubts flying everywhere.

"What kind of ridiculous rule is this? Forget recruiting for a month—he won't find anyone even in a year!"

"They're obviously deliberately making things difficult! This is a scam academy stealing enrollment fees! Refund us!"

Everyone's anger reached its peak. The crowd was incensed, and the situation completely spiraled out of control.

The lazy man remained calm and spoke coldly again.

"Second rule: enrollment fees will not be refunded under any circumstances!"

"Refund us! Scam academy! You won't recruit any students at all!"

Dense waves of furious shouting echoed through the village entrance. Everyone tightly surrounded the enrollment table and refused to disperse.

The scene was chaotic beyond measure, and conflict seemed ready to erupt at any moment.

At that moment, the lazy man lifted his gaze slightly and looked toward the stone archway overhead as he spoke casually.

"Mubai, someone's causing trouble. Clear the place."

The instant his words fell—

Boom—!

A tall figure suddenly leaped down from the top of the stone archway!

The tremendous impact smashed directly into the center of the crowd!

The ground jolted violently, the stone slabs instantly caving in and cracking as dust flew into the air!

It was Dai Mubai!

The parents who had been shouting arrogantly and pressing forward only moments ago instantly went pale and stiffened all over.

Fear washed over them from head to toe!

"Y-you... don't come any closer! We're not making trouble anymore! We're leaving!"

"Please don't attack! We're giving up on enrollment!"

The more arrogant they had been before, the more cowardly they were now!

Even ordinary people could tell at a glance how terrifying the power behind that leap had been.

A soul master with such physical strength had to be extraordinarily powerful. He was far beyond anything they could afford to provoke.

Dai Mubai's expression remained blank. He could not be bothered to waste words on them.

Buzz—!

Three brilliant soul rings slowly rose from beneath his feet!

Yellow, yellow, purple—the three rings shone in rotation!

A vast Soul Power pressure instantly swept across the entire area!

At the same time, the phantom of a ferocious snow-white tiger faintly emerged behind him, overflowing with murderous aura!

A deep tiger's roar shook the surrounding woods and intimidated everyone present!

Dai Mubai's icy gaze swept over the crowd, his voice devoid of the slightest warmth.

"Anyone dissatisfied who wants their enrollment fee back, it's simple."

"As long as you can force me back, your enrollment fee will be returned double!"

Boom!

The oppressive aura of a three-ring battle Soul Elder weighed heavily upon every heart!

Everyone in the crowd sucked in a cold breath, their scalps tingling!

"A three-ring Soul Elder! Such a young three-ring Soul Elder!"

"My heavens! This academy really is full of monsters!"

"No wonder it's called Monster Academy! The rumors were actually true!"

Everyone was so shocked that they fell silent.

The parents who had been full of doubts and cursing it as a scam moments earlier instantly became quiet as cicadas in winter.

Once the fear faded, it was replaced by wild excitement!

How could an academy capable of teaching such a young Soul Elder be a scam?

It was clearly a top-tier sect hiding its true strength!

The eyes of quite a few parents lit up as other thoughts immediately sprang into their minds.

"So what if the standards are high? Could we pay a little extra and ask for some leniency?"

"The academy looks poor. Maybe they'll make an exception if we offer enough money!"

The crowd that had just been demanding refunds underwent a complete reversal in attitude.

No one mentioned refunds again, and no one dared question the academy any further.

They all stood obediently in place, some even considering paying for a backdoor admission.

Watching these opportunistic parents whose attitudes had changed so drastically, the enrollment teacher remained indifferent and lightly shook his head.

A bunch of profit-driven, blindly conforming ordinary people. They really were a waste of time.

He spoke casually, his voice incomparably cold.

"Trash. Next. No refunds."

He repeated those two statements without a trace of emotion.

Then he slowly stepped out from behind the enrollment table and walked toward the center of the long line.

His gaze swept over the children and parents waiting in line, and he announced in an icy voice.

"I'll say this one last time."

"Shrek does not accept trash."

"If you know your aptitude is insufficient, leave early. Don't waste everyone's time here."

"We only accept—monsters!"

The instant his words fell, the man's entire aura underwent a sudden transformation!

All traces of his previous lazy, apathetic demeanor vanished!

A dense, vast, top-tier Soul Power erupted with a thunderous roar!

Soul rings rose one after another beneath his feet, stacking layer upon layer as they lit up in sequence!

One white! One yellow! Two purple! Two black!

A total of six soul rings encircled him, gleaming brilliantly and radiating overwhelming pressure!

Six rings!

A level-sixty Soul Emperor!

An ancient dark-red staff appeared in his hand. Its body was covered in intricate patterns, and the faint sound of wind reverberated around it.

He casually gave it a light swing!

Screech—!

The hard stone slabs on the ground were ripped apart by the airflow, leaving a deep gash several meters long!

Cracks spread throughout the area, shaking everyone to the core!

The entire place fell deathly silent!

Everyone stood frozen where they were, their minds completely blank!

A mere enrollment teacher responsible for registration!

Was actually a six-ring Soul Emperor!

At that moment, everyone finally understood completely.

Shrek Academy!

What gave them the nerve to set such heaven-defying standards!

What gave them the nerve to claim they only accepted monsters!

Because the teachers here were monsters themselves!

"A six-ringed Soul Emperor?"

Even Ao Yin and Xiao Wu in the distance saw this and their pupils contracted slightly!

Xiao Wu's eyes widened. "Little Ao's recommendation really wasn't wrong. The teachers here are way too strong!"

Ao Yin smiled faintly. Shrek Academy's reputation for producing monsters was not undeserved!