Oppressive Might

Six days passed in the blink of an eye.

Over the past few days, aside from his daily meals, Wei Heng had taken the time to explore the place properly.

Having finally arrived in this city of soul masters, he could not let the opportunity slip by. He had gone out to visit several famous sights, collected energy and materials a few times, and even met a few supporting characters from the original work.

Around one hotel, he had also collected an extremely violent strand of dragon bloodline energy.

As expected, that should have been the hotel where Tang Wulin and the others were staying. What Wei Heng had collected was likely the bloodline aura that had leaked out when Tang Wulin broke through his seal.

By the timeline, Tang Wulin had indeed acquired enough spiritual treasures at the auction four days ago to break through the Golden Dragon King's seal. However, he probably had yet to awaken.

None of that had anything to do with Wei Heng. At that moment, the youth was riding a soul-guided taxi to Shrek Academy for the entrance examination.

The hotel was located in Shrek City's outer city. Given the sheer size of Shrek Academy, even by soul-guided taxi, it took nearly an hour and a half to reach the outskirts of Shrek City's inner city.

The enormous city walls had an ancient elegance. From afar, they resembled a giant dragon coiled upon the earth. There were no special decorations on the walls, nor any plaque indicating the place's name.

It was the once-every-three-years admissions season.

Outside Shrek Academy's gates, a massive crowd had already gathered.

Many examinees had come with their teachers and parents. Within the crowd, countless voices intertwined, forming a lively symphony.

There were the sounds of examinees chatting, teachers explaining, parents offering reminders, and the occasional blare of a car horn.

The confident voices of many gifted youths rose and fell without end, adding no small measure of vitality to the ancient and solemn academy gates.

As time passed, the examinees entered the examination grounds one after another under Shrek Academy's guidance. The bustling scene gradually quieted, leaving only the teachers and parents waiting silently where they stood. Their eyes were filled with anticipation and concern, as though they were awaiting an unknown outcome.

In truth, it was precisely because Shrek Academy was in its admissions period that talented youths from across the Federation had gathered here, making the place so crowded.

Wei Heng began walking toward the square. The area was thronged with people, while several students dressed in Shrek Academy uniforms stood ahead, directing the crowd and having them line up in order.

The moment the youth appeared, the crowd fell silent. Everyone turned to look at him, including those Shrek Academy students.

"What a handsome young man!"

That was everyone's thought. What drew them to Wei Heng was not some beauty capable of toppling kingdoms and cities, but a certain temperament.

Amid the bustling crowd, he was like a radiant star, giving off a unique aura from deep within. It was like moonlight piercing through haze in a clear night sky—gentle yet immensely penetrating, intangible yet powerfully magnetic, making people's gazes focus upon him without realizing it.

Although he noticed the attention around him, Wei Heng was not nervous. He had long grown accustomed to such stares. He merely offered a polite smile, then spotted a "familiar" figure in the crowd and walked over.

"I'm Wei Heng. I was recommended by the East Sea Blacksmith Association. This is my letter of recommendation," the youth said simply.

"Alright. I'm a guide teacher from Shrek Academy. Student, come this way with me."

After simply placing the recommendation letter into a machine to verify its authenticity, the person assigned to guide Wei Heng was a woman around twenty-five or twenty-six years old. She wore a badge engraved with the three characters, "Shen Yi."

Shen Yi led the youth and six others into the square. Unlike the bluestone pavement of Shrek City's inner city, the ground within the square was paved with gray stone. These stones were clearly far larger than bluestone.

A vast ring of ancient buildings surrounded the square. The buildings formed a semicircle, and by visual estimate, its diameter absolutely exceeded a thousand meters. This enormous semicircular structure was built entirely from stone, with full-body statues of various people carved upon it.

Within its embrace lay the enormous square ahead. At the center of the square was a circular artificial pool more than a hundred meters in diameter, with fountains spraying from within. At the center of the pool stood a statue of Huo Yuhao.

This square was called Spirit Ice Square. It had been built ten thousand years ago, when Shrek City's outer city was first constructed and the inner city had been designated entirely for academy use.

"This is the main teaching building of Shrek Academy's outer court. This square is named after the title of the Spirit Ice Douluo, Huo Yuhao, who once shook the world ten thousand years ago. Your upcoming assessments will be held here."

"Come on. Follow me into the teaching building."

After a brief explanation, Shen Yi led them toward the enormous ring-shaped building.

The closer they got, the more clearly they could see the statues erected before the building.

It reminded Wei Heng of the History of Shrek he had read before.

According to its records, the statues here depicted disciples of the inner court. Every disciple who managed to enter Shrek Academy's inner court would have a statue left here as a memorial, and as a testament to Shrek Academy's history.

One statue per person. Beyond commemoration and symbolism, these statues also silently display Shrek's connections and prestige. They are proof of binding ties, and a wordless deterrent to the outside world.

As Wei Heng walked, he still had the spare attention to think about such miscellaneous matters. The six youths beside him, however, appeared somewhat nervous.

After all, this was the legendary Shrek Academy. They had heard that its elimination rate was terrifyingly high. Even though they were all regarded as geniuses in their respective academies, they still looked as though they were facing a formidable enemy.

Upon entering the building, the first impression it gave them was one of grandeur and magnificence. The ceiling was at least ten meters high. The entire building seemed to have around six floors. Murals covered the walls and the vaulted ceilings alike. Though resplendent in gold and jade, it gave off more of an ancient and elegant air.

As Shen Yi walked forward, she said, "This building is named Shrek Tower. All the murals you see depict events that have taken place over the twenty thousand years since Shrek Academy was founded."

This was what true heritage meant—twenty thousand years of heritage.

How could such a feeling not inspire awe? Aside from Wei Heng, who felt nothing in particular, the other six all felt a sacred urge to worship upon entering this place.

After passing through an area beneath vaulted ceilings, they ascended stone steps and continued deeper inside. Through the arched windows on both sides, they could see the greenery outside—vast rolling stretches of green land.

The vegetation was arranged with elegance, yet beyond the greenery stood more buildings constructed from the same stone.

It was impossible to determine just how large this main teaching building truly was! The ring-shaped structure they had seen from the front was clearly only one part of it! Even the imperial palaces of old probably could not compare to this place.

It truly deserved its reputation as the continent's number one academy. How much would a building complex on this scale alone cost?

After passing two more corridors, Shen Yi brought them into a circular hall. This hall was more than twenty meters tall, and the vaulted ceiling was once again covered in murals.

When everyone looked up, their bodies trembled involuntarily. Though the mural was a full twenty meters above them, looking at it still gave them the sensation of Mount Tai pressing down upon their heads.

There was only one creature in the mural: an enormous black dragon. It had a pair of golden eyes, massive outspread wings, and a dark purple glow radiating from its entire body.

Though it was merely a painting, it was depicted with incredible lifelikeness. Even the scales on its body were clearly visible. The immense pressure came from this very image, as though it would cause the entire space to collapse.

At some point, Shen Yi had vanished. Within the domed circular hall, only the seven of them remained.