Suspicion

Because of Youquan's "we're already here anyway," Tang San and the others moved to the back of the line together.

Just then, a father and son ahead of them were discussing Shrek Academy. The boy's mother said uncertainly, "Is this some kind of mistake? This is the academy that supposedly lets its graduates become Imperial Viscounts?"

The boy's father said uncertainly, "That's what the people from Spirit Hall said, so it shouldn't be wrong, right? But this academy looks far too run-down."

The boy said unhappily to his parents, "Dad, Mom, I don't want to study here. It's too embarrassing. I'd rather go to Suotuo Intermediate Soul Master Academy."

The boy's father frowned. "We're already here anyway. Let's look around first before deciding."

When Ning Rongrong and the others behind them heard the boy's father say, "we're already here anyway," they immediately thought of what Youquan had said and burst into laughter.

Youquan, however, noticed something the father had said: people from Spirit Hall had claimed that students who graduated from Shrek Academy could directly receive the title of Imperial Viscount.

Youquan stepped forward, took out a small pouch of Copper Soul Coins, and handed it to the boy's father. She asked politely, "Uncle, may I ask you something?"

"Go ahead." The boy's father weighed the pouch in his hand and answered with a smile.

"Uncle, did you say that people from Spirit Hall claimed students who graduate from Shrek Academy can receive the title of Imperial Viscount?" Youquan asked, feigning innocence.

The boy's father nodded. "That's right. If it weren't for that, we wouldn't have come to such a shabby academy."

Youquan continued, "Did you hear it from people at the Spirit Hall branch in Suotuo City? Were they Temple Guard Knights, Bishops, Vice Bishops, or someone like that? Did they recommend this academy to you?"

The boy's father hurriedly waved his hands, saying in alarm, "Oh, you can't say things like that carelessly. For families like ours, having even one Spirit Master is already a blessing from our ancestors. How would we normally ever have a chance to meet the great Bishops of Spirit Hall?"

Youquan frowned and continued asking, "If that's the case, then where did you get your information about Shrek Academy?"

"The teachers of Shrek Academy said it themselves. Their finest graduate has already become an elder of Spirit Hall." The boy's father spoke proudly, as though his own child were about to receive the title of Imperial Viscount and an invitation from Spirit Hall.

Youquan understood. Since Spirit Hall could send Qian Renxue to carry out the Usurpation Plan, it meant that the relationship between Spirit Hall and the two great empires was not as harmonious as it appeared. Undercurrents were constantly stirring beneath the surface.

Among the more famous advanced Soul Master Academies, one could more or less tell, openly or secretly, whether they leaned toward the two great empires or Spirit Hall.

Youquan absolutely did not believe that an academy could have an elder of Spirit Hall as its backer while also allowing its graduates to receive the rank of viscount from an empire.

After hearing the boy's father, Youquan had roughly figured out what Shrek Academy was about. Her impression of the academy worsened even further.

Ning Rongrong had reached the same conclusion. As the eldest daughter of a sect, she understood the relationship between Spirit Hall and the empires even better. She realized that this was merely a gimmick Shrek Academy used for recruitment, and she could not help feeling disappointed.

Now that she understood what was going on, Youquan turned her gaze toward the very front of the line, where registration was taking place.

An old man sat lazily behind the registration desk. He was plainly dressed, yet he appeared quite spirited. Youquan could sense that his Soul Power fluctuations were considerably stronger than hers, though still far weaker than those of the Spirit Hall experts she had met.

At that moment, a boy stepped up to the desk to register. The old man said lazily, "The registration fee is ten Gold Soul Coins. Put them in that box."

The accompanying parent immediately took out ten Gold Soul Coins and placed them in the crudely nailed wooden box beside the desk.

"Hold out one hand." Seeing that the number of Gold Soul Coins was correct, the old man spoke indifferently to the boy.

The boy obediently held out his hand before the old man. The old man pinched his hand twice, shook his head, and said, "You don't meet the age requirement. You can leave."

The boy froze. His father hurriedly forced a smile. "Teacher, my child only just turned thirteen. Could you perhaps make an exception?"

The old man said impatiently, "Don't hold up the people behind you. Your child doesn't meet the age requirement. You can leave."

The boy's father hesitated. "Then our registration fee..."

"Once registered, no refunds." The old man answered bluntly.

Upon hearing that the registration fee would not be refunded, the father was devastated. Those ten Gold Soul Coins had barely been scraped together from the subsidies their child had received from Spirit Hall over the years, along with savings the family had painstakingly accumulated for years. Not only had their child failed to get accepted, but the family's entire savings were gone.

The boy's father cried out in despair, "You're clearly cheating people out of their money! Give us back the registration fee, or we won't leave!"

The old man glanced indifferently at the father and son, then called out in a somewhat mocking tone, "Mu Bai, someone wants their registration fee back. Handle it."

Dai Mubai walked out from behind the old man, displaying two yellow and one purple Spirit Rings. He lightly crooked a finger. "You can have your registration fee back if you want. Beat me, and you'll get every coin back."

Youquan watched the scene unfold before her. Extortion, bullying the weak with strength, false advertising, and outright fraud. An ordinary family's entire savings, accumulated over so many years, vanished just like that. Isn't a registration fee supposed to be paid after registering? This isn't a registration fee at all—it should be called a Bone-Feeling Fee. What a Shrek Academy.

Back when she had become a disciple of Xiao Yan, the Young Pavilion Master of Starfall Pavilion, the first thing her teacher, Xiao Yan, had told her was that as his disciple, he would never let outsiders bully her. However, she must never rely on her own strength or Starfall Pavilion's name to bully the weak. Great strength was meant to protect others, not to casually humiliate the weak.

Ning Rongrong frowned. Shrek Academy's standing in her heart had already fallen to rock bottom. Ten Gold Soul Coins meant nothing to her; one of her little dresses cost over a hundred Gold Soul Coins. Yet after hearing Youquan's words, Ning Rongrong truly realized just how unreasonable Shrek Academy's actions were.

Xiaoxiao was the one truly on the verge of collapse. She had never imagined that the Shrek Academy she had always admired was actually engaged in fraud and bullying the weak.

Xiaoxiao could not help believing even more in the voices that had been constantly speaking in her mind, becoming even more determined to seek a different way of living.

Tang San exchanged a glance with Xiaowu and said to her, "Since Teacher insisted that I come here, Shrek Academy must have its own unique qualities. What academy doesn't charge a registration fee? The academy clearly stated that it would not accept children under thirteen, yet they tried to exploit a loophole themselves. Now they are merely suffering the consequences of their own actions. Consider it a lesson bought with money."