Qin Qi: Even If I Went Mad, I Would Never Join Shrek Academy!

"Alright, I'll keep an eye on it."

Manager Ao nodded and watched the middle-aged man leave.

After the middle-aged man had left, he took out Qin Qi's file.

"Six years old, eleventh-level Soul Power, thirty consecutive victories, including many battles fought across several levels of Soul Power."

"This child really is a genius, and he doesn't have much of a background either."

"There'll definitely be plenty of people trying to recruit him later."

Manager Ao thought to himself.

The Great Soul Arena was where talented Soul Masters became famous, and once they became famous, people would inevitably try to win them over.

The major factions would invite them to serve as retainers and the like, using them to strengthen their own forces.

And young commoner geniuses like Qin Qi, who had no notable background,

were even more sought after by countless people hoping to recruit him into their own factions.

While Manager Ao was musing over this, Qin Qi was wandering around the Great Soul Arena when someone approached him.

"Kid, allow me to introduce myself. I'm the dean of Shrek Academy."

"I wonder if you'd be willing to join our academy?"

Flender approached Qin Qi himself and extended the invitation.

"..."

"No."

Qin Qi looked at Flender and refused without hesitation, though he was filled with doubt.

How could this old bastard say something like that with such confidence?

Don't you know perfectly well what kind of dump your academy is?

Do you have no shame at all?

"Don't be so quick to refuse. Let me introduce our academy first."

"Our academy specializes in accepting monster geniuses like you."

"As long as you graduate, you'll receive a noble title. That's an excellent benefit!"

Flender continued without changing his expression.

"No, what gives you the right to say that?"

"Noble titles can only be granted by an empire. What right does an academy dean like you have to promise that?"

Qin Qi could not help sighing. Did this old fool think he was stupid, or was the old fool himself stupid?

Shrek Academy required students to reach level forty before they could graduate, and level-forty Soul Masters could choose to pledge loyalty to an empire.

After pledging loyalty to an empire, they would automatically receive noble status.

But what did that have to do with Shrek?

This old bastard was trying to swindle people empty-handed!

"Ahem, ahem. What I meant was that after graduating, you'll be able to receive an imperial reward."

Flender coughed twice, looking slightly embarrassed.

This brat was well-informed. Fooling him would be a little difficult.

But it did not matter. He was Flender!

With just a little effort, he could handle this brat!

"Let's not talk about that. Let me tell you about our academy's teaching staff."

"I am a seven-ring Soul Saint, and the weakest teachers in our academy are all Soul Emperors."

As he spoke, Flender displayed his Soul Rings. He held his head high and spoke with great pride.

"..."

Qin Qi said nothing, merely wearing a speechless expression.

This guy could lie without even blushing. If Qin Qi had not visited Shrek before, he might really have been fooled.

They did have teaching staff, but damn it, none of them were at the academy!

Every one of them had strength, yet none of them actually taught students!

And besides, at any advanced academy, Soul Saint instructors were standard. If one's talent was good enough,

one could even become the dean's disciple. That was a Soul Douluo!

"I'm not interested in joining your academy. I have things to do, so I'll be leaving."

Qin Qi shook his head and turned to leave. He truly did not want to listen to this profiteer's nonsense anymore.

"Don't leave! Every student at our academy is a genius!"

"Every student who graduates from our academy achieves great things!"

Flender blocked Qin Qi's path and shouted.

"I'll give you one word: get lost!"

Qin Qi could not take it anymore and said it outright.

This guy really was the Grandmaster's friend. That confidence and shamelessness were exactly the same.

Every graduate achieved great things? Of course they did.

In that trash academy called Shrek, anyone who had not died at the hands of their teachers,

had not died in the Great Soul Arena, and had not died while hunting Soul Beasts, were all exceptional talents who had survived countless rounds of selection!

Not to mention anything else, reaching level forty before twenty was top-tier talent at any advanced academy!

And that was under conditions with no teaching staff, no Mimicry Training Ground, not enough food, and no resources.

If those graduates had been given sufficient resources, they might even have been able to contend with Spirit Hall's Golden Generation.

"I'm a seven-ring Soul Saint. Don't you think you're being too presumptuous talking to me like that?"

Hearing Qin Qi's words, Flender's expression immediately darkened.

A mere six-year-old brat actually dared speak to him like that.

What utter ignorance!

Looks like you've never seen what a real bully is like.

"I was already being polite by not telling you to get lost the moment we met."

Qin Qi could not help laughing. He had already been quite polite; otherwise, his first words would have been telling Flender to get lost.

What kind of garbage academy was Shrek? Forty-two students, only fourteen graduates.

God knew how many had died. Even if he went mad, he would never join such a rotten academy!

"You should know that crushing you wouldn't be much harder than crushing an ant."

Flender's face turned utterly black, but unease began to rise in his heart.

Why isn't he afraid of me at all?

Could it be that he actually has a background?

That's right. A child with this kind of talent, knowledge, and courage...

The chances of him having no background are very low.

Flender began to grow afraid. He was fierce when facing commoners, but meek when facing those with backing.

"If you have the guts, you can try."

Qin Qi looked at Flender without the slightest fear or weakness, directly standing up to him.

His second soul skill gave no warning at all.

Clearly, Flender was merely trying to scare him. And even if Flender truly made a move,

if Qin Qi could not beat him, could he not run?

As long as he slipped into a crowd, he could change his appearance in the blink of an eye.

Even if it meant taking a risk, he would never bow his head to someone like this!

At that moment, the sound of their argument caught the attention of the Soul Arena staff.

Private fights were forbidden in the Soul Arena, and they kept watch over everyone at all times.

Flender noticed this as well, and his wariness deepened.

"You really are short-sighted. But that's fine; our academy doesn't want to accept trash like you either."

"Our academy accepts geniuses, true monster geniuses."

Flender flicked his sleeve and turned to leave, as though he had not been the one chasing after Qin Qi and begging him to join the academy.

Instead, it looked as though Qin Qi had been the one begging to join Shrek Academy.

"Something's wrong with his brain."

Qin Qi shook his head, not taking the matter to heart at all, and continued gathering Soul Power.

Another month passed in the blink of an eye.

Qin Qi absorbed a considerable amount of energy from the Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone, and his body grew much stronger.

At the same time, his Martial Soul underwent some changes.

"Why has this flame turned blue-green?"

Qin Qi looked at the flames that came with the Evil Fire Phoenix. They had previously been orange-red, but now they had turned blue-green.

"And the Martial Soul's appearance has changed too. It's full of life energy."

"Could it have mutated?"

Qin Qi activated Martial Soul Possession with the Evil Fire Phoenix, and wings formed from blue-green flames appeared behind him.

He also felt his body brimming with power, but it was not merely the power of fire—it was vitality overflowing with life force.