New Student Assessment

A few days later, after several days of grueling travel, the three of them finally arrived, dusty and weary, at the renowned Shrek City.

The city stood majestically upon a vast, boundless plain. Its towering walls stretched and wound to either side like a giant dragon, grand and imposing, covering an area so immense that it inspired awe.

Shrek Academy, the holy land of the soul master world, was located in the eastern part of Shrek City, facing the mysterious Star Dou Great Forest from afar.

From a distance, the academy's buildings were arranged in harmonious layers. Their ancient elegance carried an extraordinary air that drew countless soul master students toward them. Nearly every student who believed their talent and Soul Power Level met the requirements made this academy, standing at the pinnacle of the soul master world, their first choice.

"Little You, Yuhao, if you can't enroll successfully, then let's find a quiet place in the countryside, buy a cozy little house, stay away from all the noise, and live well. In this world, you don't have to make a name for yourself. Sometimes, peace and good health are the most precious things. The soul master world is far too dangerous, and the casualty rate isn't low."

Huo Yun'er looked at the two children before her, who were about to embark on the path of soul masters, and spoke earnestly. Her words were filled with deep concern and worry, as though she had already foreseen the unknown hardships and dangers awaiting them.

At her words, Huo Yuhao broke into a confident smile. She raised her head and faced the rising sun. Golden morning light fell across her face as though draping her in a radiant glow, making her look like a holy angel. "Mom, don't worry. You-ge and I are both very strong. We'll definitely enroll successfully, and we aren't afraid of whatever dangers the future brings."

"Alright, then let's enter the city first." Though Huo Yun'er still felt reluctant and worried, she smiled and nodded.

She knew the children had grown up. They had dreams and pursuits of their own. As their mother, all she could do was silently support and bless them.

This time of year was always Shrek City's liveliest season. Soul master students from every direction poured into the city, striving to enter Shrek Academy. The streets were packed with people and traffic, bustling beyond compare.

The group drove their carriage through the majestic North City Gate and slowly made their way along the crowded streets. They began asking around for suitable lodging. If Huo Yuhao and Lin You could enroll successfully, they could naturally stay in the academy dormitories.

But they could not simply leave Huo Yun'er out on the streets, so they first needed to find a temporary place to settle down. Moreover, they carried more than seven hundred Gold Soul Coins with them. For ordinary people, that was unquestionably an enormous fortune. Even in Shrek City, where prices were exceptionally high, it gave them considerable spending power.

After searching and asking around for some time, they finally found a rather elegant little courtyard tucked away in a quiet alley.

The courtyard was not large, but its layout was well designed. It was filled with all sorts of flowers and plants, and a faint floral fragrance lingered in the air, refreshing their spirits. The house had two bedrooms and a living room, just right for the three of them.

Most importantly, it was not too far from the North City Gate. An ordinary person could reach the gate in half an hour on foot, while a soul master moving at full speed would need only fifteen minutes. From there, they could circle around Shrek City to the East City Gate and enter Shrek Academy. It was both convenient and quiet.

The landlord was a kind old granny. Seeing Huo Yun'er with two children, she felt especially inclined to look after them. Not only was the rent extremely reasonable—twenty Gold Soul Coins per year, with one month's rent as a deposit—but she also warmly helped them clean up the rooms and introduced them to the surrounding amenities, such as the market and garbage station.

The old granny said that her children were all ordinary people working for a merchant association. She was lonely living by herself, so she was happy to have a family of three like them renting the place.

After settling into their new home, Huo Yun'er immediately became busy. She planned to prepare some everyday clothes and supplies for the children before they enrolled. After asking where the cloth shop was, she intended to buy a few lengths of cloth to make clothes, but Lin You promptly stopped her. "The academy has uniforms. I say we buy you a couple of outfits later instead. It's January now, and it's freezing."

"That's right, Mom. You can't keep shortchanging yourself. Once You-ge and I enroll, we'll come visit you often!" Huo Yuhao seriously agreed with Lin You. The only reason she worked so hard to become stronger was to let her mother live a better life. She did not want to see her mother exhaust herself for her anymore.

"Come on, Yuhao. We'll go to the New Student Assessment first, then come back. Aunt Huo, we're leaving now!"

"Be careful." Huo Yun'er replied, watching Lin You and Huo Yuhao gradually disappear into the distance.

An hour later, the two of them finally passed through the East City Gate. Slipping through the bustling crowd from the side, they entered the legendary Shrek Academy.

After walking roughly two hundred meters ahead, several enormous statues blocked their view.

The statues looked extremely similar to the character designs from the anime. Even without anyone introducing them, Lin You had already recognized who they were. They were none other than the Golden Iron Triangle and the Shrek Seven Devils.

From time to time, new students passed by and stood before the statues with looks of envy and longing. Whenever an upperclassman passed through, they would enthusiastically explain the origins of the ten statues to the new students.

After asking around, the two of them soon arrived at the Assessment Zone.

"You two are here for the assessment as well, right? Please let me take a look at your recommendation letters. Thank you."

The person in charge of the first round of assessments was a handsome young man. He did not look very old, and judging from his aura, he was undoubtedly an upperclassman. Yet when facing Lin You and Huo Yuhao, the two new students, he showed none of the arrogance expected of an upperclassman. Instead, he spoke with refined courtesy.

"Mm, your soul power seals have been verified. You're from Star Brilliance City. I've already recorded it here. Your recommendation letters will serve as identification throughout your academic careers. If you fail the New Student Assessment, they will be returned to you. Next, please touch this crystal ball. It will test your soul power and bone age."

The young man's expression did not change at all upon seeing Huo Yuhao's Level 18 soul power. But when he saw that Lin You's Level 15 soul power had barely met the cutoff, he furrowed his brow slightly and kindly advised, "This student, although what I'm about to say may be discouraging, I sincerely suggest that you choose another academy. You may not know this, but the minimum requirement to advance from first grade to second grade is to reach the realm of a Great Soul Master."

"With your current bone age of eleven and Level 15 soul power, your Innate Soul Power was likely around Level Three or Four, correct? At a normal cultivation pace, one year would only be enough for you to reach Level 18. That would already be an extremely fast rate while cultivating with full focus. With your Innate Soul Power, you simply cannot meet the advancement requirement. If my words have affected you in any way, then I apologize first. Are you sure you wish to continue with the assessment? There will be actual combat next."

"Thank you, Senior, but I want to give it a try. I'm not good at giving up." Lin You smiled helplessly. Shrek Academy's threshold really was quite high. He had only barely made it past himself. He remembered that the requirements used to be even higher—at twelve years old, one needed at least Level 20 soul power, two hundred-year Soul Rings, and combat experience. If this were the original Shrek Academy, he would have had no chance at all.

The young man did not make things difficult for them. He immediately agreed and had a teacher take the two of them to the Beast Fighting Zone for the New Student Assessment.