Obscuring Trick? Disguised Soul Rings?

The next morning.

Outside the south gate of Suotuo City, a long line had formed in front of a dilapidated little village.

By the time Ning Ze arrived with Ning Rongrong, Tang San, and Xiao Wu, the queue had already bent around the corner.

Several logs had been fashioned into a broken gate at the village entrance, with a green sign hanging above it that looked just like a monster's head.

Ning Rongrong wrinkled her nose. "Ning Ze, are you sure this is Shrek Academy? What a godforsaken place! Even the side courtyard where the cleaning ladies of our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect live is ten thousand times more impressive than this!"

Ning Ze smiled and rubbed her head. "You can't judge people by appearances. Some masters just like to hide away from the bustle of the city."

Only then did Ning Rongrong put away her disdain, smiling brightly as she nuzzled into his palm.

A broken wooden table missing one leg stood nearby. Behind it sat an old man in a washed-out robe, his face weathered by time.

He was Li Yusong, Shrek's admissions teacher.

Li Yusong leaned back in his chair and tapped the table.

"The registration fee is ten Gold Soul Coins, nonrefundable. Shrek only accepts monsters under thirteen with Soul Power above rank twenty. We do not accept trash."

The requirements were harsh, but some still clung to hope.

A plump middle-aged woman dragged her thirteen-year-old son to the table and began making a scene.

"Why won't you let us pass?! My son is an outstanding graduate of a junior academy! This is a scam! Give us our money back!"

"Rules are rules. No refunds for those who fail to qualify." Li Yusong did not even raise his eyelids.

"No! If you don't return the money today, I'll smash this shabby stall of yours!"

The people waiting behind them began to stir.

A golden-haired figure strode out from the village. "You want to cause trouble? First ask whether this young master agrees!"

Boom!

A tiger's roar rang out.

A sinister glint flared in Dai Mubai's eyes, and the pressure of his Soul Power silenced the entire crowd.

The woman's face went pale. She shrank back, grabbed her son, and fled into the crowd.

The others who had wanted refunds also shut their mouths.

Dai Mubai's gaze swept over the crowd and landed on Ning Ze and Ning Rongrong. The fierceness on his face vanished, replaced by a welcoming smile as he approached. "Brother Tang San, Brother Ning Ze, Miss Rongrong! Little Sister Xiao Wu! Perfect timing. Come register!"

With Dai Mubai leading the way, they arrived at Li Yusong's table.

Tang San went first.

Li Yusong squeezed his wrist. "Bone age: twelve. Qualified. Release your martial soul."

Blue Silver Grass appeared, and two yellow Soul Rings rose around him—rank twenty-nine.

Xiao Wu followed. She was also twelve and also rank twenty-nine.

"Two monsters. Qualified. Go on in." Li Yusong stroked his beard, looking thoroughly pleased.

Ning Rongrong had long since grown impatient.

The moment Tang San and Xiao Wu passed, she darted forward. She could not even be bothered to wait for the bone-age test and directly raised her right hand.

Bzzz—!

Seven-colored treasure light shot into the sky as a crystalline little pagoda of seven colors floated above her palm.

Two yellow Soul Rings quietly pulsed beneath her feet.

"This... this is?!"

Li Yusong shot to his feet, his eyes widening round. "The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda?! The number one support-type martial soul in the world?!"

Ning Rongrong raised her chin and planted her hands on her hips. "Well, old man? Does this young lady count as a monster? I can enter now, right?"

"You do! Absolutely!"

Li Yusong nodded repeatedly and hurriedly gave Ning Rongrong a pass token.

Dai Mubai stared at that seven-colored pagoda, his eyes gradually turning blank.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

The richest sect in the world.

If he could marry this woman, what support would he still lack in his bid for the Star Luo Empire's throne?

He licked his lips, unable to suppress the greed in his eyes.

Before Dai Mubai could recover, Ning Ze had already stepped before Li Yusong.

"Sir, it's my turn."

He held out his wrist.

Li Yusong felt the bones in his wrist. "Bone age: twelve and a half. Qualified. Release your martial soul."

"Alright."

With a thought from Ning Ze, his dormant martial soul awakened.

Bzzz—!

A ball of pink-gold light blossomed in his palm, sacred and pure, yet carrying an indescribable allure.

The radiance gathered, forming the phantom of a glowing heart.

A faint fragrance drifted through the air.

"What kind of martial soul is that? A heart?"

Li Yusong had lived for decades, yet he had never seen such a martial soul. He stood there stunned.

Before he could make sense of it, movement had already appeared beneath Ning Ze's feet.

Two deep-purple rings rose from beneath his feet, violet-gold light washing over his white robes.

First Soul Ring—purple.

Second Soul Ring—purple.

Two thousand-year Soul Rings.

The village entrance fell so quiet that the wind could be heard.

"Pur... purple?!"

Li Yusong gripped the edge of the table tightly with both hands, his knuckles whitening. His aged face flushed red, and even his voice cracked.

"How is that possible?! The absorption limit for the first Soul Ring is four hundred and twenty-three years, while the second's limit is seven hundred and sixty-four years! Both of yours are thousand-year rings?!"

More than a hundred people around them sucked in cold breaths.

"A monster... this is the real damn monster, isn't it?!"

"His first two Soul Rings are already purple?! Am I dreaming?"

Tang San's Purple Demon Eyes lit up on their own, and his fists clenched tightly.

"His first Soul Ring was thousand-year... Does that mean Master's Soul Core theory is completely invalid? How did he do it?"

Xiao Wu clasped her hands to her chest, her eyes sparkling.

"Wow... Brother Ning Ze is amazing..."

Ning Rongrong puffed out her chest and wrapped herself around Ning Ze's arm.

"Hmph! My Ning Ze is a one-of-a-kind genius on the continent! Old man, surely you'll let a huge monster like this pass directly, right?"

Everyone waited for Li Yusong to let him through.

Yet he stared at those two purple Soul Rings, his brow furrowing tighter and tighter. Finally, before everyone's eyes, he shook his head. "No."

The smile on Ning Rongrong's face froze. "What do you mean, old man?! He has two thousand-year Soul Rings, and you still say no? Does your shabby academy even know what talent looks like?!"

Ning Ze was also stunned, caught between laughter and tears.

Two thousand-year Soul Rings were right in front of him, and he still did not count as a monster?

When had the bar become this high?

Li Yusong coughed dryly and stood with his hands behind his back. "Two thousand-year Soul Rings are indeed unprecedented."

"In the tens of thousands of years of Douluo Continent's history, nothing like this has ever happened. It completely defies the common sense of soul masters."

"To prevent someone from using obscuring tricks or a special martial soul to disguise the age of their Soul Rings and deceive the academy, we must, according to the rules, conduct an additional test of your true combat strength."

That explanation sounded so righteous it could have been served as a meal.

Ning Ze nearly laughed aloud.

Obscuring tricks?

Disguised Soul Rings?

With a glance from the corner of his eye, he caught the faint sneer Dai Mubai had failed to hide at the corner of his mouth.

He understood.

There had been no such scene in the original story.

At last night's rooftop banquet, Dai Mubai had been completely overshadowed by him. Coupled with Ning Rongrong's clingy behavior, this Evil-Eyed White Tiger had likely ground his teeth in jealousy.

After returning to the academy, he had whispered into Li Yusong's ear and set up this hurdle of "testing combat strength"—a perfectly legitimate excuse to beat him up in front of Ning Rongrong and regain his dignity.

Ning Ze was not angry. Instead, he became interested.

You want to use me as a stepping stone to establish your authority?

Young Master Dai, you've chosen a very narrow road.

"The academy's concerns are perfectly reasonable." Ning Ze nodded with a smile.

"May I ask how you intend to test me, sir?"

Li Yusong turned toward Dai Mubai. "Mubai, you're an old student. You will test young friend Ning Ze's strength."

"Yes, Teacher Li!"