Arriving at Shrek Academy: An Entrance Test for Monsters!

"Oh? I see..."

Tang Ya was clearly disappointed. She wanted to persuade him to reconsider, but all she saw was Huo Yuhao walking away.

After saying goodbye to Tang Ya and Tang Chuan, Huo Yuhao left the Star Dou Forest alone.

Then he took a long detour back to the main road and hired a carriage.

His destination: Shrek City!

Huo Yuhao had deliberately chosen not to travel to Shrek Academy with Tang Chuan and Tang Ya.

Once he entered Shrek City, he had a great deal to arrange and even more information to gather.

He had no intention of doing any of it under Tang Chuan's nose.

Tang Chuan and Tang Ya were traveling to Shrek Academy on foot. With stops along the way, the journey would take them four or five days.

By carriage, Huo Yuhao reached his destination in just two.

Shrek Academy stood on the Lima Plain and covered an immense area.

After ten thousand years of growth, it had long since outgrown the bounds of a mere academy.

Residents and merchants had steadily gathered around it until, at last, a magnificent city had taken shape.

That city was called Shrek City!

Thanks to Shrek Academy's extraordinary standing, Shrek City belonged to no empire and governed itself entirely.

It did not owe a single coin in taxes to any nation.

It was a city of freedom that truly belonged to Soul Masters!

Huo Yuhao's carriage stopped outside Shrek City's east gate.

The east gate was reserved for Shrek Academy and used only by its teachers and students.

"Stop!"

Huo Yuhao had barely stepped down from the carriage when a student guarding the gate blocked his way.

The student was young and wore Shrek Academy's yellow uniform.

"Who are you? What business do you have at Shrek Academy?"

"Hello, senior."

Huo Yuhao took a gilt-edged letter from inside his coat and handed it over.

"I'm here for Shrek Academy's new-student entrance test. This is my letter of introduction."

"Oh?"

The student in yellow took the letter, opened it, and glanced inside.

"Mm. This is indeed a letter of introduction from a city lord of a major city."

"Could you tell me your age and strength, young man?"

"I'm eleven, and my Soul Power is at rank fifteen," Huo Yuhao replied without hesitation.

But the student looked him up and down, and his expression turned a little strange.

"A word of advice, young man. There are too many monsters among this year's applicants."

"There are even several three-ring Soul Elders taking the test."

"With your Soul Power only in the teens, I'm afraid you'll have a hard time passing."

Huo Yuhao's eyes flickered.

Several three-ring Soul Elders?

Just as I thought. Shrek Academy is where the story unfolds, so transmigrators are pouring in like dumplings into a pot.

Still, he gave the student an earnest smile.

"Thanks for the warning, senior. It's all right. Even if I fail, I'll have learned something."

"Ah, fair enough. It's only natural for someone young to want to try."

The student in yellow sighed helplessly and waved him forward.

"Come with me. The test is about to start. I'll take you in."

"Thank you, senior!"

Huo Yuhao hurried after him.

As they walked, he took a packet of fine pastries from his Storage Ring and pressed it into the student's hand with a smile.

"Senior, these are a specialty from my hometown. Please try one."

"Oh, you shouldn't have..."

The student protested politely, but his hands moved quickly enough.

After standing at the gate in the wind and sun all day, he was starving!

"Senior, could you tell me about the entrance test?"

Huo Yuhao seized the chance to ask, his face showing just the right amount of curiosity.

"Well, since you're so thoughtful, I suppose I can fill you in."

The student took a bite of pastry, nodded in satisfaction, and lowered his voice.

"Most of the applicants taking the test this year are Soul Grandmasters."

"To be honest, I've hardly seen anyone like you, with Soul Power only in the teens."

"And here's the really absurd part: those three-ring Soul Elders are monsters who'd normally be fourth- or even fifth-year students in our outer academy."

"But this year, more than one showed up for the entrance test!"

"Even the teachers running the test say this is the most ridiculous class of new students the academy has seen in ten thousand years. Nothing else comes close!"

The student in yellow went on to explain the test itself.

"There are three stages. The first tests Soul Power, and the second tests bone age. You should meet the requirements for both."

"The third is what matters. It's a test of pure combat ability!"

"Eight applicants are assigned to each group, then they fight it out!"

"Only the last two standing from each group pass. The other six are eliminated!"

"Of course, if you're a support-type or food-type Soul Master, you'll be tested separately. You won't have to fight alongside the combat types."

"So if you end up in a group with those three-ring Soul Elder monsters for the third stage..."

The student in yellow patted Huo Yuhao's shoulder and gave him a look that said good luck with that.

"You'll be in trouble!"

Huo Yuhao smiled and nodded.

Eight to a group, and only two pass?

The rules seemed brutal, but they suited him perfectly.

The more people there were, the more chaotic the fight—and the easier it would be for him to make his move.

After all, they would have to fight before anyone knew who was the hunter and who was the prey.

"We're here. The testing ground's just ahead!"

The student in yellow pointed to an open area ahead. Quite a few applicants and parents had already gathered around it.

Huo Yuhao looked where the student pointed, but someone standing in the middle of the grounds immediately caught his eye.

A boy dressed in snow-white stood before the teacher administering the test.

He was tall and slender, with a long silver sword in his hand.

The blade was narrow and sleek, and it radiated a piercing chill.

He merely stood there, yet he looked like a sword drawn from its sheath, his edge impossible to conceal.

Most striking of all were his eyes.

They were bright and sharp. Wherever he looked, it seemed as though sword energy might spill from his gaze.

"Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Chen Jue. Martial Soul: Seven Killing Sword!"

The boy's voice rang out, clear as a sword's chime.

As his words faded, three soul rings—one yellow and two purple—rose around the blade and pulsed!

A thousand-year second ring!

Huo Yuhao's pupils contracted slightly.

The Seven Killing Sword! That was Sword Douluo Chen Xin's Martial Soul ten thousand years ago—a top-tier weapon Martial Soul that could rival the Clear Sky Hammer!

And with the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect behind him...

Well, would you look at that. Another transmigrator!

Huo Yuhao's mind raced, but just then, something interrupted his thoughts.

The teacher administering the test looked straight at Huo Yuhao as though he were already doomed and beckoned to him.

"You there, boy! Stop standing around!"

"Come on. You're the last one this group needs!"