An Academy That Only Accepts Monsters?

Xiao Wu blushed, biting her lip as her eyes darted away.

She really couldn't beat Jiang Hao.

For the past six years, the gap between their Soul Power had stayed at around five levels.

Jiang Hao was now level thirty-nine, while she was level thirty-five.

It looked like a difference of only four levels, but every time they sparred, he wiped the floor with her.

She had thought that, as a three-ring Soul Elder with one yellow and two purple Soul Rings, she could hold her own against anyone her age.

Then he had pulled out something that could kill a Soul King in one shot.

"Where did you get all this weird stuff?"

Xiao Wu pouted and plopped down on the bed, swinging her white-stockinged legs.

"Guess."

"Guess my foot!"

Xiao Wu rolled her eyes at him, flopped back, and went to sleep.

Jiang Hao ignored her and continued examining his handiwork.

"Hmm. Should I design a defensive Soul Tool too?"

"Then again, I probably wouldn't need it."

The next day.

Jiang Hao led Xiao Wu through a maze of turns to a remote neighborhood on the west side of Suotuo City.

The farther they went, the more suspicious Xiao Wu became.

"Jiang Hao, are you sure this is the place? It looks more like a ruin than our Working Student Dormitory in Notting City."

Jiang Hao said nothing. He merely lifted his chin, signaling her to look ahead.

Xiao Wu followed his gaze and saw something a short distance away.

A sign hung above a crooked wooden gate, its large characters written just as crookedly:

"Shrek Academy"

Xiao Wu's face fell. She turned to leave.

"Jiang Hao, did someone trick you? This dump looks worse than the guardhouse at Notting Academy!"

"Don't rush off. Let's take a look."

Jiang Hao caught her wrist and nodded toward the gate. "See? There are people lining up."

Xiao Wu looked where he indicated and paused.

There really were people lining up.

Seven or eight people, adults and children alike, stood scattered across the open ground before the shabby gate. They appeared to be there to enroll.

A battered wooden table stood at the front, with three people behind it.

One was a tall, thin middle-aged man in a gray robe. His face was stern, and he held a wooden staff.

Two teenage boys stood beside him.

One was blond and blue-eyed, tall and broad, and looked a few years older than her.

He had the air of a playboy, with a faint arrogance at the corner of his mouth. One look told her he was bad news.

The other had blue hair and dark eyes. He was lean, with delicate features shadowed by a hint of gloom.

Xiao Wu narrowed her eyes and studied him for a few seconds. Then she drew a sharp breath. "Tang San!?"

"Yep. That's him."

The corner of Jiang Hao's mouth lifted slightly. "He's grown quite a bit in six years."

Xiao Wu frowned and lowered her voice. "What's he doing here? Didn't he run off with that Grandmaster?"

As she remembered it, Tang San and Grandmaster had already left Notting Academy by the time she returned.

"He did run off, but he still needed somewhere to go to school."

Jiang Hao chuckled. His gaze settled on Tang San as though he were looking at a prize crop ripe for harvesting.

"I'd guess that useless old Yu Xiaogang recommended this place. His friend runs the academy, after all."

"Then why are we here?" Xiao Wu asked, puzzled.

The corner of Jiang Hao's mouth rose. "To have some fun, of course."

At the mention of fun, Xiao Wu perked up at once.

The two of them walked to the end of the line and stopped.

The people ahead glanced back at them, then turned away again without a word.

Standing beside Jiang Hao with her arms folded, Xiao Wu watched Tang San, her frown deepening.

She could sense that Tang San had grown much stronger over the past six years. He had probably reached the level of a three-ring Soul Elder.

But that wasn't important.

What mattered was that he actually dared to show his face in front of Jiang Hao again.

Had he completely forgotten the "Battle of the Wet Pants" six years ago?

As Xiao Wu pondered this, a commotion broke out ahead.

The middle-aged man in the gray robe looked up and tapped his staff against the table.

"Next. Come forward for testing."

A teenage boy stepped out of the crowd. Looking nervous, he cautiously summoned his martial soul.

It was an iron sword of decent quality, gleaming with a cold light, but only two Soul Rings appeared: one white and one yellow.

Li Yusong took one look and shook his head. "Iron sword martial soul. Too little potential. Rejected. Next."

The boy went pale and stepped aside with his head lowered, his eyes already red.

Xiao Wu stared, dumbfounded, then leaned toward Jiang Hao's ear and whispered, "Even a hundred-year Soul Ring isn't good enough? Are this academy's standards really that high?"

"They only accept monsters."

Jiang Hao smiled, unbothered. "If you can't even manage two hundred-year Soul Rings, what kind of monster are you?"

"Fair point."

Xiao Wu nodded.

Meanwhile, Dai Mubai leaned against the doorframe, bored, with his arms folded.

As a senior student at Shrek Academy, he was roped into helping Li Yusong with enrollment every year.

They called it "helping maintain order," but in practice he just stood there like an ornament.

His gaze drifted over the people in line.

A few sorry-looking kids, a chubby one, a scrawny one...

Dai Mubai yawned and was about to look away when his gaze suddenly stopped.

At the end of the line stood a girl dressed in tight black clothes.

The outfit looked tailored to her, showing off every curve of her figure.

She had a full bust, a waist so slender he could nearly circle it with one hand, and long, straight legs encased in tight pants.

Looking higher, he saw a delicate, coolly beautiful face.

There was a chill in her eyes and brows. She was like a black rose with thorns, the kind that made someone want to win her over at first sight.

Dai Mubai narrowed his eyes and licked the corner of his mouth. That figure, that presence. Stunning.

He was about to take a closer look when he caught sight of another figure behind the girl in black.

A pink dress, long legs in white stockings, a slender waist, and an impossibly pretty face.

Dai Mubai's eyes lit up. Another stunning girl!

He watched for a while and noticed that the girl in pink had linked her arm through that of a black-haired boy beside her. The two were chatting and laughing, clearly close.

"Tch. She's taken."

Dai Mubai clicked his tongue, a little disappointed, but soon shrugged it off.

He turned to Tang San beside him with a wicked grin. "Little San, see the girl in the pink dress? Long legs, pretty face. Just your type, isn't she?"

Tang San had been standing with his head lowered and his hands in his pockets, lost in thought.

At Dai Mubai's words, he raised his head and followed his gaze.

Then he froze.

How could he ever forget that face?

Xiao Wu!

After six years apart, she was even prettier than before. Her figure had filled out, and she stood there like a pink rose in full bloom.

But her arm was linked with that damned Jiang Hao's!

Tang San's pupils contracted. Anger flared from deep within him, leaving his chest tight.

"What, do you know her?"

Noticing his reaction, Dai Mubai raised an eyebrow.