Shrek's entrance exam

Outside the clubhouse, as Li Qingxun stepped away, the building behind him ignited in an instant, scorching flames blazing wildly toward the sky.

The piercing fire alarm sounded at once, and countless people rushed over, staring in horror at the burning clubhouse.

The wail of ambulances came from the distance, one after another.

But none of that had anything to do with Li Qingxun anymore.

He calmly brushed nonexistent ash off himself, then turned and left.

The streets at noon were empty and desolate, with only the firelight dancing behind him.

He strode down the long street, hailed a taxi, and returned straight to Eastsea Academy.

He pushed open his door and locked it behind him.

In the bedroom, Li Qingxun stood perfectly still.

His eyes were calm as a windless lake, yet his gaze reached into the distance.

Li Qingxun raised his hand, and the Crystal Ball slowly appeared in his palm. Forcing its power into use had already consumed a great deal of Fantasy Power.

But Li Qingxun had no intention of waiting any longer.

As he raised his palm, the Fantasy Power within the Crystal Ball dwindled once again.

A figure slowly took shape before him.

It was a man with a calm, serene expression.

His blue-green eyes regarded Li Qingxun before he bowed his head slightly. "Sunday greets you, boss."

Sunday's voice was gentle and composed. Li Qingxun nodded in satisfaction. "Go. Fulfill your lifelong wish."

"I have only one requirement for you: infiltrate the entire Holy Spirit Cult."

"Whether you spread your faith among them or exert your influence over them, I ask for only one thing."

"Bring the Holy Spirit Cult in Eastsea City completely under your control."

Li Qingxun spoke softly. As he pointed lightly at Sunday, a faint, ghostly light coalesced.

Sunday gazed at his hands, a trace of composure passing over his expression.

Four Soul Rings silently appeared around him, and soldiers made of puppets slowly emerged behind him.

Then, with a gentle wave of his hand, those Puppet Soldiers vanished again.

After hearing Li Qingxun's instructions, Sunday bowed slightly, then turned and left.

Watching Sunday's retreating figure disappear, Li Qingxun shook his head.

He still trusted Sunday.

Both his intellect and his personal ideals were frightening enough.

If his ideals ever spread, the consequences would be terrifying.

For ordinary people in particular, that terror would be beyond imagination.

In this world, so cruel that it bordered on annihilation, the pursuit of an utterly perfect fantasy was a near-terrifying catastrophe.

No suffering, no grief-only pleasure, and the utmost enjoyment of everything.

That was something ordinary people would find difficult to refuse.

The proposal of Seven-Day Rest was even more terrifying, with an astonishing power to sway ordinary people.

As for the Holy Spirit Cult, its members already carried immense suffering.

A perfect paradise without partings or sorrow would be difficult for those people to refuse as well.

Of course, all of this required sufficient strength.

With Sunday's current strength, subduing the shattered remnants of the Holy Spirit Cult in Eastsea City would not be particularly difficult.

As he thought, Li Qingxun slowly sat down cross-legged.

But just as he was about to resume cultivating, a fluctuation reached him through the power connection with his Clone.

As he projected his consciousness over, he found someone standing at the gates of Shrek Academy.

An extraordinarily handsome young man stood silently there, his left hand resting on his long blade.

He stood calmly, yet his bearing far surpassed that of everyone around him.

Many of the new students entering Shrek that year studied the incredibly handsome young man with curiosity.

The young man was strikingly handsome, his face carrying the commanding air of a sovereign.

At first glance, he seemed like the protagonist of this world.

His bearing inexplicably gave people a sense of cold aloofness and solitary pride.

As everyone finished registering and waited there, a figure quietly appeared.

It was an elderly-looking woman. Her age was impossible to tell, but she was certainly very old.

There were even wrinkles on her face, and she wore a silver robe.

Her extremely narrow eyes, thin lips, and gloomy expression made her look difficult to get along with, even as she stood there quietly.

She even seemed somewhat harsh and rigid.

The woman's gaze remained quite calm as she looked at the students. "First, congratulations on joining Shrek Academy."

"Unfortunately, Shrek Academy only needs one hundred and ten students."

"So you will need to eliminate the extra fifteen yourselves." The woman's voice was casual-so casual that she seemed scarcely to care.

This was clearly Shrek Academy's own problem. They had expanded the usual allotment of roughly a hundred places to more than a hundred and twenty.

Yet Shrek Academy seemed utterly unconcerned.

They had no intention of making any special arrangements for these children, either. Instead, they planned to have the students eliminate one another.

Quite a few students below began whispering over the woman's decision.

Several immediately voiced their objections.

"Wait, teacher, I have a recommendation letter!"

"I haven't done anything wrong! Why should I be stripped of my right to enter Shrek Academy?!"

"Exactly! Our school-our entire city, even-only had one place, and I fought so hard to get it."

"Why should I give it up? Why should I leave?"

"Who didn't? Across the entire Federation, Shrek Academy only offers about ninety regular admission places."

"All the others are special admissions. They should eliminate fifteen of those special admissions instead."

Many of the surrounding students began discussing it as they spoke, their eyes filled with anger.

But even more than anger, there was fear.

After all, everyone who had managed to enter Shrek Academy had employed no small number of means to get there.

Naturally, they were dissatisfied at being told to leave so suddenly.

While some were dissatisfied, others did not care.

Sasuke Uchiha stood silently, sweeping his gaze around.

He had not found the blond young man Li Qingxun had told him to watch for, either. "Boss, that blond young man isn't here."

"Are you sure Yue Zhengyu, the young heir of the Angel Clan, is among these students?"

There was a hint of confusion in Sasuke's voice. He had scanned the crowd many times.

Yet there was no young man with blond hair, golden eyes, and white casual clothes anywhere among them.

Hearing Sasuke's report, Li Qingxun fell silent for a moment.

A thoughtful look flashed through his eyes.

He knew Yue Zhengyu would take a year off during his first year, but he had not expected him to skip even appearing at new-student registration.

He had simply obtained a place at Shrek Academy.

"As expected of Shrek Academy. It really is unfair enough!"

"In that case, let's make it even more unfair!"

"Sasuke, eliminate fifteen people. Anyone you like."

Li Qingxun spoke softly. As his words fell, the arguing crowd's discussion grew even more heated.

But Cai Yue'er merely frowned coldly from the platform as she swept her gaze over them.

She said nothing. Her brow only furrowed deeper.

Sasuke Uchiha completely ignored Cai Yue'er and the students' reactions.

Upon hearing Li Qingxun's order, he simply stepped forward and abruptly raised his long blade, igniting Chidori along it in an instant.

Terrifying lightning coiled around the blade, its immense power far beyond the limits an ordinary student could reach.

Then, in the next second, Sasuke Uchiha shot toward the male student nearest to him.