Shrek Academy

"Sister Xiao Wu was born with extraordinary talent. What's impossible about that? Well, do you admit defeat?" Xiao Wu waved her fist at Dai Mubai, looking every bit a little delinquent.

Dai Mubai finally came to his senses, having grasped the gulf between them. He took a deep breath, forced down his shock, and gave Xiao Wu and Qin Muchu a noble's bow. "Miss Xiao Wu, your strength is impressive. You have my admiration. I take it you two have come to Suotuo City for Shrek Academy? I'm Dai Mubai, a student there."

Seeing that the tiger had finally learned to speak like a human, Qin Muchu stepped forward and returned the bow. "So you're Senior Dai. I'm Qin Muchu, and this is my, uh, Xiao Wu."

"The Wu that means 'dance,'" Xiao Wu added. "That's right. We're here to study at Shrek Academy."

"Shrek Academy holds admissions tomorrow. In that case, I'll await you both there. See you at Shrek." Dai Mubai nodded politely to them, then left the Rose Hotel without lingering.

"Huh? Why did he suddenly get so polite?" Xiao Wu pointed after Dai Mubai.

Qin Muchu yawned as he headed into the room. "Because you beat him into submission, obviously. His older brother spent more than ten years crushing him back in the Star Luo Empire. He learned long ago to bully the weak and fear the strong. He even abandoned his fiancée and ran away alone. If he doesn't become strong enough, this is all he'll ever amount to."

"Ugh, what a spineless coward! If I'd known, I would've given him another beating. Little Chu, you'd better never turn out like him."

"Don't worry!"

The night passed without incident. The next day, Qin Muchu took Xiao Wu to Shrek Academy.

"This is Shrek Academy? It's falling apart! Little Chu, are you sure you've got the right place?" Xiao Wu rubbed her wide eyes as she stared at the dilapidated gate in disbelief.

Qin Muchu's mouth twitched too. He had only seen it on television before, where the production design had concealed just how bad it was. Faced with it in person, he was stunned despite having prepared himself.

The academy gate was nothing more than two wooden posts and a plank. A crooked sign hung above it, bearing the words "Shrek Academy." With nothing to shelter it, the sign had gone moldy in the rain and was covered in creeping ivy. Through gaps in the vines, the outline of a green monster's head showed faintly—the Shrek it was named for, presumably.

The academy was hardly better than the old country house in Qin Muchu's previous life, which had stood empty for over a decade. That shit-green Shrek face, meanwhile, displayed Flender's peculiar taste in all its glory.

"This... should be the right place. Xiao Wu, don't let the shabby buildings fool you. The teaching staff really are good. There are two Soul Saints and several Soul Emperors. It's much better than most ordinary advanced academies on the continent." Qin Muchu forced out the explanation.

"All right, then!" At his words, Xiao Wu resigned herself to it and obediently joined the queue with him.

The academy gate stood at the village entrance, so naturally admissions were being held there too. Qin Muchu looked ahead. A table had been set up at the front of the queue, with a man in his sixties seated behind it. A round badge on his chest bore the same Shrek emblem as the gate.

Dozens of people stood ahead of them, most accompanied by parents. Quite a few kept glancing at the gate and frowning, evidently doubting whether the academy was genuine.

A mother and daughter stood just ahead of Qin Muchu. "Mom, let's go back," the girl complained. "This school is so run-down. It has to be a scam. I don't want to study here."

Before her mother could answer, another boy's father spoke up. "I looked into this academy before. They say graduates can become imperial viscounts, and its former students certainly aren't nobodies. People from Spirit Hall have said much the same. It can't be fake."

The girl tried once more. "But the academy is just too run-down. Mom, let's go to Suotuo City Intermediate Soul Master Academy instead. I promise I'll train hard and earn a viscount's title someday."

The middle-aged woman squeezed the purse in her hand, which was far from full, and gritted her teeth. "That's enough. We're going to Shrek Academy. Maybe this is just a test, and the real academy is somewhere else."

As they spoke, a lazy voice suddenly came from behind them. "Uncles, aunties, do you know Shrek Academy's admission requirements?"

They turned toward the voice and saw a richly dressed young man standing with his hands behind his head, watching them. His bearing was so striking that the parents grew visibly reserved. "Young master, we weren't aware the academy had admission requirements. Isn't paying the registration fee enough?"

Qin Muchu smiled and shook his head. "It's not that easy. First, applicants can't be older than twelve, and their Soul Power Level must be above twenty-one. If they don't meet those requirements, the academy won't admit them—and it won't refund the registration fee either."

"What? My daughter just turned thirteen. Would the academy make an exception?"

When Qin Muchu shook his head, the mother left with an expression that was part disappointment and part relief. Many farther up the queue heard the news and, after some hesitation, left as well. Those who remained either wanted to try their luck or had great confidence in their talent.

Qin Muchu said nothing more. He had spoken up only to spare families of limited means a pointless expense. The registration fee was ten Gold Soul Coins. To Qin Muchu, that was such a paltry sum he could barely be bothered to pick it up off the road; to many commoners, it was a month's income, perhaps several months'.

His gaze passed over the crowd to the registration table. A boy was being assessed there. His parents placed ten Gold Soul Coins in the box before the elderly man and said with brimming confidence, "Teacher, our son was an outstanding graduate of the Junior Soul Master Academy. We hope you'll look after him."

The elderly man said nothing. He merely motioned for the boy to place his hand on the table, then reached out and felt it. He nodded. "Mm. Right age. Release your Martial Soul." The boy obeyed, revealing a Beast Martial Soul called a Golden-Waist Eagle. Two Soul Rings, one white and one yellow, rose around him.

The elderly man nodded at the sight, then shook his head and pointed toward the next testing station. "Next."