The Fourth Trial

"Little Chu, why did that old man nod and then shake his head? Is he sick?" Xiao Wu looked at the elder with pity.

"Uh, Xiao Wu, you should be polite. He nodded because that boy passed the first test. He shook his head because the boy had only just reached level twenty-one, and his First Soul Ring was white. He has no chance of passing the second test." Qin Muchu tried to correct the way Xiao Wu referred to others.

Xiao Wu nodded thoughtfully. "Oh, then Shrek Academy really isn't simple. With requirements like that, no one at Nuoding Academy besides the two of us would qualify."

The more applicants Li Yusong checked, the darker his expression grew. When he caught yet another person trying to slip through, he finally exploded. He shot to his feet, and a powerful aura swept across the grounds. Six Soul Rings appeared around him—one white, one yellow, three purple, and one black. He addressed the queue coldly. "Before applying to Shrek Academy, you need to understand our admissions rules. If you apply without knowing them and fail to qualify, all you've done is throw away your registration fee. It's not too late to change your minds. Do you know what 'Shrek' means?" Seeing their blank faces, he continued, "A shrek is a monster, an exceptionally strange kind even among Soul Beasts. Since our academy bears that name, we're a Monster Academy, and we accept only monster students. If you're over thirteen or your Soul Power hasn't reached level twenty-one, go home. Don't waste your time or ours."

"A Soul Emperor!" Gasps rippled through the crowd as they stared at Li Yusong's Soul Rings. If even an ordinary teacher here was a Soul Emperor, how formidable must the academy's faculty be? In an instant, every trace of doubt vanished from their eyes, replaced by fervor and excitement. The students who fell short of the requirements and their parents, meanwhile, left the line with faces full of regret.

In one stroke, ninety percent of the queue chose to leave. Only a dozen or so applicants remained.

Having finished speaking, the elder paid no attention to those who left and resumed checking the next applicant. Judging by his expression, he did not care how many people became students of Shrek Academy.

Soon, everyone ahead of Qin Muchu had been tested, and his turn came. Dai Mubai, standing beside the elder, smiled and nodded at him and Xiao Wu. Qin Muchu nodded back, then placed twenty Gold Soul Coins into the box. "Hello, sir. I'm Qin Muchu. This is the registration fee for Xiao Wu and me."

Li Yusong gave a grunt of acknowledgment. "Put your hands here."

Qin Muchu and Xiao Wu placed their hands on the table. Li Yusong reached out and casually squeezed each of their wrists a few times. "Mm. Eleven years old. You both qualify by age. Now release your Martial Souls."

As they released their Martial Souls together, shock flooded Li Yusong's face. He sprang up as though he had seen a ghost. "F-four-ring Soul Ancestors!"

Soft fur had grown over Xiao Wu's hands, and her ears had turned completely into rabbit ears. Four Soul Rings—two yellow and two purple—circled her. A battered longsword appeared in Qin Muchu's right hand, and four Soul Rings surrounded him as well.

"Good, good, wonderful!" Li Yusong said, repeating the praise in his excitement. "Eleven-year-old Soul Ancestors! To think such geniuses exist in this world. We've struck gold this time."

But then he saw Qin Muchu's Soul Rings and froze. "Two white, one yellow, and one purple? You... Ah, what a pity. Such fine talent, but your Soul Ring Configuration isn't optimal. Qin Muchu, was it? Who was your teacher before this? They've led you astray!"

Seeing Li Yusong's look of anguish, Qin Muchu could not help smiling. "Sir, didn't you say Shrek only accepts monsters? I reached Soul Ancestor at eleven with a Soul Ring Configuration like this. Doesn't that count as a monster?"

Li Yusong paused, then sighed. "It does. Of course it does. It's just... Ah. Mubai, take Qin Muchu and Xiao Wu to the remaining trials."

Dai Mubai, who had recovered from his shock, answered respectfully, "Yes, Teacher Li. Muchu, Xiao Wu, follow me." He headed into the academy, and Qin Muchu and Xiao Wu hurried after him. They could still faintly hear Li Yusong sighing behind them.

"Muchu, I never imagined you were a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor too. That's really..." Dai Mubai struggled to find a word, then gave up. "With your strength, you can skip the second and third trials. I'll take you straight to the fourth."

Xiao Wu could not help asking, "Why can we skip the second and third trials?"

Dai Mubai explained, "The second trial measures your precise Soul Power Level, and the third tests your control over your Martial Souls. Anyone whose Soul Power is above level twenty-five can skip both. The fourth trial tests your ability in actual combat. The vice principal oversees it personally."

"We get to fight again?" Xiao Wu's face lit up. Qin Muchu and Dai Mubai exchanged a look of speechless dismay. Qin Muchu was at a loss. Rabbits were not carnivores, so where had she gotten such a violent streak?

"We're here." Dai Mubai brought them to an open space and stopped. It was much smaller than the areas they had passed for the second and third trials. A burly man who looked to be in his fifties sat in a chair with his eyes closed, resting.

"Teacher Zhao, I've brought applicants for the fourth trial."

"Oh? Two applicants made it to the fourth trial this year?" The middle-aged man opened his eyes and looked at Qin Muchu and Xiao Wu.

Dai Mubai added, "Yes, and both of them were exempted from the second and third trials."

The man's eyes brightened, and he rose from his chair. He was not tall, standing at about the same height as Qin Muchu and Xiao Wu, but his heavily muscled frame still made him look imposing.

He circled the two of them, rubbing his chin with his right hand. "Both above level twenty-five. Looks like we've got two more Little Monsters this year. Not bad, not bad. Mubai, begin."

Dai Mubai gave a wry smile. "Teacher Zhao, I'm afraid you'll need to handle this trial yourself."

"Oh?" Surprise flashed across the man's face. "Why is that?"

Dai Mubai looked at Qin Muchu and Xiao Wu, his voice full of admiration. "Because both of them have Soul Power above level forty. I'm no match for them at all."