Flender roared with laughter and clapped twice, his eyes narrowing to slits behind his glasses.
"Teacher Li, you truly are young and accomplished! I'd heard Xiaogang say your two disciples had talents found only once in ten thousand. Now that I've met them, they certainly live up to their reputation!"
As he spoke, he led them toward the assessment area, changing the subject at lightning speed:
"Come, come, let's test their bone age first, then their soul power. Just the usual procedure. Don't stand on ceremony, Teacher Li."
"Of course." Li Hanqiu chuckled without exposing him. He led Tang San and Xiao Wu inside.
The assessment area was divided into two sections.
Several long tables stood near the entrance, with a scrawny old man seated behind them.
Looking utterly solemn, the old man stroked his beard with one hand while carefully feeling an applicant's wrist with the other. He was testing bone age.
A row of crystal-clear soul-testing crystals stood on the long table to the west, their deep-blue spherical surfaces polished shiny by the hands of countless Soul Masters.
Tang San stepped forward first.
The old man testing bone age opened his eyes a crack and held up his register, calling out in a businesslike tone, "Name?"
"Tang San."
"Mm. Hold out your hand, and I'll test your bone age. Applicants to Shrek Academy must be no older than thirteen. You know that, yes?"
"Yes." Tang San nodded and extended his arm, his wrist gleaming white.
The old man nodded, rested two fingers on Tang San's wrist, and closed his eyes to examine him carefully. After a moment, however, he tilted his head in confusion.
"Young lad, have you practiced some Soul Skill with your hands? I can't determine your bone age."
Tang San froze for a moment, then blinked. It was probably because he had practiced the Tang Sect Secret Art, Mysterious Jade Hand.
At that thought, Tang San said somewhat nervously, "You're right. I have practiced... a similar Soul Skill with my hands.
I wasn't deliberately hiding anything. I just didn't know it would prevent you from measuring my bone age."
The old man chuckled, remarking helplessly on the situation, then rose from his seat and half crouched before Tang San.
He placed two fingers against Tang San's ankle and closed his eyes, sensing carefully. "Bone age twelve. Eligible."
Tang San breathed a sigh of relief and bowed slightly with his hands clasped.
Next came the soul power test.
Tang San walked over, picked up a crystal ball, and pressed his palm against its surface.
The blue crystal ball vibrated with a hum, layer after layer of soul light surging upward.
At first, the crystal ball merely blazed with blue light. Then the entire sphere began trembling slightly, and a crack even appeared on its surface.
Then-crack! The crystal ball shattered across the floor.
"Huh?" Flender's eyes nearly popped out from behind his glasses.
"Hiss-!"
Behind the long table, the old man's hand shook as well, nearly dropping his pen.
He raised his head and stared at Tang San as though looking at a monster:
"Young lad, just how high is your soul power level?
The dean may have bought these crystal balls secondhand to save a few coins, but they're more than adequate for measuring anything below level thirty."
Tang San first glanced at Li Hanqiu. When Li Hanqiu smiled and nodded, he answered in a clear voice, "Tang San, level thirty-five Soul Elder."
"Twelve years old, level thirty-five? Young lad, are you pulling my leg?" The old man puffed out his beard and glared.
Tang San withdrew his hand and stood obediently, saying quietly, "It's all thanks to my teacher's guidance. I only followed his instructions."
While the old man was still reeling, Xiao Wu had already hopped forward.
"My turn, my turn!" She slapped her little hand onto the soul-testing stone.
As expected, the crystal ball shattered again, collapsing into a clattering heap of fragments.
Flender's whole body jolted at the sight. These crystal balls might have been cheap, but they couldn't withstand this relentless destruction.
"Another Soul Elder above level thirty?!" Another teacher stood up.
The Assessment Arena fell silent for an instant.
Then a buzzing chorus of discussion erupted like a pot boiling over.
"Twelve years old, three rings!"
"Students? They could teach at some junior academies!"
"Where did these Little Monsters come from..."
At the edge of the arena, several youngsters whose visual style clearly differed from the commoner NPCs reacted in different ways.
Dai Mubai stood beneath a crooked tree with his arms crossed and gave a cold snort.
He had narrowly lost yesterday's fight, and a thin medicated dressing still clung to his neck.
Seeing Tang San's soul power now stirred up that defiant feeling inside him again.
"Twelve years old, level thirty-five," he repeated quietly, a few strands of golden hair lifting in the breeze. "Tang San, you really are strong."
He clenched his fists, thinking that he would be the examiner for the final assessment stage. In the coming battle, he would fight Tang San again, fair and square.
And defeat Tang San!
Ma Hongjun stood beside him, still holding half an oil-paper packet, his mouth stuffed with tofu as he called out indistinctly:
"So strong... way stronger than me..."
With his little pot on his back, Oscar craned his neck to look over, his eyes sparkling. "So they're the teacher's disciples... no wonder they're so strong."
His voice grew quieter as he spoke, until he finally sighed enviously. "If only I could be that strong too."
At the northernmost end of the arena.
Two charming, beautiful girls with very different bearings had also just entered.
The girl on the left had long, ink-black hair.
Her silky hair fell to her shoulders, with a few loose strands resting against her cheeks.
Her skin was snowy, almost excessively pale. Her brows and eyes were slender, her irises dark and deep, lending her an alluring air despite her young age.
She wore a fitted black combat outfit, neatly gathered at the cuffs and ankles, outlining a slender yet powerful figure.
Her entire presence was as icy as frost.
She truly was beautiful, and she truly was cold.
It was Zhu Zhuqing.
Her expression remained indifferent as she stood there, her gaze passing over the crowd to settle on Tang San beside the soul-testing stone.
The other girl stood three paces away from her, with an entirely different bearing.
Her pink curls were arranged into several little petal-like buns, making her small face look all the more delicate and sweet.
Her luminous white skin had the warm luster of fine porcelain.
She wore a pale dress with intricate embroidery along its hem and several tiny gemstones set into her waistband.
A slender silver chain also hung around her neck, its pendant sparkling.
The corners of her lips curved slightly with a little princess's characteristic pride. Standing on that shabby patch of dirt, she was a breathtaking sight all on her own.
Ning Rongrong.
She first looked at Tang San and Xiao Wu, her gaze circling over the pair twice, then passed over the crowd to settle on Li Hanqiu.
"Is that the new Teacher Li?" Her voice was quiet enough for only Zhu Zhuqing beside her to hear. "He's rather good-looking."
Zhu Zhuqing did not respond, her gaze still fixed on Tang San and Xiao Wu.
Ning Rongrong didn't mind either, clicking her tongue softly. "Twelve years old, level thirty-five. Not bad, I suppose."
Li Hanqiu stood at the edge of the assessment area.
As everyone marveled at Tang San's and Xiao Wu's soul power levels, he merely smiled, seemingly unconcerned.
Yet the corners of his mouth, which kept lifting despite himself, undoubtedly betrayed him.
Meanwhile, he was also secretly sweeping his peripheral vision over the youngsters at the edge of the arena.
Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, Oscar-he had already met those three.
The remaining two had distinctive temperaments and beautiful faces. Their visual style was nothing like that of the short, dark-skinned villagers around them.
He spotted them at a glance and paid them a little attention.
The black-haired girl had to be Zhu Zhuqing.
The pink-haired girl radiating wealth and privilege, who practically looked down her nose at everyone, was clearly Ning Rongrong.
Li Hanqiu began making rapid calculations.
The system's task was to take the Shrek Seven Devils as disciples.
The difficulty of recruiting each of the seven varied, but without question, Ning Rongrong would be the hardest.
Ning Rongrong came from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, with assets worth tens of millions and a privileged upbringing.
Pampered by two Titled Douluos since childhood, she was a little princess in every sense of the word.
The other youngsters were no simple cases either, each presenting their own challenges.
To take them as disciples, Li Hanqiu would have to proceed step by step, winning them over one by one as though playing a dating sim...
Lost in thought, he failed to notice someone staring at him ominously.
Tang San stood quietly at his side, a soft smile still on his face, looking harmless to humans and animals alike.
Yet his gaze toward Li Hanqiu gradually took on a different flavor.
Tang San keenly noticed that Li Hanqiu was secretly looking at other girls.
His gaze slowly shifted from the cold-faced cat girl to the pampered pink-haired young lady.
It lingered for a while, and he even gave a soft "Mm," as though contemplating some extraordinary scheme.
The smile on Tang San's face faded little by little.
He lowered his head, loose strands of hair falling over his forehead to conceal his darkened eyes.
At the same time, his nails slowly dug into his palms.
Teacher... secretly looking at other girls isn't good!!!
A moment later, Tang San curved his lips and called out in a soft, sweet voice:
"Teacher."
"Hm?" Li Hanqiu turned around.
"Nothing." Tang San raised his face with an obedient smile. "The sun is so bright today."
"Huh?" Li Hanqiu was rather bewildered.
Before you continue