Deep within Heaven Dou Royal Academy, the teacher responsible for the assessment had already taken his place at the entrance to wait, having been notified by Qin Ming.
"You must be the people from Shrek. For the faculty assessment, you need to state your martial souls and Soul Power levels. Those above level forty can proceed to the next stage, while those above level sixty are exempt from testing."
Still a little disgruntled after being mocked earlier, Flender and the others exchanged glances at those words.
They each announced their Soul Power levels.
The combined, powerful pressure of several Soul Emperors and Soul Saints frightened the assessing teacher into retreating step after step.
There was just one jarring detail in the scene.
Yu Xiaogang stood silently among the students with his hands behind his back.
He said nothing.
After a moment's thought, the assessing teacher hurried inside.
"Please wait a moment!"
Watching the man all but flee, Flender revealed a satisfied smile.
Before long, Flender saw three figures in black approaching them.
On closer inspection, all three were elderly, but powerful auras radiated from their bodies.
Meng Shenji was the first to greet them with a smile:
"You must be from Shrek. Truly, worthy teachers and gifted students! Allow me to introduce myself. I am Meng Shenji, chief of Heaven Dou Royal Academy's Education Committee. Martial soul: Black Demon. Level eighty-six control-type Battle Soul Douluo."
"Zhi Lin. Martial soul: Azure Vine. Level eighty-three control-type Tool Soul Douluo."
"Bai Baoshan. Martial soul: Heavenly Star Furnace. Level eighty-five defense-type Battle Soul Douluo."
Once the three committee members finished introducing themselves, Flender and the others were all shocked.
He had never expected Heaven Dou Royal Academy to have three Soul Douluo-level experts.
After all, Soul Douluos were exceedingly rare in this era.
Even Soul Saints like them enjoyed absurdly high status.
Yu Xiaogang and Lang Yi continued to stay quietly behind the crowd.
They explained the three men's martial souls and characteristics to Tang San.
They followed Meng Shenji and the other two into Heaven Dou Royal Academy's administrative office.
A figure slowly appeared behind them.
It was Dugu Bo.
His precious Yanyan had complained to him as soon as she returned.
So he had specifically gone to consult the Young Master the previous night.
After receiving an affirmative reply, he decided to give the Shrek group some special attention.
He had originally intended to kill them all.
But the Young Master had told him to wait until after the National Advanced Soul Master Tournament to kill them.
He did not understand, but he was loyal.
Looking toward the septic tank in the rear garden, Dugu Bo had a new idea.
At that moment, Zhi Lin was applying a little Soul Power pressure to Dai Mubai, hoping to see exactly where his limit lay.
When the pressure reached level forty-five, Dai Mubai gradually began losing the ability to straighten his back.
At level forty-eight, he reached his limit.
Seeing this, Zhi Lin withdrew the pressure and nodded in satisfaction.
Just as the group was enjoying their conversation-
A burst of music sounded, and Dugu Bo made his dazzling entrance.
Dugu Bo strode along with a swagger that acknowledged neither kith nor kin.
Step by step, he slowly walked inside.
Meng Shenji and the others' expressions changed at the sight, and they instinctively moved to shield everyone.
"So you're Shrek? A pile of stinking fish and rotten shrimp. Where did you get the nerve to threaten Yanyan?"
Soul rings spread down from above his head to beneath his feet, one after another.
Everyone felt as though even their breathing had stopped.
Dugu Bo had now reached level ninety-three.
The Soul Power within him was fuller and vaster than ever before.
The pressure he exerted was far greater than in the original story.
Dai Mubai and the others were pinned in place, unable to move before they even had a chance to act.
Meng Shenji and the other two unleashed their Soul Power with all their might, barely managing to form a Soul Power barrier capable of resisting him.
Under the barrier's protection, everyone gained a brief chance to catch their breath.
"Committee Chief Meng, this matter is my responsibility. Besides, Heaven Dou Royal Academy's educational philosophy differs somewhat from ours. We will simply leave."
Flender did have some willingness to shoulder responsibility. He knew that things had reached a point where there was little hope of salvaging the situation.
He was also rather attached to life and afraid of death.
So he took the initiative to request their departure.
Dugu Bo sneered:
"Letting you leave isn't out of the question, but you'll have to pass a little test."
Then he turned and led everyone to the rear garden.
An enormous septic tank sat in a corner of the garden.
A foul stench mingled with the sour odor of fermentation continuously wafted from it.
Apart from Yu Xiaogang, who was accustomed to Luo Sanpao's stinking farts, the others were all so overwhelmed by the stench that they could barely keep their eyes open.
"Jump in here, and you can leave."
He spoke mockingly.
Yu Xiaogang's face instantly darkened. As the illustrious Grandmaster, how could he casually jump into this cesspit?
Tang San secretly marked Dugu Bo as someone who had courted death.
Once he was strong enough, once he finished crafting his Tang Sect hidden weapons-
No matter what, he would personally kill Dugu Bo to relieve the hatred in his heart.
Flender and Zhao Wuji were the first to jump.
One was a fugitive wanted by Spirit Hall, while the other was a rather cowardly, turtle-like merchant.
Their adaptability was the strongest among the group.
It was only a matter of swallowing a couple of mouthfuls of shit.
With their lives on the line, what wouldn't they do?
After struggling in the cesspit for a while, the two climbed out.
Flender looked at Dugu Bo ingratiatingly.
"That should be enough, shouldn't it, Your Eminence? Could you let us leave?"
Dugu Bo raised his right eyebrow. He had not expected Flender and the others to jump without hesitation.
So he nodded.
"Go."
Flender let out a great sigh of relief. They could finally leave.
He started leading the Shrek group out of the academy.
Dugu Bo lightly stamped his foot, and powerful poison-attribute Soul Power enveloped them again.
"One person jumping doesn't mean everyone can leave. For each person who jumps, that person can leave."
Yu Xiaogang, who had hoped to slip out with the others, heard those words.
He could no longer suppress his anger.
He wanted to berate Dugu Bo, to bring out his status as an honorary elder of Spirit Hall and use it to pressure him.
But he had barely taken two steps forward before Dugu Bo kicked him into the cesspit.
With no combat experience whatsoever, Yu Xiaogang naturally could not react as quickly as Flender and the others.
What was more, he had been kicked in.
His open mouth was therefore filled with foul sewage.
He struggled in the pit for a long time before finally climbing out.
The moment he reached the edge, he began vomiting uncontrollably.
Yu Tianheng and Tang San both stepped forward in anger.
That familiar sensation struck once again as Dugu Bo kicked Tang San into the pit too.
Then he seized Yu Tianheng by the throat.
"I forgot about you. For that old dragon's sake, stay away from Yanyan." Then, treating everyone equally, he threw him in as well.
In the past, he might have let him go. Now, he himself had the strength to face Yu Yuanzhen head-on.
Besides, he was no longer a lone wolf. He had found an organization to belong to.
Even if Bibi Dong came, he would dare lift her skirt.
What would it matter even if he killed a piece of trash who had not reached level forty?
Li Yusong and the others exchanged glances and sighed helplessly.
One after another, they splashed into the "water."
Watching them all become coated in filth, no longer looking remotely human-
Only then did Dugu Bo cover his nose, wave a hand with a look of disgust, and let them leave.