The next day.
Inside the Rose Hotel.
Feeling the little white rabbit in his arms, Chen Xuanqing wanted nothing more than to drift back to sleep.
No wonder the emperor never held morning court again. Having a beauty in his arms really could wear away a man's resolve.
Suddenly, Chen Xuanqing felt something damp on his face. He opened his eyes to find that Xiao Wu had already awakened in his arms.
"Xuanqing, it's time to get up. Didn't you say you had something to take care of today?"
"Right, time to get up. But let me take a bite first." With that, Chen Xuanqing nibbled Xiao Wu.
The two soon got up, ate a simple breakfast, and headed out of Suotuo City.
"Ah! That smells so lovely!"
Xiao Wu was lively all along the way, occasionally sniffing the wildflowers beside the road and drawing in a breath of fresh air.
Although following Chen Xuanqing had accustomed her to life in the human world, the wilderness still put Xiao Wu more at ease.
"Why don't we live outside the city from now on? Then you can enjoy nature every day."
Xiao Wu said, torn, "But if we live outside the city, I won't get to eat so many delicious things."
Chen Xuanqing said, "If you keep eating that much, you won't be a little rabbit anymore. You'll be a little pig."
"Hmph! What's wrong with being a little pig? Who was it last night who held this little pig and wouldn't let go?"
Chatting and laughing, Chen Xuanqing and Xiao Wu arrived at the village where Shrek Academy was located.
A battered table stood at the village entrance. Behind it sat a scruffy old man, lounging in a chair with one leg crossed over the other.
The name of Shrek Academy had been scrawled on a broken wooden board behind him. It looked terribly slapdash.
Quite a few people had already gathered at the village entrance, mostly parents accompanying boys and girls of twelve or thirteen who wanted to join Shrek Academy.
"Xuanqing, is this the Shrek Academy you mentioned? It looks way too shabby!"
Chen Xuanqing smiled. "Actually, Shrek Academy is nothing special. It just recruits a few geniuses and gives them focused training. That's something the large academies that enroll lots of soul masters can't match."
At Shrek Academy, a Soul Emperor or Soul Saint generally taught just a handful of students. Naturally, they could train students who were already geniuses very well.
The large academies, where one teacher instructed dozens of students, couldn't compare in that respect. After all, they didn't have enough teaching staff.
A boy approached the table and looked nervously at the old man in the chair.
"The registration fee is ten Gold Soul Coins. Just put them in the box beside me."
The boy's father placed ten Gold Soul Coins into the box as instructed. Seeing this, the old man took the boy's hand and felt it.
"You don't meet the age requirement. You can leave."
The boy stood rooted to the spot, seemingly unable to accept the result.
His father pleaded humbly, "Teacher, please make an exception. My child is a little over the age limit, but he's definitely a genius!"
"If he doesn't meet the age requirement, he doesn't meet it. Nothing you say will change that. And once the registration fee is paid, there are no refunds."
The boy's father said angrily, "This is fraud! Our ten Gold Soul Coins are just gone?"
Ten Gold Soul Coins were no small sum even for a low-ranking soul master, so the boy's father was understandably anxious.
"Then what exactly are Shrek Academy's admission standards? If none of the people here qualify, you could earn nearly a thousand Gold Soul Coins just from this round of registration fees."
Chen Xuanqing made no attempt to soften his words, and they immediately struck a chord with everyone present.
"Exactly! Explain it properly so we know where we stand."
"That's right! Please make things clear, teacher of Shrek Academy."
The old man smiled. "Anyone over thirteen or with soul power below rank twenty-one can leave."
In an instant, the nearly hundred people gathered at the village entrance vanished without a trace, as though they had never been there.
Once everyone had left, only a scant handful remained.
"Young man, don't tell me you're here to join Shrek Academy! You're too old, though the young girl behind you is quite suitable."
Chen Xuanqing said, "Li Yusong, teacher of Shrek Academy. A rank sixty-three Power Attack System tool Soul Emperor."
Hearing this, Li Yusong immediately stood and stared at Chen Xuanqing with a grave expression.
Dai Mubai, a student of Shrek Academy, also took his place behind Li Yusong, watching Chen Xuanqing warily.
Seeing this, Xiao Wu stepped directly in front of Chen Xuanqing to shield him and said angrily to the two, "Hmph! Xuanqing is the Number One Genius on the Douluo Continent. He isn't here to join your Shrek Academy!"
Watching from a distance, Tang San had long since forgotten Chen Xuanqing and Xiao Wu, whom he had met only once. He was merely curious about the person Xiao Wu called the Number One Genius on the Douluo Continent.
Zhu Zhuqing likewise looked curiously at Chen Xuanqing behind Xiao Wu, wondering what qualified this young man, who appeared a few years older than her, to be called the Number One Genius on the Douluo Continent.
Ning Rongrong, the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, curled her lip disdainfully, scoffing at the claim that he was the Number One Genius on the Douluo Continent.
"Oh? Then I'd like to see what you, the Number One Genius on the Douluo Continent, can do."
Young and hot-blooded, Dai Mubai naturally couldn't stand Chen Xuanqing's air. As he rose, two yellow soul rings and one purple soul ring appeared around him.
"Hey! How old are you? What's your soul power rank?"
"Dai Mubai of Shrek Academy. Fifteen years old. Martial soul: Evil-Eyed White Tiger. Rank thirty-seven Soul Elder."
Hearing this, Xiao Wu raised her middle finger at Dai Mubai. Naturally, she had learned that from Chen Xuanqing.
Dai Mubai didn't understand what Xiao Wu's gesture meant, but he saw the provocation in her eyes perfectly clearly.
"What about you, little girl?"
"My name is Xiao Wu-Wu as in dancing. I suppose you could say I'm twelve. My soul power is only a little lower than yours. Just a rank thirty-six Soul Elder."
Dai Mubai felt rather awkward at that. She's three years younger than me, but only one rank lower in soul power. Her talent really does seem far greater.
Li Yusong smiled. "Young lady, you certainly are a genius, but what qualifies the fellow behind you to be called the Number One Genius on the Douluo Continent?"
"Exactly! I, Dai Mubai, admit that you're more talented than me, but the fellow behind you doesn't look much older than I am. What qualifies him to be called the Number One Genius on the Douluo Continent?"
Chen Xuanqing hadn't expected these two to start quibbling over that. Still, Xiao Wu had made considerable progress under his urging. With innate full soul power, she had taken six years to reach a soul power rank in the thirties. Her performance was rather ordinary!
But facing these two, Chen Xuanqing had no intention of hiding anything. Even if a Titled Douluo showed up now, they would have to kneel.
So Chen Xuanqing stepped forward. "Chen Xuanqing. Sixteen years old. Level 74 Soul Saint!"
In truth, Chen Xuanqing's rank could have been even higher. He had simply been suppressing it all along to ensure his strength remained stable.
Before you continue