The three followed the old man's directions and headed east. Just then, a soft, languid voice rang out.
"Sausages! Sausages for sale! Come take a look! Don't pass up this chance as you pass by! Oscar-brand sausages, delicious and sweet! Cheap and generously sized! Five copper coins each!"
The voice drew the three of them as well. They turned and saw a pushcart not far away. A man stood behind it, wearing simple gray clothes, with neatly cropped hair and a face covered in a full beard. Yet he had a pair of large, flirtatious eyes that did not quite match his beard.
"Jun Yi, want a sausage?" Ning Rongrong turned to ask.
"Uh, I don't eat sausages. What about you?"
Jun Yi declined. The steamed buns at breakfast had been delicious, and he had eaten his fill. He had no appetite for sausages now.
"What about you, Zhu Zhuqing?"
Zhu Zhuqing shook her head. "I'm not hungry either."
"Then I won't have one either. Let's go train first and eat at noon."
Seeing that neither of them was interested, Ning Rongrong simply gave up as well. After all, she was not very hungry either; she merely craved a snack.
The three continued east and arrived at the clearing the old man had mentioned, which covered roughly two hundred square meters. In the clearing, a middle-aged man who looked to be in his fifties sat dozing in a chair.
"This should be the site of the fourth trial, right?"
Ning Rongrong surveyed their surroundings. This was the only clearing to the east, and the middle-aged man dozing there should be the teacher.
"It should be," Zhu Zhuqing replied.
Jun Yi walked up beside the chair and called to the sleeping Zhao Wuji, "Teacher, we're here to take the fourth trial."
"Hmm? Someone's reached the fourth trial this year?" The middle-aged man opened his bleary eyes and looked at the three youths before him in some surprise, as though he had encountered something unbelievable.
"Where's Dai Mubai? Why didn't he bring you here?"
Zhao Wuji stretched and rose from his chair. He was not tall, only around 1.65 meters, a little shorter than Jun Yi.
"He took the other applicants to the second trial's site. The three of us were exempted from the second and third trials, so the admissions teacher told us to come straight here," Jun Yi answered truthfully.
"Oh? Then all three of you have Soul Power above rank twenty-five. Not bad, not bad. Looks like we have quite a few Little Monsters this year. This is indeed the final trial. Pass my test, and you can officially become members of Shrek Academy. However, my test won't be so easy to pass. Practical combat experience is something every Soul Master must possess as part of their strength. What I'll be testing is your ability in that regard."
He produced a stick of incense from somewhere and planted it in the ground, then looked at Jun Yi and the others. "I'll give you one stick of incense's time to get to know one another and discuss your plans. Once it burns out, the test begins. The test is for the three of you to work together and withstand my attacks for one stick of incense's time. As long as one of you lasts until the end, all of you pass."
Zhao Wuji flicked a strand of Soul Power from his finger, lighting the incense on the ground, then continued, "I hope you understand: don't try any clever tricks. No one can escape this area through speed. I can also remind you that none of you can withstand my attacks alone. Coordinating and working together is your only chance of success."
Having done this, Zhao Wuji sat back down in his chair, closed his eyes, and continued sleeping.
After hearing Zhao Wuji's explanation, Ning Rongrong thought little of it. She patted Jun Yi on the shoulder and said, "This fourth trial is pretty simple. Jun Yi, I won't make a move later. You handle it."
"We can't let our guard down. Since this teacher can conduct a practical combat test, his strength can't be poor. He should be about as strong as the admissions teacher."
Zhu Zhuqing frowned slightly and spoke seriously.
"It's fine. With Jun Yi here, just trust him."
Ning Rongrong did not care in the slightest. After all, this teacher had told them to last for one stick of incense's time. With Jun Yi's Martial Soul abilities, that posed no difficulty whatsoever.
Zhu Zhuqing was very curious. She did not know why Ning Rongrong had such confidence in Jun Yi. After all, she had never seen him fight. But then she recalled that Jun Yi's first three rings were all purple, and she immediately felt somewhat more at ease, developing a keen interest in his strength.
Before even a third of the incense had burned away, Dai Mubai approached with Tang San and Xiao Wu. They had just drawn near.
When Dai Mubai saw Jun Yi and the others, a trace of surprise appeared in his eyes. When his gaze fixed on Zhu Zhuqing behind Jun Yi, the look in his eyes changed, as though he had seen something unbelievable.
"Mubai, what took you so long? Several students have already reached the fourth trial."
Zhao Wuji yawned and slowly stood up.
At Zhao Wuji's call, Dai Mubai came back to his senses and hurriedly explained, "Sorry, Teacher Zhao. I took two students through the second trial and was delayed a little."
"Oh, another two students. Looks like our academy will be lively this year. Just as well. You two can discuss the practical combat test with those three."
Tang San asked in confusion, "Teacher, what do you mean by practical combat?"
After explaining it to Tang San, Dai Mubai addressed the five of them with a grave expression. "Come a little closer."
Disdain appeared on Ning Rongrong's face, and she did not want to go over at all. But when she saw Jun Yi and Zhu Zhuqing move closer, she pouted and reluctantly followed. Zhu Zhuqing's expression looked somewhat icy.
Dai Mubai said solemnly, "The practical combat test the teacher just mentioned was originally supposed to be conducted by me. But today, Teacher Zhao took an interest. With him testing you, you'll need to be careful."
Xiao Wu asked in puzzlement, "There are five of us. Five against one-as long as the gap in strength isn't too great, can't we hold out for one stick of incense's time?"
Dai Mubai glanced at her, his gaze rather like someone looking at an idiot. "If you think Teacher Zhao's attacks are that easy to withstand, you're gravely mistaken. That's right, Teacher Zhao isn't a Soul Emperor-level Soul Master in the rank-sixty range. He's a rank-seventy-six Soul Saint. A Beast Martial Soul, a Battle Soul Saint. He's the academy's vice dean, and his overall strength is second only to the dean's."
Tang San's, Xiao Wu's, Zhu Zhuqing's, and Ning Rongrong's pupils contracted almost simultaneously. Rank seventy-six? A mighty Soul Saint was actually teaching at this tiny academy. They were all deeply shocked and puzzled.
Dai Mubai continued, "Teacher Zhao's Martial Soul is the Great Strength Vajra Bear, a powerful Beast Martial Soul. His entire body has no weak points, and his defensive power is terrifying. Even a Soul Master of the same rank would find it difficult to break through his defenses and injure him."
"Teacher Zhao is nicknamed the Immovable Wisdom King. Never mind the few of you-even if I joined you, we might not withstand his attacks for one stick of incense's time. Right now, I can only hope Teacher Zhao won't be too serious when attacking you."
After saying that, Dai Mubai sighed. "Good luck."
(End of chapter)