Father Zhang was also on alert.
He too sensed that an exceptionally powerful presence was approaching.
Judging by the presence alone, this person's cultivation was even higher than his.
But what surprised Father Zhang even more was...
Toji had sensed the person even before he had.
He hadn't seen the kid in five years, and he had become even more mysterious.
"Don't be nervous. I mean no harm."
A gentle voice rang out, and a well-dressed middle-aged man approached from the distance.
Even more noticeable was the exquisite badge pinned to his chest, engraved with the emblem of Shrek Academy.
The middle-aged man swept his gaze over Father Zhang's family:
"Let me introduce myself. I'm a teacher at Shrek Academy. I was passing by and saw that you'd settled here, and that this friend of yours was injured. Out of righteousness, I came to ask whether you needed Shrek's help."
Seeing that the man was from Shrek, Toji curled his lip.
Righteousness?
Some righteousness that is.
If Shrek were truly righteous, he wouldn't have had to endure five whole years of torment, a life worse than death.
As the saying went, a crooked upper beam made for a crooked lower beam. He wouldn't attack everyone indiscriminately or tar them all with the same brush, but it was a fact that Shrek disciples had sold him to the Soul Fighting Arena.
Father Zhang stood and glanced at the badge on the man's chest:
"Shrek Academy? Are you really a teacher at Shrek Academy?"
"Of course," the middle-aged man said with a cheerful smile. "You can rest assured. Our Shrek Academy has always made it our duty to help others, especially people like you who need help."
When he saw that Father Zhang and the others still didn't believe him, the middle-aged man was displeased, but he merely smiled and used Martial Soul Possession. Eight Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet: two yellow, two purple, and four black, a perfect Soul Ring Configuration. The powerful Soul Power fluctuations made even Father Zhang's heart tremble.
"It's only natural to be wary when you're away from home. You're afraid I might be impersonating a Shrek teacher, and I understand completely."
"But if I wanted to harm you, I wouldn't go to so much trouble. With my abilities, taking you all down would be quite simple."
Seeing this, Father Zhang breathed a sigh of relief.
In the entire continent, only Shrek Academy could employ a powerhouse like an Eight-Ring Soul Douluo as a teacher.
Shrek Academy's reputation was renowned far and wide.
"Thank you for your kindness, but our family doesn't need help for the moment," Father Zhang said.
The middle-aged man smiled faintly, seemingly unbothered by Father Zhang's wariness. His gaze finally settled on Zhang Lexuan, and a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes:
"This young lady has quite a talent."
Zhang Lexuan stood to one side, her eyes full of curiosity.
She had never met anyone from Shrek Academy, but she had heard about the most prestigious academy on the continent since childhood.
Her gaze was drawn to the badge on the man's chest, and a sense of longing welled up in her heart.
The middle-aged man looked at Zhang Lexuan with admiration in his eyes. "Young lady, what's your name? Are you interested in applying to Shrek?"
Hearing that his child could get into Shrek, Father Zhang relaxed a little:
"My child can get into Shrek?"
"Mm, judging by what I can see, your child should have considerable talent, though I'll need to examine her more closely," the middle-aged man said with a smile. "If her talent passes the examination, I can write her a recommendation letter and have her pass Shrek's assessment directly."
Father Zhang was overjoyed to hear this and looked at Zhang Lexuan behind him:
"Lexuan."
Zhang Lexuan hesitated, then answered softly:
"My name is Zhang Lexuan."
"Zhang Lexuan..." the middle-aged man repeated under his breath. He then took a crystal-clear piece of crystal from his robes and handed it to her. "Here, put your hand on this crystal and let me see your Soul Power."
Zhang Lexuan hesitated and looked up at Father Zhang.
Father Zhang nodded. "Lexuan, give it a try. Don't be afraid. Dad's here, so you'll be all right."
Only then did Zhang Lexuan reach out and gently place her hand on the crystal.
In an instant, the crystal erupted with a dazzling light of Soul Power.
The middle-aged man could barely conceal his excitement, his eyes full of delighted surprise.
"Innate Full Soul Power, and she's already at rank twenty."
"Judging by your age, you're only around eleven. With talent like that, you've got the makings of a Little Monster. We at Shrek are best at teaching Little Monsters like you."
"If you're willing to join Shrek, you'll surely have the cultivation of a Soul Emperor by the time you're twenty. A twenty-year-old Soul Emperor is a genius among geniuses."
Father Zhang and Mother Zhang were also filled with delight and pride when they heard this.
Zhang Lexuan, however, was somewhat at a loss, and a blush rose to her cheeks:
"I... can I really enter Shrek Academy?"
"Of course you can!" the middle-aged man said with certainty. "With your talent, entering Shrek Academy is only natural. Our academy has the best resources and teachers, and they can help you grow quickly."
"Brother Toji..." Zhang Lexuan turned to him, her eyes full of anticipation. "Will you come with me?"
Hearing Zhang Lexuan's words, the middle-aged man turned his attention to Toji and studied him.
After a moment, the middle-aged man couldn't see any signs of Soul Power in Toji, and he frowned:
"I think you've misunderstood. Shrek only accepts monsters, not ordinary people. Besides... he doesn't have a trace of Soul Power, so naturally he can't enter Shrek Academy."
Simply put, Toji wasn't even qualified to be an old man who swept the floors.
"But... Brother Toji is very strong. He's no worse than those Soul Masters." Zhang Lexuan was somewhat indignant. Looking at the middle-aged man, she told him all about how Toji had slaughtered Soul Elders and Soul Ancestors.
The middle-aged man was somewhat surprised. An utterly ordinary person in whom even he couldn't detect Soul Power could actually slaughter Soul Elders and Soul Ancestors?
"Young friend, would you mind letting me examine your physical condition?"
Toji didn't refuse. It was a real struggle for him to investigate on his own anyway, so he might as well leave it to someone experienced:
"All right."
The middle-aged man took Toji's hand and probed him with Soul Power, but found nothing.
Then he reached out and patted the bones in Toji's body, discovering from his age that Toji was around fourteen or fifteen.
"Hmm... you really are quite unusual." The middle-aged man examined him carefully and nodded in appreciation. "From what I can tell, your physical strength rivals that of a Power Attack System Beast Martial Soul Soul King. Even Soul Emperors with weaker bodies are no match for you."
"So it's perfectly normal that, while surrounded by large numbers of Soul Elders and Soul Ancestors, you were able to fight your way out and bring them with you. But... even at Shrek, we've never seen an ordinary person without any Soul Power kill so many Soul Masters, much less rival a Soul King."
"Then can he join Shrek too?" Hearing this, Zhang Lexuan looked a little excited.
"This situation is too unusual. Even I've never seen anything like it before." The middle-aged man hesitated, but gave her an answer. "Once I return and report this matter, I believe there will be someone at the academy more knowledgeable than me who's willing to write a recommendation letter and let this young friend enter Shrek."
"So I can't make that decision."
The excitement faded from Zhang Lexuan's eyes, and a flicker of disappointment appeared.
Toji patted Zhang Lexuan's fragrant shoulder as if to comfort her:
"All right. I wasn't planning to join Shrek anyway. Since you have the talent, entering Shrek would be a good thing for you."
Though he was very unhappy with Shrek, that couldn't change the fact that Shrek Academy was currently the best academy on the Douluo Continent for talented Soul Masters.
Zhang Lexuan really was better suited to attending Shrek.