"Senior brother, there seems to be a village over there..."
Xiao Yan looked in the direction Tang San was pointing. A crowd had gathered at the entrance to a village, though he couldn't tell what they were doing. The entire village was surrounded by a wooden fence and looked utterly run-down.
"Let's go take a look. We can ask someone in the village where Shrek Academy is while we're there."
With that, Xiao Yan led the three of them toward the village beneath the blazing sun.
As they drew closer, however, they noticed that almost everyone heading toward the village was a parent accompanying a child who looked about the same age as them.
A guess began to form in Xiao Yan's mind.
Sure enough, as they approached the "village," their attention was immediately drawn to a battered wooden sign at its entrance. Written plainly on it were the words "Shrek Academy."
"This... this is Shrek Academy?"
Staring at the dilapidated sign, Xiao Wu looked faintly incredulous. She turned back to Tang San and Xiao Yan in astonishment, as if asking whether she had seen it wrong.
"There's no hurry. Let's take a look first."
Xiao Yan could tell that the people bringing their children here were probably here to enroll them as well. They weren't the only ones who had doubts because of Shrek Academy's buildings.
"No way. This is Shrek Academy? Why does it look so run-down?" A boy's expression soured slightly. He turned to his mother beside him and said:
"Mother, let's go to Soto Intermediate Academy instead. This place is far too run-down."
"What do you know?"
His mother seemed to know Shrek Academy extremely well. She gave him a pat on the head and said:
"Students who graduate from Shrek Academy can become imperial viscounts directly. Don't be fooled by how run-down it looks; its admission requirements are extremely strict."
Listening to the woman, Xiao Yan looked toward the registration area for Shrek Academy and immediately spotted Dai Mubai sitting at the back. In front of him,
sat an old man who looked to be around sixty, seemingly the teacher in charge of registration this time.
The woman hadn't spoken quietly, and quite a few people in the crowd heard her. They immediately fell silent.
The old man in charge of registration couldn't help glancing at the woman. He coughed softly, drawing everyone's attention.
"She's right. Shrek Academy is just like its name. Even among Soul Beasts, Shrek is an extremely unusual kind, just like a monster. And Shrek Academy can also be called Monster Academy!"
The old man spoke softly, yet his faint voice rang in everyone's ears. This was clearly some special application of Soul Power.
"So Monster Academy accepts only monsters."
"The registration fee is ten Gold Soul Coins per person. The admission requirements are as follows: you must be no older than twelve and have reached level twenty-one in Soul Power. So, if you don't have that kind of talent, you'd best not waste your registration fee."
As soon as the old man finished speaking, the crowd erupted.
"Twelve years old and level twenty-one in Soul Power!"
"How is that possible? With talent like that, you could enroll in even the best intermediate academies for free, couldn't you? Yet here you actually have to pay ten Gold Soul Coins!"
Hearing the clamor in the crowd, the old man snorted coldly. A red light flared around him, and a terrifying pressure radiated from his body, making even Xiao Yan's heart tremble.
The old man beckoned with his right hand, and a staff Martial Soul covered in densely packed patterns appeared in his grasp.
What shocked everyone even more were the Soul Rings that shone forth one after another from the staff Martial Soul.
White, yellow, purple, purple, purple, black!
Six Soul Rings in all. The old man's Soul Power Level had already reached level sixty. He was a genuine Soul Emperor!
Even in the entire Balak Kingdom, level-sixty Soul Emperors could be counted on one hand. Yet here at Shrek Academy, one was merely a teacher in charge of registration at the start of the school year.
In an instant, the crowd, whether they had come to watch a joke or harbored resentment, came to their senses and looked at Shrek Academy with burning eyes.
"All of you, line up properly. Pay one at a time, then come for the test."
At the old man's words, all the children taking the entrance test lined up in a single row. Xiao Yan and the other two exchanged glances and joined the back of the line.
The first to be tested was the child of the woman who had spoken earlier.
"Teacher, here's my child's registration fee."
"Mubai, collect the money!"
At the old man's command, Dai Mubai, who had been sitting at the back, stepped forward and took the Gold Soul Coins from the woman.
"Place your hand on this soul stone."
The old man took out a gray sphere. It was the same kind of stone Spirit Hall used to test Soul Power, though this one had an upper limit of level thirty.
Any Soul Power that didn't exceed level thirty could be displayed on it.
"Level twenty-one Soul Power. Passed."
Seeing the pale blue light shine from the stone, the old man spoke softly. The woman immediately beamed.
"For the next step, child, come here and hold out your hand."
The old man reached out and touched the child's palm. After pondering for a moment, he said:
"I'm sorry, you haven't passed the test."
"Huh? Why?" The child looked utterly incredulous, and the woman grew anxious at once. She said to the old man:
"Teacher, my child meets the requirements. His Soul Power has already reached level twenty-one."
"His Soul Power does meet the requirement, but he's already thirteen years old."
"This..." The woman was dumbfounded and hurried to protest:
"Teacher, my child only turned thirteen a few days ago. It's just a matter of a few days. Could you make an exception?"
The woman had learned everything about Shrek, but she hadn't expected her child to be turned away at the door over a difference of a few days.
"I'm sorry, those are the academy's rules."
The old man spoke softly, but his tone was full of indifference.
In the crowd, Xiao Yan watched the woman finally leave in a daze. He frowned slightly and looked toward the depths of Shrek Academy, feeling a trace of indifference toward this academy that showed no human warmth.
"I hope your standing is worthy of that arrogance..."
There were quite a few others in the crowd who hoped to fish in troubled waters and enter Shrek Academy. But with the woman's example just now, no one dared count on getting lucky anymore, and many promptly left the line.
"You... does your family know you came here?"
At the front of the line, a girl half a head shorter than Xiao Wu stood before the old man. She wore a simple white dress and looked exceedingly simple and pure. Her back was to Xiao Yan and the others, but the skin she revealed was exceptionally fair.
At that moment, however, the old man was looking at her with surprise and suspicion.
"They say education should be offered to all without distinction. As long as I pass the assessment, could it be that Shrek Academy wouldn't dare accept me?"
The girl spoke softly, a trace of arrogance in her tone.
"Go in." The old man hesitated only a moment before speaking again, telling Dai Mubai behind him to lead the girl in white into the academy.
Dai Mubai's gaze fell on the girl. Seeing her outstanding looks, a strange light flashed in his eyes. He gave her a long look, then led her into the academy.
As the line moved forward, Dai Mubai finished escorting the girl and returned to his seat. When he saw Xiao Yan and the others, he immediately waved and gave them a smile. Then he pointed to the old man in front, indicating that Xiao Yan and the others should pass the test themselves.
Xiao Yan nodded slightly. With the three of them as strong as they were, passing the test would be easy, so he wasn't worried.
But the next moment, Dai Mubai looked behind Xiao Yan and the others. His face showed obvious shock and utter disbelief.
Dai Mubai's obvious change in expression immediately caught Xiao Yan's attention, and he couldn't help turning to look behind him.