"You... you..." Dai Mubai stepped up to the girl, but seasoned veteran of romance though he was, he seemed to have forgotten how to speak in front of her.
The girl was naturally Zhu Zhuqing. She gave Dai Mubai a disgusted glance, then walked over to the elderly Soul Emperor and said, "I want to join Shrek Academy."
The old man looked at her, then at Dai Mubai, who could only shrug helplessly.
The old man then tested Zhu Zhuqing and let her into the academy.
Afterward, Dai Mubai led the others into the academy, introducing its various buildings and the places where classes were held along the way.
Qi Ling was not particularly interested. With Shrek Academy's limited funds, its facilities were not even as comprehensive as Nuoding Academy's. It looked more like a Project Hope school.
"You can beat Dai Mubai?" Just then, an icy voice came from beside Qi Ling.
At some point, Zhu Zhuqing had appeared beside him, as quiet as an actual cat, without making a single sound.
"Why do you ask? Do you want to defeat him?" Qi Ling asked curiously.
To Qi Ling's surprise, Zhu Zhuqing actually nodded, then said, "That's right. I have to defeat him! No matter what price I have to pay!"
"Since you can beat him, you must be stronger than him! I want you to teach me how to become as strong as you!"
"Come on, miss, is there really such deep hatred between you two? What couldn't you settle over a hotpot?" Qi Ling said helplessly, while thinking, That womanizing Dai Mubai has brought a deadly disaster down on himself.
"That's none of your concern. In any case, I'll come looking for you again." With that, Zhu Zhuqing stopped paying attention to Qi Ling and strode ahead on her own, soon disappearing from everyone's sight.
The group then arrived at the second examination area, where quite a few people were already preparing to take the test. Like the old man at the entrance, the examiner was also a Soul Emperor-level powerhouse.
After arriving, Dai Mubai whispered in the old man's ear for a while. The old man then nodded and said, "Mm, understood. Take them straight to the fourth stage. Count them as having passed the first three."
This infuriated the students who had struggled to pass the test, and they all voiced their dissatisfaction.
"Why do they get to use the back door? This isn't fair! Why do we have to pass one stage at a time while they get to go straight to the fourth?"
The examiner glanced at them and said calmly, "Because every one of them has Soul Power above rank twenty-five! Anyone among you whose Soul Power is also above rank twenty-five can pass just the same!"
At the examiner's words, they immediately fell silent. After all, reaching rank twenty-one Soul Power already made someone an incredible genius. What sort of monsters did they have to be to reach rank twenty-five?
"Teacher, if rank twenty-five Soul Power is the requirement, then I should be able to pass too!" A sweet, melodious voice rang out, immediately drawing everyone's attention.
The speaker was a girl in a white dress, with ear-length hair and delicate features. There was an indescribably soothing quality about her that put people at ease and lifted their spirits.
More importantly, her every movement displayed an excellent bearing. She had clearly received an exceptionally fine education and was an aristocratic young lady through and through.
The examiner glanced at her and said, "Mm, you can go over too."
With the examiner's seasoned eye, he could naturally tell that this girl possessed outstanding talent, enough to pass the trial.
After all, if even the daughter of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's master could not pass this trial, then it really would have been far too strict.
The students, however, did not see it that way. They immediately clamored that something shady was going on, insisting that Qi Ling and the others must have been guaranteed places in advance and demanding that Shrek Academy refund everyone in full.
The racket irritated the old man, and the word "refund" in particular made his eyebrows twitch. This was an important source of income for Shrek Academy. If he messed it up, wouldn't the headmaster skin him alive?
When he turned around, he happened to spot Qi Ling smiling like a fox. Narrowing his eyes, he said, "Fine, aren't you all dissatisfied? Then I'll give you a chance!"
"You, boy over there, step forward!" The examiner pointed at Qi Ling. "As long as you can beat him, you'll pass the test immediately!"
"Me?" Qi Ling froze. I'm getting shot even while lying down.
"That's right, you!" the examiner said with a wicked grin. "Mubai, take the others inside first. As for whether this boy can pass, that'll depend on his own fortune!"
Everyone reacted differently to Qi Ling being kept behind. Some were relieved, while others were puzzled. Xiao Wu was about to lose her temper outright and fight the examiner, but Qi Ling stopped her.
"Don't worry, silly girl. Go inside with Xiao San first. I'll be right behind you!" Qi Ling said, patting Xiao Wu's head.
"All right, Brother Qi, hurry over!" Xiao Wu said. "If they won't let you pass, then I'm not coming here either!"
Once the others had left, Qi Ling looked at the students remaining before him. There were exactly ten, no more and no less, and none of them were people he remembered. It seemed they were merely extras.
That was fine, though. According to his memories, none of these people would pass the later tests anyway. Otherwise, there would not have been the Shrek Seven Devils.
Since that was the case, he might as well send them on their way and save them some time.
The students took a look. Although this Qi Ling clearly looked like someone who was not to be trifled with, he was only one person, while there were ten of them. Why should they fear being unable to beat him?
"Everyone, don't be afraid! No matter how strong he is, he's only one person. As long as we unite, we can definitely beat him!" one of them said, and the others all agreed.
"Martial Soul Possession!" The ten Soul Grandmasters summoned their Martial Souls in unison. Yellow and white Soul Rings shone against one another, making for an imposing sight.
Although they had never practiced fighting together, they were talented enough to quickly form a simple formation, with power attackers at the front, agility attackers on the flanks, and support at the rear. It was simple but practical.
Watching the ten cooperate, the examiner could not help smiling, then turned a gloating gaze toward Qi Ling.
As an examiner, he had recognized at a glance that Qi Ling was the strongest of the group, which was why he wanted to make him suffer a little.
He had originally worried that these students would be useless, but now it seemed they should be enough to cause Qi Ling some trouble.
"Oh? What's this? With all of you so united, aren't you making me look like the villain?" Qi Ling said helplessly.
"Unfortunately, my fellow students, even if your teamwork were as seamless as a heavenly robe, you still wouldn't stand the slightest chance against me!"
Hearing this, the ten Soul Grandmasters all looked indignant. Having experienced the power of unity for the first time, how could they bow their heads to Qi Ling so easily?
"Stop boasting! You're only one person. How could you possibly be a match for us?" the boy leading them continued. "We'll show you the power of our unity!"
"Heh, unity? You call this sort of teamwork unity?" Qi Ling said with a smile. "Would you dare entrust your backs to the others?"
"If you encountered danger, would you stand in front of the others?"
"More importantly, if there were only one admission spot today, would you give it to someone else?"