The next afternoon,
After spending a pleasant time wandering around Soto City with Xiao Wu and enjoying a lavish meal together, Nangong Lingyun finally took Zhuqing and the others to look for Shrek Academy.
Exiting through the southern city gate and heading further south, it didn't take long before they came across a dilapidated little village.
There were about a hundred households—much smaller than Holy Soul Village, and the environment was clearly worse.
At least Holy Soul Village supplied essential grains and vegetables to Notting City and could rely on the nearby mountains. Most people, except for Tang San's family, lived without fear of hunger.
But here, in the largest granary of the Barak Kingdom, low grain prices had hurt the farmers. Life for an average peasant was hard.
At the entrance of the village stood a crude wooden archway, with an equally ragged signboard hanging on it. Five crooked and ugly characters were carved into it: "Shrek Academy."
Calling them "ugly" wasn't a jab at the academy itself—but those characters were truly an eyesore.
"This... this is Shrek?"
Xiao Wu and Zhu Lanling screamed in unison. Even Zhuqing, who normally didn't care about her surroundings, widened her eyes in disbelief.
Soul masters were beings of power.
Seeing a group of high-level soul masters operating out of such a dump was frankly mind-blowing.
Only Nangong Lingyun remained unsurprised.
"Well, since we're here, let's make the best of it. Come on, let's go in and take a look."
At the registration desk,
Before the gatekeeper Li Yusong could even ask, Nangong Lingyun casually tossed thirty gold soul coins into the box and introduced himself with a smile:
"My name is Nangong Lingyun. Martial soul: my own body. Age: one day short of twelve years and eight months. Soul power: level forty-eight.
I'm pretty average in combat—just a warrior, mage, tank, assassin, marksman, and also a healer.
In your terms: a jack-of-all-trades—power attack, control, defense, agility, ranged, and support."
"This is Nangong Lewu. Martial soul: Soft Bone Charm Rabbit. Power attack and agility-type. Twelve years and six months old. Soul power: level forty-five."
"And this one, you can call her Xiaoqing. Martial soul: Black Cat. Agility-type. Eleven years old, level twenty-seven."
As Nangong Lingyun finished speaking,
A glow of four soul rings rose beneath Xiao Wu's feet.
Yellow, purple, purple, black.
Li Yusong's eyes instantly popped open. His lazy posture snapped into full alertness as he exclaimed in shock:
"Over-limit soul rings?! A thousand-year second ring and a ten-thousand-year fourth ring—this..."
It took a long moment for Li Yusong to return to normal.
After a couple of awkward coughs to mask his embarrassment, he straightened up and said energetically:
"Hold out your hand."
He lightly tapped on the wrist bones of Zhuqing and Xiao Wu, nodded to indicate they were qualified, and then reached for Nangong Lingyun's hand.
But the moment he touched it, his expression turned even more shocked than when he saw the soul rings.
What kind of bones were these?
Tough and incredibly strong, filled with vibrant life force, dominant strength, and a fiery energy like the blazing sun.
Calling it steel-reinforced would be an understatement. No—no steel could compare to the quality of this man's bones.
Even as a Soul Emperor, with a decent martial soul, the soul power Li Yusong injected was instantly repelled.
This wasn't just a genius. This was like a divine being in disguise.
He tried again to sense it—again, he was pushed out. Li Yusong raised his head in disbelief and asked:
"Have you trained any special soul techniques on your hand? Or... have you absorbed any high-level soul bones?"
"I'm a body-type martial soul."
"Ohhh, no wonder. You pass too."
Li Yusong blushed, pretending he understood, though internally he was still clueless.
What was a body-type martial soul?
Why did that mean the bones would be so monstrous?
Without further delay, he quickly got up and gestured for everyone to follow.
Passing through the academy gate, they entered a dirt clearing—about an acre in size—surrounded by wooden huts and earthen walls.
The second test, measuring soul power level, was routine.
The third test, assessing martial soul potential, was skipped per regulations.
Soon, the group arrived at the final test—led by Zhao Wuji himself.
Between two trees, Tang San stood all alone, waiting to see if any other qualified students would show up.
He looked bored out of his mind. He'd been standing here all day, and in the end, he was still the only one?
Even with his trust in his teacher, doubt began to creep in. Was this place a scam?
But upon seeing the group arrive, Tang San lit up with joy.
Forgetting how badly Nangong Lingyun had schooled him before, he shouted excitedly:
"Xiao Wu! And Brother Yun! You made it!"
A flicker of confusion crossed Nangong Lingyun's face. Wait, where's Ning Rongrong?
The princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan was supposed to be here—but she was nowhere in sight.
Nearby, hidden in the shade of a large tree, a middle-aged man in his fifties dozed on a bamboo lounge chair.
Hearing the voices, Zhao Wuji slowly sat up. His heavy body creaked the chair beneath him.
Once fully standing, his bronze skin and iron-like muscular frame radiated an intimidating presence.
When he moved his arms, the muscles bunched and shifted visibly beneath his clothes, like something explosively powerful coiled within.
With a grin, he growled:
"Not bad. Including him, we've got four students above level twenty-five this year. That's really good.
This is the final test. Pass it, and you officially become a member of Shrek Academy.
But let me warn you—my test won't be easy."
Zhao Wuji smiled broadly, eyes sweeping over Nangong Lingyun, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Tang San.
When his gaze landed on Nangong Lingyun, it gleamed with excitement, like a hunter spotting a worthy prey.
Though they hadn't even fought yet, and he didn't know anything about the boy's abilities,
Zhao Wuji could already sense a fierce, domineering, and blazing aura similar to his own.
This one might actually be a good opponent.
"I'm Zhao Wuji. Since you all passed the second and third tests without evaluation, you must be some real geniuses.
So for this last test, I'll personally play with you.
Now, you have the time of one incense stick to get to know each other and discuss your strategy. When the time's up, the test begins.
As for the content… the four of you will team up and try to withstand my attacks for one incense stick of time.
If even one of you is still standing at the end, you all pass."
Tang San was dumbfounded.
"Teacher, teacher, I already passed, remember? It was Senior Dai Mubai who tested me!"
Zhao Wuji chuckled:
"Who's the teacher here, you or me? Whether you passed or not—I'll decide that.
I'm lighting the incense now. You don't have much time, figure things out.
Dai Mubai, come out and tell them my combat style."
His last sentence was yelled toward a nearby wooden hut.
Then, as if by magic, he pulled out a stick of incense.
He rubbed it between his thumb and forefinger, and it lit up with a small flame.
With a flick of his wrist, he stuck the other end into the ground. The incense stood perfectly upright, without even the slightest tremble.
In this tiny detail, the precision of his soul power control was on full display.
Then Zhao Wuji returned to his chair, closed his eyes, and went back to sleep.
"You guys?!"
From the hut,
Dai Mubai stepped out and saw Nangong Lingyun and the others. His expression immediately changed.
But with Zhao Wuji present, he wasn't going to chicken out. He summoned everyone and spoke seriously:
"Actually, I was supposed to be the examiner for the fourth test. Teacher Zhao was just the overseer.
But now that he wants to take over personally, there's nothing I can do."
Tang San, who had fought Dai Mubai before and knew how strong he was, noticed the seriousness on his face and asked urgently:
"Is this Zhao teacher really that strong?"
Dai Mubai glanced cautiously at Xiao Wu, for some reason feeling a dull ache on his forehead. Then he continued:
"Level 76 Battle Soul Sage. Possesses a rare and powerful beast-type martial soul: the Vigorous Vajra Bear.
Once known as the Immovable King. He's the academy's vice principal—second only to the headmaster in overall strength.
He has no obvious weaknesses. In power, defense, offense, and control, he's all-around formidable.
Especially his strength and defense—downright terrifying.
Even other soul masters at the same level struggle to break through his defense or actually hurt him.
Honestly, if I were doing the test, I'd probably go easy on you—maybe let you slide if you weren't too far off. After all, I'd like to see more students here.
But Teacher Zhao… you're on your own.
He might just knock all of you out with one hit."
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(End of Chapter)