Because of Cai Yue'er's furious departure, Nan Fusheng and the others could only receive a score of zero. Unexpectedly, that old woman even pulled the same trick again—specifically showing up at the fifth trial to give them another zero.
Nan Fusheng could only curse in his heart: Are you bored out of your mind? Can't you come up with some new tricks? Always the same cheap routine…
After all, thanks to Forsi's earlier clearance, he had already been briefed about the general process of the assessment.
Damn it! And yet, there's nothing we can do against this kind of authority abuse. Truly detestable power-tripping…
Shrek Academy's entrance exam had a total of ten tests, each with its own features, and each worth up to ten points.
A score of 60 or above granted admission into the Outer Court.
A score of 85 or above, with additional trials, was required for the Inner Court.
Now, thanks to Cai Yue'er's interference, entering the Inner Court was impossible for them. Even admission to the Outer Court required them to perform flawlessly in the remaining trials.
The Sixth Trial
Fortunately, thanks to Tang Wulin's bottomless stomach, they passed this test with full marks.
The Seventh Trial — Physical Fitness
Due to physical limits, Gu Yue and Xu Xiaoyan only attempted the ten-thousand-meter run worth two points.
Nan Fusheng, Tang Wulin, and Xie Xie, however, challenged all three events and managed to complete them within the hour, earning ten points.
The Eighth Trial — Combat
By some twist of fate, Xie Xie once again faced Yuanen Yehui as his opponent.
The result? Another brutal beating.
Perhaps because of the humiliation of being instantly smashed into the ground by Forsi earlier, this time Yuanen Yehui deliberately focused on Xie Xie's face during their fight, venting her pent-up frustration.
In the end, Xie Xie walked away black and blue and only earned three points.
Nan Fusheng could only sigh and light a candle for him in his heart. Come to think of it, isn't this partly my fault?
After all, even if she was currently cross-dressing and looked like a burly gorilla when using her Titan Giant Ape Spirit, Yuanen Yehui was still, at the end of the day, a young maiden in her prime.
Though Nan Fusheng had never seen her other martial spirit—the Fallen Angel—he knew from the original story that she was indeed a beautiful girl. To be slammed face-first into the dirt in such a humiliating instant-kill… well, it was only natural for her to be furious.
Meanwhile, Nan Fusheng himself leveraged his powerful spiritual force to directly control his opponent, easily winning.
The Ninth Trial — Survival
For Nan Fusheng, who already knew exactly what this test entailed, it was a complete breeze.
The only unpleasant part was listening to Shen Yi deliver a self-righteous lecture afterward:
"Soul beasts are also living beings. Here at Shrek Academy, we never endorse excessive slaughter of soul beasts. Remember—if you wish to be part of Shrek, you must never step into the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt down the last remaining soul beasts."
Nan Fusheng almost rolled his eyes. Heard this a hundred times already…
Don't advocate slaughter? Then, where did Wu Zhangkong's two ten-thousand-year spirit rings come from? And what about Yuanen Yue, the Shrek team captain in the Skysea Alliance Tournament—where did his fourth spirit ring come from?
If Nan Fusheng recalled correctly, both Wu Zhangkong's and Yuanen Yue's ten-thousand-year rings were genuine soul rings, not spirit souls. (This was mentioned in the original story.)
Current Scores After Nine Trials
Nan Fusheng: 66 points
Tang Wulin: 70 points
Xie Xie: 61 points
Xu Xiaoyan: 60 points
Gu Yue: 58 points
The Tenth Trial — Tribunal of Three
This time, Cai Yue'er personally presided and deliberately targeted Gu Yue, giving her just one point.
Together with Zhuo Shi, the two played good-cop-bad-cop, continually psychologically pressuring the group with manipulative words.
Nan Fusheng could see through the charade from the start, but instead of exposing them, he decided to go along with the act—performing camaraderie and shared hardship.
Perhaps they got carried away with their roles, but in the end, the two elders raised the stakes: if Gu Yue wanted to pass, then Tang Wulin would have to retake the fifth trial—and achieve the level of a Rank 5 craftsman.
To everyone's shock, Tang Wulin accepted. And what was more incredible, he actually succeeded—completing a Spirit Refinement forging.
Thus, Tang Wulin became half a Rank 5 blacksmith.
Why "half"? Because the moment he succeeded, he immediately fainted. Normally, Spirit Refinement requires at least four spirit rings as support. Tang Wulin managed only by relying on the immense vitality of his Golden Dragon King bloodline.
Thanks to this, they successfully cleared the tenth trial, and all of them officially gained admission into Shrek Academy.
A Hidden Surprise
Just then, Zhuo Shi wrapped Tang Wulin in his overwhelming soul power to carry him to treatment.
But suddenly, he frowned.
Tang Wulin was actually absorbing his soul power!
This was no ordinary spirit power—Zhuo Shi was a Titled Douluo with a condensed soul core. His soul power was unimaginably dense, and yet Tang Wulin was drawing it in directly.
Could it be… his martial spirit or soul power has some kind of natural restraint over mine?
After all, his own spirit, the Crimson Jade Dragon, was a genuine dragon spirit!
This discovery only made Zhuo Shi even more interested in Tang Wulin.
Meanwhile, Cai Yue'er had silently walked up beside Gu Yue.
Gu Yue's gaze was locked intensely on Tang Wulin's figure, shrouded in red light. She didn't even register Cai Yue'er's presence.
Cai Yue'er's voice softened slightly:
"The world is vast, and there are countless geniuses greater than you. Controlling six elements is impressive, but in Shrek Academy, there are those even stronger than you."
Gu Yue glanced at her briefly, then turned her gaze back to Tang Wulin, not even sure if she had listened.
Cai Yue'er's tone hardened again:
"And don't think that passing now means you can rest easy. If you fail to become Battle Armor Masters before the age of twenty, you can forget about entering the Inner Court. Hmph!"
With that, she spun on her heel and left.
Zhuo Shi, after waking Tang Wulin, simply said:
"You five, follow me."
Together with Shen Yi, he led them out of the main teaching building.
Though Zhuo Shi walked at what seemed a leisurely pace, the five had to circulate their soul power and run at full speed just to keep up.
At last, they arrived before a great gate—where a lone figure was kneeling.
It was Wu Zhangkong.
After a tense exchange, Zhuo Shi finally softened, though he kept his prideful front:
"Very well, you may stay. I happen to be short of someone to serve tea, deliver water, and tidy the quarters."
Wu Zhangkong's heart leapt with joy. "Thank you, Teacher!"
The five juniors hurriedly bowed:
Thank you, Grandmaster!