Chapter 44: The Wild Goose School
For Yang Xiong at his current stage, neither Tang San, Dai Mubai, nor Xiao Wu intrigued him. Rather than focusing on them, he preferred to focus on his own cultivation.
The next morning, Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong set off for Shrek Academy as instructed.
However, as they walked further, Ning Rongrong's expression grew darker.
After leaving Soto City, they continued south along the main road. The further they went, the fewer people there were, and the fewer buildings they saw. Soon, only vast farmlands remained, and there was no sign of any advanced Soul Master academies. Instead, they encountered a small village.
After some confirmation, they found a table set up at the entrance of the village, and on the wooden arch above it hung a tattered sign that read "Shrek Academy."
Ning Rongrong seemed a little angry. "Dad said Shrek Academy was great. With this rundown environment, how could this look like an advanced Soul Master Academy? He also said the faculty is strong and far exceeds that of ordinary academies. Did Dad get deceived too?"
Although Yang Xiong had already known about Shrek Academy's poverty and disrepair, he was still surprised by just how bad it was, and he felt disappointed too.
"Rongrong, I think we should go to the Tiandou Royal Academy. The environment there is much better, and they even have quite a few simulated environments, which would be more suitable for your cultivation."
Ning Rongrong, with a face full of reluctance, responded, "I bet my father that I could handle Shrek Academy's tough training. I need to prove to him that I can succeed, even if Shrek Academy is this bad, I'm still going to check it out. Otherwise, he'll look down on me."
"Besides, Tiandou Royal Academy is way too close to our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. It's boring and not at all free. I'd rather just stay in the sect and cultivate."
Yang Xiong looked at Ning Rongrong, helpless. She looked like a child who had been tricked.
At this point, there was a line in front of Shrek Academy's entrance, and it seemed like all the students were preparing to sign up. Sitting at the front of the table was an elderly man, probably a Soul Master or someone from Shrek Academy's admissions staff.
To Yang Xiong's surprise, there were over a hundred people in line, and most of them were Soul Masters, many of whom were even Great Soul Masters above level 20.
Especially when a group of people began discussing the poor environment of Shrek Academy, and the opinions were mixed.
One young man, looking disappointed, said, "Father, I don't want to study here. The environment is too bad. I'd rather go to the Soto City Intermediate Soul Master Academy. After all, I'm a level 21 genius."
His parents comforted him, "Since we're already here, let's take a look. We've heard that Shrek Academy has a strong faculty. The students graduate and become viscounts of the Empire. Maybe the environment here is just a test for you?"
...
Hearing all the chatter, Yang Xiong couldn't help but rub his forehead. There were probably more than half of these hundred people who were being deceived. This Shrek Academy, with such a reputation, seemed like one of those fly-by-night universities from his previous life. Their advertisements were loud, claiming great teachers and future prospects, but the reality was that the infrastructure was lacking. The buildings might even be rented, and after collecting tuition fees, the school could vanish.
What made it worse was that the elderly man in charge of admissions displayed an arrogant attitude, as if he thought highly of himself and looked down on the students. Yet, this attitude seemed to entice more people to wait in line.
Just then, after a young man's turn in line, the elderly man seemed very indifferent. "You're already over twelve years old, which doesn't meet the enrollment criteria. The registration fee is non-refundable."
The young man and his parents tried to protest when a familiar face appeared. It was Dai Mubai, whom they had seen the previous day.
"You want a refund? All you need to do is defeat me."
Dai Mubai revealed his fierce White Tiger martial soul and displayed his soul rings—two yellow and one purple. The crowd's expressions changed drastically, amazed that such a young man was already a Soul Ancestor. Many whispered that the students at Shrek Academy were truly exceptional, as most high-level Soul Master academies had a graduation standard of level 30.
Yang Xiong was… speechless.
Then, the elderly man released an extremely powerful aura, summoning his cane with intricate lines, accompanied by six soul rings—a white, yellow, three purple, and black one.
The crowd gasped again. It was a Soul Emperor! Who would have thought that a Soul Emperor would be teaching at Shrek Academy? It seemed that Shrek Academy's faculty was indeed strong, and coming here to study was definitely a good choice.
Yang Xiong: ...
After the elderly man outlined the enrollment requirements for Shrek Academy and demonstrated his Soul Emperor strength, the number of people in line decreased dramatically. However, there were still several dozen people left, clearly those who met the enrollment standards.
The enrollment criteria for Shrek Academy were quite strict: twelve years old or older, with a soul power level of over 20 and possessing two soul rings. These standards were not low at all and were comparable to those of the top advanced Soul Master academies.
Yang Xiong couldn't help but sigh. Soto City, indeed, was a renowned city in the Barak Kingdom, and the students here had decent overall quality. Many of them were already over level 20 at the age of twelve, but unfortunately, most of them didn't come from a sect. Their path as Soul Masters would be much harder than they imagined.
And yet, Shrek Academy seemed to be a huge trap. Not only was there a four-phase assessment, but the final practical test was especially brutal. None of the students below level 25 had passed the assessment. Honestly, how many twelve-year-olds have actual combat experience?
Ning Rongrong looked disdainful. "It's just a Soul Emperor, and his soul ring configuration is pathetic."
Soon, it was Tang San and Xiao Wu's turn. With their soul power levels, they quickly passed the first assessment and directly entered the final practical test.
Yang Xiong, seemingly deep in thought, glanced around the crowd and, sure enough, spotted a cold-faced, curvy girl. This must be Zhu Zhuqing from the original story.
Zhu Zhuqing was indeed very beautiful, and her figure was even more impressive than Yang Xiong had imagined. She had pale white skin and didn't look like a twelve-year-old at all.
Suddenly, Yang Xiong felt a sharp pain in his waist. He turned to see Ning Rongrong glaring at him. "Xiong, I thought you were all about cultivation. I didn't expect you to be so lecherous, staring at a pretty girl like that."
Yang Xiong was speechless. "Rongrong, are you mistaken? I'm just a normal person."
Ning Rongrong tightened her grip. "I don't see you acting like this with me, even though I'm as beautiful as a flower and shining at school. Why didn't you look at me like that?"
Yang Xiong hurriedly pulled away from Ning Rongrong's grip, feeling both frustrated and amused. "Rongrong, you're too bright at school, so I didn't dare approach you. Now, let's focus on the registration. Don't worry about these trivial matters."
Ning Rongrong looked at him suspiciously, but her gaze soon turned to the elderly man at the front of the line.
(END CHAPTER)
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