Chapter 45: The Enrollment Examination
The line moved quickly, and soon it was Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong's turn.
As Yang Xiong extended his hand, the elderly man examined it and showed a hint of confusion in his eyes.
"Ah, your hand feels a bit unusual, similar to the one that passed earlier, but also seems a little different."
Yang Xiong guessed the elderly man was referring to Tang San. Since Tang San had trained his Xuan Jade Hand since childhood, there was a slight difference from a regular person. Yang Xiong, however, seemed unconcerned: "It's probably because I've always enjoyed physical training since I was young."
The elderly man thoroughly examined Yang Xiong, especially at the joints, before sighing. "Your age is appropriate, but your physical fitness far exceeds your current age. I truly don't know how you achieved this. What's your martial soul?"
Yang Xiong replied, "My martial soul is quite special; it is my own body."
The elderly man was surprised once again. "This is truly strange. In all my years in the Soul Master world, I've never encountered a martial soul like yours."
Yang Xiong smiled. "Sir, the Soul Master world has all kinds of martial souls; it's normal for there to be many types, just like your Dragon Marked Staff, which isn't commonly seen either."
The elderly man nodded. "That's true. You've passed the first test. Next, Mubai will guide you to the following tests."
Yang Xiong stood aside, intending to wait for Ning Rongrong to finish her test before going together.
After testing Ning Rongrong's martial soul and soul power, the elderly man was also surprised. "Young lady, does your family know you're here to study?"
Ning Rongrong pouted. "Why should they care? Isn't this a Soul Master Academy? As long as I meet the requirements, I can enroll."
The elderly man couldn't help but sigh. "It's been a strange year for admissions. Why do all the weird people end up at Shrek Academy?"
Soon, under Dai Mubai's lead, they bypassed the second exam, and aside from Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing also passed.
Tang San and Xiao Wu, to everyone's surprise, directly passed the exam and were eligible to skip the second and third exams to participate in the fourth one.
The people around seemed a little dissatisfied, stating that the academy was treating the students differently.
Dai Mubai's expression darkened. "If you can reach level 25 by the age of twelve, you can directly enter the final test as well."
One student, clearly frustrated, spoke up: "How is that possible? I'm already considered exceptional in our academy, and the highest level I've reached is only level 22. How could a twelve-year-old be at level 25?"
Dai Mubai didn't waste words and took out a Soul Power test crystal ball.
Tang San and Xiao Wu both passed the test with Soul Power levels of 29. The crowd gasped in astonishment. To have reached level 29 at twelve years old was unheard of, even in Soto City. What kind of genius were these two?
Yang Xiong felt a twinge of unease but quickly laughed it off. Tang San and Xiao Wu were indeed incredibly talented. He had checked the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's records, and in nearly a century, only one person had reached level 29 at twelve, and that person was Sword Douluo. Even Bone Douluo was a bit behind. The rest were far off.
But Yang Xiong was confident that although his innate Soul Power was not as good as theirs, he would surpass them in time.
Soon, Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong underwent their Soul Power tests. One was at level 26, the other at level 28, and they proceeded to the fourth round of testing. Even Zhu Zhuqing had a Soul Power level of 27.
Along the way, they encountered a middle-aged man selling sausages, who was Oscar, the food-type Soul Master. In theory, he was supposed to have the highest talent among the Shrek Seven Monsters.
However, when the crowd heard Oscar's chant to summon sausages, they were visibly disgusted.
Yang Xiong didn't mind. Having spent several months in the Sunset Forest, he had eaten many strange things. He bought a sausage and ate it, and to his surprise, it tasted quite good, especially since it helped restore Soul Power.
The girls, however, sneered at him, and Yang Xiong couldn't help but shake his head. These girls had clearly never seen much of the world. For ordinary civilians, just having food to eat, like sausages, was a blessing. They didn't realize that this sausage, which was better than many spiritual herbs, could restore Soul Power.
Yang Xiong also had a suspicion. If Tang San hadn't undergone the Ice Fire Body Refining, purely in terms of physical fitness, Oscar might be the best among the Shrek Seven Monsters. Especially with the Food System, which was almost like a cheat in the Soul Master world. Theoretically, it seemed to defy the law of energy conservation.
...
Dai Mubai also gave the group an introduction to Shrek. Currently, there were only three students at Shrek, and the number of teachers even surpassed the number of students, which drew some surprised glances from the others.
Especially since Shrek Academy had very strict admission standards, and graduation requirements were even stricter. One needed to reach level 40 by the age of 20, which made it comparable to the top-level Soul Master Academies. Many advanced academies might not even have Soul Emperors by the time students turned 20.
Yang Xiong couldn't help but feel speechless. He highly respected Shrek's faculty, but it seemed that their resources were not being properly used for the students. Aside from Zhao Wuji, other teachers hardly showed up in the original story.
Especially given Shrek's high casualty rate, it didn't seem to match their supposed strong faculty. In fact, by the later generations, student deaths had become a tradition.
If these talented students from Shrek had been nurtured in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, they might not all meet the graduation standards, but the death rate would be nearly zero. Most would become sect elders.
But this was also the tragic reality of the Soul Master world. Sects could provide the best conditions for students, but they required absolute loyalty in return.
Ordinary civilian Soul Masters, unless they joined a sect, would mostly perish in their growth. Only a few could reach the level of an Advanced Soul Master, and especially at that stage, obtaining a soul ring became increasingly difficult, with the risks growing exponentially.
Take the elderly man with the Dragon Marked Staff—this soul ring configuration could easily allow one to reach Soul Emperor level. With proper training and obtaining suitable soul rings in a sect, reaching the peak of Soul Sage would not be difficult.
When they arrived at the fourth round of the exam, a tall and muscular middle-aged man sat waiting. Standing at 1.7 meters, his muscles were incredibly firm, radiating explosive strength. This man was Zhao Wuji.
Dai Mubai seemed to show some reluctance toward Zhao Wuji. "Zhao, these five are here for the fourth test, and they've already passed the previous exams. I'll take over and conduct their test while you monitor."
Zhao Wuji stood up, his face showing interest. "This year's interesting, five little monsters have come all at once. The fact that you've made it here means your talent is pretty good. I'll personally conduct your test and hope you pass it."
The new students appeared nonchalant, but Dai Mubai's expression shifted suddenly.
(END CHAPTER)
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