Between Soul Masters, Soul Rings were always the ultimate measure of authority. The moment the crowd saw the three Soul Rings on
Dai Mubai returned to his seat and settled down again. His bewitching eyes swept coldly over the line of youths and parents still waiting behind, the threat in his gaze unmistakable. The pressure from three Soul Rings was not something ordinary people could withstand. Right then, he no longer looked like some pampered young master — he looked more like an enforcer.
The moment this scene ended, a third of the waiting crowd vanished. Nobody wanted to waste money for nothing, especially given that the exterior of this so-called Shrek Academy was nothing to write home about.
Another registration youth stepped before the old man, both parents in tow. His mother confidently placed ten gold coins into the wooden box, and the boy obediently extended his hand.
The old man squeezed his wrist, then looked the boy over with those dim, yellowed eyes. "Exactly twelve years old. Release your Martial Soul. Let me see it."
The boy nodded. Pale green Soul Power radiated from his body as a Hundred-Year yellow Soul Ring orbited around him, pulsing up and down.
The aura of a Hundred-Year Soul Ring was clearly not weak. His Martial Soul appeared — a thick, elongated vine that coiled and spiraled around his body.
This Martial Soul bore some resemblance to
The old man shook his head. "Not qualified. You may leave."
The boy's parents had been wearing expressions of perfect confidence, but upon hearing that their child was not qualified, their faces froze. His mother couldn't help asking, "Why? My son was a top student at his elementary academy. Didn't you see his Soul Ring is Hundred-Year? Soul Masters with Hundred-Year Soul Rings are not common."
The old matter-of-factly replied, "Having a Hundred-Year first Soul Ring is certainly not bad. But he's just an ordinary person."
The boy's father frowned. "I don't understand what you mean."
The old man rose from behind the table with a hint of impatience, addressing not only the boy's parents but also the line of registrants waiting behind. "If you're coming to register at our Shrek Academy, you should familiarize yourselves with the rules first. Coming here without doing so is nothing but throwing away your registration fee. It's not too late to back out now. Do any of you know what 'Shrek' in Shrek Academy actually means?"
Most of the registrants wore blank expressions.
The old man said coldly, "Shrek is a monster — even among Soul Beasts, it's an exceedingly peculiar existence. The meaning of our Shrek Academy is Monster Academy. In other words, we only accept monsters here, not ordinary people. If you're over thirteen, or your Soul Power hasn't reached level twenty-one or above, don't waste your time here."
Tang San had originally shared
As he spoke, an incredibly powerful aura erupted from the old man's body. Even Tang San and Xiao Wu, formidable as they were, couldn't help but tremble from head to toe. A rich crimson light burst forth from the old man, and a long staff covered in countless intricate patterns materialized in his right hand. Most terrifying of all, a full six Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet, their dazzling radiance instantly becoming the center of attention for the entire crowd.
The six Soul Rings displayed one white, one yellow, three purple, and one black — a Ten-Year Soul Ring, a Hundred-Year Soul Ring, three Thousand-Year Soul Rings, and one Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring. This old man who looked like an ordinary farmer was in fact a super powerhouse of the Soul Emperor class, above level sixty.
Level sixty — that was level sixty! Even across the entire Balak Kingdom, Soul Masters of that caliber could be counted on one hand.
The old man's staff struck the ground with a muffled thud that radiated outward. Nearly every person in the crowd stumbled a step.
He waved his hand at the dumbfounded family before him. "Next."
The glow of the Soul Rings retracted, and all his Soul Power vanished in an instant. The old man returned to his earlier languid demeanor, as though the Soul Emperor's aura had never been released by him at all.
If some parents had still felt indignant over the old man's words before, every single person now wore the expression of someone who dared not make a sound. Who would dare offend a Soul Emperor — one who possessed a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring, no less?
In wartime, a single Soul Emperor's power could match at least a thousand elite soldiers.
The contempt and scorn in the eyes of the parents and would-be students evaporated in an instant. If a mere registration teacher possessed strength above level sixty, just how powerful would the faculty of Shrek Academy be?
But soon, most of the parents' faces took on expressions of quiet resignation, and they silently led their children away.
Reaching level twenty Soul Power by the age of twelve — just as the old man had said, that was likely a level only a true monster could achieve.
The line that had once numbered over a hundred was reduced in the blink of an eye to just over a dozen registrants.
The old man seemed unconcerned about the number of students and simply continued with his registration work.
Those who remained were clearly confident they could pass the old man's evaluation. The next several youths who registered all possessed Soul Power above level twenty, each with two Soul Rings. After paying the ten gold coin registration fee, the old man informed them that they had passed the first stage of the entrance examination and could proceed into the academy for the second stage. Parents were not permitted to accompany the candidates inside.
(End of Chapter)