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"Next! Hmm? Do your family members know you're out here?" A surprised voice rang out.
Li Yusong's face showed a mix of doubt and uncertainty. Standing before him now was a young girl who had just withdrawn her hand after attempting to introduce herself.
The girl was unaccompanied by her parents, appearing alone. Her simple white dress gave off a clean impression, and her short, ear-length hair framed her flawless, pale complexion.
"May I ask if I've passed the initial test?" The girl's voice was soft and melodious, lacking sharpness but exuding a soothing gentleness that made one feel relaxed.
At this moment, the lecherous gleam in Dai Mubai's eyes shifted from cold indifference to something more predatory—like that of a wolf with ulterior motives.
"Dai Mubai, if you don't want to be pierced by ten thousand swords, I suggest you stop looking at her like that."
Li Luochen's icy voice reached Dai Mubai's ears, sending a chill down his spine. Li Luochen's tone was so frigid that it immediately deflated Dai Mubai's arrogance.
"Yes, Director Li."
Dai Mubai quickly regained his composure. Reflecting on Li Luochen's words, he realized they implied that this girl came from an influential background and wouldn't care about his status as a prince. This realization made him swallow nervously.
The surprise on Li Yusong's face gradually faded as he frowned and asked, "Did your family know you were coming here?"
The girl didn't directly answer his question but smiled instead. "It's said that education should be open to all, regardless of background. As long as I meet the academy's requirements, you have no reason to reject me, right?"
Li Yusong seemed to hesitate for a moment before waving at Dai Mubai. "Take her inside."
The predatory gleam in Dai Mubai's eyes disappeared, replaced by his usual cold demeanor. He led the girl into the academy.
"Hold on. Wait here for a moment. You'll be taken along with the others shortly."
Li Luochen's voice rang out again. Dai Mubai stopped in his tracks and escorted the girl to a nearby waiting room.
The girl's eyes sparkled mischievously as she observed everything around her, forming an initial impression of the students here.
That blond-haired guy clearly wasn't trustworthy—his gaze was too lecherous. The silver-haired one looked at her with admiration but lacked the perversion of the blond. The red-haired one seemed to be appreciating her appearance purely for its beauty.
What puzzled her most was the black-haired youth lounging in the tree. He hadn't opened his eyes the entire time (though he had, Ning Rong Rong simply hadn't noticed), and after saying only two sentences, the blond-haired guy seemed terrified of him.
This girl was Ning Rong Rong, the little troublemaker of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. She had run away from home and wandered her way to Suotuo City, where she heard about a "monster academy" and decided to check it out.
She was now extremely interested in this academy.
Dai Mubai suddenly sensed something and turned to look at a black-haired girl standing behind Tang San. His body trembled violently.
The girl also looked at him, but her eyes were filled with hatred and disdain.
It was now Tang San and Xiao Wu's turn to register.
"Hmm? Have you been practicing any soul skills with your hands?"
Li Yusong asked, looking at Tang San.
Tang San tensed up slightly and nodded. "Yes."
Li Yu Song furrowed his brow. "Lift your calf."
Tang San complied, placing his leg on the table. The elder pinched his calf through his pants, causing Tang San to feel a sudden tingling sensation.
Li Yusong nodded approvingly. "Your muscle development is good, and your bone age is appropriate. Alright, release your spirits."
Tang San and Xiao Wu simultaneously unleashed their spirits, each displaying two yellow spirit rings. Tang San's spirit was Blue Silver Grass, while Xiao Wu's spirit was the Soft Boned Rabbit.
After exchanging a few words with Tang San, Li Yusong instructed him and Xiao Wu to wait nearby. By now, his grandson's telepathic message had already reached his ears.
The black-haired girl wearing the black leather jacket met the requirements; the others were less impressive.
Standing beside Dai Mubai, Tang San and Xiao Wu listened as he spoke.
"I knew you'd pass smoothly. The subsequent tests shouldn't be a problem either." As he spoke, his gaze couldn't help but drift toward Zhu Zhuqing.
Xiao Wu retorted irritably, "What are you staring at? Thinking of seducing another girl?"
Dai Mubai frowned. "You wouldn't understand. I sense that the girl's aura is very similar to mine—not just similar, but complementary. In the world of spirits, finding a complementary spirit is incredibly rare. But when it happens, combining forces can multiply the strength of both spirits. This is what's known as a Spirit Fusion Technique."
Xiao Wu burst out laughing. "So, does that mean the girl's spirit must be a female tiger?"
Dai Mubai's face flushed with embarrassment. "Possibly."
"Do you really need to be so indirect, Dai Mubai? Are you too cowardly to own up to your actions?"
Ma Hongjun cut in bluntly. He had already heard from Oscar about the incident between Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing, confirming that Dai Mubai was indeed a spineless coward.
Mocked by Ma Hongjun, Dai Mubai clenched his fists but dared not retaliate. He couldn't match Ma Hongjun, who always kept him firmly underfoot. Though angry, he dared not speak.
"That's enough. You can go inside now. Xiao Chen, take them directly to the fourth checkpoint."
Li Luochen descended from the tree, glancing at the original timeline's Shrek Seven Monsters. However, with his presence, the formation of the Shrek Seven Monsters would never come to pass.
"Let's go."
Li Luochen spoke briefly and began walking forward. Oscar and Ma Hongjun followed closely behind, with Zhu Zhuqing trailing after them.
"Why is he so arrogant? Is he stronger than you, Dai Laobai?"
Xiao Wu's bold declaration perfectly embodied the stereotype of being "brainless yet confident."
"You can't say things like that, Xiao Wu. He's our academy's teaching director," Dai Mubai said, visibly startled by Xiao Wu's audacity. He still couldn't understand why Zhu Zhuqing had chosen to follow Li Luochen.
The four of them fell behind the main group as Dai Mubai began explaining Shrek Academy to Tang San and Xiao Wu.
"Our Shrek Academy has officially enrolled forty-four 'monster' students over the past twenty years since its founding—an average of just over two per year. If all four of you are accepted this year, it'll set a new record. Before this, the academy hadn't received any monster students for two years. Currently, including myself, there are only three students studying at the academy."
"Three?" Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong exclaimed almost simultaneously, except for Zhu Zhuqing.
Dai Mubai chuckled bitterly. "Across the entire Douluo Continent, we might be the only academy with more teachers than students. Even after enrolling you, the number of students will never exceed the number of teachers."
Tang San asked, "In that case, how does the academy survive? Without students, shouldn't there be no income?"
"Not at all. Our academy is an official advanced soul master academy. This is just the old site, and we're moving soon. The academy already has a new location. According to the principal, this enrollment session is happening because a disciple of his close friend will be attending. Otherwise, we would've left long ago."
Tang San was momentarily stunned. So his teacher and the principal were close friends?
"Is he really that impressive?" Ning Rongrong asked skeptically.
A look of respect appeared on Dai Mubai's face. "The principal once said, 'Better to have nothing than to accept mediocrity.' No matter what, even if Shrek Academy were to close down, we'd never accept weaklings—only monsters.
However, Director Li—our current leader—has changed some of the rules. Training monsters isn't interesting because they're naturally gifted and can thrive under any organization. Turning ordinary people into monsters—that's real skill. Director Li is also one of our graduated seniors, and he's the true definition of a monster.
Moreover, the academy's graduation requirements are quite high. Students must surpass level forty before the age of twenty, reaching the Soul Ancestor stage, to graduate. Every student we've enrolled has gone on to become a remarkable figure. Our most outstanding graduate is Director Li himself, now the youngest elder in the Spirit Hall, second only to the Pope in authority."
Dai Mubai grew increasingly excited as he spoke, though much of what he said aligned with the achievements Li Luochen had fulfilled in the altered timeline.
"Dai Mubai, don't exaggerate. I'm merely an honorary elder, favored by His Holiness the Pope, who bestowed upon me the Papal Decree."
Li Luochen interrupted Dai Mubai's self-aggrandizing speech, correcting him. "Don't drag me into your boasting. Yes, I am the youngest elder, but that's all."
Tang San smiled and said to Li Luochen, "I'm honored to have come here."
"Honor? Hardly. You probably just think there's something to gain here. You're just like your teacher—opportunistic and pragmatic. When there's benefit, you stick around; when there's none, you leave. Good things happen to you first, while bad things never touch you, right?"
Li Luochen disliked Tang San's words. Like teacher, like student. Originally, Tang San was a decent tech-savvy introvert, albeit with some emotional deficiencies that made him controlling.
But to turn him into such a hypocrite—it was truly impressive work. What a master of manipulation in this foreign world, brainwashing Tang San completely.
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