As they drew closer, they realized that most of the people here to enroll were teenagers around their age, many accompanied by their parents.
Ning Tianchen looked ahead.
At the village entrance, there was a table set up, behind which sat an elderly man with gray hair and a white beard.
Ning Tianchen couldn't help but mutter softly, "Why does this person seem a bit familiar?"
Ning Rongrong and the other two were already stunned in place, completely ignoring his words.
They had imagined the grandeur of Shrek Academy countless times in their minds, but now, looking at the worn-out sign hanging on the wooden archway, they were struck dumb. Honestly, what kind of academy on the continent looked this shabby?
Even Notting Academy, where Tang San and Xiao Wu previously studied, looked much better than this place.
"Brother San, did we come to the wrong place? Is this really the Shrek Academy that the Grandmaster talked about?" Xiao Wu asked, dumbfounded.
Tang San shrugged, his expression helpless. "Well, we're already here. Let's just see how it goes."
The four of them had arrived relatively early. There were only about twenty people in line ahead of them. Most of those people were frowning, clearly having the same doubts as Xiao Wu.
"You all here to enroll too?" a parent ahead of them in line greeted them.
"Uncle, do you know much about Shrek Academy?" Tang San cupped his hands politely and asked.
That parent couldn't help but sigh. "I heard from someone in the Spirit Hall that anyone who graduates from Shrek Academy is eligible to be granted the title of Imperial Viscount."
It's important to note that the value of an Imperial Viscount far surpasses that of a Kingdom Viscount.
The Heaven Dou Empire has been established for a long time and has enjoyed prolonged peace. Under such circumstances, gaining an imperial noble title is exceedingly difficult.
Most of the parents who brought their children to enroll here were likely chasing this rumor.
Whether the rumor was true or not, anyone who could survive and graduate from Shrek Academy was undoubtedly a genius among geniuses.
You see, the teachers at Shrek Academy do not assist students in hunting soul beasts. Over the years, Shrek Academy has only ever enrolled forty-two students in total, and very few of them have made it to graduation.
Among the most well-known graduates is Qin Ming, who now teaches at the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy. With his talent, it's very possible he might one day be granted a Viscount title.
For a moment, Ning Rongrong and the others looked conflicted.
If Shrek Academy was truly this impressive, why was its campus so rundown?
Ning Tianchen, however, paid no mind to their conversation. He suddenly recalled something. "Ah, so it was him."
The teacher overseeing enrollment—Li Yusong—was the same old vendor who sold The Ten Core Competencies of Martial Spirits.
…
The line in front of the four slowly shortened. Many applicants left the enrollment site dejected, having failed to meet the talent requirements. Among them, only two passed the qualifications and were sent on to the next round of tests.
What was outrageous was that the subsequent tests each required a payment of 20 and 50 gold spirit coins, respectively. And regardless of whether one passed or failed, the testing fees were strictly non-refundable.
Before long, it was a chubby boy's turn to step up and take the talent test.
With just a single glance, Li Yusong immediately declared that the boy was over thirteen years old.
The child's father pleaded desperately, but there was no room for negotiation. When he asked to get the registration fee refunded, a now-infamous scene unfolded.
Dai Mubai displayed his strength as a Spirit Elder with three spirit rings and arrogantly said, "If you can beat me, I'll return the registration fee in full."
The father showed no signs of spirit power—clearly just an ordinary person—and was no match for Dai Mubai.
Among spirit masters, the number of spirit rings always speaks the loudest.
Though the chubby boy was a Grandmaster-level spirit master, against a Spirit Elder with a top-tier White Tiger martial spirit, the gap in strength was enormous.
Watching all this, Ning Rongrong couldn't help but complain, "Isn't this Shrek Academy being way too overbearing?"
She didn't fully understand what ten gold spirit coins meant for an average household, but she still felt that Shrek Academy's actions were no different from banditry.
Though the father and son lacked strength, the crowd wasn't short of parents who were Spirit Ancestors or even Spirit Kings.
Seeing how Shrek Academy was handling things, several of them clenched their fists, ready to step in and teach Dai Mubai a lesson.
Li Yusong, fearing the situation would escalate further, left the table altogether.
A surge of powerful spirit energy burst forth from his body, and a long staff covered in countless intricate patterns materialized in his right hand.
White, yellow, purple, purple, purple, black—six spirit rings rose beneath his feet.
"A Spirit Emperor... It's actually a Spirit Emperor! My god, the faculty at Shrek Academy really is terrifying," many parents exclaimed in shock.
Tang San suddenly smiled. "I think Shrek Academy's approach is absolutely right. If they didn't charge a fee, the academy gates would be flooded with people. Those who failed the test would keep coming back to try again."
"That would just waste time and energy. Charging a registration fee is a way to filter applicants. Those with insufficient strength get stopped at the door."
"But, Third Brother, that's ten gold spirit coins!" Xiao Wu scratched her head, feeling heartache on behalf of the families who lost their fees.
Ning Tianchen found it amusing.
Tang San's way of thinking really was… unique.
He wondered what Tang San's reaction would be if it were his registration fee that got taken.
...
Soon, it was Ning Tianchen and the others' turn in line.
"Hehe, I said two months ago that we'd meet again," Li Yusong said with a kind smile, his gaze lingering on Ning Tianchen.
Parents behind them were taken aback.
Until now, Li Yusong had worn a stern expression the entire time, yet he was now proactively greeting someone? Did that mean they were getting admitted directly?
"You know each other?" Tang San couldn't help but ask.
"We've met once. But a test is still a test. Just because we know each other doesn't mean the rules can be broken," Ning Tianchen said calmly.
Li Yusong nodded, giving him a look of admiration before saying, "Which of you would like to go first?"
"I'll go," Ning Rongrong stepped forward and extended her right hand.
"Age is appropriate. Show me your spirit," Li Yusong said with a smile as he stroked his beard.
When he saw that her spirit was the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, his gaze shifted to Ning Tianchen. "Your families don't object to you coming here?"
Ning Rongrong quickly answered, "We're out for training, our families definitely don't object!"
"In that case, wait over there for now and see if anyone else passes the test."
Next up were Tang San and Xiao Wu, both with a spirit power level of 29.
Although Tang San's Blue Silver Grass was a low-grade spirit, Li Yusong had never seen anyone cultivate a Blue Silver Grass spirit to level 29 by the age of twelve. So he made an exception and allowed Tang San to pass the test.
It's important to note that Shrek Academy evaluates both talent and spirit quality in its admissions.
"Your turn now," Li Yusong said with a smile as he looked at Ning Tianchen.
After Ning Tianchen extended his right hand, Li Yusong quickly confirmed his age. "Twelve years old—very good."
"All four of you have passed the test. Mubai, take them inside."
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