thefictionvixens Chapter 43 Shrek Academy
Chapter 43 Shrek Academy
Before dawn, dew still clung to the bluestone slabs of Shrek City. Zi Lingtian and Wang Dong'er—who should be called Wang Dong now—stood at the gate of that renowned academy.
As the sun peeked over the horizon, it bathed the entire white marble gate in a golden light. The five characters "Shrek Academy" above the gate were written in a vigorous, flowing style, each stroke seemingly imbued with spiritual power, making one's heart tighten. A long queue had already formed outside the school gate, a colorful line like a ribbon.
Some were dressed in the sect's finest robes, the fabrics of which were clearly expensive; others wore old cloth clothes, their eyes filled with longing. Regardless of their attire, everyone wore a tense yet expectant expression, their palms sweating, their eyes constantly glancing towards the door.
Zi Lingtian and Wang Dong'er didn't join the queue. Clutching the recommendation letters from Haotian Sect in their hands, the gold-embossed seal on the envelopes still gleaming, they walked directly to the special passage next to them where no one was queuing.
Standing guard at the entrance was a man in his forties, wearing thin-rimmed gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes sharp yet calm. He had a thin face, and his gray long robe was impeccably washed; he appeared refined, yet possessed an inexplicable air of authority. Upon seeing the two approach, he politely nodded. After receiving the letter of recommendation, his gaze fell upon the seal of the Haotian Sect, and his brow furrowed slightly, his eyes scrutinizing the letter. He opened it, examined it carefully, and even ran his fingertips over the paper a few times, as if verifying its authenticity.
"Written personally by the two sect leaders of Haotian Sect... Niu Tian and Titan?" The man raised his head, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Zi Lingtian and Wang Dong'er's faces. "Is this letter for both of you to share?"
"Yes," Zi Lingtian replied calmly.
The man thought for a moment, tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, then pulled two application forms from the drawer and handed them over. "Fill in the basic information. A letter of recommendation can exempt you from the preliminary selection, but you still have to participate in the entrance examination, it's the college's rule."
Zi Lingtian took the form and quickly filled it in. Name, age, martial soul, soul power level... the handwriting was neat and powerful. In the martial soul column, he wrote "Scepter of Destruction" and in the soul power level column, he wrote "Level 63". As for the other martial soul, the Ancient Tree of Life, he didn't mention it, keeping it hidden.
Wang Dong'er was also writing with her head down, her handwriting was beautiful, and she wrote "Goddess of Light Butterfly" in the Martial Soul column and "Level 35" in the Soul Power level column.
The middle-aged man took the two forms, his gaze falling on the soul power level column. His eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses widened instantly, and his pupils shrank.
"Level 63? Level 35?" His voice involuntarily rose several octaves, filled with barely suppressed shock. This shout startled the teachers registering nearby and the students not far away, who all turned to look, and a cacophony of chatter immediately broke out.
An eleven-year-old Soul Emperor, an eleven-year-old Great Soul Master.
These two numbers were like thunderclaps, stunning everyone at the registration point. Even in a place like Shrek Academy, where geniuses abound, such talent would leave everyone speechless.
The man took a deep breath, steadied himself, carefully put away the registration form, stood up, and became much more polite than before, even with a hint of deliberate kindness. "Please come with me, both of you. The assessment area is on the east side of the academy. I'll take you there."
Zi Lingtian and Wang Dong'er followed behind him, traversing the Shrek Academy campus. Ancient trees lined both sides of the road, their dense foliage creating an impenetrable canopy. The air was filled with the fragrance of grass and trees, mixed with a faint fluctuation of soul power. Along the way, they attracted countless gazes, like stones thrown into a lake. Passing students stopped to whisper amongst themselves, and even teachers doing their morning exercises cast inquisitive glances. The news of the "Eleven-Year-Old Soul Emperor" spread like wildfire throughout the academy. By the time they reached the assessment area, dozens of students and teachers had already gathered, all eager to see this legendary genius with their own eyes.
The assessment area was a large martial arts arena, surrounded by stands made of a special alloy. Along the edges were protective barriers made of soul-guided devices that shimmered with blue light, their energy fluctuations incredibly strong, reportedly capable of withstanding attacks from Soul Douluo-level opponents. In the center was an open area over a hundred feet in diameter, its surface made of hard obsidian, so smooth it reflected light, with faint traces of past energy visible on it. The assessment rules were simple—each candidate would demonstrate their martial soul and soul skills under the supervision of an academy teacher, and the judging panel would decide whether to admit them based on their performance.
Zi Lingtian was ranked first.
He calmly walked into the arena, stood in the center, and looked at the three judges on the platform. The three judges were all well-mannered and exuded the aura of a Soul Emperor with a ring of six or higher. They sat there with piercing eyes, scrutinizing and expectantly examining this young child who had already reached the Soul Emperor level.
"Let's begin," the white-haired old man in the middle said, his voice steady and powerful.
Zi Lingtian took a deep breath, slowly circulating his soul power. In an instant, a purple-gold light exploded before him, and an ancient scepter appeared out of thin air. The scepter was made of purple-gold crystal, engraved with intricate and mysterious patterns, radiating a terrifying aura of destruction. Six soul rings slowly rotated around the scepter—the first two were deep purple, the third was a rare black-gold, and the last three were pure black, gleaming brightly yet eerily in the sunlight, bathing the entire training ground in a faint golden hue.
The area around the training ground suddenly became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the black and gold spirit ring, their faces filled with disbelief.
A ten-thousand-year-old soul ring!
An eleven-year-old Soul Emperor actually possesses a ten-thousand-year-old Soul Ring!
What's even more frightening is that his first spirit ring was a purple hundred-year spirit ring, and his third spirit ring skipped a thousand years to reach the ten-thousand-year level. This completely broke the common sense of spirit master cultivation and was simply defying the heavens!
"A monster...it's definitely a monster!" Someone in the crowd whispered, breaking the silence and a chorus of voices surged forth.
"Quickly, go and ask the dean! This kind of talent must be seen by the dean himself!" One of the judges couldn't contain his excitement and whispered to his assistant, his voice trembling slightly.
The three judges exchanged glances, each seeing a mixture of shock and elation in the other's eyes. The white-haired elder in the middle picked up the registration form on the table, checked the information again, then looked up at the composed Zi Lingtian on the training ground. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but finally managed to squeeze out two words through gritted teeth: "Continue...
Zi Lingtian's expression remained unchanged as he raised his right hand and grasped the Staff of Destruction. The staff trembled slightly, and his first spirit ring suddenly lit up, radiating a brilliant purple-gold light. A condensed purple-gold bolt of lightning shot out from the tip of the staff, swirling like a raging dragon across the arena before exploding violently, transforming into a dense yet precise rain of lightning and fire that struck the surrounding protective barriers, creating visible ripples of energy. The barriers flickered wildly, clearly having withstood a considerable impact.
He used less than 30% of his strength. Yet, even so, the power displayed by the rain of thunder and fire caused the three judges on the platform to change their expressions simultaneously, a hint of solemnity flashing in their eyes. This level of control and explosive power far surpassed that of other Soul Masters of the same rank.
"That's it." The white-haired elder stood up, his voice trembling slightly with barely suppressed excitement. "Zi Lingtian, you've been accepted. Welcome to Shrek Academy!"
Zi Lingtian withdrew his scepter, the purple-gold light dissipated, he bowed slightly to the three teachers, and turned to walk off the training ground.
Next up is Wang Dong'er.
She walked lightly into the training ground, her long, light blue hair fluttering gently in the breeze like flowing clouds. As her soul power circulated within her, a pair of enormous light blue butterfly wings slowly unfolded behind her. The wings were covered with exquisite patterns, shimmering with a dreamlike luster, intertwining with the sunlight, creating a scene of breathtaking beauty that left everyone present mesmerized. A purple soul ring slowly rotated around the butterfly wings—a three-hundred-year soul ring. Although it couldn't compare to Zi Lingtian's ten-thousand-year soul ring, it was still quite remarkable for an eleven-year-old child.
Her first spirit ring lit up, and several sharp, pinkish-blue energy blades instantly sprang from the edge of her butterfly wings, gleaming with a chilling light in the sunlight. With a flick of her jade arm, a sharp blade of energy shot out, accompanied by a whistling sound, precisely striking the protective barrier and leaving a deep mark.
The three judges exchanged glances again, this time not with shock, but with obvious satisfaction. While this young girl's talent wasn't as extraordinary as Zi Lingtian's, it far surpassed that of ordinary people; she was a promising talent.
"Wang Dong'er, you've been accepted." The white-haired old man smiled gently and announced loudly, "Welcome to Shrek Academy."
Wang Dong'er withdrew her martial spirit, and her butterfly wings turned into specks of light and scattered. She turned around and looked at Zi Lingtian standing by the edge of the martial arts arena. Her big pink and blue eyes were bright and sparkling, as if they were filled with starlight. She couldn't help but smile up her lips, revealing a bright smile.
Zi Lingtian nodded slightly to her, a smile involuntarily appearing on his lips, his eyes filled with a sense of satisfaction.
The two walked out of the assessment area side by side, followed by countless complex gazes—undisguised envy, lingering jealousy, intense curiosity, and heartfelt awe. From this moment on, they officially became students of Shrek Academy.
"Zi Lingtian, which class do you think we'll be assigned to?" Wang Dong'er asked, turning her head as they walked along the campus path, her voice filled with anticipation.
"I don't know." Zi Lingtian looked ahead, her voice calm but firm. "But no matter which class we're assigned to, we'll be together."
Upon hearing this, Wang Dong'er's cheeks flushed slightly, like the glow of dawn. She quickly looked away, gave a soft snort, and said with feigned arrogance, "Who wants to be with you? I don't want to."
Zi Lingtian smiled and didn't expose her hypocrisy.
The two walked out of Shrek Academy's gate and stood on the steps in front of it, gazing at the bustling street scene of Shrek City in the distance. The morning mist had long since dissipated, and the streets were gradually becoming lively, with cars and people bustling about, full of vitality.
Eleven years old, a level 63 Soul Emperor, a new student at Shrek Academy.
Zi Lingtian was filled with mixed emotions—was everything going too smoothly?
He took a deep breath, suppressed his turbulent thoughts, and turned to look at Wang Dong'er beside him.
"Let's go back to the inn to pack our things. We'll move into the academy tomorrow."
Wang Dong'er nodded and obediently followed behind him. The two walked together towards the bustling streets of Shrek City.
As the sun set, their shadows stretched long and thin on the bluestone slabs. The two shadows walked side by side, occasionally their steps drifting apart briefly before quickly overlapping again, just like their fate at that moment, inextricably linked, never to be separated again.