The line moved quickly, and soon it was Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong's turn.
When Yang Xiong reached out his hand, the elderly examiner felt around it and revealed a trace of doubt in his eyes.
"Huh, there's something unusual about your hand. It's somewhat similar to the one who passed earlier, but also a bit different."
Yang Xiong guessed the elder was referring to Tang San. Due to cultivating the Mysterious Jade Hand since childhood, Tang San's hands were quite different from ordinary people. However, Yang Xiong responded casually, "Maybe it's because I've liked exercising my body since I was young."
The elder carefully examined Yang Xiong's body, especially the joints. In the end, he sighed, "Your age checks out, but your physical fitness far exceeds what it should be at your stage. I really don't know how you managed that. What's your spirit?"
Yang Xiong replied, "My spirit is rather special, it's my own body."
The elder was visibly surprised again. "That really is strange. I've been in the spirit master world for many years and have never seen a spirit like yours."
Yang Xiong smiled. "Sir, spirits in the spirit master world come in all shapes and forms. It's perfectly normal to see various types. Take your Dragon-Patterned Staff, for example, it's not common either."
The elder finally nodded. "That's true. You've passed the first test. Mu Bai will now take you to the next round."
Yang Xiong stood to the side, planning to wait for Ning Rongrong to finish her assessment so they could proceed together.
The elder also assessed Ning Rongrong's spirit and power, and was similarly surprised. "Young lady, do your family members know you're enrolling here?"
Ning Rongrong pouted. "What does it matter? This is a spirit master academy. As long as I meet the requirements, I can enroll."
The elder couldn't help but sigh. He remarked how odd this year's applicants were, why were all the people coming to Shrek Academy so unusual?
Soon, under Dai Mubai's lead, the group moved directly to the second round of assessments. Besides Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong, there was also Zhu Zhuqing.
They watched as Tang San and Xiao Wu not only passed the test with ease but were allowed to skip both the second and third rounds and proceed directly to the fourth.
The surrounding candidates seemed displeased, accusing the academy of favoritism.
Dai Mubai's expression turned cold. "If you can reach level 25 by the age of twelve, you can also go straight to the final round."
One student was visibly upset. "That's impossible! I'm already one of the best at my academy and I've only reached level 22. How can anyone reach level 25 by twelve?"
Without wasting words, Dai Mubai took out a spirit power testing crystal ball.
Tang San and Xiao Wu both tested at level 29, astonishing everyone present. Reaching level 29 at twelve years old was nearly unheard of in the entire city of Soto. These were true prodigies.
Yang Xiong felt a sense of pressure, but then couldn't help smiling. Tang San and Xiao Wu were indeed gifted. He had looked through the records of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, and in the past hundred years, only one person had reached level 29 by age twelve, Sword Douluo. Even Bone Douluo fell slightly short. Everyone else didn't even come close.
Still, Yang Xiong believed that even if his innate spirit power wasn't as high, he would soon surpass them.
Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong then took the spirit power test, one at level 26, the other at level 28—bringing them directly to the fourth round. Even Zhu Zhuqing reached level 27.
Along the way, they encountered a middle-aged man selling sausages, Oscar, who was actually considered the most talented among the future Shrek Seven Devils.
However, everyone felt a bit nauseated when they heard Oscar chant the incantation to summon sausages.
Yang Xiong didn't mind. After spending months in the Sunset Forest, he'd eaten all kinds of things. He bought a sausage and ate it right there. It tasted good and even restored spirit power, it was surprisingly effective.
Still, the girls around him looked at him with disdain. Yang Xiong shook his head. These girls were just inexperienced. For ordinary folks, even having food is a blessing, let alone a sausage that worked better than spiritual herbs.
Yang Xiong also suspected that if Tang San hadn't undergone the Ice and Fire Body Refinement, Oscar might have had the best physique among the Shrek Seven Devils. Food-type spirits were like cheats in the Douluo Continent, almost violating the laws of energy conservation.
Dai Mubai introduced the academy to everyone. Currently, Shrek Academy had only three students, while the number of teachers exceeded that.
This drew a lot of strange looks from the newcomers.
Especially when Dai Mubai mentioned that enrollment was strict, and graduation even stricter, students had to reach level 40 before turning twenty. By that standard, this academy was training spirit masters at the highest level. Many top academies couldn't produce even one spirit ancestor by that age.
Yang Xiong was speechless. He acknowledged Shrek's teaching strength, but felt it wasn't effectively applied to the students. In the original story, aside from Zhao Wuji, the other teachers rarely appeared.
And with Shrek's high casualty rate, its supposed strength didn't match its results. In later years, student deaths even became a kind of tradition.
If these geniuses had trained under the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, they might not all meet Shrek's graduation standards, but their survival rate would be nearly 100%, and most of them would become clan elders in the future.
But this was the sorrow of the spirit master world. Clans could provide the best resources, but demanded total loyalty in return.
Ordinary civilian spirit masters, unless they joined a clan, usually perished during their development. Only a few reached the advanced level. And the higher the level, the harder it became to obtain spirit rings, and the greater the risk.
Take the elder with the Dragon-Patterned Staff, for example. He had trained to the spirit emperor level with an average ring setup. If he'd been trained by a clan and received proper ring allocations, he might have reached the spirit saint level with ease.
When everyone arrived at the fourth assessment point, they saw a very muscular man who looked extremely powerful. He was only around 1.7 meters tall, but his body was densely packed with muscle, radiating explosive strength, this was Zhao Wuji.
Dai Mubai seemed a bit intimidated. "Teacher Zhao, these five are here for the fourth round. They've come straight here, and I'll conduct the test while you supervise."
Zhao Wuji stood up. "This year is pretty interesting, five little monsters have come straight to me. If you've made it this far, you must be gifted. Looks like I'll personally test you. Hope you can pass."
The new students appeared calm, but Dai Mubai's expression changed dramatically.
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