"Very good!" Xuanzi said, seeing the pre-selection team members respond so decisively. He was very pleased. "You must be wondering: since our inner academy has less than a hundred students, and the continent is so vast, there must be many malicious events happening, right? So how do we monitor and deal with them?
"Well, I'll tell you this: no matter the country, not even the mighty Sun Moon Empire dares to underestimate our Shrek Inspection Team. Currently, while there are only about a hundred disciples in the academy, there are nearly twenty thousand graduates from Shrek Academy's outer court. Additionally, nearly a thousand of those graduates have served as inspectors and successfully completed their assignments. They, along with their families, provide us with invaluable support!
"While our inner court disciples often face casualties, I can say this with confidence: every disciple who graduates from Shrek's inner court is an elite soul master.
"And, our academy has the finest teaching staff on the continent. Every teacher who remains at the academy is also an inspector."
Xuanzi's pride was evident on his face. He continued, "Every inner court disciple is an inspector, and they must complete thirty inspection tasks before graduation. These tasks not only test the strength of the inner court disciples but also guide their hearts. At Shrek Academy, we don't just aim to cultivate strong fighters. We aim to develop true talents—individuals who are willing to protect the peace and stability of the continent!"
Hearing Xuanzi's words, the seven members of the pre-selection team all fixed their gazes and stood firm. They were clearly determined, without any hesitation, and this pleased Xuanzi immensely.
It was now time for one of the inner court disciples to share their experience. The task was given to Dai Yaoheng. He stepped forward with a proud look and said, "Brothers and sisters, as a member of the Inspection Team, I must tell you that becoming a Shrek inspector is considered the greatest honor by many of our senior disciples who have already graduated.
"Even after graduation, many of them continue the work of an inspector. For the wicked, we are the blade of judgment; for those oppressed and weak, we are the holy light of redemption.
"Across the continent, countless people have received help from the inspectors. Helping others not only refines our hearts but also strengthens our will!
"I am honored to have completed twenty-eight inspection tasks. In these tasks, I've slain bandits who were pillaging and raping, killed corrupt officials who were trampling on lives, and saved women and children who were sold into slavery."
Dai Yaoheng's face shone with pride and honor, and his emotions were contagious. This feeling spread to Ma Xiaotao and the others, including Zhu Ziyang. Although Zhu Ziyang had many complaints about the academy's current state and certain practices, he couldn't deny that the academy was indeed striving to fulfill its responsibility for creating strong individuals.
Perhaps this was the reason the Spirit Hall could rise and maintain control over the continent for thousands of years!
However, Zhu Ziyang thought, Shrek Academy should be doing better. It should not become a tool for some individuals to eliminate their enemies—like the corrupt officials Dai Yaoheng had mentioned. Whether or not that official was corrupt, Zhu Ziyang wasn't sure. But it was true that he had been a political enemy of the White Tiger Duke.
This was one of the areas that Zhu Ziyang wanted to change in the future—Shrek Academy's Inspection Team needed a more complete structure and member selection process!
Xuanzi was very pleased with Dai Yaoheng's speech. He nodded and said, "Now, I need you to give me your answer: join or leave!"
"Join!" Seven voices rang out simultaneously, as if the members of the pre-selection team were all connected by the same thought.
"Hahaha, excellent! Very good!" Xuanzi laughed heartily. "I knew I didn't misjudge you. None of you are cowards. There's another reason I'm telling you all this now: you'll soon face your first inspection mission. Wang Yan, explain the mission to them. Xiaotao, hand them the Shrek inspector gear."
Ma Xiaotao took out seven rings and handed them to the seven members of the pre-selection team.
Wang Yan stepped forward and began introducing their mission: "This inspection mission has been urgently arranged. The academy received a request for help from the Star Luo Empire's military. Our task is to eradicate a group of bandits hiding in the Mingdou Mountain Range. These bandits are extremely brutal, having raided and slaughtered merchant convoys multiple times and even massacred villages along the Star Luo Empire's border.
"At the head of these bandits is a cursed soul master. The group also includes several fallen soul masters. There are indications that they have support from the Sun Moon Empire's military.
"Because these bandits are extremely cautious, after every attack, they immediately retreat into the Mingdou Mountains. Since the Mingdou Mountains are a military restricted area, the Star Luo Empire's military cannot intervene directly, which is why they have called upon our Shrek Inspection Team to eliminate them."
Wang Yan's voice grew serious. "The bandits call themselves Death's Hand, and their leader goes by the title of Messenger of Death. Their actions are extremely arrogant."
"Messenger of Death?" Zhu Ziyang frowned at the mention of the title. It sounded oddly familiar, as if it fit the examination requirements for the God of Death assessment. But what was even more curious was how a cursed soul master strong enough to make the Star Luo Empire's military helpless had appeared. They must be formidable. He looked at Wang Yan and asked, "Do we have any detailed information about this 'Messenger of Death'?"
"No!" Wang Yan shook his head. "Since these bandits have only appeared recently, and because the mission came from the Star Luo Empire's military, our academy's intelligence department hasn't had enough time to gather detailed information about these bandits or their leader."
"So, we have no information at all about the 'Messenger of Death' except for the name?" Ma Xiaotao's expression turned sour, and she looked at Wang Yan with clear dissatisfaction.
"Not exactly," Wang Yan quickly added. "We'll first head to the western military camp of the Star Luo Empire. They will provide us with the specific intelligence on Death's Hand and the Messenger of Death."
"Got it!" Ma Xiaotao nodded with satisfaction and then looked at the pre-selection team members. "This mission will be led by our main team, with you assisting from the back. If there are no further questions, we'll speed up our progress. Time is tight, and the slower members might cause delays. Ziyang, you'll lead Huo Yuhao. Dai Yaoheng, you'll take Wang Dong. I'll lead Xiaoxiao. Does everyone agree with this?"
"I do!" Wang Dong suddenly said, raising his hand. "I want to go with Xiaotao! Xiaotao, I really admire you—can you take me with you?"
Ma Xiaotao froze for a moment, then agreed. "Alright, I'll take Wang Dong. Xiaoxiao, you go with Nannan. As for Dai Yaoheng, you'll lead the way. After all, your family is part of the western military."
"Fine," Dai Yaoheng shrugged in resignation.
"We leave now!" Ma Xiaotao said, lifting Wang Dong under her arm and leaping into the air, speeding forward.
Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan did the same, each leading Huo Yuhao and Xiaoxiao as they quickly took off. Behind them, Gongyang Mo, Chen Zifeng, and Ling Luochen moved at a calm pace. With the aid of a soul tool, He Caitou managed to keep up with Ling Luochen's speed. At the back were Tang Ya and Beibei—although neither was an agile attacker, with Tang Sect's Ghost Shadow Perplexing Step, they weren't too slow. Last came Xu Sanshi, as expected—defensive soul masters had the lowest speed thresholds.
"Ziyang, are you really close to Xiaotao?" Huo Yuhao suddenly asked during their journey.
"Hm, not really," Zhu Ziyang said, lost in thought about the mission target: the Messenger of Death. This cursed soul master's power must be extraordinary if they had left the Star Luo Empire helpless. If the Messenger's strength exceeded Soul Emperor rank, Zhu Ziyang would need to deliver the final blow to complete the God of Death exam. He was deep in thought until he heard Huo Yuhao's question and snapped out of it. "What's up? Do you need something from her?"
Zhu Ziyang quickly realized Huo Yuhao's bashful expression. He smiled. "Go ahead and ask. If it's nothing too major, I can speak on your behalf."
"Really? That's great!" Huo Yuhao's face lit up with excitement. "I got a million-year whale gel at the treasure auction, and I'd like to ask Xiaotao to help me refine it."
"Whale gel?" Zhu Ziyang smiled knowingly. "Refining a million-year whale gel isn't difficult for Xiaotao. I'll put in a good word for you."
"Really? Thank you, Ziyang!" Huo Yuhao said, grinning from ear to ear.
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