Time flew by, and six days passed in the blink of an eye.
During this period, Fors had stayed inside the hotel the entire time, never going out. She hadn't had much contact with Nan Fusheng and the others either—at most, she occasionally called upon one of her hapless "main body" clones to run errands for her, usually to buy food.
As for Tang Wulin, things went just as expected. Four days ago, he had successfully obtained enough spirit items from the auction to break through the second seal of the Golden Dragon King. But afterward, he entered a state of deep meditation and hadn't awakened since.
Faced with this, the members of Class Zero made their decision: they would wait. Either they all sat the entrance exam together, or they wouldn't take it at all. This loyalty touched Wu Zhangkong deeply. He even considered going to his teacher to admit fault and beg forgiveness—hoping to win them an extension for the exam.
But none of this had anything to do with Fors.
At this very moment, the girl was riding a soul-guide taxi, on her way to Shrek Academy for the entrance examination.
Even though the taxi wasn't slow, it still took nearly an hour and a half just to reach the outskirts of Shrek City's inner walls.
The massive city walls loomed in the distance, ancient and imposing, like a giant dragon coiled upon the earth. They bore no fancy decorations, no plaques announcing the city's name—yet their majesty spoke louder than words.
Outside the gates, however, it was another scene entirely. A vast sea of people was gathered there, shoulder to shoulder, creating a noisy, bustling atmosphere.
It took Fors more than ten minutes just to get out of the taxi, grumbling inwardly at the horrible traffic. Of course, it was only natural—the entrance exams for Shrek Academy were underway, and countless prodigies from all across the Federation had converged upon this place. No wonder the roads were so clogged.
Fors began walking toward the central plaza. Ahead, a handful of Shrek students in uniform were directing the crowd, ordering them to form proper lines.
But the moment Fors appeared, the bustling crowd suddenly fell silent.
Every gaze turned toward her, even those of the Shrek students.
What a stunning girl…
That was the thought in everyone's mind.
Fors Wall's beauty was not of the flashy or seductive kind, nor the distant and icy sort—it was a kind of lazy, classical grace, a beauty that felt natural, as though she were a child blessed by heaven itself.
But Fors ignored all their stares. She simply walked to the back of the line, closed her eyes, and waited patiently.
Fortunately, Shrek Academy's efficiency wasn't bad. Before long, it was her turn at the front.
"I am Fors Wall, student of Tianhai Academy. Here is my letter of recommendation." Fors spoke plainly, offering the document.
"Alright. I'm one of the guide instructors for Shrek Academy. Pretty little sister, come with me."
The woman who received her letter looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six. She verified the authenticity of the recommendation letter with a soul tool and then beckoned Fors to follow. Her badge bore three large characters: Cang Jingkong.
Cang Jingkong gathered Fors and six other candidates, leading them into the plaza.
Unlike the greenstone pavements of Shrek's inner city, the ground here was paved with massive gray stones. Around them stood a ring of ancient buildings forming a semicircle, their sheer size so vast that the diameter of the semicircle was easily over a kilometer. Each block of stone bore intricate carvings of full-bodied human figures.
At the center of the plaza stretched a massive circular pool, over a hundred meters across, with fountains spraying upward. And in the very heart of that pool stood a statue—a statue of Huo Yuhao.
"This plaza is called Lingbing Plaza," Cang Jingkong explained as she led them forward. "It was built over ten thousand years ago, when the Shrek Outer City was first established, and the Inner City was fully incorporated into the Academy.
"It was named in honor of the Spirit Ice Douluo, Huo Yuhao, one of the most legendary figures in Shrek's long history. I'm sure you've all heard of his deeds, so I won't repeat them here. Now, follow me into the main teaching building."
As they drew nearer to the massive semicircular structure, the statues lining the walls became clearer.
"These statues are of the Academy's Inner Court disciples. Every student who has ever made it into the Inner Court has their likeness preserved here. It is both a memorial and a living testament to Shrek's legacy."
The six other youths were practically trembling with nerves. After all, this was Shrek Academy, the number one academy on the continent, infamous for its brutal elimination rate. Even though each of them was considered a genius in their own school, here they all felt as though they stood before a great trial.
Fors, however, looked perfectly calm—her mind even wandering into idle thoughts about whether so many statues would eventually make the place look crowded.
They entered the grand building, immediately struck by its magnificence. The ceiling was over ten meters high, with six stories rising above it. The walls and dome were covered in murals—not gaudy, but exuding a sense of ancient dignity.
"This is the Shrek Hall," Cang Jingkong said as she led them deeper inside. "Every mural you see here records events that have happened over the past twenty thousand years of Shrek's history."
Twenty thousand years of heritage.
Such a weight of history could not help but inspire awe. The six candidates were overwhelmed with reverence. Fors alone remained unmoved, walking casually among them.
After climbing more stairways and passing through vaulted corridors, they arrived at a vast circular hall. The ceiling stretched nearly twenty meters overhead, adorned with yet another mural.
The instant they lifted their heads to look, all of them shivered involuntarily.
The mural depicted a single being: a colossal black dragon. Its golden eyes glared down with majesty, its vast wings unfurled, its entire body glowing with dark purple light.
Even though it was just a painting, every scale seemed vividly real. The crushing aura it radiated felt as though it might collapse the hall itself.