I'm sure. And honestly, the previous test wasn't even difficult. I barely felt anything at all.
Fors spoke plainly. To her, that so-called trial really had been no different from standing around doing nothing.
Her words made the six other examinees—who were still sitting cross-legged, trying to recover their strength—change expression instantly. Their faces turned heavy and ashamed. Just moments ago, they had been straining themselves to the limit, barely managing to resist, with some even collapsing with zero points.
Yet the black-haired girl acted as though nothing had happened. She didn't even need rest and was already ready to head straight into the next round.
"Can I really get admitted into Shrek Academy?"
That uneasy thought surfaced in the minds of all six simultaneously.
Fors had no idea that her casual remark had thrown the others into a crisis of self-doubt. Even if she had noticed, she likely wouldn't have cared.
Right now, she simply followed Cang Jingkong's lead, walking toward the next trial. Passing through a corridor, they entered yet another vast hall.
Cang Jingkong stopped, turned to her, and said:
"Wait here. The second examination will begin shortly."
With that, she walked away and disappeared into the shadows.
At that moment, Fors suddenly felt the light in the hall dim. As if night had fallen in an instant.
But it was still noon! Nightfall was hours away.
From the floor, faint silver patterns began glowing. The lines intertwined and overlapped, forming a dazzling design. Above her, the dome's mural shifted—the painted night sky becoming something vast and boundless, as though she truly stood beneath the heavens.
Fors raised a brow. This sensation… could it be…?
The silver design on the ground silently sank into the darkness, vanishing completely. And then—Fors found herself as if suspended in the endless void of a starry night, drawn into a strange realm.
"Black. Black. Black. Black."
Four terrifying soul rings rose beneath the young girl's feet. Ever since reaching the rank of Soul Ancestor (four rings), she had already elevated all her soul rings into ten-thousand-year rings.
This sight left the hidden Cang Jingkong utterly dumbfounded.
This… is she even human anymore?!
Fors, unaware that her soul rings had stunned the examiner, summoned her Martial Soul—the Book of Records. A slim, delicate tome materialized in her hand.
Suddenly, the world spun violently. The scenery blurred, collapsing and reshaping itself.
When the light returned, the starry night was still there—but Fors now stood in a massive, circular arena.
Around her thundered deafening cheers, as if tens of thousands of spectators filled invisible stands. Ahead, a ferocious aura burst forth.
Fors took a glance. The setting reminded her of something she'd once read in a book—the ancient Colosseums, where soul masters fought each other or battled soul beasts to earn wealth and prestige.
"ROAR!"
A thunderous roar echoed. Fors' gaze landed on the approaching creature—a tiger-type soul beast, flames flickering along its pelt. The beast stood three meters tall, body length over seven.
Looking carefully, Fors realized it wasn't real fire—it was the brilliant color of its fur that gave the illusion of flames.
A Scarlet Flame Tiger, with at least two thousand years of cultivation.
Fors' lips twitched. Really? You sent this to me?
Tiger-type beasts were already infamous for ferocity. Among them, the Scarlet Flame Tiger ranked near the top. Its defenses were average, but its attack power and speed were exceptional even among millennial beasts.
"ROAR!"
The tiger wasn't interested in Fors' analysis. Its only thought was to rip apart the prey before it. With explosive strength, it lunged forward, its massive frame bursting into terrifying speed.
At such close range, the beast was confident it could tear out her throat before the human even had time to react.
Shua!
Like a flash, the Scarlet Flame Tiger appeared directly in front of Fors, jaws gaping wide to crush her skull.
Bang!
But instead of snapping her neck, the sound was the beast crashing face-first into the ground. It had lunged, missed, and stumbled. Quickly regaining its stance, the tiger scanned with predatory eyes—finally spotting the girl calmly hovering above.
"ROAR!"
It didn't bother to think why its prey had vanished mid-attack. For a beast, it was simple: attack again.
Shua!
It lunged once more, this time gathering fire in its maw, preparing to blast the girl with flames the moment it reached her.
Fors' expression hardened. Normally, she preferred to stay low-key, even lazy—but when she got serious, she was no pushover.
At present, aside from her "sing-dance-rap" clone, even Lufa and Shenwei weren't her equals in direct combat.
Pointing her finger, she unleashed a surge of gravity. Instantly, the Scarlet Flame Tiger crashed to the ground, pinned as though the earth itself had doubled in weight. This was an ability she had recorded from the soul beast Titan Giant Ape: Gravity Domain.
As her strength grew, the abilities she "recorded" grew stronger with her. Much more straightforward than Tang San's bizarre Swallow Heaven Devil Art—Fors needed no bloodline devouring. She only needed to understand, and the ability was hers.
The ground beneath the tiger softened, water and earth elements merging into a mire: Swamp Domain.
"Glup… glup…"
The Scarlet Flame Tiger sank deeper, struggling fiercely. In its jaws, the fire element gathered frantically. Even if it died, it would unleash a final fireball at its foe.
But before it could release the attack, a deadly chill swept across it. The next moment, consciousness was gone.
Where the beast had stood, only a glimmering ice sculpture of a Scarlet Flame Tiger, the frozen fireball still glowing faintly inside its maw. Even the elemental flame had been sealed in ice.
The moment Fors froze the beast, the arena's cheers vanished. Silence. Darkness fell once more.
The starry sky twisted, whirling like a vortex. A brief dizziness passed, and when her vision cleared, she was back in the hall—standing exactly where she had been.
As if everything had been an illusion.
Fors' brow furrowed. She had once used the Spirit Ascension Platform in Tianhai City's Spirit Transmission Tower, experiencing illusory battles. But that required advanced instruments.
Here, she hadn't sensed any machinery at all—only this bizarre, seamless illusion.
It must be a special research project of Shrek Academy. She mused. After all, their Soul Tool Department had been advancing for over ten thousand years. It wasn't strange they'd developed something extraordinary.