Chapter 9: Time is Running Out for Shrek
"What did you just say?!"
"Twin martial souls. A spiritual-type Body martial soul—Spirit Eyes—and a second, unidentified, mysterious weapon-type martial soul. He escaped from the Star Luo Empire to Mingdu. Lin Jiayi, are you sure you're not pulling my leg?"
Lin Jiayi almost laughed. That felt good. He thought to himself, Turns out the dean isn't that calm either. Look at him—flustered, isn't he?
"Dean, I've confirmed it. That kid, Yuhao, really is a twin martial soul possessor. No doubt about it. The only remaining mystery is his true identity."
"But this isn't hard to investigate. We just need to mobilize our people embedded in the Star Luo Empire. We'll get to the bottom of it soon enough."
Jing Hongchen had already regained his composure. He now studied the test evaluation report Lin Jiayi brought, frowning in deep thought.
Like Lin Jiayi, he didn't think the boy named Huo Yuhao was some kind of spy sent from the Douluo Three Kingdoms. Still, something felt off. Why would someone like that choose the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, of all places?
"White Tiger Duke's Mansion, commander of the western border, Grand Duke of the Star Luo Empire, the illegitimate son of the Star Luo Army God Dai Hao. His mother died because of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion. He harbors hatred and changed to his mother's surname."
Jing Hongchen murmured, eyes glinting as he read the section on Huo Yuhao's first soul ring.
"Jiayi, you're saying the test shows that his first soul ring is 500 years old, and that after acquiring it, he jumped five levels immediately? Don't you think that's a little excessive?"
Lin Jiayi was prepared for this and responded without hesitation:
"Dean, Yuhao has a spiritual-type body martial soul. He obtained his first soul ring at eleven years old in the Star Dou Great Forest. His body is naturally strong enough to handle a higher-year ring. As for the soul power increase, I believe it was simply a case of latent energy erupting. After all, soul power doesn't stagnate just because one doesn't have a soul ring."
That was something Jing Hongchen hadn't considered. He nodded slightly, accepting the explanation for now, but he remained cautious. After all, in his position, he had to think carefully before making a judgment. He couldn't afford to believe just one side of the story. At the very least, he would wait for the investigation from the Star Luo Empire to come back.
Of course, he couldn't ignore Huo Yuhao's extraordinary talent either. But he wouldn't act impulsively—he'd wait and watch.
"Have someone observe the boy in secret," he instructed. "Pay special attention to his attitude toward both the Sun Moon Empire and the Douluo Three Kingdoms. Record everything carefully—don't make any mistakes."
He paused, then added, "Also, he probably doesn't have much money. Get him some new clothes and issue him a special soul guidance card that allows him to eat regular food in the cafeteria for free. Don't be sneaky about it—tell him it's from me. I'm looking forward to what he'll do next."
"Oh, and ask him what his first soul skill from his Spirit Eyes is. That type of rare spiritual martial soul might have some surprises."
Lin Jiayi nodded, then suddenly turned as if he had just remembered something. With a sheepish grin, he scratched his head.
"Almost forgot, Dean. Before I came, I personally invested 10,000 gold soul coins into Yuhao. Think the academy can reimburse me for that? Of course, if not… that's fine too. I'm not that desperate."
"Get out!"
"Got it!!"
Once Lin Jiayi left, Jing Hongchen stood silently by the window, watching the sky darken. After a long while, he murmured to himself:
"Huo Yuhao… I truly hope you show your worth in soul engineering."
---
Meanwhile, at Shrek Academy…
"Xiao Xiao, that old hag Zhou Yi is seriously too much! She expelled all the weaker students in our class using her authority!"
Xiao Xiao, clearly exhausted, sighed while squeezing through the cafeteria crowd.
"She's the homeroom teacher. What can we do? Besides, strict teachers produce better students. She's got the highest graduation rate in the academy. I'm sure she has her reasons."
They collected their meals, but as usual, the cafeteria was packed—no chairs available. They ended up standing awkwardly at a table, hastily eating a few bites.
"Graduation rate, my ass," Wang Dong scoffed. "She boosts her stats by expelling students with poor physical fitness or weak soul power, then focuses all her effort on the talented ones. Of course, the graduation rate looks good!"
"But not all soul masters develop the same way. Take those 100 laps around the training field every week—how are food-type and support-type soul masters supposed to compete with attack systems and agility-attack system soul masters? She's a maniac."
Xiao Xiao sighed again. She didn't want to argue, but she had her frustrations, too.
"Enough complaining. We should focus on surviving the new student assessment. Most of the class will be eliminated. Only those who pass will be considered true Shrek students."
Wang Dong snorted. "Ridiculous system. How much progress can anyone make in just three months? It's just a way to filter out the real geniuses. Anyone deemed a 'waste of time' isn't worth nurturing."
Xiao Xiao noticed how irritable Wang Dong had become lately. Maybe it was just the moodiness of a handsome guy with a complicated past. She knew his second soul ring was at the thousand-year level, and guessed he came from a powerful background—but his soul power was still only at level 21, which didn't quite add up.
Wang Dong herself was also confused. On the way to Shrek, escorted by people from the Clear Sky Sect, she suddenly felt a strange pull—an urge not to go to Shrek at all, but to the Sun Moon Empire.
The thought had scared her. She was rejected, of course, by the sect's escorts and forced to enroll at Shrek.
But ever since her arrival, her mood had steadily worsened. She couldn't shake the feeling that she didn't belong here. She hated soul guidance devices—just looking at them made her feel nauseated—but somehow, the Sun Moon Empire, home of soul guidance technology, still felt like where she should be.
Wasn't that betraying her sect? Betraying the Heavenly Soul Empire?
"What's wrong with me…?"
She sighed deeply.
Far away, under a tree, an old man lying down let out a heavy sigh as well. His cloudy eyes stared at the Golden Tree in the center of Shrek's Sea God Lake, filled with unconcealed worry.
"That Clear Sky Sect kid… she already harbors such resentment toward Shrek. What a pity. And to make it worse, no exceptional monsters have appeared this year. Time is truly running out for Shrek…"
He thought back to a prophecy the Golden Tree had once given him long ago.
The Golden Tree—nourished by the remains of Shrek's ancestors—was the academy's ultimate foundation. But in recent years, it has grown silent...
"Dark times ahead… I just wish I had a few more years. If I must hand over Shrek to Xuan Zi now, how can I be willing?"
Truth be told, even without "Huo Yuhao," this year's Shrek students weren't without talent. But Shrek needed monsters, not just "geniuses." And as for those like Ning Tian and Wang Dong—students backed by powerful sects—they were already off the table from the academy's perspective.
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End of Chapter