"Name?"
"Wang Nan."
"Age?"
"Ten."
"Martial soul?"
"Coiling Dragon Staff."
"Place your hand here. We'll test your soul power."
The teacher conducting the new student registration took out a crystal sphere, similar to the one used during martial soul awakening, though this one was larger.
Blue light swirled within the sphere. The teacher glanced at it once, then looked again to confirm what he was seeing.
"You're really ten years old?"
"Yes." Wang Nan nodded calmly.
"Not bad. Soul power level: twenty-six."
The teacher had seen many prodigies that day, but Wang Nan's results still made him pause. Ten years old, twenty-sixth rank—he'd likely reach three rings before the age of twelve. Even at Shrek Academy, that counted as top-tier talent.
"Take this form and head to the testing area—Arena One. Someone there will handle your admission assessment."
The content of the entrance exam was something Wang Nan already knew: combat. Shrek Academy's philosophy was that numbers meant nothing before real battle. Such an evaluation method didn't surprise him in the slightest.
The so-called "testing area" was actually the academy's combat arena, where several newly built platforms stood. Many students were already fighting atop them.
There were fewer people near Arena One. It was unclear whether the examinees there were too weak or the examiner too harsh, but each bout ended much faster than the others.
"Teacher, I…"
"Come, come, get up here first." The examiner didn't wait for Wang Nan to finish. Taking his form, he gave it a quick glance and tossed it aside before leaping effortlessly onto the platform.
Wang Nan wasn't the timid type. He had plenty of combat experience and was used to fighting; copying the teacher's movement, he jumped up to the opposite side.
"My name's Sun He. Just call me Teacher Sun. The entrance test's simple—win or lose doesn't matter much; I'm just observing your performance. Understood?"
"Y—" Wang Nan hadn't even finished saying "Yes" when Sun He suddenly charged straight at him.
What? Is this teacher really opening with a sneak attack on a student?!
Wang Nan complained inwardly, but his reaction was swift. With a wave of his right hand, the Coiling Dragon Staff appeared in his grasp, two yellow spirit rings rising beneath his feet. One of them glowed especially deep—though still a hundred-year ring, its age was clearly higher than average.
By that time, Sun He was already in front of him, showing no mercy for Wang Nan's young age. His left hand shot toward Wang Nan's eyes while his right palm drove for his chest.
Wang Nan dared not take it lightly. He instantly activated his first soul skill, enhancing his agility to sidestep the left strike, then raised his staff horizontally to block the right. Though Sun He hadn't released his martial soul yet, his physical strength alone sent shocks through Wang Nan's arms, numbing them.
Pressing his advantage, Sun He advanced, both hands striking rapidly toward Wang Nan's body.
Wang Nan couldn't block them head-on; he redirected the force of each attack, deflecting Sun He's palms to either side. Even so, he was forced backward step by step.
Yet, in Sun He's eyes, although Wang Nan retreated, his footwork remained steady. The teacher's gaze brightened slightly, and he deliberately slowed his pace, leaving an opening for a counterattack.
"Good reactions. You've fought before, haven't you?"
Wang Nan didn't answer. He knew one careless word could expose a weakness. From the very first strike, he had already judged that this Sun He's strength exceeded even his father's—a vast difference in soul power meant he couldn't afford a single distraction.
But since Sun He was talking, his movements had indeed slowed. Wang Nan stopped retreating, twisting his staff and striking down with a heavy "Mountain Splitter" overhead swing.
Sun He intended to test his strength. Crossing his arms, he prepared to catch the blow—but the instant the Coiling Dragon Staff met his forearms, his expression changed. That wasn't the full force of a two-ring Spirit Grandmaster.
Sure enough, Wang Nan's arms flexed, pulling the staff in close to his chest. The upper end retracted while the lower end thrust out, stabbing directly toward Sun He's abdomen.
Wang Nan didn't believe for a second that Sun He would leave such an obvious flaw undefended—this chance could easily be a trap. So his downward strike had been a feint, and the real attack came from the other end of the staff.
Seeing the sudden thrust, Sun He didn't dare take it head-on. His right hand dropped to intercept, but Wang Nan's second spirit ring lit up. With a surge of strength, he pushed forward, forcing Sun He back several steps.
Second Soul Skill—Mountain Collapse.
Wang Nan's second soul skill was similar to his first, another self-enhancement ability. But this one amplified raw strength rather than agility. Its origin: an eight-hundred-year Scaled Armored Crocodile—the same kind used by Shrek Academy chefs to make soup, though slightly mutated in his case.
"Good, good, very good." Though momentarily caught off guard, Sun He quickly stabilized himself. After all, he was a teacher at Shrek Academy. Laughing, he said three "good"s in a row. "You've passed your test. But now, you'd best be careful."
As he spoke, soul power flowed around him, and a golden abacus appeared in his hand. Two yellow, two purple, and two black spirit rings rose from beneath his feet—six in total.
A Spirit Emperor, with two ten-thousand-year rings.
So this was Shrek Academy. Even a random teacher here possessed Spirit Emperor cultivation. Still, wasn't it overkill to use a martial soul against a mere two-ring Spirit Grandmaster?
Sun He clearly felt no such restraint. A cunning smile curled across his face. "Today, Teacher Sun will give you your first lesson. It's called—when a lion hunts a rabbit, it still uses its full strength."
Click—
That was the sound of the abacus beads moving. Though the motion of his fingers was slight, the sound echoed across the entire arena.
Click, click—
The rhythm quickened. As the beads struck each other, Wang Nan's heart began to pound faster. An inexplicable irritation rose within him.
A mental attack?
There were countless martial souls in the world, with equally varied skills. Even with his memories from a previous life, Wang Nan's understanding of martial souls was limited; he could only guess that much.
But when it came to mental combat—Wang Nan happened to know a little himself.
He drew back the Coiling Dragon Staff to his waist and sank his consciousness inward, entering his spiritual sea. The once-peaceful lake surface rippled violently under the influence of Sun He's ability. Wang Nan ignored it and instead turned his focus toward the glowing orb floating in the air above…
What's this kid doing?
Sun He sensed something strange. Wang Nan's resistance to his first mental skill was much stronger than expected. Judging from their earlier exchanges, this boy
didn't seem the type to stand still and take a hit—he was clearly preparing something.
Realizing this, Sun He lunged forward, raising his abacus to strike before Wang Nan could complete whatever he was planning. Whatever the boy was about to do, Sun He wasn't going to let him finish it.
(End of Chapter)