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**
"Extend one hand," said Li Yusong, the man in charge of registration at Shrek Academy.
The youth did as he was told and extended his hand toward the elder.
Li Yusong gave it a few squeezes, checking his bone age.
"Mm, exactly twelve years old. Release your Martial Soul and Soul Rings; let me have a look."
The youth nodded.
A dark-red light of Soul Power radiated from his body as a yellow Hundred Year Soul Ring manifested from within him. Behind him, the shadowy image of a dark-red Beast Martial Soul appeared.
It was quite large and shaped like a lizard, though its head was somewhat hideous, sporting two small horn-like protrusions. They were so short that they could easily be overlooked if one didn't pay close attention. Covered in dark-red scales, the creature looked quite ferocious.
"Oh?"
Li Yusong looked on with curiosity, but he ultimately shook his head.
"Your Martial Soul is somewhat interesting. It looks like a mutated variant of a Ground Fire Lizard, and it has gained the power of the Darkness attribute. Unfortunately, your cultivation is only Rank 19. You do not meet our academy's requirements. You fail; go back."
"What? He failed?"
The youth's father, who had previously worn a face full of confidence, froze the moment he heard Li Yusong say his son didn't meet the requirements.
He couldn't help but ask, "Why? My son was considered exceptionally outstanding even at the Suotuo City Primary Soul Master Academy. Didn't you see that his Soul Ring is a Hundred Year one?"
"There aren't many Soul Masters who possess a Hundred Year Soul Ring as their first. Furthermore, his Martial Soul is a mutation; while it hasn't reached the level of a high-tier Martial Soul, it's still stronger than average mid-tier ones. His Innate Soul Power was also above Rank 5!"
By the end of his speech, the father's tone had become somewhat agitated.
Judging by his words, he clearly had a bit of understanding regarding the world of Soul Masters. It was no wonder he found Li Yusong's verdict hard to swallow.
However, Li Yusong merely said indifferently, "A first Soul Ring being Hundred Year is naturally not bad, and the Martial Soul is decent. But unfortunately, he is just an ordinary person."
The father frowned.
"I don't understand what you mean."
Li Yusong stood up from behind the table with a hint of impatience. He addressed not only the father before him but everyone waiting in line: "To apply for Shrek Academy, you should first understand the rules."
"Coming here without figuring them out is just throwing away your registration fee for nothing. It's not too late to regret it now. Do any of you know the meaning of 'Shrek' in our name?"
Most of the applicants looked on with blank expressions, failing to grasp his point.
Li Yusong said coldly, "A Shrek is a type of monster—an extremely strange existence even among Soul Beasts."
"The meaning of our Shrek Academy is 'Monster Academy.' In other words, we only accept monsters; we do not accept ordinary people. If you are older than thirteen, or if your Soul Power has not reached Rank 21 or above, do not waste your time here."
"What?"
As soon as Li Yusong said this, the crowd in line was stunned.
While Soul Master Academies usually had certain talent requirements, they never expected this so-called Shrek Academy's standards to be so high.
Although the registration fee was cheap—at the level of an Intermediate Soul Master Academy—these talent requirements were even stricter than those of a Senior Soul Master Academy. It was simply too exaggerated.
As expected, most parents shook their heads and silently led their children away.
In an instant, only about a dozen people remained in the registration queue.
The youth's father frowned slightly, unwilling to give up easily.
He offered a forced smile and said, "Teacher, my son's Soul Power cultivation is only one rank away from Rank 20. Once he reaches Rank 20 and obtains a Hundred Year Soul Ring with the help of the academy teachers, won't he be able to break through to Rank 21? Could you please make an exception?"
Li Yusong replied with visible impatience, "Don't hold up the people behind you. Haven't I already told you the academy rules? Stop being difficult and leave."
The youth's father sighed inwardly, no longer persisting. He continued, "Then our registration fee... could it be—"
Li Yusong interrupted him rudely, "Once registered, the fee is non-refundable."
"What!"
This completely shocked the youth's father. Even a clay man has three parts of fire; unable to suppress his anger, he shouted, "This is too much! You set the admission requirements so high and won't refund the registration fee? This is clearly a scam!"
Li Yusong, long accustomed to this, said, "It's your own fault for not inquiring properly before coming to register. Who else is there to blame?"
"Bullshit! If you had stated the requirements clearly in your promotions, we never would have come. Are you saying that entire crowd of people just now failed to inquire properly? You clearly hid this on purpose!" the father cursed loudly.
"Give us back our registration fee, or we aren't leaving! If I had known this so-called Shrek Academy was such a dump, we wouldn't have come in the first place."
As he spoke, a burst of Soul Power suddenly erupted from the father's body as he instantly completed his Martial Soul Possession.
The shadow of a crimson lizard-like creature rose behind him; as the Martial Soul energy partially materialized, it enveloped his body. Upon his Martial Soul form, crimson scales radiated a scorching heat of the Fire attribute.
It was indeed the mid-tier Martial Soul: Ground Fire Lizard.
Simultaneously, one white and one yellow Soul Ring were released. This youth's father was actually a two-ring Soul Grandmaster.
"Humph, a mere Rank 29 Soul Grandmaster without even an optimal Soul Ring configuration dares to act wild at my Shrek Academy? Truly, you don't know the heights of the heavens or the depths of the earth," Li Yusong said coldly with a sneer.
As he spoke, an incredibly powerful surge of Soul Power suddenly erupted from his body, causing the father to tremble uncontrollably.
A rich, iron-red light burst from the elder, and a long staff covered in countless fine patterns appeared in his right hand. Most terrifying of all, a total of six Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet, their dazzling light instantly becoming the focus of the entire scene.
The colors of the six Soul Rings were one white, one yellow, three purple, and one black.
That is: one Ten Year ring, one Hundred Year ring, three Thousand Year rings, and one Ten Thousand Year ring. This old man, who looked like an ordinary farmer, was actually a Soul Emperor powerhouse of Rank 60 or above!
Li Yusong's Dragon Pattern Staff Martial Soul struck the ground with a low, heavy thud.
The resulting ripple of Soul Power caused almost everyone nearby to stagger.
"This... how is this possible? A six-ring Soul Emperor!" The father's face turned deathly pale, filled with disbelief. He truly could not understand why a dignified Soul Emperor would engage in such a low-down scam to amass wealth.
No wonder this Shrek Academy had apparently done this many times before yet continued to exist.
Those who were rejected and had their registration fees seized were all people with poor talent who could never become powerful; naturally, they had no way to defeat them or demand justice. Meanwhile, those with great talent would be admitted into the academy.
It was truly a calculated plot to gain both fame and fortune!
**
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Thanks for reading!
I have 100+ advanced chapter now on Patreon.