Tang San and Xiao Wu stood quietly in line.
Du Feng and Dai Mubai, however, stood off to the side. As official students of Shrek Academy, they were merely supervising the recruitment process.
Recalling Dai Mubai's intense gaze earlier, Du Feng couldn't help teasing him.
"What's wrong, Mubai? Why were you staring at that girl like that? Aren't you afraid you'll scare her away?" he said with a grin. "That's not like your usual playboy style, is it? Weren't you the type who enjoyed flirting without ever getting attached? Don't tell me you're trying to reform now."
Dai Mubai frowned slightly.
"You don't understand," he replied. "That girl's aura feels very similar to mine—almost complementary. I have a feeling that if we cultivate together, my cultivation speed might increase. We might even be able to form the legendary Spirit Fusion Technique."
Du Feng nearly laughed out loud.
Of course I know about Spirit Fusion Techniques, he thought.
The Netherworld White Tiger—your ultimate move in the original story.
Looks like Mubai's good days are about to begin.
As the saying goes: abandoning your lover is fun for a moment, but chasing her back is a nightmare.
Looks like the academy will have some entertaining drama soon.
Out loud, Du Feng simply nodded.
"Really? If that's the case, then your future is going to be very interesting."
Dai Mubai suddenly turned to him.
"Du Feng, you stay here and watch things. I need to go check on that girl. I'm worried. If we really can form a Spirit Fusion Technique… then I must win her over."
Du Feng waved him off casually.
"Go ahead. I'll handle things here."
Hearing this, Dai Mubai immediately hurried away.
Watching him leave, Du Feng sighed.
Without Dai Mubai around, things suddenly felt a lot less interesting.
He decided he might as well take Tang San and Xiao Wu straight to the next test—and let them experience Zhao Wuji's "hospitality."
As for the little witch Ning Rongrong, Du Feng had no intention of interacting with her too much right now.
At this stage, she was still a spoiled young lady.
It would be better to wait until Dean Flander personally "educated" her.
With that thought, Du Feng walked over to the teacher responsible for the second test.
"These two," he said, gesturing toward Tang San and Xiao Wu, "have soul power levels that should allow them to skip the intermediate tests. I plan to take them directly to the final stage."
The teacher immediately nodded.
"Alright. Take them straight to the fourth test."
Du Feng patted Tang San on the shoulder.
"Come on. No need to stand in line anymore. I'll take you and Xiao Wu to the next examination."
Tang San frowned slightly.
"That doesn't seem right. I don't want to rely on connections."
Du Feng chuckled.
"Relax. Shrek Academy doesn't allow favoritism. Everything I'm doing follows the academy's rules. With your soul power level, you're qualified for this treatment."
He turned and began leading Tang San and Xiao Wu away from the line.
Immediately, someone nearby shouted angrily.
"Hey! What's going on here?! Using connections so openly? Then what's the point of testing? Is this really how Shrek Academy operates?!"
Du Feng glanced at the agitated youth with clear disdain.
"If your soul power exceeds level twenty-five," he said calmly, "you don't have to go through each test one by one. You can go straight to the final stage."
He paused briefly.
"If you're not strong enough, don't complain about unfairness."
The youth immediately protested.
"How could those two possibly have soul power above level twenty-five?! We're only twelve years old! That kind of cultivation speed is impossible!"
Du Feng sighed.
Without another word, he released his martial soul.
Three spirit rings rose around him—two yellow and one purple.
"I'm fifteen years old," Du Feng said calmly. "A level thirty-nine Battle Soul Elder."
"I was already a Soul Elder at twelve."
He looked around at the crowd.
"Don't assume others can't achieve what you can't."
Then he walked to the testing table, picked up two white crystals, and tossed them toward Tang San and Xiao Wu.
Tang San caught the crystal and silently circulated the internal energy of the Mysterious Heaven Technique.
Instantly, the crystal in his hand blazed with brilliant light—so bright it nearly filled the entire sphere.
His soul power was clearly approaching level thirty.
Xiao Wu did the same.
Her crystal shone just as brightly.
Du Feng turned back to the stunned crowd.
"Well?" he said lazily. "Satisfied now?"
"If anyone here has soul power above level twenty-five, you can follow me to the final test just like them."
He crossed his arms.
"One more thing."
"Shrek Academy only accepts monsters—not trash."
"If you're not qualified, go home and save everyone's time."
The entire crowd fell silent.
Everyone present had passed the first test, meaning they were already considered talented among their peers.
They had arrived full of pride.
But after seeing three monsters in a row…
Their confidence was completely crushed.
A twelve-year-old with soul power approaching level thirty.
And a fifteen-year-old nearly reaching Soul Ancestor level.
This wasn't talent.
It was terrifying.
Just as Du Feng was about to leave with Tang San and Xiao Wu—
A clear, confident voice rang out.
"I think I don't need to go through the next two tests either."
Du Feng looked up.
It was Ning Rongrong.
He scratched his head awkwardly.
He had been enjoying his dramatic speech so much that he had almost forgotten she was still there.
"Go ahead," he said.
Ning Rongrong walked over to Xiao Wu and gestured for the crystal.
Xiao Wu instinctively handed it to her.
The crystal immediately lit up.
Although the light wasn't as dazzling as Tang San's, it clearly exceeded level twenty-five.
Just as Ning Rongrong was about to speak—
The crystal suddenly vanished from her hand.
A figure appeared silently behind her.
Holding the crystal.
The light from it shone brightly—stronger than Ning Rongrong's, though slightly weaker than Tang San's and Xiao Wu's.
The newcomer was Zhu Zhuqing.
The very girl Dai Mubai had chased after.
The teacher overseeing the second test stared in astonishment.
"For years we couldn't recruit even one little monster… and this year we suddenly have four!"
He laughed happily.
"Not bad, not bad! Looks like that old fox Flander will have to give me a raise."
Then he turned to Du Feng.
"Du Feng, once Dai Mubai returns, the two of you take them to the fourth test."
Seeing the four of them gathered together, Du Feng couldn't help thinking:
Well…
Today the future Shrek Seven Devils are basically all here.
From now on, life at the academy is going to be very lively.
There was Dai Mubai, who had foolishly abandoned his fiancée and would soon begin his miserable journey of chasing her back.
Zhu Zhuqing, who clearly disliked him.
Tang San and Xiao Wu, who hadn't yet confessed their feelings.
The mischievous young lady Ning Rongrong.
Oscar, who would soon shave his beard in a desperate attempt to win Ning Rongrong's heart.
And of course—
That lecherous little fat guy Ma Hongjun, whose evil fire constantly caused trouble.
Thinking about the future…
Du Feng suddenly felt very excited.
Shrek Academy was about to become extremely entertaining.