Huo Yuhao was stunned, looking at the honest-looking chubby boy in front of him with disbelief.
Xu Lizhi actually invited me to see the real Shrek Academy?
But...
Huo Yuhao subconsciously gripped the hem of his clothes, a hint of inferiority flashing in his eyes.
"Am I... do I really deserve to go to an academy known as the Monster Academy?"
His voice was soft and trembling slightly.
"I only have innate level one soul power, and my martial soul is also very ordinary, just the Spirit Eye..."
In this world where the strong are respected, having innate level one soul power is basically a death sentence.
Even after encountering the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm and acquiring a million-year soul ring, the deep-seated inferiority complex couldn't be eliminated overnight.
Upon hearing this, Xu Lizhi smiled.
He took a bite of the steamed bun in his hand, his chubby face jiggled, but his eyes were unusually clear.
"Who told you that Shrek Academy only accepts born monsters?"
Huo Yuhao was taken aback.
Isn't that so?
Xu Lizhi shook his head, swallowed the food in his mouth, and spoke seriously for once.
"Although Shrek Academy is known as the Monster Academy, it does not only recruit monsters."
"The so-called Monster Academy is designed to turn ordinary people into monsters in the eyes of others."
"This is the true meaning of the existence of Monster Academy."
Xu Lizhi's voice wasn't loud, but every word was precious, striking Huo Yuhao's heart deeply.
"If you only recruit those exceptionally talented monsters, then casually train them for a few years, and then claim that they were trained by yourself."
"What kind of skill is that?"
Xu Lizhi shrugged, looking completely matter-of-fact.
"Others are born with extraordinary talent, so what difference does it make whether you train them or not?"
"Only when you transform an 'ordinary person' like yourself into a 'monster' that the world looks up to, can you be called Shrek."
"boom--"
Turning ordinary people into monsters?
These words completely overturned Huo Yuhao's understanding of the Soul Master Academy, and were more like a ray of light illuminating his previously somewhat gloomy world.
He felt that Xu Lizhi's words made perfect sense, even... they were so true!
But...
Can you really just casually enter an academy with such grand ideals and formidable strength?
Beibei and Tangya, who were standing nearby, were stunned when they heard these words.
The two looked at each other, both seeing the confusion in each other's eyes.
Is this their Shrek Academy?
Which Shrek Academy is this?
It's important to know that Shrek Academy, which they are familiar with, has a very cruel and direct school motto.
They only recruit monsters, not ordinary people.
If you are over twelve years old and your soul power is not at level fifteen, you cannot enter no matter how hard you try.
Moreover, the elimination system in schools is quite intense, and one can be expelled if they are not careful.
They don't even consider qualifications, they can recruit ordinary people?
They want to turn ordinary people into monsters?
"This...this is completely different from our academy."
Beibei frowned, her mind filled with a sense of absurdity.
Shrek Academy is known as the number one academy on the Douluo Continent not only because of the students' formidable strength, but also because of its extremely high entry requirements.
Not only do you need exceptional talent, but you also need a recommendation letter from a major city.
It's not something you can just walk in on a whim!
That is precisely why the exemption quota held by the Tang Clan is so precious.
But the Shrek these two people are talking about sounds more like... a charity?
Beibei took a deep breath and did not choose to refute Shrek Academy's philosophy. After all, what Xu Lizhi said did seem to be better than Shrek Academy's original philosophy. She pointed to Ye Xinglan next to her.
"This junior just said that she doesn't even recognize Tang San's ancestor."
"What's going on?"
"Ancestor Tang San was the leader of the Shrek Seven Devils ten thousand years ago, the soul of Shrek Academy, and the origin of the name Sea God Pavilion!"
"As a Shrek Academy student, it's a bit much that he doesn't even recognize his own ancestor, isn't it?"
Tang Ya nodded repeatedly from the side.
"Exactly! They don't even know the ancestors of the Tang Sect, yet they dare to claim to be from Shrek Academy?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Lizhi blinked his small eyes, looking completely bewildered.
He looked at Ye Xinglan, then at Bei Bei, and scratched his head.
"I don't know who Tang San is either."
After he finished speaking, he asked a question in return, his tone incredibly sincere.
"Is that guy named Tang San... very famous?"
"..."
The three were shocked.
Even Huo Yuhao was completely stunned, his mouth agape.
Is it very famous?
Huo Yuhao grew up listening to his mother tell stories, and the protagonist in those stories was always the legendary Tang San, the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.
That's a legend of the entire Douluo Continent!
Where did these two people come from?
Tang Ya was so angry that she was trembling all over, and her finger pointing at Xu Lizhi was shaking.
"Even Tang San doesn't know... You must be fake! It must be a fake Shrek Academy!"
"The real Shrek Academy has statues of the original Shrek Seven Devils standing in the square!"
"You don't even know these things, yet you dare to speak so arrogantly here?!"
Faced with Tang Ya's questioning, Ye Xinglan, who had been silent all along, finally spoke.
She slightly raised her eyelids, her gaze still cold and sharp as a knife.
"If you are truly Shrek Academy students..."
"Why can't you even beat me?"
In short.
A decisive goal.
Beibei and Tang Ya, who had initially been eager to argue, were instantly rendered speechless.
yes.
In this world, strength is the only truth.
You claim to be the legitimate authority, you claim to have statues, you claim to have history.
But... you lost.
You, a three-ring Soul Master, lost to a two-ring Great Soul Master whose name you've never even heard of.
This is more persuasive than any language.
Huo Yuhao watched from the side, his heart churning with turmoil.
Yes, Bei Bei is clearly a three-ring Soul Master, yet she can't even beat Ye Xinglan, a two-ring Soul Master. If Shrek Academy is really that powerful, then its students should also be very powerful, instead of losing despite having an advantage in cultivation.
Could it be... that what Xu Lizhi and the others said was true?
Seeing the awkward and stiff atmosphere, Xu Lizhi chuckled and stepped in to smooth things over.
"Hey, don't be so serious."
He looked at Beibei and Tang Ya and waved his hand.
"Stop pretending. Although you're a bit weaker, we'll let you off the hook because you admire Shrek Academy so much..."
"How about I take you there to have a look?"
After saying that, Xu Lizhi suddenly turned his head somewhat guiltily and gave Ye Xinglan an awkward laugh.
"Sister Xinglan, is it alright?"
After all, it was this aunt who held the power of discourse.
Ye Xinglan glanced at the three of them, her expression indifferent.
"casual."
"but..."
She abruptly changed the subject, her gaze piercingly fixed on Beibei and Tang Ya.
"It's almost impossible for the two of you to get into Shrek Academy."
"you!"
Tang Ya was about to lash out when Bei Bei held her back tightly.
Beibei plans to go and see what Shrek Academy, which was able to produce these two guys, is like.
Seeing this, Xu Lizhi quickly tried to smooth things over.
"Ahem, Sister Xinglan is just straightforward, please don't mind her."
"Um... do you guys want to go take a look or not?"
Beibei and Tangya exchanged a glance.
Their eyes met in mid-air, and they both understood each other's meaning.
go!
We absolutely have to go!
Even if it's a den of dragons and tigers, we have to brave it!
"Let's go."
"Beibei said in a deep voice."
Xu Lizhi nodded, a happy smile spreading across his face.
"That makes things easier."
He looked at Ye Xinglan.
"Sister Xinglan, the car."
Ye Xinglan didn't waste any more words.
With a flick of her wrist, she took out a silver-white metal capsule from her storage soul tool.
The capsule is small, only about the size of a thumb, but it shimmers with a high-tech luster in the sunlight.
"What's this?"
Huo Yuhao looked at the small capsule with curiosity.
The next moment.
Ye Xinglan casually tossed the capsule onto the open ground.
"Bang!"
A cloud of white smoke rose up.
Immediately afterwards, a colossal object appeared out of nowhere in everyone's sight.
It was a small car with a streamlined body and a shimmering silver-gray metallic sheen.
The four wheels were encased in some kind of special device, emitting faint fluctuations of soul power.
"What...what kind of soul tool is this?!"
Beibei's eyes widened; he had seen quite a few things from Shrek Academy's Soul Guidance Department before.
But...
I have never seen such an exquisite, beautiful... car before?
A carriage that doesn't need to be pulled by horses?
"This thing...can move?"
Ye Xinglan didn't explain, but walked straight to the car. The car door slid open automatically, revealing the spacious and comfortable seats inside.
"Get in the car."
She coldly uttered two words and got into the driver's seat first.
Xu Lizhi greeted the three dumbfounded people.
"Come on up, it's very comfortable."
With a mix of trepidation and unease, Huo Yuhao carefully sat down inside.
The seats were incredibly soft, and the air inside the car was fresh.
Beibei and Tang Ya also got in, and the two were still looking around at the interior of the car.
"Hold on tight."
Ye Xinglan's voice came from the front row.
The next moment.
It wasn't as bumpy as I had imagined.
Everyone felt a slight weight on their bodies.
The scenery outside the car window started to...sink?
No!
It's not that the scenery is sinking, it's that they are rising!
Huo Yuhao suddenly pressed his face against the car window and looked out.
The trees on the ground grew smaller and smaller, and the stream turned into a silver ribbon.
"Flying...flying?!"
Tang Ya screamed and gripped Bei Bei's arm tightly with both hands.
Beibei's pupils contracted.
A soul-guided flying vehicle?!
This is unheard of!
Huo Yuhao looked out the window at the rapidly receding clouds, feeling the unprecedented speed.
He turned to look at the calm blonde girl in the driver's seat, then at Xu Lizhi, who was eating a steamed bun with a silly grin on his face.
What exactly is Shrek Academy that they're talking about?
(End of chapter)