While Xiao Wu was reading the contents of the diary, she couldn't help but agree with Su Ming. If she hadn't seen Su Ming's Wood Release technique as a reference, she might have thought the Dragon Beard Needle was quite powerful. But with a comparison, the sight of the Dragon Beard Needle shredding a blanket didn't seem all that impressive.
At the same time, she had a question in her mind: Is the Dragon Beard Needle really that powerful? Could it really tear apart a soul master's flesh once it penetrates their defenses?
[I remember that in the original story, the Dragon Beard Needle had a significant effect when used against Zhao Wuji, making him suffer greatly.]
This immediately piqued the curiosity of the girls. Facing off against Zhao Wuji? Ning Rongrong thought about it and wondered if this meant they would be fighting Zhao Wuji in their entrance exam. The name Zhao Wuji sounded familiar to her, but she couldn't quite place where she had heard it.
[Tomorrow, when we try to enter Shrek Academy, we'll have to pass four tests to get admitted.]
[The first test is a normal soul power check. Applicants must be under twelve years old and have at least a soul power level of 20, with both soul rings having to be yellow—meaning they must be at their optimal configuration.]
The girls were stunned by this. What kind of academy is Shrek? The requirements are so high!
To reach level 20 before the age of twelve, someone would need at least a five-level innate soul power and then train extremely hard to reach that level. Most intermediate soul master academies didn't have such strict requirements, and this condition alone would exclude more than 80% of applicants. What gave Shrek Academy the confidence to set such high standards?
[Despite these harsh requirements, many people still came to apply, but most didn't know the entrance criteria. Initially, they had to pay ten gold soul coins just to apply—a huge sum for an average family and even more for those from poorer backgrounds!]
[The teachers at Shrek Academy didn't care about that, though. Once you paid the fee, it was non-refundable. Even if you didn't meet the entrance requirements, the academy wouldn't return the money.]
The girls frowned at this. Such an ugly way of doing business?
They don't let people in, yet they don't refund the application fee?
Liu Erlong, deep in thought, realized that this rule must have been set by that penny-pinching Flender.
[This rule is excessive. Sure, they want to make money, but there's a limit. Tomorrow, I'll record how many people get scammed out of their money. I remember there being a long line of applicants, but in the end, only Tang San, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing got in.]
[As for everyone else, they didn't even make it through the first round.]
[Then comes the soul power test. In the original story, Tang San and Xiao Wu were both at level 29, Zhu Zhuqing was at level 27, and Ning Rongrong was at level 26—all prodigies, far exceeding the minimum requirements.]
[This impressed the teachers conducting the test, and that's when Dai Mubai showed up, allowing the four of them to skip the second and third tests.]
[If your soul power exceeds level 25 and your soul rings are optimally configured, you get to skip the second and third tests.]
Bibi Dong was left speechless. This Shrek Academy really thinks highly of itself. Even the Spirit Hall's academies didn't have this many conditions.
Over level 25 at twelve years old and still needing a fourth test? That's just too much!
[Let me take a moment to rant about Ning Rongrong's soul power level.]
Ning Rongrong's heart skipped a beat. What did I do wrong?
[Zhu Zhuqing was younger than twelve when she entered Shrek, making her the youngest among them. With her innate soul power of level 7, she still managed to reach level 27 by the time of admission.]
[But look at Ning Rongrong. Not only was she older than Zhu Zhuqing, but her soul power level was also one level lower. Sure, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda is a support-type martial soul, and it's harder to cultivate, but with innate soul power of level 9, she should have been able to make up the difference. This gap in levels is a bit disappointing.]
Ning Rongrong's face flushed red. She had always believed her talent and strength were impressive. In her clan, she was the best! How did she end up being the weakest here? She couldn't accept it!
But then, she smiled, confident. This time, I have full innate soul power and the help of the system and the Glazed Tile Pagoda Jade Pendant. There's no way my level will be lower than Zhu Zhuqing's!
[However, this is understandable. Ning Rongrong's talent was the highest in the history of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo must have spoiled her rotten, fulfilling all her desires. Of course, she wouldn't have worked as hard in her cultivation. With such a vast family fortune, it's not like she had to rush her training—they had the resources to take it easy.]
Ning Rongrong: ...
While it was true that after awakening her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul and achieving full innate soul power, her father and two grandfathers had indeed pampered her more, she had almost fallen into that trap of complacency. If she hadn't read Su Ming's diary every day and learned about the world and Su Ming's own training efforts, she might have continued thinking that her clan was unbeatable, and she was an unrivaled genius—a bit of a frog in the well.
But things were different now. Ning Rongrong believed with all her heart that her soul power level tomorrow would definitely not be lower than Zhu Zhuqing's!
[In the previous life, many online readers commented that although Ning Rongrong was pretty, she was too arrogant and spoiled—basically a princess syndrome. Of course, some defended her, saying that as the heir to the richest clan in the world, she had every right to act like a princess.]
[I tend to agree with the latter. But to be honest, in the early stages, Ning Rongrong's personality wasn't exactly lovable. She was sheltered too much by her father and her two grandfathers.]
[To put it nicely, she was just a mischievous little devil. To put it bluntly, she was kind of a brat.]
Ning Rongrong: Ahhh! Su Ming, you jerk! How could you say that? I'm not a brat! Explain yourself!