Dai Mubai, still under Xiao Wu's charm, looked in the direction of Li Yusong and shouted, "Xiao Wu, I didn't expect you to hide here! Why don't you keep teleporting? Let's see if I can't beat you this time, heh heh!"
Su Ming furrowed his brow. What's Xiao Wu up to now?
Meanwhile, Xiao Wu canceled her martial spirit and skipped happily over to Su Ming's side, holding onto his arm. She wasn't concerned about the rest of the situation—it was up to the old man to handle now.
Heh, that was fun.
Su Ming immediately understood. Xiao Wu was planning to let the teacher knock Dai Mubai out of his charm-induced stupor. She really has endless tricks up her sleeve.
Poor Dai Mubai—he wasn't just socially dead, but now he was going to be physically punished by the teacher as well.
Su Ming lightly tapped Xiao Wu on the nose and gave her a reprimanding look. Xiao Wu just stuck out her tongue playfully. It serves Dai Mubai right for being so annoying! He deserved it!
Li Yusong sighed. He had been watching this all unfold, and now he was involved. He didn't expect to get dragged into this while he was simply observing, but it seemed he would have to take action. Well, it was a good opportunity to show these prodigies the strength of their teachers. Otherwise, with Shrek's dilapidated buildings... well, let's just say the academy wasn't leaving a good impression.
In an instant, Li Yusong's aura changed. The old and frail appearance he had a moment ago disappeared, replaced with the presence of a formidable warrior. His martial spirit, the Dragon-patterned Staff, appeared in his hand. Six soul rings—white, yellow, purple, purple, purple, black—rose slowly beneath him. He was a Soul Emperor!
The crowd was stunned. Who would have thought that this elderly man, who seemed past his prime, was actually a powerful Soul Emperor? And to think that someone of his stature would be doing such a low-level job!
Even Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong were surprised. It seemed Shrek Academy did have some capabilities after all. The teachers were quite strong, although his first soul ring being white was a bit underwhelming.
The girls watching the livestream were also slightly impressed. Based on Li Yusong's strength, Shrek Academy's faculty didn't seem so bad. But that didn't change the fact that Shrek was still a "scam academy"! How poor did they have to be to refuse to refund people's registration fees?
Dai Mubai, still under the influence of Xiao Wu's charm, giggled at the illusionary Xiao Wu and launched a White Tiger Light Wave attack. However, Li Yusong easily deflected it with a flick of his Dragon-patterned Staff.
As a Soul Emperor, dealing with Dai Mubai, a Soul Elder, without even using a soul skill wasn't a problem. He didn't need to exert himself—this was the kind of spectacle that would convince prodigies to join Shrek Academy.
Dai Mubai was shocked. His enhanced White Tiger Light Wave, empowered by his third soul skill, had been easily deflected. He couldn't believe it—was Xiao Wu really this strong?
Li Yusong smiled to himself. For the sake of recruiting this young girl and other prodigies, I'll have to let Dai Mubai suffer a little.
With a burst of speed, Li Yusong appeared in front of Dai Mubai and struck him in the stomach with his staff.
Thud!
Dai Mubai was sent flying, his defensive skills proving useless. As he crashed into the ground, Xiao Wu's charm finally wore off, and he knelt on the ground, clutching his stomach in pain, coughing repeatedly. When he raised his head, he realized that it wasn't Xiao Wu who had hit him—it was Li Yusong!
Confused, Dai Mubai looked around. He had clearly remembered Xiao Wu kicking him earlier. How had it turned into Li Yusong? He looked around again and saw Xiao Wu standing next to Su Ming, laughing and chatting. It dawned on him: Xiao Wu's charm had made him mistake Li Yusong for her.
Dai Mubai had a sinking feeling in his stomach. Had he done something embarrassing during the illusion? He glanced around and noticed people whispering and then quickly stopping when they met his gaze. He even saw Zhu Zhuqing, who had come to Shrek to register, standing with another beautiful girl. When their eyes met, Zhu Zhuqing's expression of disdain was evident.
Dai Mubai's heart sank. Great. I've socially died.
He wanted to explain himself to Zhu Zhuqing immediately, but there were other matters to address first.
Su Ming stepped forward, smiling at Dai Mubai. "Dai Mubai, Xiao Wu beat you. It's time for you to fulfill your promise."
Dai Mubai sighed, resigned to his fate. He had lost to a younger girl, but there was no helping it. He turned to Li Yusong.
Li Yusong, understanding the situation, stepped forward and addressed Su Ming, "Since Dai Mubai lost, we'll keep our word." He returned the registration fees to those who didn't meet Shrek's admission standards.
This meant that no one who had come to register that morning had been accepted by Shrek Academy. By refunding all the fees, Shrek's income for the day had taken a significant hit. But Li Yusong believed it was worth it if it meant attracting talented students like Su Ming and Xiao Wu. Shrek Academy currently had more teachers than students, with only three enrolled!
As for dealing with Flender's reaction, Li Yusong figured he would cross that bridge when he got to it. Flender would definitely scold him, but it wasn't a big deal.
After returning the fees, Li Yusong smiled at Su Ming, "Now that the fees have been refunded, are you three planning to enroll? With your strength, you can skip the second and third tests. The fourth test should also be easy for you."
He glanced at Dai Mubai, thinking the fourth test—which involved holding out against Dai Mubai's attacks—would be no problem for these three. After all, Xiao Wu had already defeated Dai Mubai.
Su Ming, aware of Li Yusong's status as a Soul Emperor but knowing little else about him, responded politely, "We were recommended by the Grandmaster. He told us that this academy only accepts monsters. I expected something more impressive, but frankly, I'm a bit disappointed."
Li Yusong's heart raced at the mention of the Grandmaster. If the Grandmaster had recommended these students, their talents must align with Shrek's high standards!
But Su Ming's critical remark made Li Yusong nervous. "Don't be so quick to judge. Our academy may not look like much, but our faculty is top-notch. Look at my own strength, for example. Most intermediate spirit master academies don't have teachers as strong as ours."
"Our principal and vice principal are both Soul Saints, and our principal is nearly a Soul Douluo. If you join us, we'll ensure you get the best spirit rings, and your potential will be fully realized."
Su Ming pretended to think it over, then turned to Xiao Wu and Tang San. "I'm fine with enrolling, but it's up to my sister and Tang San."
Xiao Wu immediately replied, "If my brother is enrolling, then I am too!"
Li Yusong was overjoyed. This young girl's strength was extraordinary, and her brother was even stronger—possibly at the Soul Ancestor level already! He could hardly contain his excitement.
He turned to Tang San, who responded confidently, "I'm the Grandmaster's student. If he recommended this academy, there's a reason for it. So I'll definitely enroll."
Li Yusong was even more surprised. The Grandmaster's student? This just keeps getting better!
To formalize the enrollment process, Li Yusong brought out a crystal ball to test their spirit power, so the crowd could see just how talented these "monsters" were.
Xiao Wu went first, placing her hand on the crystal ball and infusing it with her spirit power. The crystal lit up brightly—thirty-nine!
Li Yusong was thrilled. Thirty-nine! She's a top-tier prodigy!
Next, Tang San released his Blue Silver Grass and infused his spirit power. The crystal ball showed thirty!
Li Yusong was momentarily disappointed by the sight of the Blue Silver Grass, but he quickly reminded himself that Tang San was the Grandmaster's disciple. The fact that he's reached thirty with such a weak martial spirit is remarkable.
Lastly, Su Ming stepped up. When he channeled his spirit power, the crystal glowed even more brilliantly than when Xiao Wu had tested. Forty-three!
Su Ming revealed his rare Wood Element martial spirit, along with four spirit rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple.
Li Yusong was visibly trembling. A forty-three level Soul Ancestor at his age? This is incredible!
Even Tang San was shocked. He had remembered Su Ming being at level forty-one not long ago. How had he reached forty-three so quickly?
The surrounding crowd had gone from shock to numbness. The adults, in particular, were left comparing their own children to these prodigies. The difference was staggering.
After recovering from his awe, Li Yusong coughed lightly and instructed Dai Mubai, "Dai Mubai, take them to the fourth test location."
Dai Mubai sighed internally. The fourth test? I'm the examiner... will I be beaten again? He considered just letting them pass. After all, he was still in pain from the earlier fight.
Before they left, Su Ming stepped forward. "Fourth Soul Skill: Dead Wood Rebirth."
A green light enveloped Dai Mubai, healing his injuries.
Su Ming's fourth soul skill enhanced his life force, allowing him to heal others. By secretly adding his wood-element healing, Dai Mubai's wounds healed quickly, but the green light covering him was so vivid that it made him look... well, green.
The crowd couldn't help but shout, "He's been greened!"
Dai Mubai winced but remained silent. He knew Su Ming was healing him, so he endured the humiliation quietly.
The girls watching the livestream burst into laughter. Su Ming must have done that on purpose!
Even Xiao Wu stifled a giggle. She had seen Su Ming use his fourth soul skill before, but it had never looked this... green.
Dai Mubai, choosing to ignore the situation, called out, "If there's anyone under thirteen with a spirit power above twenty-five, step forward for testing. You can skip the second and third tests and join me for the fourth."
Two people stepped forward from the crowd—Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong!