socalfunplaces Chapter 46 Dai Mubai, whose IQ is not high enough
Chapter 46 Dai Mubai, whose IQ is not high enough
They walked through the bustling central district of Soto towards the south gate. The morning light cast long shadows, and the shouts of vendors rose and fell along the way. But the further south they went, the sparser and more dilapidated the buildings became, until they finally entered the village area on the outskirts of the city.
"This is Shrek Academy?" Ning Rongrong frowned more and more as she looked at the muddy dirt road and the low thatched huts on both sides. "But this is... way too rudimentary!"
With Xiao Yu lazily perched on his shoulder, Yan Zu's gaze swept over the faintly visible farmland in the distance: "The truly wise hide in plain sight. A place that can cultivate 'monsters' doesn't necessarily need to be magnificent."
After walking for about half an hour, a village came into view. The village was not large, with about a hundred households, but a lot of people had gathered at the entrance, mostly teenagers, waiting in line with their parents. A tense atmosphere filled the air.
At the village entrance stood a dilapidated wooden table, behind which sat a middle-aged man in a gray robe, his face serious, holding a long staff carved with dragon patterns—this was Li Yusong, a teacher at Shrek Academy, a level 63 Soul Emperor, whose martial soul was the Dragon Pattern Staff. Dai Mubai stood to the side, his expression gloomy; the humiliation at the Rose Hotel yesterday was clearly still etched in his mind.
As Yan Zu and the other three approached, Li Yusong raised his head, his gaze sweeping over them like lightning: "Register, ten gold soul coins, no refund if you don't pass. Release your martial soul and state your age and level."
When Dai Mubai saw Zhu Zhuqing, a complex emotion flashed in his evil eyes, but he quickly suppressed it and stood coldly to the side without saying a word.
Yan Zu stepped forward and placed forty gold soul coins into the wooden box on the table: "The four of us will go together."
"One at a time," Li Yusong said in a deep voice. "Anyone over twelve years old with a soul power below level twenty, leave immediately. You, go first."
He pointed at Ning Rongrong.
Ning Rongrong took a deep breath, stepped forward, and released the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda: "Ning Rongrong, twelve years old, Martial Soul Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, Level 31 Support-type Soul Master."
Two glass towers spun in his palm, and three soul rings—two yellow and one purple—rose up.
Li Yusong's pupils contracted slightly, and the dragon-patterned staff in his hand trembled slightly: "Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda? Successor of the Upper Three Sects? Pass, proceed to the second trial."
A gasp of surprise immediately erupted from the queue.
"The Seven-Jeweled Glazed Tile Pagoda? Why would such an important person come to a place like this?"
"Thirty-one levels? Twelve years old? What kind of monster is this!"
Next was Zhu Zhuqing: "Zhu Zhuqing, twelve years old, Martial Soul Nether Cat, Level 27 Agility-Attack Type Battle Soul Master." Two yellow soul rings rose, the Nether Cat possessed her, and her whole body exuded a sharp killing intent.
"The Zhu family of Xingluo..." Li Yusong's gaze deepened. "Passed."
"Xiao Wu, twelve years old, Martial Soul: Phantom Jade Rabbit, Level 32 Power Attack Type Battle Soul Master (actually Level 48)." Xiao Wu released her Martial Soul with a grin, two yellow and one purple Soul Rings pulsating.
Finally, it was Yan Zu's turn. He stepped forward, and Xiao Yu on his shoulder leaped down, transforming into a jade-colored Qilin half the height of a person in the wind. Two yellow and one purple spirit rings rose from beneath his feet: "Yan Zu, eleven years old, Qilin spirit, level thirty-one support-type spirit master (actually level forty-six)."
The crowd gasped again: Good heavens, two more Soul Masters, and one of them is only eleven years old.
"Level 31? Level 32?" Li Yusong suddenly stood up, staring intently at Xiaoyu. "This is a separated beast martial soul? And this aura... it feels so comfortable!"
He took a deep breath, suppressing his shock: "Their soul power has exceeded level twenty-five? Let's go straight to the fourth level; skip the first two. Dai Mubai, take them to the fourth level for the test."
Dai Mubai, his face cold, pointed deep into the village: "Follow me."
Passing through the village, the scene before her left Ning Rongrong speechless once again. The so-called "Shrek Academy" was nothing more than a few dilapidated wooden houses, with the school name crookedly written on the wall, the playground overgrown with weeds, and even a few hens pawing at the ground.
"This...this is the legendary Monster Academy?" Ning Rongrong exclaimed incredulously. "Have we been scammed? What kind of powerful individuals could be trained in this run-down place?"
Dai Mubai, already harboring resentment from yesterday's humiliation, couldn't help but retort upon hearing Ning Rongrong's mockery, his tone tinged with pride and protectiveness:
"Since you're here at Shrek, let me show you around. This school was founded twenty years ago by Dean Flander, one of the Golden Triangle members. To date, it has only enrolled forty-two students, but only fourteen have graduated. Do you know why?"
He paused, puffed out his chest, and said with an air of superior arrogance, "Because Shrek Academy's graduation requirements are extremely stringent—you must become a Soul Master before the age of twenty! What does this mean? It means that every graduate is a true genius among geniuses!"
Ning Rongrong raised an eyebrow, preparing to retort, but Dai Mubai grew increasingly enthusiastic, as if determined to regain all the face he had lost at the Rose Hotel yesterday: "And among those fourteen graduates, one has already risen to the position of Elder of the Spirit Hall, wielding the power of life and death over countless Spirit Masters. This is the foundation of Shrek Academy! It's something you aristocratic scions, relying on sect power and flashy but ineffective skills, can't possibly comprehend!"
"Oh?" Yan Zu suddenly spoke, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable penetrating force, "Senior Dai said that a graduate has become an elder of the Spirit Hall?"
Dai Mubai, thinking he was intimidated, said smugly, "Of course! This is the glory of the academy; the entire city of Soto knows about it!"
"Then I have a question." Yan Zu's gaze sharpened as he looked directly at Dai Mubai. "The minimum requirement for an elder of the Spirit Hall is the strength of a Title Douluo, right? According to the academy's graduation requirement of reaching the Soul Master level before the age of twenty, even the first graduating class would probably be under 40 years old to reach the Title Douluo level. As far as I know, the youngest Title Douluo on the continent is Haotian Douluo, who reached the Title Douluo level at the age of 44. Here, I would like to ask, who exactly is this outstanding graduate of Shrek Academy? Someone so outstanding cannot be unknown."
Dai Mubai's smug expression froze instantly. He opened his mouth but couldn't utter a word—he only knew what was circulating in the academy, never considered the loopholes in the timeline and strength levels, and never asked who this Spirit Hall elder, a graduate of Shrek Academy, really was.
"Furthermore," Yan Zu pressed, his words steady yet sharp as knives, "Shrek Academy has been established for twenty years, enrolling forty-two students, with only fourteen graduating—a graduation rate of just thirty percent. According to you, the admission standards are extremely high, accepting only 'monsters.' Then why do seven out of ten students fail to graduate? Are they not talented enough, or is there a problem with the academy's training system? Or perhaps... they perished along the way?"
These two questions were like two heavy hammer blows, precisely striking the logical flaws in Dai Mubai's thinking.
"You...you're just being unreasonable!" Dai Mubai was furious, his face flushed red. "How dare you, an outsider, question the academy's training methods? Those who were eliminated weren't real monsters at all; they were just talented but lazy good-for-nothings!"
"Is that so?" Yan Zu smiled faintly. "If you really didn't work hard, why were you able to pass the academy's entrance exam in the first place? You were a monster when you entered, but you became a waste afterward. Isn't that the academy's problem?"
Dai Mubai was rendered speechless by the rebuttal. A sinister glint flashed in his evil eyes, but he could no longer utter a word in rebuttal.
"Most importantly, Senior Dai, haven't you thought about these issues yourself?" Yan Zu said, trying to provoke him.
Ning Rongrong couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Auntie is right! This lecherous tiger probably uses all his intelligence on women and hasn't thought about these issues at all. He's been fooled without even realizing it!"
Dai Mubai was so angered he almost vomited blood. Suppressing his rage, he coldly said, "Enough nonsense! Believe it or not, the test will show you Shrek Academy's strength! If you don't want to go, get out. Nobody's begging you!"
After saying that, he ignored the others and quickened his pace toward the playground, his back view revealing a somewhat disheveled appearance.
Yan Zu watched his retreating figure without pressing further, and simply said softly to the three women, "Let's go. No matter how much the academy boasts, we're already here. Let's see what happens. We'll know once we've tested it out."
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