"How is this possible?" The old man looked shocked as he stood up. "This soul ring configuration surpassing the normal age limits—how did you do it?"
"That's a secret for now." Gu Chen smiled mysteriously. He didn't trust the elder from Shrek Academy.
Hearing this, the old man's expression stiffened for a moment, but he knew Gu Chen didn't trust him, so he didn't press further.
"Next." The elder called out.
Gu Yue Na stepped forward. The old man pinched her wrist lightly, nodded, and said, "Your age is suitable. Release your soul rings."
Gu Yue Na nodded slightly. A silver dragon phantom appeared behind her, and three terrifying soul rings rose from beneath her feet—purple, purple, black.
At this moment, Dai Mubai quickly stepped forward and whispered into the old man's ear, "Teacher, she's the girl I mentioned earlier. I just didn't expect that Gu Chen would be this powerful as well."
The old man's smile became completely unrestrained. "Good, good! This year, Shrek Academy will have not just one but two exceptional little monsters. No, they're monsters among monsters."
Next, the elder tested Tang San and Xiao Wu's ages and soul rings. Both passed smoothly. However, compared to Gu Chen and Gu Yue Na, they didn't seem as remarkable.
The old man's smile grew even brighter. "This year's little monsters are truly extraordinary. Mubai, take them inside."
Under Dai Mubai's lead, the group successfully entered Shrek Academy, which was essentially just this village.
Dai Mubai said, "With your talents, I knew you'd pass without a problem. The next tests will be easy for you." As he spoke, he couldn't help but glance back at the academy's entrance.
"What are you looking at? Trying to chase after another girl again?" Having seen Dai Mubai left and right with women at the Rose Hotel, Xiao Wu looked at him in disdain.
Dai Mubai frowned. "What do you know? I feel like that girl's aura is very similar to mine—not just similar but complementary. In martial souls, encountering a complementary martial soul is extremely rare. If two such people cooperate, their martial soul power can multiply. This is what we call a martial soul fusion technique."
Gu Chen merely observed coldly from the side. Dai Mubai might make a good brother, but he was definitely not a good husband.
After all, he couldn't even recognize his own fiancée.
To be honest, at this stage, Dai Mubai was not worthy of Zhu Zhuqing.
After walking a bit further, Dai Mubai led them to an open space surrounded by wooden houses. The area was about 500 square meters and was located at the very center of Shrek Academy.
Dai Mubai told them to wait here for the second test before he hurried off—most likely to find Zhu Zhuqing.
At that moment, a soft and lazy voice rang out.
"Sausages for sale! Sausages for sale! Come take a look, don't miss out! Oscar's special sausages—delicious, sweet, affordable, and plentiful! Just five copper soul coins per sausage. Eat an Oscar-brand sausage, and you'll have a better chance of passing the entrance exam!"
Gu Chen naturally knew the source of this voice—it was none other than the Big Sausage Uncle, Oscar.
"There are a few people ahead of us. You didn't eat much for breakfast. Do you want a sausage?" Tang San asked Xiao Wu.
Gu Chen had no prejudice against Oscar's sausages. Although the soul incantation was disgusting, the effects were quite good.
Besides, Gu Chen actually admired Oscar's character. While he might not have been the best in the past, at least he was more devoted than Dai Mubai. After meeting Ning Rongrong, he remained loyal.
"Do you guys want one as well?" Tang San asked Gu Yue Na and Gu Chen.
The two nodded.
Seeing someone approach, Oscar immediately greeted them enthusiastically. "Want a sausage? Oscar's brand sausages—honest and reliable, guaranteed delicious!"
Tang San smiled. "Sir, please give me four."
Oscar's face stiffened. "What… what did you just call me?"
Tang San was confused. "I called you sir. Is there a problem?"
Oscar forced a smile. "Of course, there's a problem! A big problem! Brother, I'm only 14 years old, and you're calling me sir?"
"You're… 14?" Tang San looked at him in surprise.
Oscar confirmed, "That's right. My name is Oscar, I'm 14 years old, a junior student at Shrek Academy. You can't just call me sir just because I have a little more facial hair."
Tang San was speechless. Looking at Oscar's thick beard, he thought: This is way more than just "a little more facial hair."
"Tang San, what are you doing?" At that moment, Dai Mubai, who had just returned with Zhu Zhuqing, called out. He already knew Tang San's name from the introduction at the entrance.
"Oscar, want a sausage?" Seeing Dai Mubai, Oscar put on a pitiful expression.
"Get lost!" Dai Mubai snapped, glaring at him. "You're such a disgrace to the academy. I must have warned you more than once not to sell sausages inside the school! Do you want to make everyone throw up? Tang San, Gu Chen, don't eat those sausages."
Tang San asked in confusion, "Why not?"
Dai Mubai's expression turned strange. "Oscar, make a fresh sausage."
Although Oscar was reluctant, under Dai Mubai's insistence, he produced a new sausage.
Yellow light shone in his palm as two yellow soul rings rose beneath his feet. Then, an identical sausage appeared in his hand.
"I have a big sausage!"
This was Oscar's soul incantation. Tang San froze instantly. This phrase was way too weird. Forget about whether the sausage was edible or not—just hearing Oscar say that made him lose his appetite.
Oscar quickly explained, "I had no choice! Food-type martial souls require incantations to activate their abilities. This is just a chant, not something I came up with on my own. Also, my sausages are of the highest quality, absolutely safe to eat."
Tang San quickly put the sausage back onto the cart and politely declined Oscar's offer.
Gu Chen, however, remained unfazed. He took a sausage, and under everyone's surprised gaze, he took a bite.
As soon as the sausage entered his mouth, it transformed into a warm energy that circulated through his dantian, filling him with warmth.
Gu Chen marveled at the wonders of food-type martial souls.
"When you're starving, let alone this sausage, you'd probably eat even worse things. Though the incantation is a bit gross, the taste is good, and it replenishes soul power," Gu Chen remarked.
The others didn't know what "even worse things" meant, but they could tell it wasn't anything pleasant.
"Brother!" Oscar's eyes filled with tears, and he lunged toward Gu Chen in gratitude. Gu Chen sidestepped, and Oscar faceplanted into the ground.
Seeing this, Tang San felt a little guilty about rejecting Oscar's sausages. So, he grabbed one from the cart, ate it, and nodded at Oscar. Oscar looked at him gratefully.
After eating, Dai Mubai said, "Let's go. I'll take you to the next test. You don't need to wait in line."
After showing off and proving themselves to some unconvinced students, Gu Chen and the others proceeded to the fourth test area.
"Teacher Zhao, I've brought them for the fourth test."
"Hm? We have students reaching the fourth test this year? And six of them at that?" A middle-aged man who had been dozing off in a chair opened his sleepy eyes and looked at the six teenagers before him, as if he had encountered something unbelievable.
"Yes, not only did they reach the fourth test, but they also skipped the second and third ones," Dai Mubai confirmed.
Just like in the original story, Zhao Wuji's eyes lit up. He stood up from his chair, ready to personally test them.
Ding!
"Detected that the host is in a crucial situation. Task options unlocked:
Task A: Team up as six and beat up Zhao Wuji.Reward: Secret Art – Sonic Blade, Special Skill – Shrinking Ground Into Inches.
Task B: Request to be tested separately and team up with Gu Yue Na to beat up Zhao Wuji.Reward: Secret Art – Thousand-Mile Voice Transmission, Special Skill – Shinra Tensei."