"Since Brother Xiao Yan has spoken, I'll spare you!" Xiao Xue teleported to the ground. As Dai Mubai was about to fall, she delivered a powerful whip kick.
"Argh…"
Dai Mubai experienced the feeling of flying once more, crashing heavily into the tree trunk he'd been hiding behind.
Dai Mubai, sprawled at the foot of the tree, felt like half his life had been kicked out of him. His mind was a mess, and stars danced before his eyes.
With Dai Mubai no longer a concern, Li Yusong looked at the black-robed youth standing not far in front of him and praised, "You've got some strength, kid. But I wonder about your actual power?"
"Xiao Yan, Blue Silver Grass spirit, twenty-five level Great Battle Soul Master, at your service."
As the words left his mouth, two yellow Spirit Rings emerged from beneath Xiao Yan's feet.
"You do need some guidance. It'll help you learn the rules later." Li Yusong raised the Dragon Patterned Staff in his hand and quickly poked it towards Xiao Yan's shoulder.
Xiao Yan channeled his inner energy, clenching his hand in the air. Blue Silver Grass vines condensed, quickly forming a staff. He swung the staff out to meet the attack.
The two staffs collided. Li Yusong felt that the force from Xiao Yan's staff was exceptionally strong, even surpassing his own. He was forced back five steps.
Xiao Yan only took a single step back. Having tested the waters, he knew the old man's strength wasn't that high, and he held back three-tenths of his power.
Seeing that Xiao Yan had actually condensed the useless Blue Silver Grass into a staff of blue-gold color, Li Yusong, despite having lived most of his life, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Blue Silver Grass can even be used like this?"
Gripping the Dragon Patterned Staff tightly, Li Yusong became serious instantly. He used the insights he had gained over many years of understanding staff techniques: poking, chopping, sweeping, and lifting. Each move flowed seamlessly, like a dragon emerging from the sea.
The parents present all understood that a Spirit Emperor-level Spirit Master was a powerhouse among powerhouses. Seeing the old man not use any Spirit Skills, yet being so strong with just his martial soul, they realized a Spirit Emperor was much more formidable than they had imagined.
However, Li Yusong, who was currently fighting Xiao Yan, wasn't as relaxed as those present might have thought.
Initially, he could still maintain the upper hand, relying on his years of experience with the staff.
However, the young man named Xiao Yan was simply gifted. Within five moves, he transformed from a novice barely familiar with a staff into a seasoned expert.
Furthermore, the staff techniques he employed became increasingly simple yet refined, subtly surpassing Li Yusong's own.
Li Yusong found himself struggling more and more with each strike, his heart filled with alarm. He knew that he wouldn't be able to subdue Xiao Yan without using a Spirit Skill. He retreated a few steps to create distance, and the third yellow Spirit Ring on his body suddenly flashed.
"Third Spirit Skill, Sweep Away Evil!"
The yellow Spirit Ring merged into the Dragon Patterned Staff. Li Yusong leaped into the air, unleashing a crescent-shaped yellow energy.
Xiao Yan casually tossed the staff to the side. He channeled about ten years' worth of internal energy, and with a sweep of his left hand and a forceful push with his right hand, he attacked the incoming energy with the recently researched "Raging Waterfall Tide"!
Yesterday, with no business to attend to, he had spent the entire day at home, fully immersed in researching it. The power of the Raging Waterfall Tide had increased significantly since his battle with Dai Mubai.
Even though he only used ten years' worth of internal energy, its force was like a landslide, and with a loud boom, it shattered Li Yusong's Spirit Skill, the remaining force heading straight for his face.
In the blink of an eye, Li Yusong felt his breath constrict. Xiao Yan, without using a martial soul spirit skill, unleashed this "self-created palm technique-like spirit skill." Its power was no less than his own Fifth Spirit Skill, a raging tide, unstoppable, like a roaring blue wave crashing towards him.
Li Yusong was shocked. His first and second spirit rings flashed in succession, and he stabbed his Dragon Patterned Staff dozens of times in a row before managing to block the blue palm spirit skill.
Looking at Xiao Yan, who was calm and collected, seemingly expending little effort, Li Yusong immediately felt like he'd aged a decade.
When did such a monster appear in the world of Soul Masters? Fortunately, his Third Spirit Skill had offset some of the power; if he had faced that palm alone, he would have had to use his Fifth Spirit Skill.
Li Yusong sighed inwardly, quickly retracting his martial soul, unwilling to continue the fight. He turned his head to the father and son at the registration desk and shouted, "I'll refund your registration fee."
The boy's father took back his ten Gold Soul Coins and didn't pay Li Yusong any mind. He pulled his son over to Xiao Yan, saying, "Thank you, Battle Soul Master, for your help; otherwise, it would have been impossible to get these ten Gold Soul Coins back."
Xiao Yan glanced at the young man beside the uncle and realized that although he was only thirteen years old, his strength had already reached Level 21, a great Soul Master. This was several times stronger than Wang Sheng and Xiao Chenyu, who had become One-Ring Soul Masters at the age of twelve.
"Uncle, your son has good talent. Take him to register at an intermediate academy in Soto City."
The father and son thanked them again before turning to leave.
At this moment, Dai Mubai finally came to his senses, supporting himself against a tree trunk to stand up with difficulty.
In an instant, Dai Mubai gasped, feeling as though his waist had been broken. He hastily covered the pressure point on his left waist with his hand: "My old waist..."
Xiao Xue couldn't help but cover her ears, pouting, "So useless!"
Xiao Yan commented, "It seems your control over your strength is becoming increasingly precise."
A few months ago, Xiao Xue's casual kick could have knocked down a tree that an adult could barely wrap their arms around. The fact that Dai Mubai could still stand now was already a stroke of luck.
Xiao Xue chuckled, "I don't want the weight of my body to crush the bed."
"Both of you have passed. Go pay the registration fee and enter," Li Yusong called out to Xiao Yan and Xiao Xue.
Xiao Yan waved his hand, refusing. "Our companions are still in line. Perhaps this academy teacher should explain the registration requirements to everyone, to avoid a repeat of what just happened."
Li Yusong stood up from behind the table, looking somewhat helpless, and addressed those waiting in line: "Shrek is a type of monster, an extremely strange existence even among soul beasts. The meaning of our Shrek Academy is 'Monster Academy'."
"That is to say, we only accept monsters here, not ordinary people. Anyone over the age of thirteen, or whose soul power hasn't reached level twenty-one or above, doesn't need to waste their time here."
Back with Xiao Xue, after listening to the old man's words, Xiao Yan felt that Shrek Academy was ninety-nine percent a scam, equivalent to a modern-day diploma mill, or even worse.
To reach level twenty-one at twelve years old, that kind of talent was absolutely considered a genius.
Just the first hurdle alone would weed out the majority of applicants. He imagined there would be several more tests afterward, and then they would eliminate everyone.
In this way, every year they could set up a table at the village entrance and start collecting registration fees. Ten Gold Soul Coins per person. If a hundred people signed up, they could earn a thousand Gold Soul Coins.
The key was, they didn't have to undertake the task of teaching courses. No effort required. It was truly a risk-free, high-profit business.