Ma Hongjun's words, coupled with the incredibly powerful spirit ring combination he displayed, deeply shocked the applicants present.
No one dared to raise any objections, and the previously noisy discussions quieted down.
Dai Mubai glanced at him wickedly, then turned his head away sourly; he couldn't stand pretentious people!
Tang San and Xiao Wu had already witnessed Ma Hongjun's prowess, but moved by what he had just said, they became even more interested in Shrek Academy and believed that Grandmaster had made the right decision in sending them here.
Ning Rongrong also looked at Ma Hongjun with some joy. Putting aside his bad-boy image, Ma Hongjun was really attractive to her, especially the long spear in his hand. Because of the spirit fusion, it felt like it was hers, so Ma Hongjun's show of using the Dragon Soul Spear made her feel involved.
Zhu Zhuqing's lifeless, cold eyes began to wander when Dai Mubai's spirit possessed her; clearly, she had recognized her unseen fiancé through the spirit.
Actually, she fled from the Star Luo Empire to the Heaven Dou Empire and came to Shrek Academy not only to escape persecution from her older sister, but also because she knew her fiancé was here.
She still held a sliver of hope that her fiancé might have changed, since the two of them could definitely use a spirit fusion technique, which would be very helpful in defeating her older siblings.
Just as she was imagining what her fiancé was like now, the red-haired boy who had been staring at her earlier turned out to be from Shrek Academy as well.
The three spirit rings—yellow, purple, and black—finally moved her. Without a doubt, she knew what it represented, what it meant.
Suddenly, her cold heart fluttered. It seemed she had truly come to the right place at Shrek Academy. She could fulfill all the conditions the red-haired boy had mentioned. This academy, which only accepted monsters, was full of mystery and power.
Through the red-haired boy, she vaguely saw a glimmer of hope.
Perhaps, this place was the turning point of her destiny!
After showing off, Ma Hongjun stood with Dai Mubai.
"How was I? Was I handsome just now?"
Ma Hongjun nudged Dai Mubai with his elbow and winked.
"Tch!"
"Wait a minute, I'll introduce you to a good buddy. You two will probably get along well!"
"Who is it?"
"Don't stare at those beauties, they're taken. Aren't you afraid I'll tell my tigress?"
Dai Mubai rolled his eyes, shifting his gaze away from Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong. He hadn't seen Zhu Zhuqing standing behind them yet.
Soon, Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong successfully registered. Ma Hongjun told them to wait a moment.
Finally, it was Zhu Zhuqing's turn, but Dai Mubai, standing beside her, didn't react at all.
Logically, two people with a Martial Soul Fusion Skill should have some kind of connection when they're close together, and the higher the compatibility of their Martial Souls, the stronger the connection.
Like Ma Hongjun and Ning Rongrong, the two of them had a very strong connection right now.
Ma Hongjun was a little puzzled. Was it because Dai Mubai's Martial Soul had mutated, or because after fusing with the tigress, he was rejecting other Martial Souls?
Finally, Zhu Zhuqing released her martial soul. A chilling aura emanated from her, and two cat ears appeared, giving her a cool and stunning appearance. A long tail emerged from behind her tailbone, perfectly matching the tail of her clothing, seemingly custom-made.
That tail perfectly showcased the catwoman's beauty, allure, and seduction.
Ma Hongjun suddenly had a brilliant idea. Looking at Zhu Zhuqing with her martial soul, he mentally conceived a custom outfit for her.
Ma Hongjun loved to pet cats, especially cute ones. Even if a cat wasn't cute, aloof ones, Ma Hongjun would force himself to pet them.
So this was one of the reasons he liked Zhu Zhuqing; her martial soul gave off a strong sense of conquering.
Catwoman—cool—submit!
Dai Mubai's eyes widened. With the Netherworld Cat martial soul revealed, Zhu Zhuqing's identity was obvious.
Dai Mubai was stunned for a moment, then suddenly remembered that he had a fiancée. For the past three years, he had been playing with the black and white tiger with Xiang Chengxian, and he had gotten used to treating Xiang Chengxian as his wife.
Dai Mubai looked at Ma Hongjun in a panic, pulled Ma Hongjun around, and whispered something in Ma Hongjun's ear.
"Hongjun, remember my fiancée I told you about?"
"Yeah, what's up?"
"Keep your voice down. That woman just now was her. Even though I've never met her, I'm sure it's her. The Netherworld Cat, and at her age, she's the only one left." "
Oh, so she came looking for you!"
"I don't know. The important thing now is, what should I do? Brother, you need to help me think of a solution. You know Chengxian's personality..."
"Stop. I think you're overthinking it. Maybe she doesn't even like you. You're the one treating yourself like her fiancé.
If you're really worried, I'll reluctantly help you sort it out.
Don't worry, with me here, I won't let you and Chengxian have a falling out, even if it means sacrificing myself.
Let's go. You take the others, I'll take these four. Let's go into the academy first."
After saying that, Ma Hongjun patted Dai Mubai's shoulder, as if to say, "I'll take care of it. "
Ma Hongjun turned to Tang San and the other three and said:
"You four, come with me! There are still a few tests to go through!"
On the way, the four asked about the test content. Actually, these were questions that couldn't be left unsaid, but there was no need for them to hide them. Ma Hongjun began to explain the Shrek Academy entrance exam to the four.
"The entrance exam has four stages. You've already experienced the first one. It eliminates candidates whose soul power is below level twenty-one or who are over thirteen years old. This stage filters out the most people.
The second stage is a soul power assessment and martial soul appraisal. Having strong soul power alone isn't enough to prove future potential. This stage mainly tests the martial soul; only soul masters whose martial souls have sufficient development potential and whose previous cultivation has been in the right direction can enter.
The third stage tests the candidate's application of their own martial soul. Having soul power and development potential alone isn't enough; one also needs to have control over the martial soul. The higher the level..." The higher the level of a martial soul, the harder it is to control and the more likely problems will arise. If a student cannot achieve a certain level of control over their martial soul, it proves that the soul master is not diligent enough. We will not accept such students.
The fourth test is to assess practical combat experience. Some students have good martial souls and good control over them. However, they have lived in noble families since childhood, spoiled and pampered. They have no understanding of the outside world, let alone combat. The academy will not accept such students either. The dean said that we will not accept anyone who is spoiled and pampered."
After listening to the four tests, the three of them fell into deep thought, only Xiao Wu said casually:
"Are you picking students or wives? This is way too strict. No wonder it's called Monster Academy. Only monsters could pass these four exams.
I'd like to ask, how many students does Shrek Academy have now? How many students does it recruit each year?"
Ma Hongjun chuckled and continued,
"Since its founding twenty years ago, Shrek Academy has admitted a total of forty-three students. That's a little over two per year on average. If all four of you are admitted this year, it will be a record.
Before that, the academy hadn't admitted any students for two years. Currently, including myself, there are four students studying at the academy."
Zhu Zhuqing was like a dead fish, completely unresponsive.
The other three exclaimed in surprise, "Four?"
Ma Hongjun continued, "Yes, four. In the entire Douluo Continent, we can be considered the only academy with more teachers than students.
If the four of you are admitted, the number will exceed the number of teachers."
Tang San said, "In that case, how can the academy survive? Without students, there should be no income, right?"
Ma Hongjun smiled elegantly and said proudly, "Our academy doesn't rely on students' tuition fees to make money. The main reason we're here is because it's peaceful.
I'm currently the academy's biggest sponsor. I've been here for three years and have invested over ten thousand gold soul coins, but I haven't spent much on buildings; it's all been used for training and living expenses.
Our goal is to cultivate genius students. The Dean said: 'Better to have none than to have bad ones.' No matter when, even if Shrek Academy closes down and no new students come in, we will never accept trash. Only monsters.
You know ..." "What are the graduation requirements for the academy? We are neither an intermediate nor an advanced Soul Master academy.
Our requirements are different from theirs. We only accept students under the age of thirteen, and they must be exceptionally talented. The graduation requirement is to exceed level forty, and to reach the level of Soul Master before the age of twenty. The academy has previously
admitted sixty-two students, but only fourteen have actually graduated. After leaving the academy, all fourteen have become world-renowned figures.
The most outstanding one is now the youngest elder in the Spirit Hall, second only to the Pope in authority. The rest who did not graduate either failed to complete level forty cultivation before the age of twenty or died while hunting soul beasts. The Dean said, 'If you are not at level forty-one, don't go out and embarrass him.'" Tang San listened
more and more solemnly and said seriously,
"To be able to say such things, your Dean must know someone extraordinary; I am very fortunate to be here."
At this time, they arrived at the second test area, which was in charge of Teacher Tangdou, Shao Xin.
There was already a group of people queuing up, but Ma Hongjun ignored them and directly led the four of them to cut in line.
This is an academy for monsters, where monsters get the green light. So, any student deemed a monster can pass first.
Ma Hongjun whispered a few words to Teacher Shao Xin, then Shao Xin said,
"Alright, take them directly to the fourth level. If they pass, they're admitted."
Ma Hongjun was about to lead the four inside when, as expected, someone raised a question!
A male examinee said, "Teacher, what's going on? Why can they enter the fourth level without taking the test, while we have to pass each level?"
Teacher Shao Xin calmly replied, "If your soul power is also above level twenty-five, then you can also go directly to the fourth level and not waste time here. But your soul power is only level twenty-one, so you must pass each level one by one."
The male examinee asked doubtfully, "Their soul power is above level twenty-five? That's impossible. We're only twelve years old, how could we have such high soul power?"
Those standing here all had soul power exceeding level twenty-one and were no more than thirteen years old. In the original junior academy, such individuals would undoubtedly be the stars of the show. However, arriving at Shrek Academy only to encounter repeated setbacks, it was inevitable that his mood would change.
Ma Hongjun snorted coldly and said, "Just because you're not good enough doesn't mean others are. I entered the academy at the age of nine. You can use your imagination!"
With that, Ma Hongjun picked up the white crystal ball from the table, handed it to Tang San, and said with a smile:
"Little Three, you four, test your soul power and show them what
a monster really is!"