Douluo Continent: Tonight, a Fairy Tale Descends

……

The next day, early morning.

Tang San and Cinderella got up early and headed towards the outskirts of the city.

According to the vague information provided by Yu Xiaogang, Shrek Academy is located in a small village not far from the south gate of Soto City.

Once outside the south gate, the road becomes somewhat bumpy and uneven, with rolling farmland and scattered farmhouses on both sides.

After walking for about half an hour, a small, ordinary-looking village, even somewhat dilapidated, came into view.

The village entrance was much more lively than usual, with a large number of people gathered there, mostly teenagers and young girls around the same age as Tang San and Cinderella, accompanied by their anxious parents.

Beneath the simple archway at the village entrance, hastily constructed from a few pieces of wood, hangs a worn-out plaque with five crookedly written characters: Shrek Academy.

Next to the plaque, there is also a strange green head pattern.

It is here.

Tang San and Cinderella exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of surprise in each other's eyes.

Despite being mentally prepared, the simplicity of the academy before them still exceeded their expectations.

Compared to Notting Junior Soul Master Academy, this seems rather shabby.

The two silently walked to the back of the crowd and joined the queue.

A short queue had already formed in front of them, with young men and women stepping forward to pay their gold soul coins and undergo the test.

The person in charge of registration was an elderly man who looked to be in his sixties. His hair was messy, and he was wearing a gray cloth robe with stains. He looked like he hadn't woken up yet and was leaning lazily against the back of his chair.

The testing process is very simple.

After receiving the money, the old man casually pinched the bones of the applicant to determine their bone age, and then asked them to release their martial spirit and spirit rings.

"I'm getting old, let's go."

"Not enough soul power, next."

"The martial soul is too ordinary, it won't work."

The old man's voice was flat, without any emotional fluctuations. He was ruthless and incredibly fast when eliminating people.

Those teenagers who came excitedly and paid ten gold soul coins, along with their parents, were often dismissed with a few words before they could even react.

Some people wanted to argue, but the old man just lazily raised his eyelids, and an invisible wave of soul power emanated from him, instantly instilling fear in those people. They dared not speak out, and could only reluctantly pull their children away, muttering curses such as "cheating money" and "what a lousy place."

Tang San calmly observed all of this.

As he observed the oppressive soul power that the old man inadvertently exuded, his opinion of the dilapidated academy subtly changed.

This old man is no ordinary person.

At least his soul power cultivation is far superior to his.

Soon, it was their turn.

Tang San stepped forward and took out twenty gold soul coins, placing them on the table.

The old man raised his eyelids slightly, his gaze sweeping over Tang San and Cinderella. A barely perceptible glint seemed to flash in his cloudy eyes, but he quickly returned to his languid demeanor.

“Stretch out your arm.”

Tang San did as instructed and extended his right hand. The old man pinched his wrist bone.

The old man was somewhat surprised, and then asked Tang San to stretch out his calf and pinched it.

"Bone age is suitable, release the martial soul ring."

Tang San took a step back, and with a thought, the deep blue Blue Silver Grass quietly spread out, and three spirit rings—one yellow and two purple—rose from beneath his feet, slowly swirling.

Those two shades of purple were particularly dazzling in the morning sunlight.

The once noisy village entrance fell silent for a moment.

A suppressed gasp of surprise erupted from the queue.

Those students and parents who had been eliminated but hadn't gone far also stopped and turned back, staring incredulously at the illogical spirit ring configuration at Tang San's feet.

The second ring of a thousand years! And it's a Soul Master!

The old man's usually expressionless face finally showed a hint of surprise. He sat up straighter, looked Tang San over carefully, and nodded: "Yes, you passed."

After Tang San came Cinderella, who also extended her arms, then her calves, and finally released her martial soul and spirit rings.

The crystal dancing shoes shimmered with a dreamlike luster beneath her feet, while the three spirit rings hovering around her were one yellow and two purple.

Just like Tang San.

The old man's usually expressionless face showed surprise once again after Cinderella released her martial spirit and spirit rings.

Another twelve-year-old Soul Master, another second-generation Soul Master in a thousand years.

The surrounding crowd erupted in even louder gasps and whispers than before.

What's going on today? Are monsters appearing in droves?

The old man's cloudy eyes lingered for a moment on Cinderella's exquisite face, then swept over Tang San, who stood calmly beside her. He already knew in his heart that these two little monsters were probably together.

He waved his hand, his voice still flat, but his tone had softened considerably: "Your bone age is right, your soul power meets the requirements, and your martial soul has passed. You two can go to the final test."

He turned to Dai Mubai, who was standing to the side grinning and watching the show, and shouted, "Mubai, take them in and head straight to the fourth level."

Chapter 245 Zhao Wuji

No sooner had the old man finished speaking than a familiar voice rang out from the side.

"Oh, you're here so soon?"

Tang San and Cinderella turned their heads and saw Dai Mubai leaning against an old tree at the entrance of the village with his arms crossed, looking at them with an ambiguous smile on his lips.

He changed into clean clothes. Although his face was still a little pale, he looked to be in good spirits, and his injuries were obviously healing quickly.

Upon seeing Dai Mubai appear here, a hint of surprise flashed across Tang San and Cinderella's eyes.

Unexpectedly, the guy who had a conflict with Tang San at the hotel yesterday and was even injured by him was actually a student of this academy.

However, the surprise was only momentary.

Tang San's gaze swept calmly across Dai Mubai's face without any expression, as if he were looking at an insignificant stranger.

Cinderella merely glanced at him briefly before looking away.

He was just a defeated opponent.

This was a shared thought between the two of them.

Whether Dai Mubai is a student here or not, it doesn't change the fact that he was defeated by Tang San yesterday.

They don't have much interest in paying attention to people who are less capable than themselves.

Dai Mubai was taken aback by their dismissive attitude and felt a little annoyed, but he suppressed his displeasure when he thought about their talent and the fact that they might be teammates in the future.

He stepped forward and gestured to Tang San and Cinderella to follow him: "Let's go, I'll take you straight to the final level."

His attitude was so natural, as if nothing had happened yesterday.

Tang San didn't move, he just looked at him calmly.

Dai Mubai touched his nose, a helpless yet self-deprecating smile on his face.

"Hey, don't be so wary. I was wrong yesterday, can I apologize? We'll be classmates from now on, and we'll be fighting side by side in the future."

He spoke frankly, as if yesterday's teasing and today's enthusiasm were a perfectly normal change.

Tang San remained silent, simply stepping aside to let Cinderella walk in front of him before following, maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far from Dai Mubai.

His vigilance remained unwavering; Dai Mubai's mood changed too quickly, and he couldn't see through him.

Dai Mubai didn't mind, shrugged, and led the way, explaining as they walked: "That's how our Shrek Academy is. Don't be fooled by its dilapidated exterior, the interior... well, it's pretty dilapidated inside too, haha! But the teachers are all very capable! The first three rounds are screening tests based on bone age and soul power level. Only those who make it to the fourth round are truly qualified to enroll."

As he spoke, his eyes kept glancing at the queue, as if he were searching for something.

Just as they were about to leave the open space and head deeper into the village, Dai Mubai paused slightly, his gaze falling on a lone girl in black standing at the end of the group.

The girl had a stunning figure, wearing a tight-fitting black leather outfit that accentuated her amazing curves.

Her face was extremely beautiful, yet she was as cold as ice. Her long black hair was neatly tied back, and she was like a black rose with thorns, exuding an aura that kept strangers at bay.

Dai Mubai frowned slightly as he looked at her profile.

Strange, why does this look so familiar?

Moreover, the martial spirit belonging to the Evil-Eyed White Tiger within his body seemed to faintly resonate with a very weak sense of resonance, as if it were being attracted by something.

He subconsciously glanced at it a couple more times.

The girl in black seemed to sense his gaze, and her cold eyes swept over him. Her gaze was icy, filled with undisguised disgust and aloofness, instantly causing Dai Mubai to look away.

He stroked his chin, thinking to himself: This girl's hot, and pretty too, but her eyes are so cold, like someone owes her millions of gold coins. Familiar? Maybe I've seen her somewhere in Soto City? No, wait, a beauty with that kind of aura, I couldn't possibly not remember her…

He shook his head, banishing these distracting thoughts. The most important thing now was to get those two little monsters behind him to the fourth level.

As for the girl in black, we'll meet again if she passes the test later.

"Let's go, it's just ahead." Dai Mubai withdrew his gaze and continued to lead the way, without looking back.

Unbeknownst to him, after he turned around, the girl in black, Zhu Zhuqing, looked at his back with eyes that seemed to spit fire in her cold gaze. Her hands, hanging at her sides, were clenched tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms.

Dai Mubai!

Sure enough it was him!

That bastard! If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be here.

Judging from his expression just now, he clearly didn't recognize me at all!

That's true, how old was he when he left Xingluo?

Girls change a lot as they grow up, and he spends his days indulging in pleasure and living a life of debauchery. How could he possibly still remember his fiancée, who was abandoned in Xingluo to die?

The way he looked at me just now was full of scrutiny and interest in a beautiful stranger, but there was not a trace of guilt or familiarity in his eyes.

A surge of immense humiliation and anger welled up in Zhu Zhuqing's heart, causing her delicate body to tremble slightly.

She forced herself to lower her head, took a few deep breaths, and barely managed to suppress the urge to rush up and confront him.