Soul Land: Full Body Martial Soul

Chapter 45: 45: Entrance Examination



The registration line moved at a surprisingly quick pace, and soon it was Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong's turn for evaluation.

As Yang Xiong extended his hand for examination, the elderly admissions officer carefully felt around Yang Xiong's palm and fingers, a hint of genuine doubt and curiosity appearing in his weathered eyes.

"Hmm, there's something rather strange and unusual about your hand," the old man observed thoughtfully. "It's somewhat similar to the young man who passed through here earlier, but also seems distinctly different in certain ways."

Yang Xiong correctly guessed that the old man was referring to Tang San. Tang San's hands were notably different from those of ordinary people because he had practiced the Mysterious Jade Hand technique since early childhood. However, Yang Xiong appeared completely nonchalant and casual. "Perhaps it's simply because I've enjoyed exercising and physical training since I was a small child."

The elderly examiner carefully felt around Yang Xiong's entire body, paying particular attention to his joints and muscle development, before finally sighing with obvious amazement. "Your age is definitely correct according to our standards, but your physical fitness and conditioning far exceed what should be possible for someone of your current age. I honestly don't know how you could have trained your body to reach this level. What exactly is your martial spirit?"

Yang Xiong responded straightforwardly, "My martial spirit is quite special and unique - it's actually my own physical body."

The old man expressed surprise once again. "That's truly extraordinary and unusual! I've traveled throughout the spirit master world for many decades, but I've never encountered a martial spirit quite like yours before."

Yang Xiong smiled with confidence. "Sir, there are countless varieties of martial spirits throughout the spirit master world. It's perfectly normal to encounter various types of spirits, just like your Dragon Grain Staff spirit, which is also considered quite rare and uncommon in the spirit master world."

The elderly examiner nodded with understanding and acceptance. "Indeed, that's very true. You have successfully passed the first test. Mu Bai will escort you to the location of the next examination."

Upon hearing this confirmation, Yang Xiong stepped aside and waited patiently, intending to remain until Ning Rongrong finished her own test so they could proceed together.

After thoroughly testing Ning Rongrong's martial spirit and spirit power levels, the old man also expressed considerable surprise and concern. "Little girl, does your family know that you're coming here to study at our academy?"

Ning Rongrong pouted with obvious defiance and stubbornness. "What do I care about what they think or want? Isn't this supposed to be a spirit master academy? As long as I meet all the established standards and requirements, I should be able to enroll without any problems."

The elderly examiner couldn't help but sigh deeply, lamenting internally that there were so many strange and unusual occurrences happening with this year's admissions process. Why were all the people coming to Shrek Academy so bizarre and unconventional?

Soon afterward, under Dai Mubai's guidance and leadership, the qualified group directly bypassed and skipped the second test entirely. Of course, besides Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong, the group also included the mysterious Zhu Zhuqing.

Observing that Tang San and Xiao Wu had actually passed their evaluations directly and could even skip both the second and third tests to participate immediately in the fourth and final test, the surrounding crowd of other applicants seemed notably dissatisfied and upset, expressing complaints that the academy was treating different students with obvious favoritism and unfair standards.

Dai Mubai's expression turned cold and serious. "If any of you can also reach level twenty-five at the remarkably young age of twelve, then you can also directly participate in the final examination without question."

One particularly angry student protested loudly, "How could that possibly be achievable? I'm already considered exceptionally outstanding within our local academy, but my highest level is only twenty-two. How could it be possible for anyone to reach level twenty-five at just twelve years old?"

Dai Mubai didn't waste time with unnecessary words and directly produced a crystal ball designed specifically for testing spirit power levels.

Tang San and Xiao Wu were tested separately, and their spirit power levels both reached an impressive level twenty-nine. Everyone present was absolutely amazed by these results. Reaching level twenty-nine at the age of twelve was considered rare even throughout the entire region of Soto City. What kind of extraordinary geniuses were these young people?

Yang Xiong's heart initially sank upon hearing these results, but then he couldn't help but smile with determination. Tang San and Xiao Wu's natural talents were indeed truly outstanding and remarkable. He had actually researched and checked the historical records of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. In the past hundred years, only one person within the sect had managed to reach level twenty-nine at the age of twelve. That exceptional individual was the legendary Sword Douluo. Even the mighty Bone Douluo had been slightly behind this achievement, and all other disciples were significantly further behind.

However, Yang Xiong firmly believed that although his innate spirit power might not currently match theirs, he would definitely surpass them both in the near future through dedicated effort and unique advantages.

Soon enough, Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong took their spirit power tests together. Yang Xiong reached level twenty-six while Ning Rongrong achieved level twenty-eight. They also directly qualified for the fourth and final test. Even Zhu Zhuqing, standing quietly to the side, possessed a spirit power level of twenty-seven.

Along their journey to the testing area, they encountered a middle-aged man cheerfully selling sausages - the infamous Oscar, whose martial spirit was limited to creating sausages. Theoretically speaking, he was actually the most naturally talented person among what would become known as the Shrek Seven Devils.

However, when everyone heard Oscar's peculiar and somewhat embarrassing incantation required for summoning his sausages, they all seemed visibly nauseous and disgusted by the crude wording.

Yang Xiong didn't particularly care about such trivial matters. He had survived in the dangerous Sunset Forest for several months - what hadn't he been forced to eat during that time? He calmly purchased a sausage and ate it directly without hesitation. The sausage actually tasted quite good, and since it possessed the valuable ability to restore spirit power, the practical effect was genuinely impressive.

However, Yang Xiong's casual actions drew obvious disdain and disgust from the female students present. Yang Xiong couldn't help but shake his head with mild amusement. These sheltered girls simply hadn't experienced much of the real world and lacked practical experience. For ordinary people struggling to survive, having any food at all was considered fortunate, let alone this type of magical sausage that restored energy better than expensive spiritual medicines.

Moreover, Yang Xiong had always harbored a private suspicion that if Tang San hadn't undergone the transformative Ice and Fire Tempering process, Oscar might actually be the most physically capable among the Shrek Seven Devils in terms of raw physical fitness alone. The food-type martial spirit system could honestly be described as almost cheating within the Douluo Continent's power structure. Theoretically speaking, such abilities seemed to violate basic laws of energy conservation.

Dai Mubai also took time to introduce the current situation and background of Shrek Academy to the new arrivals. There were presently only three active students enrolled in Shrek Academy, and remarkably, the number of teachers actually exceeded the number of students, which drew everyone's surprised attention.

Shrek Academy's enrollment standards were exceptionally strict and demanding, but graduation requirements were even more severe, requiring students to reach level forty before the age of twenty. According to this demanding standard, it represented essentially the highest level expected from senior spirit master academies. Even many prestigious senior spirit master academies might struggle to produce a Spirit Ancestor by age twenty.

Yang Xiong felt somewhat speechless about these claims. He personally held high recognition for Shrek Academy's theoretical teaching abilities, but these capabilities didn't seem to be properly applied to actual student instruction. In the original storyline, except for Zhao Wuji, the other teachers barely appeared or contributed meaningfully to student development.

Shrek's casualty rate was particularly troubling and completely inconsistent with their claimed teaching strength. Even in later generations, student deaths had unfortunately become an accepted tradition rather than a tragic exception.

If the exceptional geniuses recruited by Shrek Academy were instead cultivated within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's protected environment, although not every student would necessarily reach the graduation standard, the casualty rate would definitely approach zero. Most students would likely become respected sect elders in their future careers.

Unfortunately, this disparity also represented one of the fundamental tragedies of the spirit master world. Established sects could provide students with the most complete and comprehensive cultivation conditions, but they also required absolute loyalty and lifelong commitment in return.

Ordinary civilian spirit masters, aside from joining established sects, would mostly fall and perish during their growth process. Only a fortunate few could successfully cultivate to the realm of senior spirit masters. When reaching the senior spirit master realm, spirit rings became increasingly difficult to obtain, and the associated risks increased exponentially with each advancement.

Consider the elderly examiner with the Dragon Grain Staff spirit they had just encountered. Despite his current spirit ring configuration allowing cultivation to the Spirit Emperor realm, if he could obtain suitable spirit rings through sect support and organized hunting expeditions, becoming a top-tier Spirit Saint would likely not present any significant problems.

When the group finally arrived at the fourth test location, they discovered a very powerful middle-aged man waiting for them. He stood approximately 1.7 meters tall, but his entire body was extraordinarily muscular and developed, as if completely filled with explosive power and strength. This imposing figure was the legendary Zhao Wuji.

Dai Mubai seemed somewhat afraid and respectful of Zhao Wuji's presence. "Teacher Zhao, these five students are here to participate in the fourth and final test. They qualified to come directly to this stage. I was planning to administer their test myself, but you will be responsible for supervising and overseeing the examination process."

Zhao Wuji stood up directly with obvious interest and anticipation. "This year's recruitment is quite interesting and unusual. Five little monsters actually managed to arrive directly at the final stage. The fact that you can reach this point demonstrates that your individual talents are genuinely impressive. It seems that I should personally test your abilities to determine whether you can successfully pass my examination."

The new students all appeared relatively casual and confident about the upcoming challenge, but Dai Mubai's facial expression changed dramatically upon hearing Zhao Wuji's declaration.

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