In that instant, white light blazed from Tang San's hand as the white crystal became as dazzling as a diamond, intense radiance flooding every corner of the crystal. This was unmistakably the sign of someone about to reach the thirtieth rank.
The teacher in charge of the testing revealed an amused smile. "It looks like Shrek Academy is going to welcome yet another fine little monster this year."
Tang San passed the crystal to Xiao Wu with a smile. He didn't want anyone gossiping about Xiao Wu — he had absolute confidence in her.
The same brilliant white light flashed once more, completely silencing the other examinees. The gazes directed at Tang San and Xiao Wu instantly turned peculiar.
Twenty-ninth rank. Twenty-ninth rank Soul Power at the age of twelve — was this even something humans were capable of achieving?
But the title of "monster" didn't belong to Tang San and Xiao Wu alone.
A clear voice rang out. "Teacher, I believe I should be able to skip the second and third trials as well."
The speaker was the young girl who had passed the registration test before Tang San and Xiao Wu and had drawn the first-round teacher's astonishment. Now Tang San and Xiao Wu finally saw her appearance clearly. She had short hair cut to her ears, an exceptionally fair and delicate complexion, and while her figure wasn't as dramatic as the icy girl's, it was wonderfully harmonious — the whole of her gave off an ethereal air. At a glance she looked like a noble young lady who had received a refined education.
If the last girl to arrive was an iceberg, then she was a warm spring breeze, her gentle smile infecting everyone around her.
She walked up to Xiao Wu with a smile and nodded to her. Xiao Wu instinctively handed her the crystal.
Bright white light appeared once again. Though not as intense as Tang San's or Xiao Wu's, it definitively surpassed the twenty-fifth rank — approximately twenty-sixth rank.
Just as she was about to ask the testing teacher whether she could also proceed directly to the fourth trial, she suddenly realized the crystal was no longer in her hand. Another figure had appeared soundlessly at her side, and in the next instant, bright white light blazed forth yet again. The radiance was even more vigorous than when she had infused her Soul Power — it was the unmistakable level of twenty-seventh rank.
The one who had appeared so suddenly was the icy girl who had been the last to follow Dai Mubai here.
The testing teacher's face was filled with unconcealed astonishment. "There are monsters every year, but this year is special — four of them all at once. Good, good. Looks like I might get a raise. Mubai, take all four of them to the fourth trial."
"Yes, sir." Dai Mubai answered respectfully. His heterochromatic eyes flickered with complicated emotion as he glanced at the icy girl before he turned and headed into the academy. This time, not a single student raised any objection. Strength had spoken for itself.
Among the four examinees, Tang San was the only one who had a reasonably decent relationship with Dai Mubai. As he followed him inside, he asked, "Brother Dai, are there only four trials in the entrance examination?"
Dai Mubai nodded. "Four in total. You've already been through the first one — filtering out examinees whose Soul Power falls short of the twenty-first rank, or who are over thirteen years old. That first trial eliminates the most people. The second trial involves Soul Power evaluation and Martial Soul assessment. Powerful Soul Power alone isn't enough to prove future development potential. This trial mainly tests the Martial Soul itself — only those whose Martial Souls possess sufficient development potential and whose cultivation direction has been correct can advance to the third trial. Of course, if a Martial Soul is extraordinarily unique or peculiar, that can also qualify a candidate. That's how Xiao Ao got in."
Tang San found Dai Mubai's explanation easy to understand — after all, the Great Master had already instilled this way of thinking in him thoroughly. The same Martial Soul, cultivated in different directions, would yield entirely different results. The second trial was essentially designed to screen for the inherent strength of each examinee's Martial Soul and whether any conflicts between the first two Soul Rings might interfere with future cultivation.
"Brother Dai, but my Martial Soul is Blue Silver Grass. It should be one of the least promising Martial Souls there is. So why—"
Dai Mubai laughed heartily. "There's no need to be modest. Do I not know what kind of strength you have? The academy has a rule: if a registering examinee's Soul Power exceeds the twenty-fifth rank, then regardless of what their Martial Soul is, they can pass the second and third trials directly. It's like overwhelming force crushing all clever tricks — even if your Martial Soul is somewhat lacking in quality, when your Soul Power vastly exceeds your peers, that advantage alone is enough to make you a formidable Soul Master."
Xiao Wu couldn't help but ask, "What's the third trial about?"
Dai Mubai said, "The third trial tests how well examinees can apply their own Martial Souls. Soul Power and development potential aren't enough — you also need to demonstrate control over your Martial Soul. The higher the grade of a Martial Soul, the harder it is to control, and problems can easily arise. If you can't control your Martial Soul to a sufficient degree, that proves the Soul Master hasn't been diligent enough. We don't accept students like that either."
Tang San immediately understood what he meant. Dai Mubai was right — some Martial Souls were genuinely difficult to control. Take his second Martial Soul, that peculiar hammer: its weight was utterly enormous, and as his Soul Power increased, that weight continued to grow. Tang San had to admit that even when using the Chaotic Wind Hammer Technique at his peak, he could only swing that hammer three times before exhaustion.
Before Xiao Wu could ask anything else, Dai Mubai went straight on to describe the fourth trial. "The fourth trial tests practical combat experience. Some students have excellent Martial Souls and solid control over them, but they grew up in noble families, raised in a honey pot. They have no understanding of the outside world, let alone actual combat. The academy doesn't accept students like that either. The headmaster has said — anyone who's been coddled is turned away, no exceptions."