Just as Yun Ming noticed the three people at the front of the line, his unique temperament also caught the attention of the Blue-Clad Youth among them.
The Blue-Clad Youth turned his head to look at Yun Ming, and as their eyes met, both felt an inexplicable tremor!!!
The youth's distraction quickly drew the attention of the Pink-Clad Girl beside him, and she followed his gaze while speaking.
"Third Brother, what are you looking at..."
Then she also saw the youth at the very back of the line, dressed in white brocade robes, handsome in appearance, and possessing an elegant temperament.
It had to be said, in all the years she, Xiao Wu, had been in the human world, this was the first time she had seen a boy so good-looking... No, wait, how could he compare to her "truly plain" Third Brother beside her? His skin was so fair, not even worse than her own! Thinking of this, Xiao Wu cursed under her breath.
"Sissy!"
The Blue-Clad Youth known as "Third Brother" was none other than the destined protagonist of the Douluo Continent, the Sea God in his youth who was deeply "beloved" by everyone, also known by such illustrious titles as Tang God King and Tang Buddha Ancestor: Tang San.
Hearing his "sister's" words, Tang San snapped out of his daze and gave a low reprimand.
"Xiao Wu!"
However, judging by Tang San's expression, it was clearly more of a formality than a genuine scolding.
Yun Ming, having been insulted, naturally regained his composure. He frowned slightly but did not say anything more. Although he disliked the behavior of the girl named Xiao Wu, it wasn't enough to make him want to go up and beat her.
Before Yun Ming or Tang San could make any further moves, the Shrek Academy admissions process hit another snag.
A father of one of the applicants couldn't help but shout angrily: "This is clearly a scam. Refund our registration fee, or we aren't leaving. If we had known this so-called Shrek Academy was such a dump, we never would have come!"
Through the whispers of the parents in the queue, Yun Ming understood what had happened.
An applicant had paid the registration fee, failed the test, and the money wasn't being refunded, which led to the current scene.
The old man in front glanced at the father and said indifferently: "Ma Hongjun, someone wants their registration fee back. Handle it."
Unlike in the original timeline, the one acting as the enforcer this time was Ma Hongjun, as Dai Mubai had broken his leg a few days ago and hadn't recovered yet!
A bloated figure suddenly lunged out from the ground nearby. The newcomer was a stout, fat man with red hair styled into a Mohawk and a pair of small mustaches. The fatty spoke up.
"You want your registration fee back? Fine. If you can beat me, I'll refund the whole thing."
This person was Ma Hongjun. Because he had been sitting to the side and blocked by the crowd, Yun Ming hadn't seen him earlier.
Ma Hongjun didn't waste any words, directly channeling his soul power and releasing two century-old spirit rings. The surging soul power immediately emitted intense heat, creating invisible heat waves in the air. His small eyes, burning with purple fire, glared at the father and son.
When Yun Ming saw that the Shrek Academy students were truly engaging in such extortion as the rumors in Suotuo City suggested, the inexplicable emotions in his heart erupted once more—disdain, shame, and anger all at once.
Moreover, this time it wasn't just inexplicable emotions; it was also Yun Ming's own heart. The feelings from Yun Ming's two lifetimes were synchronized for the first time in this situation. He stepped out and said in a cold, resonant voice.
"Alright! If I beat you, you refund the money!"
"Do you dare?"
As he spoke, the Atlas Spear appeared in Yun Ming's hand, the long spear raised and pointed directly at Ma Hongjun.
When Ma Hongjun saw Yun Ming, who possessed such a handsome face, he was initially about to lash out instinctively.
However, when he saw the transparent, ethereal Atlas Spear in the other's hand and noticed there were no spirit rings at his feet, he recalled the warnings his teacher Flender had given him three days ago, as well as the miserable state of Dai Mubai's broken leg.
He couldn't help but shudder. If Boss Dai had been beaten so badly, wouldn't he end up even worse?! For a moment, even his Phoenix Evil Fire couldn't warm him up.
The old man at the wooden table, Li Yusong, was also shocked when he saw Yun Ming reveal his martial soul. He knew much more than Ma Hongjun, and he was already aware of what had happened to Zhao Wuji.
Furthermore, according to Old Zhao, if he, Li Yusong, were to have a life-or-death battle with this kid, he might actually be killed. Although he found it hard to believe, the miserable state of Old Zhao was right there before his eyes—it was said he would need three months to fully recover from his injuries!
Seeing that Yun Ming looked ready to strike at any moment, Li Yusong stepped forward, trying to remedy the situation.
"Alright! Stop arguing. Let's just take this as a reminder for you all!"
As he spoke, he tossed ten Gold Soul Coins to the father and son.
He then launched into an explanation of the origin of the name Shrek and a clear statement of the basic registration requirements. Along the way, he summoned his martial soul and flashed his spirit rings, showing off his cultivation as a Soul Emperor.
In the original timeline, Li Yusong had done the same after collecting the registration fees from two people. But this time, due to Yun Ming's appearance, Li Yusong had acted early.
After hearing Li Yusong's words, most of the parents wore expressions of regret and silently led their children away. The queue of over a hundred people dwindled to just over a dozen in the blink of an eye.
Li Yusong didn't care about the number of students. He hadn't said anything earlier only because of the demands of that guy Flender, who wanted to swindle some money to ease the academy's financial crisis. Otherwise, as a Soul Emperor, he had his pride and wouldn't have done such a thing.
After dealing with this small disturbance, Li Yusong said to Yun Ming.
"The Dean has already given the word. You, kid, go on in!"
Seeing that Ma Hongjun had backed down and the matter was resolved, Yun Ming didn't intend to fight anymore. He retracted his martial soul and walked toward the interior of Shrek Academy.
Seeing that Yun Ming was fine and had swaggered into Shrek Academy, Xiao Wu commented with dissatisfaction.
"That guy was about to fight their student, how did it just end like that!"
Xiao Wu felt that ending it like this was very unfulfilling. However, thinking back to the philosophy of Shrek Academy that the teacher had just mentioned, Wu Taijun felt differently.
"But this academy is quite interesting. Especially that line the teacher said about only accepting monsters and not ordinary people—that was so cool."
Tang San, meanwhile, watched Yun Ming's retreating back with an unreadable expression. He felt that Yun Ming's approach had been too extreme; it was clearly the other applicants who hadn't understood the rules before coming. This was the academy recommended by Grandmaster after he had rejected all other invitations, and Tang San felt it should be different from the rest.
And besides Tang Buddha Ancestor and Wu Taijun, there was another well-known "second-generation spirit master" who felt things were getting more and more interesting.
Entering the village, all Yun Ming could see were wooden structures. The words "simple and plain" were the most appropriate way to describe the buildings here.
Not long after walking, Yun Ming arrived at an open space, which was about five hundred square meters in size.
Just then, a soft, drawling hawking voice rang out.
"Sausages for sale, sausages for sale. Come take a look, come see, don't miss out as you pass by. Oscar Brand Sausage, delicious and sweet. Cheap price and a generous portion. Only five copper coins each. Eat an Oscar Brand Sausage, and I guarantee you'll have an easier time passing the entrance exam."
Yun Ming turned his head to look and saw a person pushing a small cart nearby, hawking his wares.
Standing behind the cart was a man wearing a simple gray coat, about the same height as Yun Ming. He had neat short hair and a face full of stubble, yet he possessed a pair of large Peach Blossom Eyes; he was a big... no, a young man with thick facial hair.
This person was none other than the future first Food-Type Titled Douluo of the Douluo Continent, Oscar. He was one of the true geniuses of the current Douluo Continent.
Yun Ming sensed a strange fluctuation of Soul Power coming from the small stall and stepped forward to investigate.
As he drew closer, Yun Ming saw a wooden board nailed to the cart with four characters carved into it: Sausage Specialty Store.
The moment Oscar saw Yun Ming approach, he asked enthusiastically, "Customer, would you like a sausage? Oscar Brand Sausage, honest prices for all, delicious and affordable!"
ps: Seeking monthly tickets, seeking recommendations.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader