Soul Land: Power Of Space - 15. Register
Early in the morning, Tang San set off from the south gate of Soto City with Xiao Wu by his side.
Even though the master had told him that Shrek Academy could be seen not far from the south gate of Suotuo City, all they could see were vast stretches of farmland as far as the eye could see.
Where was the academy?. But at this point, Tang San had no choice but to push forward.
“It’s really unexpected. Instead of going to a mid-level spirit master academy, we end up here,” Xiao Wu complained, pouting, after walking for a while without seeing the so-called “Shrek Academy”.
Helplessness flickered across Tang San’s face.
“Don’t worry, the master wouldn’t send us here without reason. There must be some purpose behind it,” Tang San reassured Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu frowned but remained silent. Although she didn’t like the master, she didn’t argue for the sake of Tang San. After all, no matter how they looked at it, the master was Tang San’s teacher.
Even though the master’s teachings about spirit beasts weren’t entirely accurate and could be misleading for the younger generation, Xiao Wu couldn’t help but believe in Tang San. So, after trying to convince her twice, Xiao Wu gave up on changing Tang San’s impression of the master. It was just too difficult.
Not long after, a small village appeared in Tang San’s sight. The village wasn’t large, but what caught their attention was the number of people blocking the village entrance as if they were dragging their families along.
Tang San’s heart skipped a beat. He had seen such scenes many times before, mostly when freshmen entered school. Combined with the words of the master, Tang San couldn’t help but smile wryly.
“It’s probably true,” he muttered.
“What’s wrong?” Xiao Wu, whose eyesight couldn’t match Tang San’s due to his cultivated Purple Demon Eye, could only get a vague idea of what Tang San saw clearly.
“It seems like I’ve found Shrek Academy,” Tang San replied.
“Then what are you waiting for?” Xiao Wu exclaimed excitedly, running forward. Tang San, on the other hand, hesitated for a moment before following her.
Before long, they arrived at the village. Raising his head, Tang San looked at the tattered plaque hanging on the wooden archway at the entrance of the village. Not only Xiao Wu, but even Tang San couldn’t hide his skepticism. The simple five words on the plaque shattered all their illusions—Shrek Academy. This, combined with the silly-looking monster head in front, gave off a strong sense of ridicule.
Especially for the dumbfounded Xiao Wu, it dealt a critical blow to her expectations.
“This is the academy that claims to make you a Viscount of the Empire after graduation? That’s too much,” Xiao Wu exclaimed.
“Be careful!” Tang San warned.
“However, there shouldn’t be anything wrong. After all, this is what the spirit master said,” a young couple in front of them whispered.
Their conversation reached Tang San’s ears, startling him. Empire Viscount? According to common sense, the title of Imperial Viscount was reserved for nobility, and ordinary people didn’t have the qualifications to receive it, let alone the condition of becoming an Imperial Viscount after graduation.
However, there were two possibilities. First, the dean of this academy or their backers held a significant position in the empire. The second possibility was that upon graduation, the spirit master possessed an exceptional level of spirit power, leading the Heaven Dou Empire or the Star Luo Empire to grant them a noble title as an exception. It wasn’t a far-fetched idea, as spirit masters themselves were often referred to as “half aristocrats.”
The saints and daughters of the Spirit Hall held no lower status than the princes or princesses of the two empires, demonstrating the nobility of spirit masters.
“The registration fee is ten gold spirit coins,” an elderly man in plain clothes informed them, pointing to a simple wooden box beside him as a signal to pay the fee before taking the test.
The boy’s father hurriedly dropped ten gold spirit coins into the wooden box.
“Extend your hand,” the old man lazily instructed as he squeezed the boy’s hand.
“Your bone age is not qualified. You may leave,” the old man declared.
The young man turned to his father helplessly, who frowned and whispered, “Teacher, can you be more flexible?”
“Do you know the rules here?” the old man replied, his impatience showing in his eyes. He then raised his voice, “If you know that children over thirteen years old whose spirit power level hasn’t reached the twenty-first rank aren’t accepted, what are you talking about here? Go on, make way for the people behind you!”
The boy’s father hesitated for a moment before asking, “What about the registration fee?”
“Once payment is made, there are no refunds,” the old man replied.
The young man seemed to understand what was happening and blushed with anger. “You, Shrek Academy, are clearly a bunch of liars!”
“Fraud?” the old man sneered.
Six apirit rings slowly appeared—one white, one yellow, three purple, and one black. The powerful coercion instantly overwhelmed the young man, leaving him speechless.
“Do I need to lie to you?” the old man asked, his expression unchanged.
Tang San’s complexion changed slightly. This was clearly a Spirit Emperor. If the person in charge of registration was a Spirit Emperor, how strong were the teachers and the dean responsible for teaching him?
Though the place seemed dilapidated, the master hadn’t lied to him!
“Senior, your actions are a bit inappropriate!” a voice suddenly emerged, accompanied by a powerful murderous aura that rose into the sky, forcefully resisting the coercion released by the old man.
The sudden surge of murderous aura caught the old man off guard, causing him to shrink his pressure.
Once the coercion receded, the cold and biting murderous aura disappeared as if it had never been there.
The young man and his father gasped for air, still shaken by the suffocating feeling. They didn’t dare to stay any longer and didn’t even bother to retrieve their gold spirit coins. They bowed to the old man and then to their surroundings before leaving promptly.
The first bow represented respect for the strong, not just gratitude to the old man for intervening.
The second bow expressed their gratitude to the unknown powerful individual.
The old man’s complexion changed slightly. Murderous aura was different from coercion. While one could control coercion as long as their strength allowed, murderous aura, if not carefully controlled, could harm oneself. If the two were classified, murderous aura would undoubtedly fall under aura manipulation.
Although murderous aura was the simplest and easiest form of aura to cultivate, it was also prone to driving one mad and denying their own kin in the process. Consequently, only those with great courage and perseverance could cultivate and control these inexplicable auras.
As for coercion, it wasn’t difficult to release or withdraw it as long as one possessed sufficient strength. After all, coercion was an advanced application of spirit power within the body. The pressure brought by an ordinary coercion and a coercion combined with momentum were completely different. It was akin to the distinction between a Titled Douluo and a Spirit Doulou—their essence had changed. Perhaps only coercion combined with momentum could be considered real coercion.
The old man’s sharp gaze swept over everyone, spotting a few promising talents. He couldn’t help but wryly smile in his heart, thinking, “It seems that my Shrek Academy is about to welcome a true monster today.”.
If the term “little monster” referred to a genius surpassing most spirit master prodigies, then the real monster arriving today would undoubtedly eclipse his reputation as a Spirit Emperor. Nevertheless, the old man felt no unhappiness in his heart. After all, this real monster would soon join Shrek Academy.
