"Let's go," Gu Yuena said with a slight smile. Her youthful appearance made her smile seem playful.
Yun Ze returned the smile and followed Gu Yuena as they walked deeper into the hall.
Inside the hall, many students dressed in white uniforms were present. As Yun Ze and Gu Yuena passed by, they drew admiring and awestruck gazes.
Most of the male students were looking at Gu Yuena—such an exceptional beauty was hard for these young men, full of youthful energy, to ignore. Their eyes were drawn to her involuntarily.
The female students, however, had divided attention—some also looked at Gu Yuena, but others were fixated on Yun Ze. They had never seen such a delicate-looking boy before, dressed in a unique style with an extraordinary aura.
"This little boy is really good-looking. Look at that red hair, how cool it is! And that red robe, it makes him look so elegant!"
"Exactly! His skin is so nice—I really want to pinch his cheeks! And did you notice? His pupils seem to be red as well!"
A few female students whispered and giggled among themselves as they discussed Yun Ze, clearly intrigued by his appearance.
Hearing these comments, Yun Ze felt somewhat helpless. Having a six-year-old body truly came with its inconveniences.
The two of them arrived at an elevator and stepped inside. This was an exclusive elevator—ordinary students wouldn't dare use it, nor would they have the access to do so.
The reason? This elevator led to the highest five floors of the building, an area reserved for the academy's top officials. Regular students had no right to go there.
Gu Yuena inserted her identity card into a slot and pressed the button for the 50th floor. The elevator quickly ascended.
In less than thirty seconds, the elevator reached its destination. As the doors opened, what lay before them was not a hallway but an opulently decorated room.
"Who has come?" A dignified voice sounded.
Gu Yuena led Yun Ze forward, heading toward the left side of the spacious floor.
The 50th floor consisted of just one massive room, occupying the entire level with a space of nearly a thousand square meters.
They arrived at a door, which automatically opened.
"So, our little prodigy has arrived! Welcome, welcome!" An elderly man with snow-white hair rose from his seat with a cheerful smile, greeting Gu Yuena warmly.
The old man was tall and thin, but due to his age—over a hundred years old—his back was slightly hunched. His bright smile and lively tone immediately revealed his playful personality.
"Dean, I can't possibly accept such high praise," Gu Yuena responded with a soft chuckle, acting casually in his presence.
"You absolutely can! If even you can't, then who else deserves it?" The old man—Dean Xu Lin—laughed heartily.
"He does." Gu Yuena gestured toward Yun Ze beside her.
"Him?" Xu Lin blinked in surprise, finally turning his attention to the boy standing quietly at Gu Yuena's side. Up until now, he had been too focused on her to pay much attention to Yun Ze.
Hearing her words, he examined Yun Ze closely for the first time.
His first impression: What a refined-looking child!The second impression: This kid is definitely not ordinary.The third impression: Wait—what?!
A brief spiritual scan of Yun Ze's soul power almost made Xu Lin's jaw drop.
"A twenty-first-rank Soul Grandmaster?!" Xu Lin blurted out, staring at Yun Ze in disbelief. Worried that he had made a mistake, he scanned again—once, twice… The result remained the same.
"Little one, how old are you?" Xu Lin asked, his breathing slightly erratic.
"Six years old," Yun Ze replied naturally.
"Really just six? You're not lying to me?" Xu Lin's expression grew serious.
"Yun Ze really is only six," Gu Yuena confirmed. "He just awakened his martial soul a few days ago. His martial soul is Phoenix, and his innate soul power… is rank twenty."
"Innate soul power of rank twenty?!" Xu Lin was completely stunned, the shock evident all over his face.
It took him a long moment to recover. He sighed in amazement, "No wonder you're already at the twenty-first rank despite being so young. An innate soul power of twenty ranks… That's terrifying!"
"For nearly twenty thousand years, there hasn't been a single case of innate soul power reaching twenty ranks in the entire continent!"
Xu Lin looked at Yun Ze as if he were a monster, but his eyes also burned with excitement—he desperately wanted to recruit him.
After staring at Yun Ze for a while, he turned back to Gu Yuena and asked, "Gu Yuena, what brings you and Yun Ze here?"
"Oh, he's my friend. I just brought him to tour the academy. In a few days, I plan to take him to apply for Shrek Academy."
"This time, I came to request a one-month leave. Since I couldn't just leave him alone, I brought him with me. Dean, you won't blame me for this, will you?" Gu Yuena said playfully, smiling.
The smile on Xu Lin's face froze the moment he heard "Shrek Academy." This was different from what he had expected.
"Of course not," Xu Lin forced a smile. "But… you're serious about this?"
"You mean taking Yun Ze to apply to Shrek?" Gu Yuena asked. "Yes, of course. With his talent, passing the entrance exams shouldn't be an issue."
Yun Ze remained silent, watching Gu Yuena's act.
Of course, his plan to apply to Shrek Academy was fake. Though it was known as the continent's top academy, it held no appeal for him.
Choosing which academy to attend didn't matter much to him—he didn't need anyone to guide his cultivation, as he could figure it out himself.
His choice of Sun-Moon Royal Academy was entirely for practical reasons. It was the best place to carry out his plans and fulfill his promises sooner. Once he gained enough strength, he could leave at any time without being hindered.
Gu Yuena's current act was something they had planned in advance—to use Shrek Academy as leverage to negotiate better conditions for Yun Ze.
"Ahem," Xu Lin coughed lightly and said seriously, "Well, it's not impossible for him to get into Shrek, but I wouldn't recommend it."
"Why not?" Gu Yuena feigned curiosity.
"There are many reasons—too many to count. Let me just give you the most important one."
From Xu Lin's tone, it sounded as if Shrek Academy was full of flaws and had no advantages at all.
"Shrek only enrolls students once every three years. The latest admissions cycle was just half a month ago, meaning their recruitment period is already over."
"In other words, even if you go to Shrek City now, there's no way to enroll. You'd have to wait three years for the next opportunity."
"The people at Shrek value rules and pride themselves on their standards. No matter how talented you are, they won't bend the rules for you."
Xu Lin smirked slightly, almost enjoying the situation. He exaggerated the difficulties of entering Shrek, hoping to dissuade them.
"Dean, you're not trying to trick me, are you? I heard Shrek does make special exceptions for outstanding talents." Gu Yuena replied calmly.
"Uh…" Xu Lin's smile stiffened. After a brief pause, he said seriously, "Well, that may be true, but it's still very difficult to get in."
"Besides, Shrek Academy isn't as great as you think. Their resources for students aren't even as good as ours."
"How about this—let Yun Ze study at our academy instead. He can enroll directly, no entrance exam required, and I'll ensure he receives core student privileges."
"Since you brought him here, I'll even take him as my personal disciple and train him myself."
(End of Chapter)