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"Oh?" Xiao Tian looked at Ning Rongrong with a flicker of interest and asked, "Which clan are you from?"
Ning Rongrong knew that her identity would likely be revealed once she summoned her Spirit, so she lifted her chin slightly and announced with great pride, "The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan."
The next moment, a small, seven-story pagoda Spirit materialized in front of her. The bottom two layers were adorned with two yellow spirit rings.
"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Spirit!"
Li Yusong was stunned. Why would someone from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan come to their dilapidated academy? Furthermore, judging by this young girl's attire and demeanor, she clearly held a position of some importance within her clan.
"Ning Rongrong, Spirit: Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, Rank Twenty-Six."
After her introduction, she turned her attention back to Xiao Tian. "Hey, Xiao Tian, I've told you who I am. Can you tell me how you did it now?"
Xiao Tian simply smiled faintly. "That's a long story. Let's talk about it after we've all passed the tests, when we have the chance."
Nearby, Tang San's eyes were deep in thought. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan? Isn't that one of the three upper clans my teacher told me about? And they're said to be wealthy enough to rival a kingdom, with their direct lineage all being support-type spirit masters.
An idea immediately formed in his mind. Perhaps I could sell some of the Tang Sect's hidden weapons from my previous life to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan to gather the initial capital I need to re-establish the Tang Sect.
"Zhu Zhuqing, Spirit: Hell Civet, Rank Twenty-Seven."
Seeing that everyone else had displayed their Spirits, Zhu Zhuqing stated her name and rank in a cool voice.
Upon hearing the name of this Spirit, Ning Rongrong's brows furrowed slightly. She also noticed that Dai Mubai, who was standing next to Li Yusong, had his gaze fixed on Zhu Zhuqing.
His surname is Dai? From the Star Luo Empire's royal family? Aren't they the sworn enemies of our clan? Well now, to think I'd run into one of them here. Ning Rongrong could feel her mischievous, little-devil nature struggling to break free.
Although he was somewhat unclear on the full situation, Li Yusong's eyes lit up. He had presided over so many new student enrollments, and this year's group had the highest number of qualified applicants he had ever seen! After testing the bone age of Xiao Tian's group one by one, he turned to Dai Mubai beside him and said, "Mubai, take them directly to the fourth test. I'll leave the rest to you."
A bitter expression appeared on Dai Mubai's face. Knowing he couldn't escape his duty, he forced a strained smile and said to Xiao Tian's group, "Follow me."
Along the way, Dai Mubai gave them a general overview of Shrek Academy. In his view, Xiao Tian's group was guaranteed to be admitted; after all, he himself had already been beaten by them once. For the sake of his own pride, Dai Mubai leaned close to Xiao Tian and whispered, "Xiao Tian, how about we just go through the motions for the test later? I know I was wrong about what happened yesterday, and I've been reflecting on it."
Xiao Tian offered a smile that was the very picture of "kindness"—the kind that could level a city—and indicated that was acceptable. However, Xiao Tian knew that his opponent later wouldn't be Dai Mubai, but that Mighty Vajra Bear! Apart from Flender, probably no one else could keep that Zhao Wuji in check. Even knowing that Flender was in the academy, upon seeing a group of geniuses like them, he would surely be unable to resist the urge to test them himself.
Thinking of this, Xiao Tian couldn't help but reveal a devious smile. If Zhao Wuji really dares to make a move, he'll be turned into a blind little bear cub by the end of it!
A short while later, Dai Mubai led the group to the location of the fourth test. In a wide, open field, Zhao Wuji was sitting on a wooden chair with his eyes closed, seemingly resting. Sensing the movement in front of him, he slowly opened his eyes.
"Yo? Mubai, you're leading so many students directly to the fourth test this year? It seems their spirit power is at least rank twenty-five or higher, huh?"
Zhao Wuji stood up and stretched his limbs, producing a series of loud, cracking sounds.
Dai Mubai walked up to Zhao Wuji and introduced him to the group. "This is Teacher Zhao Wuji, the Vice-Dean of Shrek Academy. He is a Rank Seventy-Six Battle Spirit Saint. His Spirit is the Mighty Vajra Bear, and he holds the title of the Immovable Bright King."
"What? You're the Immovable Bright King? The one who once escaped the pursuit of sixteen Spirit Emperors from Spirit Hall and managed to retreat completely unscathed? I can't believe you've been hiding here all these years!" Ning Rongrong said, her small mouth agape with astonishment.
"Oh, little lady, I didn't expect anyone to still remember my title after so many years have passed. But I don't like you saying I was 'hiding' here. If those Spirit Emperors from Spirit Hall had dared to fight me one-on-one back then, why would I have needed to run?"
Xiao Tian: ...
They were sent to hunt you down. Who would fight you one-on-one? What is he even talking about...
Afterward, Dai Mubai began to briefly report the group's ranks, but he was stopped midway through.
"Stop! Don't tell me yet. This year, I will be the examiner for the fourth test. For now, let's allow them to retain that small advantage."
Dai Mubai instantly understood what Zhao Wuji meant. A flash of joy appeared on his face, but it was immediately replaced by dismay. "Teacher Zhao, I've always been the examiner in previous years! The strongest among them is only a Spirit Elder. Even if they all team up, they're no match for a Spirit Saint like you! Besides, the Dean was just here. These are the talented individuals he has taken a liking to. If they lose, I won't be able to answer to him..."
Hearing Dai Mubai's string of excuses, Zhao Wuji's temper immediately flared. He grabbed Dai Mubai by the collar and roared, "That's none of your concern! I'll go talk to Flender about it later!"
With that, Zhao Wuji shoved Dai Mubai aside. He produced an incense stick out of thin air, lit it, and stuck it into the ground.
"You have the time it takes for this incense stick to burn to discuss your strategy. For the fourth test, all you have to do is... defeat me!"
After speaking, Zhao Wuji sat back down in his chair, looking perfectly calm and composed. Inwardly, however, he was ecstatic. It's been too long since I had a chance to thrash some rookies. Staying in this godforsaken academy all day is making me rusty. This is the perfect opportunity to loosen up my muscles.
Xiao Tian: We'll see who's loosening up whose muscles later. It all depends on whether your hide is thick enough!
Dai Mubai looked completely helpless. He slowly walked over to Xiao Tian and the others. The group then squatted down to discuss their tactics.
"Teacher Zhao's Mighty Vajra Bear Spirit is a perfect balance of offense and defense. His only weakness is his speed. However, the gap in your spirit power is too vast. The best strategy right now is to stall! Run out the clock."
Xiao Tian, however, disagreed. The field was only so big, and two of Zhao Wuji's spirit abilities were gravity-related restriction skills. Therefore, their only option was... to fight!
"No, that won't work. No matter how much we stall, we'll never be a match for Teacher Zhao. Our total spirit power reserves are not in the same league. And as a Spirit Saint, he's guaranteed to have several control-type and area-of-effect spirit abilities. That's why we must go all out from the very beginning!"
As he spoke, Xiao Tian turned his gaze toward Tang San.
(End of chapter)