Dawn broke over Suotuo City in pale gold and rose, the first rays catching on the dew that clung to the ramshackle wooden sign hanging crookedly above the entrance to Shrek Academy: "Shrek Academy – Those who cross this gate must be monsters."
Jin Mori walked the dirt road alongside Tang San and Xiao Wu, the morning breeze carrying the faint scent of wild grasses and distant spirit beast musk. Tang San's steps were measured, his eyes scanning every detail of the surroundings with the vigilance of someone who had grown up trusting only his own senses. Xiao Wu skipped lightly beside him, humming a tune, but her hand never strayed far from Tang San's sleeve—an unconscious gesture of reassurance born from years of depending on each other.
Mori walked a half-step behind them, hands clasped loosely behind his back. His jade eyes took in everything: the dilapidated village houses, the curious villagers peeking from windows, the faint soul power fluctuations gathering ahead like storm clouds. He felt no hurry. For the first time in longer than he could measure, time felt… spacious.
"Big brother Mori, you're really quiet this morning," Xiao Wu said, glancing back with a playful grin. "Thinking about how you're going to impress everyone?"
Mori chuckled softly. "I'm just enjoying the walk. It's been a while since I traveled with company."
Tang San glanced at him sideways. "You said you trained alone in the Star Dou Forest. How long?"
Mori's gaze drifted to the horizon. "Long enough to forget the sound of other voices. Short enough that hearing yours feels… new."
There was a weight to the words that Tang San felt more than understood. He nodded quietly, filing the mystery away for later.
They rounded a bend, and the academy gate came fully into view.
A long line of hopeful applicants—mostly teenagers accompanied by proud or anxious parents—stretched from the gate into the nearby fields. At the front, a weathered wooden table had been set up beneath a tattered canopy. Behind it sat an older man in simple gray robes, his face lined with experience and a touch of cynicism. Beside him stood a muscular youth with distinctive white hair and heterochromatic eyes—Dai Mubai, though none of the newcomers knew his name yet.
Dai Mubai's arms were crossed, his posture radiating bored authority. Every time the old teacher shook his head and sent another applicant away in disappointment, a faint smirk tugged at the corner of Mubai's mouth.
"First test is simple," the teacher—Li Yusong, known as the Dragon-Patterned Staff—announced in a gravelly voice. "Show your spirit power and age. Must be twelve or under with spirit rank twenty or higher. Anyone older or weaker, leave now. Shrek only accepts monsters."
Parents protested. Teenagers huffed. A few tried to argue or bribe. All were turned away.
When Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Mori reached the front, the line had already thinned considerably.
Li Yusong's eyes narrowed as he looked at the two children and the young man behind them. "Names and ages."
"Tang San, twelve years old."
"Xiao Wu, twelve years old."
The old teacher raised an eyebrow at Mori. "And you?"
"Jin Mori. Age…" He paused, a flicker of amusement in his eyes. "Let's say nineteen. I'm not here to enroll as a student."
Dai Mubai finally took interest, pushing off the table to step forward. His spirit power flared subtly—level 37, pressing down like a predator sizing up newcomers. "Then why are you here?"
Mori met the pressure without flinching, his own aura remaining perfectly still, like a lake without a single ripple. "I heard Shrek Academy produces true geniuses. I thought I might offer my services as a teacher. Or at least observe your methods."
Li Yusong and Dai Mubai exchanged a glance. It was rare for someone so young to speak with such calm confidence—and rarer still for Dai Mubai's subtle intimidation to have no visible effect.
"Prove your strength first," Dai Mubai said, voice low. "We don't let just anyone past these gates."
Mori inclined his head. "Fair."
He raised his right hand. Nine soul rings rose silently around him—yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, red, red, red.
The air seemed to freeze.
Dai Mubai's eyes widened. Li Yusong's crystal testing ball nearly slipped from his fingers. Even the remaining applicants and parents behind them fell silent, staring in stunned disbelief.
A nineteen-year-old… with three 100,000-year rings?
That was not merely monstrous. That was impossible.
Tang San and Xiao Wu turned to stare at Mori as well, shock clear on their faces. They had sensed he was strong—but this strong?
Mori let the rings fade, his expression unchanged. "Will this suffice?"
Li Yusong recovered first, coughing awkwardly. "Y-yes. More than sufficient. Please, come in. All three of you."
Dai Mubai's usual arrogance had vanished, replaced by wary respect. He stepped aside without another word.
As they passed through the gate into the academy grounds—a surprisingly spacious courtyard surrounded by simple wooden buildings—Xiao Wu finally found her voice.
"Big brother Mori… you're a Titled Douluo?!" she whispered fiercely, grabbing his sleeve. "Why didn't you say anything?!"
Mori smiled down at her. "Because titles don't matter much to me. And I wanted to meet you two as people, not as some lofty expert."
Tang San's mind raced, recalculating everything he thought he knew about the man walking beside them. Yet strangely, the revelation didn't change the quiet trust he had already begun to feel.
They were led to a larger open area where several other new students waited. Four youths stood apart from the scattered others who had passed the first test.
A chubby boy with a perpetually cheerful smile—Oscar, softly muttering the incantation for his sausage spirit under his breath.
A fiery-haired, stocky youth who kept scratching at his arms—Ma Hongjun, wrestling with the urges of his Evil Fire Phoenix.
A cold, beautiful girl with black hair and cat-like grace—Zhu Zhuqing, her eyes fixed on Dai Mubai with complex emotions she hid behind ice.
And finally, a silver-haired girl in luxurious robes, arms crossed and lips curled in disdain as she surveyed the "shabby" academy—Ning Rongrong.
When Rongrong's gaze landed on the newcomers, it lingered on Mori for a moment longer than the others. Something about his calm bearing and those deep jade eyes unsettled her usual confidence.
Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang arrived shortly after, his stiff gait and sharp eyes taking in the group. Flender, the dean, followed close behind—greedy eyes already calculating tuition fees.
Grandmaster's attention locked immediately on Mori.
"Nine rings… three red," he murmured, voice laced with academic fascination. "Young man, may I know your title?"
Mori shook his head gently. "I have no title. Names are enough."
Flender's eyes gleamed. A Titled Douluo-level expert willing to associate with their academy? This could change everything.
Grandmaster, however, was more interested in knowledge than prestige. "Would you be willing to demonstrate your martial soul later? For educational purposes?"
"If it helps the students," Mori agreed.
The second test began: a practical assessment overseen by Dai Mubai. Applicants were to endure his spirit pressure or demonstrate combat ability.
Most failed quickly.
When it was the remaining seven's turn—including Tang San, Xiao Wu, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, and one last straggler who would soon drop out—they stood together almost by instinct.
Mori watched from the side, leaning against a tree with relaxed posture.
Ning Rongrong complained immediately. "Why do we have to fight? I'm an auxiliary system. This is unfair."
Dai Mubai smirked. "Life isn't fair, princess. If you can't handle this, leave now."
Rongrong's cheeks flushed with anger, but before she could retort, Mori spoke for the first time since entering the grounds.
"Strength isn't only in direct combat," he said calmly, drawing every eye. "An auxiliary spirit master who understands timing and positioning can turn the tide more decisively than any assault type. Let them demonstrate as a team."
Grandmaster's eyes lit with interest. Flender nodded eagerly—anything to keep the potential Titled Douluo happy.
Dai Mubai shrugged. "Fine. All seven of you against me. If you can last five minutes or land one solid hit, you pass."
The fight began.
Tang San's Blue Silver Grass erupted from the ground, controlling the field. Xiao Wu darted in with teleport-like agility. Oscar supplied recovery sausages. Ma Hongjun's phoenix flames roared. Zhu Zhuqing's shadow strikes flickered. Even Rongrong, grumbling, activated her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, boosting speed and strength by thirty percent.
They moved surprisingly well together for strangers—instinct and talent bridging the gaps.
Yet Dai Mubai was level 37, with a powerful beast spirit. He toyed with them at first, White Tiger claws swatting attacks aside.
Rongrong's boosts were crucial, but her positioning was poor—she stayed too far back, unused to real combat.
When Dai Mubai suddenly lunged toward her, intending to force her out of the fight and teach a lesson, time seemed to slow for Mori.
He saw the fear flash across Rongrong's face—pride cracking into genuine alarm.
In that instant, something protective stirred in him.
He didn't move. Not visibly.
But Rongrong suddenly felt a gentle push of wind at her back—enough to shift her sideways just out of reach. Dai Mubai's claws swiped empty air.
Tang San capitalized instantly, Blue Silver Grass wrapping Mubai's ankle. Xiao Wu teleported onto his shoulder for a waist throw. Zhu Zhuqing's claws raked across his chest guard.
Five minutes ended with the seven still standing—barely.
They passed.
As the group caught their breath, Rongrong glanced toward Mori, eyes wide with confusion and something softer. She had felt that wind. It hadn't come from any of their spirits.
Mori met her gaze and offered the faintest smile—warm, knowing, but silent.
Grandmaster declared them the new cohort of Shrek Seven Devils (the eighth applicant having fled during the fight).
Flender gleefully collected tuition.
And as the sun climbed higher, casting long shadows across the courtyard, Mori stood quietly among them—teacher in name, guardian in truth.
Ning Rongrong found herself stealing glances at the mysterious young man with jade eyes.
Something told her this year at Shrek would be unlike anything she had ever imagined.
And deep within the Star Dou Forest, ancient spirit beasts stirred uneasily in their sleep, sensing that a presence they had once feared had left… only to settle quietly among humans.
The echo of a monkey king had found its new stage.