Huo Yuhao was stunned, looking at the honest-looking little Fatty before him in disbelief.
Xu Lizhi was actually inviting him to see the real Shrek Academy?
But...
Huo Yuhao subconsciously gripped the corner of his clothes, a trace of inferiority flashing in his eyes.
"I... do I really have the qualifications to go to an academy called the Monster Academy?"
His voice was very soft, carrying a hint of a tremble.
"I only have rank one innate spirit power, and my Spirit is very ordinary, just the Spirit Eyes..."
In this World where the strong are respected, rank one innate spirit power was basically a death sentence.
Even after meeting the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm and obtaining a million-year soul ring, that deep-seated sense of inferiority couldn't be erased in a short time.
Hearing this, Xu Lizhi smiled.
He took a bite of the bun in his hand, the fat on his face trembling, yet his eyes were exceptionally clear.
"Who told you that Shrek Academy only recruits natural-born monsters?"
Huo Yuhao was taken aback.
"Is it not so?"
Xu Lizhi shook his head, swallowed the food in his mouth, and spoke with rare seriousness.
"Although Shrek Academy is called the Monster Academy, it doesn't only recruit monsters."
"What a so-called Monster Academy does is turn ordinary people into monsters in the eyes of others."
"This is the true meaning of the Monster Academy's existence."
Xu Lizhi's voice wasn't loud, but every word was a gem, striking heavily against Huo Yuhao's heart.
"If they only recruit those monsters with extraordinary talent and then claim to have cultivated them after just a few years of casual training..."
"What kind of skill is that?"
Xu Lizhi shrugged, looking like it was only natural."If someone already has the talent of a monster, then does your training really make much of a difference?"
"Only by turning 'ordinary people' like you into 'monsters' that the World looks up to, can it be called Shrek."
*Boom—*
Turning ordinary people... into monsters?
These words completely overturned Huo Yuhao's perception of Spirit Master academies; they were like a beam of light illuminating his originally gloomy world.
He felt that what Xu Lizhi said was completely flawless, even... made too much sense!
But...
Can an academy with such grand ideals and powerful strength really be entered so easily?
Meanwhile, Bei Bei and Tang Ya, who were standing nearby, were also stunned by these words.
The two looked at each other, both seeing the bewilderment in each other's eyes.
Is this their Shrek Academy?
Which Shrek Academy is this?
One must know that the Shrek Academy they were familiar with had a very cruel and direct school motto.
Only recruit monsters, no ordinary people.
As long as you are over twelve years old and your spirit power hasn't reached rank fifteen, you won't get in even if you beg until your head bleeds.
Furthermore, the elimination system within the school was quite intense; one slight mistake could lead to expulsion.
Regardless of talent, even ordinary people can be recruited?
And turn ordinary people into monsters?
"This... this is completely different from our academy."
Bei Bei frowned deeply, his heart filled with a sense of absurdity.
The reason Shrek Academy was known as the number one academy on the Douluo Continent was not only because of the students' formidable strength but also because of its extremely high threshold.
Not only did one need excellent talent, but a recommendation letter from a major city was also required.
It was definitely not somewhere you could enter just because you wanted to!
Because of this, the Tang Sect's quota for admission without examination was particularly precious.
But the Shrek mentioned by these two people sounded like... a charity house?
Bei Bei took a deep breath. He chose not to argue against the Shrek philosophy—after all, what Xu Lizhi said did seem better than the original philosophy of Shrek Academy—and pointed at Ye Xinglan nearby.
"Just now, this junior sister said she doesn't even recognize Ancestor Tang San."
"What's going on with that?"
"Ancestor Tang San was the leader of the Shrek Seven Devils ten thousand years ago, the soul of Shrek Academy, and the reason for the Sea Gods Pavilion's name!"
"As a Shrek student, not even knowing your own ancestor, isn't that a bit wrong?"
Tang Ya also nodded repeatedly from the side.
"Exactly! Not even knowing the Tang Sect's ancestor, yet you dare call yourself a person of Shrek?"
Hearing this, Xu Lizhi blinked his small eyes, looking completely lost.
He looked at Ye Xinglan, then at Bei Bei, and scratched his head.
"I don't know who Tang San is either."
After saying that, he asked back, his tone incredibly sincere. "Is that Tang San person... very famous?"
"..."
The three were shocked. Even Huo Yuhao was completely stunned, his mouth hanging open. Very famous?
Since childhood, Huo Yuhao had listened to his mother's stories, and the protagonist was always that legend with the Blue Silver Grass Spirit, Tang San. He was a myth of the entire Douluo Continent!
These two... where on earth did they come from?Tang Ya was shaking with rage, her finger pointing at Xu Lizhi trembling.
"You don't even know Tang San... You must be fakes! It must be a fake Shrek Academy!"
"The real Shrek Academy has statues of the original Shrek Seven Devils standing in the square!"
"You don't even know this, yet you dare to speak so boastfully here?!"
Facing Tang Ya's questioning, the long-silent Ye Xinglan finally spoke.
She slightly raised her eyelids, her gaze still as cold and sharp as a blade.
"If you are truly students of Shrek Academy..."
"Why can't you even beat me?"
One sentence. A fatal blow. Bei Bei and Tang Ya, who were originally aggressive and wanted to argue, were instantly speechless.
It was true. In this World, strength is the only truth. You say you are orthodox, you say you have statues, you say you have history. But... you lost.
You, a three-ring Spirit Elder, lost to a two-ring Spirit Grandmaster whose name you've never even heard.
This was more persuasive than any words. Huo Yuhao watched from the side, his heart churning.
Indeed, Bei Bei was clearly a three-ring Spirit Master, yet he couldn't even beat Ye Xinglan, a two-ring Spirit Master.
If Shrek Academy was truly formidable, then its students should also be formidable, rather than losing despite having a cultivation advantage.
Could it be... that what Xu Lizhi and the other said was the truth?
Seeing the awkward and stiff atmosphere, Xu Lizhi chuckled and stepped in to smooth things over.
"Oh, don't be so serious." He looked at Bei Bei and Tang Ya and waved his hand.
"Stop pretending. Although your strength is a bit lacking, seeing how much you admire Shrek Academy..."
"How about I take you there to see for yourselves?"After saying that, Xu Lizhi suddenly turned his head with a bit of guilt and gave Ye Xinglan an awkward smile.
"Sister Xinglan, is that okay?"
After all, this young lady was the one who held the power.
Ye Xinglan glanced at the three of them, her expression indifferent.
"Whatever."
"However..."
She shifted the topic, her gaze mercilessly stabbing toward Bei Bei and Tang Ya.
"With the two of you, trying to join Shrek Academy is almost impossible."
"You!"
Tang Ya was about to lose her temper but was firmly held back by Bei Bei.
Bei Bei intended to go and see what kind of Shrek Academy could produce these two fellows.
Xu Lizhi seeing this, hurried to mediate.
"Ahem, Sister Xinglan is just blunt; please don't mind her."
"So... do you all want to go see it or not?"
Bei Bei and Tang Ya looked at each other. Their eyes met in the air, both understanding the other's intent.
Go! They had to go! Even if it was a dragon's pool or a tiger's den, they had to brave it!
"We'll go," Bei Bei said in a heavy voice.
Xu Lizhi nodded, a happy smile appearing on his face.
"Then that's settled."
He looked at Ye Xinglan.
"Sister Xinglan, the car."
Ye Xinglan didn't waste any words. With a flip of her wrist, she took out a silvery-white metal capsule from her storage soul tool.
The capsule wasn't large, only about the size of a thumb, but it shimmered with a high-tech luster in the sunlight.
"What is this?"Huo Yuhao looked at the small capsule curiously. The next moment. Ye Xinglan casually tossed the capsule onto the open ground.
"Bang!"
A cloud of white smoke rose up. Immediately after, a massive object appeared out of thin air in everyone's sight.
It was a small, streamlined car shimmering with a silver-gray metallic luster.
The four wheels were encased in some special device, emitting faint fluctuations of spirit power.
"This... what kind of spirit tool is this?!"
Bei Bei's eyes widened; he had seen many things from Shrek Academy's Spirit Tool Department.
But...
He had never seen such an exquisite and aesthetic... car?
A car that didn't need horses to pull it?
"This thing... can move?" Ye Xinglan didn't explain; she walked straight to the car. The door slid open automatically, revealing the spacious and comfortable seats inside.
"Get in." She coldly spat out two words and was the first to sit in the driver's seat.
Xu Lizhi beckoned the three dumbfounded people. "Come on in, it's very comfortable."
With an uneasy heart, Huo Yuhao carefully sat inside. The seats were incredibly soft, and fresh air flowed within the car.
Bei Bei and Tang Ya also sat in, the two of them still looking around at the car's interior.
"Sit tight." Ye Xinglan's voice came from the front.
The next moment. There was none of the expected bumping. Everyone only felt their bodies sink slightly.
The scenery outside the window actually began to... sink? No! It wasn't the scenery sinking; it was them rising!
Huo Yuhao suddenly pressed himself against the car window and looked out. He saw the trees on the ground getting smaller and smaller, and the small river turned into a silver ribbon.
"It's... it's flying?!"Tang Ya screamed, her hands death-gripping Bei Bei's arm.
Bei Bei's pupils contracted. A flight-type vehicle spirit tool?! It was simply unheard of!
Huo Yuhao watched the clouds rapidly receding outside the window, feeling this unprecedented speed.
He turned to look at the calm-faced blonde girl in the driver's seat, then at Xu Lizhi, who was eating a bun with a silly smile.
What kind of place was the Shrek Academy they spoke of?