Chapter 64: Rapid Advancement

Due to the immense energy fluctuation, gusts of wind swept through the surroundings. Everyone, from the students lining up for the Shrek Academy admissions to the teacher managing the registration, was stunned by the spectacle.

Even Xiao Wu was taken aback, unsure of why Zhao Ming was suddenly undergoing such a significant change.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," Zhao Ming reassured Xiao Wu before sitting cross-legged on the ground.

At that moment, Zhao Ming's powerful soul force surged through his meridians, and the aura of a Soul Elder (Soul Grandmaster) erupted from him, startling everyone present.

"A genius... A Soul Elder!" The elderly teacher in charge of admissions, whose previously muddled eyes were now gleaming with sharp clarity, was astonished by Zhao Ming's rapid breakthrough.

This old man had never seen such a young Soul Elder before, and to his surprise, he could sense that Zhao Ming's soul power was still increasing.

"A Soul Elder breaking through with such momentum... Even a Soul King's breakthrough might not cause such a commotion," the old man thought in awe.

No one understood Zhao Ming's current situation better than Zhao Ming himself. Two years ago, he had already reached level 30, but due to the lack of a third soul ring, his advancement had been stalled. However, he had continuously cultivated, compressing his soul power within his body for two years.

Two years of accumulated soul power, coupled with the quadrupling effect of the fourth level of the Soul Refining Art, had left Zhao Ming's soul power compressed to a dangerous degree. Any further compression could have caused his meridians to rupture from the immense pressure. His body could barely handle it. Now that he finally had his third soul ring, his soul power soared.

Bang! A soft sound echoed within his body as his soul power surged past the level 31 threshold like a river breaking through a dam.

But the rise in his soul power didn't stop there—it shot past level 32 and kept climbing.

Zhao Ming's soul power continued to soar, leaving everyone watching in stunned silence.

They had heard of geniuses who grew stronger by eating and drinking, but this…

The teacher from Shrek Academy was even more dumbfounded. He had never seen someone cultivate at such an alarming rate. How could anyone advance so easily?

In the world of Soul Masters, there were only two ways to achieve such rapid breakthroughs: absorbing a soul ring or soul bone to harness the residual power of the soul beast, or consuming rare celestial treasures.

But this situation was different. Zhao Ming couldn't have absorbed a soul ring or bone just now. And he certainly hadn't consumed any rare treasures; the old teacher had been watching him the whole time with his spiritual sense. Zhao Ming had done nothing of the sort.

"Forget it. It doesn't matter. Our Shrek Academy seems to have found a true genius this time," the old man thought, stroking his beard with a smile.

The crowd murmured in amazement.

"Is it him? Is he really that powerful?" Ning Rongrong, shocked, stared at the meditating Zhao Ming, her eyes sparkling with an unspoken emotion.

She hadn't expected to run into the same boy who had teased her yesterday, nor had she anticipated him being such a peerless genius.

The powerful fluctuations of his soul force left no doubt that he was at least a Soul Elder, and he didn't even look that old. Such talent was rare, even among her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.

"Looking at him now... he's not so annoying after all," Ning Rongrong thought as she watched Zhao Ming in deep concentration.

But then, after a brief pause, she snapped back. "No, he's still a jerk. And that girl is wearing the necklace I wanted yesterday!" Her mood soured as she glared at Zhao Ming, feeling aggrieved once more.

Stomping her feet in frustration, she made her way to the side of the elderly admissions officer.

...

What a relief.

Zhao Ming felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction as his cultivation progressed.

It felt like finally letting out a week's worth of stress—pure relief.

His breakthrough lasted for a full three hours. The surrounding onlookers had long since gone from astonished to indifferent, and registration had resumed as usual.

Xiao Wu remained by Zhao Ming's side, keeping watch over him.

As time passed, Zhao Ming's soul power gradually stabilized.

"Soul Elder, level 35."

Slowly opening his eyes, Zhao Ming grinned, feeling the abundant soul power coursing through him. He sensed that he was not far from reaching level 36.

Looking around, he noticed that there weren't many people left in line.

"Let's go register," he said, taking Xiao Wu's hand as they approached the admissions officer.

There were only two people ahead of them, so their turn came quickly. After placing twenty gold soul coins in the donation box, both Zhao Ming and Xiao Wu extended their hands for the age check.

"Age is suitable. Now release your martial spirits," the old man said excitedly after examining their bones, his tone urging them forward.

Exchanging a glance, Zhao Ming and Xiao Wu simultaneously released their martial spirits.

For Xiao Wu, soft rabbit ears and white fur emerged on her arms, and her body grew more slender—her Jade Rabbit martial spirit fully manifested.

Zhao Ming, on the other hand, exhibited no physical changes, but three soul rings surrounded him.

Two young Soul Elders' auras caused the old man's eyes to light up with excitement.

Xiao Wu had a level 31 cultivation, with two yellow and one purple soul rings.

Zhao Ming had a level 35 cultivation, with three orange rings.

"What kind of soul rings are these?" The old man couldn't help but swallow, feeling overwhelmed by the bizarre sight before him.

"My martial spirit is a puppet, so my soul rings are somewhat special. I can't explain in detail—it's a family secret," Zhao Ming said, preemptively cutting off the old man's questions.

"I see. That's something I've never heard of before. Perhaps it's my ignorance," the old man replied with a smile, deciding not to press further.

"So, did we pass?" Xiao Wu asked with wide, curious eyes.

"Two young Soul Elders? If you didn't pass, then Shrek Academy might as well close its doors," the old man chuckled. "You both passed. Come with me to the next test." Saying this, the old man led the way.

"You're one of the academy's teachers, right?" Xiao Wu asked curiously.

"Yes, I'm Li Yusong, a level 63 Soul Master, and my martial spirit is the Dragon-patterned Staff. You can just call me Teacher Li," the old man said with a nod.

"Teacher Li, there don't seem to be many people here. Where is everyone?" Xiao Wu asked, noticing how quiet the academy seemed.

"Our academy has strict requirements, so we don't have many students. In the twenty years since Shrek Academy was founded, we've only admitted 42 students. That averages to just over two per year. But with the five of you this year, we might set a new record. I have a feeling you'll all pass."

Not long after, Li Yusong led them to a large open area surrounded by wooden houses. The clearing was about 500 square meters and seemed to be the center of Shrek Academy.

"Since you're both so strong, you can skip ahead to the fourth test. I'll inform the other teachers. Take a moment to rest and prepare yourselves," Li Yusong said before heading off to speak with the other instructors.

---

𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮. 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚!

𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼:

• 𝘽𝙤𝙜𝙙𝙖𝙣 𝙋𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙪

• 𝙅𝙘𝟭𝟮𝟬𝟮

• 𝘼𝙝𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙟𝙖𝙝

• 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗼𝗯 𝗠𝗼𝗲𝗲

𝗔𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸:

• 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟴𝟱+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.

• 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁-𝗢𝘂𝘁: 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩!

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝘂𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝗺𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗲𝘁, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀!

👉 𝙅𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙣𝙤𝙬: 𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣.𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧