Li Yusong finally snapped out of his daze after hearing Li Chang'an shout. Right—someone with this kind of strength and soul ring combination was definitely qualified to apply for a teaching position at Shrek Academy. But the question was… did Shrek Academy even need more teachers?
And there was one unavoidable issue—would that stingy old miser Flender actually pay Li Chang'an a salary?
Well, that… really wasn't guaranteed.
Just then, a figure shot out of the academy at lightning speed. Yes—literally flew. This person had a pair of massive wings on his back, allowing him to soar through the air.
It was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his fifties. Despite his age, his build was impressively solid. But the most eye-catching thing about him was his face.
His features were unusually distinct—his chin jutted forward, cheekbones were wide, and his face was flat with a hooked nose. If one had to compare it to something, it'd be a shoe sole. The overall look gave off a slightly cunning vibe.
He wore square, black-rimmed crystal glasses—rigid in shape and awkward no matter how you looked at them.
This man was none other than the dean of Shrek Academy, one of the original Golden Iron Triangle, and the Four-Eyed Owl spirit master—Flender!
In fact, Flender had been watching the entire recruitment process from the shadows. When Li Chang'an made his appearance, Flender had been genuinely shocked. Since something like this was beyond the authority of a regular instructor like Li Yusong, Flender decided to step in himself.
"Hello, I'm the head of Shrek Academy—Spirit Saint, Rank 78, martial soul: Owl!" As he landed, Flender clasped his hands politely at Li Chang'an and—surprisingly—spoke in a rare tone of seriousness.
At the same time, he was frantically racking his brain, searching for clans or sects that bore the surname Li. Other than the recently emerged Li Chamber of Commerce, he couldn't think of any.
But that didn't make sense. The Li chamber of Commerce was headquartered far away in Spirit Hall City, and their young master was a student of the Spirit Hall Academy. Plus, his martial soul wasn't a staff, so it didn't match at all.
"So you're the esteemed headmaster. Greetings—my name is Li Changsheng, martial soul: Ruyi Jingu Bang, Rank 57 Tool Spirit King." Li Chang'an returned the polite gesture, carefully sizing up the legendary figure before him.
To be honest, Li Chang'an always thought Flender was kind of pitiful. Over fifty, still single—probably even a virgin. Plus, Flender always had that annoying habit of helping others at his own expense...
"I'm just curious," Flender asked, "with your talent, you could go anywhere and do extremely well. Why choose to work at our humble academy?"
Li Chang'an had already prepared his answer. Grasping Xiao Wu's hand, he smiled at Flender and said, "To stay with my girlfriend."
Flender was momentarily speechless. Well… fair enough. No holes to poke in that logic.
"But I have to say this upfront—our teacher salaries are really low, you..." Clearly, Flender didn't want to reject someone like Li Chang'an outright, so he immediately pivoted to discussing the pay.
"That's fine. I'm not in it for the money," Li Chang'an replied gently, glancing affectionately at Xiao Wu.
"In that case, Mubai, take him to see Zhao Wuji. If he can last the duration of two incense sticks in a spar with Zhao, he can join us as a teacher." Flender didn't say much more. He gave Li Chang'an a long, thoughtful look, then lifted off and flew away.
Yes—Flender really didn't have any good reason to refuse a young man like Li Chang'an. If he passed the trial, then let him stay.
Dai Mubai looked at the retreating Flender, then glanced warily at Li Chang'an. Just as he was about to speak, Li Chang'an beat him to it. "No need to take me. I'll go with Xiao Wu."
At this point, Xiao Wu had snuggled right up to Li Chang'an, looking utterly content. After all, him saying that in front of everyone made her feel extremely happy.
Li Chang'an, Xiao Wu, Tang San, and Zhu Zhuqing were all led into the academy by Dai Mubai in one go. As for the other students—they didn't even pass the first round of tests.
Once inside the village, everything was made of wood. The buildings could only be described as simple and rustic.
Before long, Dai Mubai brought them to an open area surrounded by wooden huts. The open space was roughly 500 square meters and sat right in the center of Shrek Academy.
A number of students who had passed the preliminary test were already lined up, the fluctuation of soul power causing faint tremors in the air.
Dai Mubai pointed to the line and said, "This is the second test—soul power measurement. If your soul power is above level 25, you can skip ahead to the fourth round."
Because Dai Mubai hadn't fought Tang San back at the hotel, he still wasn't sure of Tang San's strength. So he brought them all here to follow proper procedure.
"In that case, I think I can skip straight to round four," Xiao Wu said proudly, puffing out her small chest.
"I think I can, too," said Tang San with calm confidence.
"Me as well," Zhu Zhuqing added coolly—just three words, nothing more.
"Your soul powers are all above level 25?" Dai Mubai looked at the four of them, dumbfounded. One Li Chang'an was already insane enough, and now the rest didn't seem like pushovers either.
"Mhm. If you don't believe us, test us," Xiao Wu huffed.
At that moment, a soft, mushy voice rang out:
"Selling sausages, selling sausages! Come and see! Don't miss out! Get your delicious, sweet, affordable, and generously portioned Oscar-brand sausages—just five copper coins each! Eat one and you'll breeze through the entrance exam!"
The group turned to look. Not far away, a person was pushing a cart and calling out his sales pitch. A savory meat aroma drifted over, and a few of the students in line had already gone to buy some.
The man behind the cart wore simple grey clothes and had neatly cut short hair, a full beard covering his face—but his eyes were large and peach-shaped, filled with flirtatious charm as they swept across the female students in the lineup.
Naturally, Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing didn't escape his gaze. It was hard to believe that the soft, feminine voice came from such a burly man.
'This… was Oscar?'
Li Chang'an had to admit—Oscar really did have a pretty-boy face. Those peach blossom eyes alone were enough to cross-dress with ease. But if we're talking about overall looks, Li Chang'an still thought he had him beat by a mile. After all, back in the day, being handsome was literally all he had.
"Big Brother, I want a sausage..." Xiao Wu tugged on Li Chang'an's sleeve, her voice sweet and expectant.
Li Chang'an raised a brow and leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Be good. Don't eat his. Later I'll let you eat my big sausage..."
The implication in his tone made Xiao Wu's face flush red as memories of that night at the hotel surfaced.
They ignored Oscar's cart and headed straight for the second testing station. Since everyone had claimed their soul power exceeded level 25, Dai Mubai let them skip the line and go straight to the front.
"Xiao Wu, you go first," said Li Chang'an as he handed her the soul power testing crystal.
Xiao Wu nodded obediently and injected her soul power into the crystal. The white crystal immediately lit up like a diamond, glowing so brightly it filled every corner with dazzling light—a clear sign she was on the verge of reaching level 30.
Level 29!
The teacher in charge of testing raised an intrigued eyebrow. "Looks like we've got another little monster joining Shrek Academy this year."
Tang San's results were the same, once again shocking everyone nearby.
Li Chang'an then kindly handed the crystal to Zhu Zhuqing. The process was smooth and uneventful—he didn't make any unnecessary moves.
A small step in the test... but the start of something greater.
__
T/N:
Hello everyone! My Patreon is just $3 — a perfect opportunity to access 60+ advanced chapters and support the translation.
You'll also get access to firsthand girls' pics as a bonus!
🔗 patreon.com/user?u=79514336
Or simply search Translator-Sama on Patreon