Douluo Dalu: The Path of Abyss

Ye Feng chuckled, "Then let's not worry about age. Just go ahead and call me 'Uncle.' Let me hear it."

"Not a chance!" Ning Rongrong immediately retorted without hesitation.

"Alright, then. Would you prefer to call me 'Uncle' or 'Senior Brother'?" Ye Feng teased, his expression full of amusement.

"I... I'll call you Senior Brother!" Ning Rongrong huffed, reluctantly conceding.

"That's more like it. As your Senior Brother, I'll be sure to prepare a gift for you later," Ye Feng said with a smile.

"A gift? What kind of gift?" Ning Rongrong asked, her curiosity piqued.

"You'll find out once we're officially inside Shrek Academy," Ye Feng replied with a knowing grin.

"Alright then," Ning Rongrong answered cheerfully, following Dai Mubai toward the academy grounds.

The Second Test

The second stage of the Shrek Academy assessment measured soul power. Xiao Wu revealed a soul power level of 33, Ning Rongrong displayed level 26, and Ye Feng stunned everyone with his level 48 soul power. As a result, all three bypassed the second and third tests and progressed directly to the fourth trial.

On their way to the testing site, Dai Mubai introduced them to Zhu Zhuqing and explained more about Shrek Academy. Along the way, Oscar appeared selling sausages. However, Ye Feng, well aware of the story, refrained from buying any.

When Xiao Wu asked why he wasn't interested in the sausages, Ye Feng casually explained that Oscar's martial spirit was the very sausage he was selling. Xiao Wu's expression immediately turned awkward, and she quickly lost interest.

According to Shrek's rules, students with soul power above level 25 could skip directly to the fourth trial. Thus, Ye Feng, Oscar, Xiao Wu, Tang San, and Ning Rongrong were all fast-tracked.

The Fourth Trial

Arriving at a small square roughly 200 square meters in size, the group spotted a middle-aged man, seemingly in his fifties, dozing off on a chair.

Dai Mubai approached him respectfully, "Teacher Zhao, I've brought the candidates for the fourth trial."

"Hmm?" Zhao Wuji opened his eyes lazily, his gaze sweeping over the group. "Five candidates at once? Interesting."

"They all qualified to skip the second and third tests," Dai Mubai explained.

Zhao Wuji's eyes lit up as he stood, his stocky build giving him an imposing presence. Despite being slightly shorter than Ye Feng, his muscular frame exuded an aura of overwhelming strength.

"Not bad. It seems this year we have quite a few little monsters. My name is Zhao Wuji. For this fourth trial, I'll personally oversee your test. Here's the deal: you'll have one stick of incense to prepare. Afterward, you must collectively endure my attacks for the entire duration of another stick of incense. If even one of you remains standing, you pass."

Zhao Wuji grinned broadly, adding, "Let me make this clear—there's no escaping my attack range. And don't even think about defeating me alone. The only way to succeed is through teamwork and coordination."

"Teacher Zhao, isn't this a bit much?" Dai Mubai interjected hesitantly.

"Too much? The dean's not here, so I make the rules. And I say this test stands," Zhao Wuji declared firmly.

"Teacher Zhao—"

"No more discussion, Mubai. You can brief them about my soul power and combat traits. I'll allow them the duration of one incense stick to strategize."

Dai Mubai sighed and turned to the group, explaining reluctantly, "Normally, this trial involves fighting me. I didn't expect Teacher Zhao to step in himself. Be careful—this will be much harder than planned."

"Is Teacher Zhao, like the elder at the gate, a Soul Emperor?" Xiao Wu asked.

"Not quite," Oscar replied.

"Then there's nothing to worry about. With our average soul power above level 30, we can handle this," Xiao Wu said confidently.

"No, you don't understand, Xiao Wu," Dai Mubai interrupted. "Teacher Zhao isn't a Soul Emperor. He's a seven-ring Soul Sage—level 76, to be precise. His martial spirit is the Vigorous Vajra Bear, and he's known as the Immovable King."

"What? A Soul Sage?" Xiao Wu and the others exclaimed in unison.

"Yes," Dai Mubai confirmed. "Teacher Zhao is famous for his indomitable defense and overwhelming strength. Speed is his only real weakness, but given the vast gap in your power levels, it's not something you can easily exploit. You'll need a solid strategy to get through this."

Ning Rongrong, Xiao Wu, Tang San, and Zhu Zhuqing exchanged uneasy glances.

Ye Feng's Thoughts

For Ning Rongrong and the others, this was their first time facing a Soul Sage—an intimidating challenge for anyone.

Ye Feng, while more experienced, felt uneasy as well. Despite his level 48 Soul Ancestor status and the sword techniques he had inherited from Chen Xin, he knew he couldn't defeat Zhao Wuji alone. Was he really about to endure a one-sided beating, only for Tang San to ultimately save the day?

System Intervention

Just as Ye Feng was considering the grim reality, a familiar sound rang in his mind.

Ding!

"The system has detected that the host is about to be thoroughly defeated by Zhao Wuji. The system expresses dissatisfaction and rewards the host with a Contra Experience Card."

Ye Feng's eyes sparkled with renewed determination.