Peerless: The Evil Soul Master's Guide to Saving the World

"Old Bai, you must uphold justice! I've poured half my life into this arena, and it costs at least 20 to 30 million gold soul coins every year. With this budget cut from above, am I supposed to pay for the rest myself?"

Gong Lao was furious.

When he woke up, everything had changed at Shrek Academy.

The dean resigned, funding was cut in half, and the number of students admitted this time was far less than that of the Soul Guidance Department. All the geniuses were snatched up, and their Martial Soul Department was simply not competitive...

The Soul Guidance Department, which was originally just a roadside stall, is actually going to turn the tables and become the master?!

Why?
The Martial Soul system has sustained Shrek Academy's honor for ten thousand years, even though it costs a lot of money. But tell me, isn't it number one for ten thousand years?
Even if other imperial powers were given the same amount of funding, could they cultivate a number one power even once?

Now they're just going to kick it open like that? The person in charge of the arena is going to be furious.

"Ahem, Little Bow, this matter was decided by the elders of the Sea God Pavilion, and there's nothing I can do about it..." The white-haired old man shook his head helplessly.

He's practically half-buried, and yet Song Yunzhi dragged him into taking charge of the Spirit Department. You could say it was the original Spirit Department, but now the mess is so bad it's practically rotten. He was clearly just dragged in to take the blame.

If it weren't for my youth... sigh, what a headache!
"..."

After complaining about being poor for a long time, seeing that Elder Bai was unmoved, Elder Gong's heart sank. "Fine, fine. Since that's how it is, then I'm not going to stay at this arena anymore. Shao Zhe has already been forced away by her, so what good will it do for me to stay?"

After the old man's figure left.

Qian Duoduo and Xian Lin'er appeared in the office of the Dean of the Martial Soul Department.

"The salaries of the martial spirit department teachers, the funding for training promising students, and the maintenance of soul bones must all be maintained. This is my bottom line. You can do whatever you want with the rest," Elder Bai said, waving his hand.

“Of course, you’re right.” Qian Duoduo quickly nodded.

"Elder Bai, the Soul Guidance Department is the future of Shrek Academy. I hope you can understand..." Xian Lin'er said earnestly.

"Alright, let's go!" Qian Duoduo observed that Elder Bai had his eyes closed and was concentrating, clearly indicating that he wanted to see the guests off. The Soul Guidance Department had already gained enough advantages, and it would be inappropriate to push further.

Seeing that both groups had left.

Only then did Elder Bai pick up the list of martial spirit systems on the table and examine it.

“This year, only 823 students meet the admission requirements. Compared to the 1,000 or so students in previous years, it’s not a big impact, but…” He frowned, his gaze fixed on the front of the list.

Not a single Soul Master!

Among these eight hundred people, fewer than seventy have reached the level of a Great Soul Master of level twenty or above!
This is quite telling; let's take the previous session as an example.

There is one level 30 Soul Master and about three hundred level 20 or higher Great Soul Masters! This is despite Shrek Academy failing to win the Continental Soul Master Tournament and internal turmoil within the academy!

Looking at the previous generation, there were two Soul Masters and more than five hundred Great Soul Masters!

After all, although the admission requirement is level 15 or above, there is a limit of 1,000 students admitted each year. So even those at the bottom have at least level 18 or 19 strength. But now... they can't even recruit enough people.

"Ugh……"

Old Bai sighed softly and lay back in his chair.

To be honest, he wasn't interested in the conflict between the Soul Guidance System and the Martial Soul System. It was just a matter of what was in his left hand going to his right, circulating within Shrek Academy. But the problem now was that Shrek Academy as a whole was in a slump.

How can we possibly contend with the sun and moon?
……

In contrast to Shrek, who was shrouded in gloom.

On the Sun Moon Empire's side, Jing Hongchen couldn't stop smiling.

"Oh dear, this year's enrollment list is something I wouldn't even dare to dream of doing!"

"We've established contact with Star Luo, treating it as a vassal state. Furthermore, under Xu Jiawei's name, we've issued orders encouraging civilians to enroll in various academies of the Sun Moon Empire. The Sun Moon Empire's Royal Academy has also acknowledged that it will not discriminate against Star Luo citizens..."

Xu Cheng smiled and took a sip of tea.

This series of combined moves has even prompted teachers at the Star Luo Royal Academy, the highest institution of learning in Star Luo, to start inquiring about the Sun Moon Empire and see if they can switch sides.

"This is more than just taking a piece of flesh from Shrek; it's practically gnawing off half of their body." Jing Hongchen's eyes were glued to the list.

"Two Soul Masters, and a total of 623 students at level 20 or above. This expansion will enroll a total of 2,000 students, with the lowest level being level 18!"

"You have to understand that in previous years, the Sun Moon Empire's enrollment was limited to the Sun Moon region, so the quality of its students was far inferior to Shrek Academy's. Anyone above level 20 was a treasure, and it was already considered very good if they could recruit seventy or eighty students a year..."

Jing Hongchen smacked his lips, feeling that it was a bit unreal.

"Damn, so Shrek Academy has always been this fun. No wonder they've held the top spot in the entire continent's competitions for nearly ten thousand years!"

"The competition for students has always been like this," Xu Cheng said with a smile.

I still remember my previous life.

There are two middle schools in the small county. Because the principal of No. 3 Middle School did a good job of publicity, most parents subconsciously believed that No. 3 Middle School had better teachers than No. 4 Middle School. At the same time, No. 4 Middle School poached many top students from the grade.

As a result, the middle school entrance examination results of No. 3 Middle School that year were much higher than those of No. 4 Middle School.

For several years afterward, the Third Middle School maintained a dominant advantage over the Fourth Middle School.

But is the teaching staff really that strong?

Not necessarily. Both sides are evenly matched, but excellent students are like high-quality seeds. They are better able to adapt to the soil environment and absorb resources from the soil more effectively, thereby strengthening themselves...

"Should we block off the Star Dou Great Forest?" Jing Hongchen asked calmly after his initial joy.

Should we press our advantage or play it safe?

After all, the Clear Sky Sect was severely weakened after this battle, and Shrek Academy was too busy to take care of itself. Now, taking advantage of the opponent's confusion, they have completely blocked this path, which will make Shrek Academy's foundation tremble.

"Let's wait a bit..." Xu Cheng said thoughtfully.

Now, he has stabilized the foundation of the Star Luo Empire from top to bottom. Of course, those corrupt officials also need to be purged, but the fact that the latter can entrust something as simple as the border to the Sun and Moon garrison is quite remarkable.

Shrek Academy only has the Heavenly Soul Kingdom and the Douling Kingdom left, plus the Star Dou Great Forest. If they block the last path, the other side might pull some tricks. After all, even a rabbit will jump over a wall when cornered.

"There's no need to escalate the conflict. This trip to the Clear Sky Sect can be seen as a warning to others. Unless we're 100% certain of taking down Shrek Academy, let's continue with our previous strategy... like boiling a frog in lukewarm water."

Xu Cheng smiled.

As Shrek Academy declined, the Sun Moon Empire grew stronger.

The Continental Soul Master Tournament, three and a half years later.

The answer is about to be revealed.

Shrek Academy has enjoyed the benefits of having a pool of high-quality students for ten thousand years; it's time to show the world how bad Shrek Academy would be without such students… (End of Chapter)