Douluo Dalu 3: Legend of the White Fox

Although the new student assessment had already concluded, the entrance of Shrek Academy was still packed with people—several times more than when Xia Yi arrived on the day of the assessment.

Many of the young Soul Masters who had failed the assessment were still reluctant to leave.

They gathered around Shrek Academy, hoping for a miracle to happen.

Shrek Academy offers thousands of spots every year.

However, only two hundred students are admitted into the outer court every three years. Out of these two hundred spots, fifty are reserved for those who failed the inner court examination.

So, in reality, the maximum number of new students Shrek Academy accepts each cycle is only one hundred and fifty.

To avoid overcrowding, the assessment standards are intentionally set slightly higher.

As a result, the number of actual new recruits each cycle is often below one hundred and fifty—sometimes even fewer than one hundred.

This means that every year, countless candidates are eliminated.

Even though two days had passed since the assessment, there were still thousands of hopefuls lingering around the academy gates.

Among them were parents and teachers who had accompanied the candidates, all holding onto the hope that a miracle might occur.

"Damn it! If only I had eaten one more steamed bun during the sixth test and held on a little longer, I might've passed! I'm so unwilling to accept this!"

"Waaah… I did so well on the other tests, but why did I only get three points on the talent evaluation?"

"Child, you already did your best. Come home with Mom—we'll find you another academy."

A young boy sobbed while slapping his own face, which was already swollen. "If only I hadn't chosen that gorilla in the eighth test. If I'd picked someone else, I'd already be a student at Shrek Academy!"

He was a highly talented support-type Soul Master who performed excellently in all areas, even matching the battle-type Soul Masters. But during the eighth test, he foolishly chose Yuanen Yehui as his opponent and was knocked out in less than a minute—scoring a zero.

Because of that, he missed passing by just one point.

"I worked so hard—why wasn't it enough to get into Shrek Academy? Didn't they say that as long as we work hard, we can succeed?"

"It's not fair! Shen Xiang is worse than me in every way—how did he pass while I failed? Is it just because he's the dean's son? There must be some inside connection!"

"Haha… I failed… How could I fail? Aren't I supposed to be the top genius of my academy?"

"My parents sold our family's cows just to send me here to take the assessment. How can I face them when I go back like this?"

A recruiter from another academy took this opportunity to speak up: "Hey there, young man—why not consider our Tianyuan Academy? No need to dig ditches every day, the campus is beautiful, the food is delicious, and the senior sisters are gorgeous. Plus, we serve premium Tianyuan tea daily. I'll be waiting for you at Tianyuan Academy!"

The entire entrance of Shrek Academy was filled with noise and chaos. Complaints, regrets, and unwillingness filled the air—some were crying, some were laughing maniacally.

Parents and teachers tried their best to comfort the disappointed candidates, while representatives from other academies seized the chance to recruit these talented but rejected individuals.

After all, anyone who qualified to take Shrek Academy's assessment was a rare talent worth recruiting.

Shrek Academy itself did not send anyone out to comfort the failed candidates.

If anyone from the academy showed up now, they would immediately be surrounded by a mob.

They could only wait for the crowd to disperse on its own.

"Hey, isn't that Xia Yi? What's he doing here at Shrek Academy?"

"Yeah, that's definitely him! I saw him during the assessment day—I'm sure of it!"

"What nerve! How does he even dare show his face here?"

As soon as Xia Yi appeared, he was quickly recognized by the crowd.

Despite his reputation, no other academies tried to recruit him.

After all, Cold Yaozhu was technically Xia Yi's mentor. If she wanted to place him in a prestigious academy, it would be a piece of cake.

The other academies knew better than to embarrass themselves by making an offer.

Ignoring the stares around him, Xia Yi walked confidently toward the entrance of Shrek Academy.

"Shrek Academy—no outsiders allowed."

The student guarding the gate extended a hand to block Xia Yi's path.

Given the number of disheartened candidates still lingering, Shrek Academy had stationed powerful Soul Sages from the inner court as gatekeepers to prevent anyone from forcing their way in.

As the gatekeeper released a burst of soul power, Xia Yi was pushed back several meters before he could steady himself.

The surrounding candidates, curious to see a conflict unfolding, quickly gathered around.

Unfazed, Xia Yi smiled and said, "Brother, I'm not here to cause trouble—I just want to ask you to deliver a message to your academy."

The gatekeeper wanted to refuse, but seeing the huge crowd, he knew rejecting such a small request would make Shrek Academy seem heartless.

He sighed and asked, "What's the message?"

Xia Yi tried to squeeze out some tears, but after several attempts, his eyes remained dry.

He wiped his eyes dramatically and then looked at Shrek Academy with a reverent expression, saying, "You probably don't know, but I was born in a small mountain village. Ever since I was little, I grew up hearing stories about the Sea God and the God of Emotions. My biggest dream has always been to join Shrek Academy—to walk the same grounds as those legendary figures. For that dream, I worked tirelessly. I woke up earlier than the chickens, slept later than the dogs—while others were resting, I was training…"

"Enough—what do you actually want?" The gatekeeper interrupted, realizing that Xia Yi was deliberately stirring up emotions in the crowd.

Raising his voice slightly, Xia Yi declared, "I just want to spar with your new students. Would that be possible?"

Turning toward the gathered candidates, he spoke passionately, "We've given everything and traveled far just for the chance to join Shrek Academy. We failed—we lost the qualification—but we can accept that. What we can't accept is not knowing why we failed. Could you allow us to spar with your geniuses to understand where we fell short and motivate us to improve?"

His words struck a chord with the surrounding candidates—those who had stayed behind were the ones unwilling to accept defeat.

Hundreds of hopeful eyes now focused intently on the gatekeeper.

"I'm sorry—the students of Shrek Academy are busy training. They don't have time," the gatekeeper replied stiffly.

Xia Yi leaned closer and whispered, "Is it because there are some 'connected' students among the new recruits who are afraid of being exposed?"

"You're talking nonsense!" the gatekeeper snapped, but Xia Yi's voice was loud enough for everyone to hear.

Xia Yi chuckled softly and said, "Come on—Shrek Academy wouldn't be afraid to spar with us failures, right? No way, right? No way?"