Soul Land:The Dragon King's God of Nature

The queue of candidates gradually moved forward, and soon it was finally the turn of Jing Shaoyu and his group.

The large gate slowly opened, and following Shen Yi's signal, the three stepped inside. Beyond the gate lay an open area filled with stone archways. Each archway held a massive guillotine blade at the top, measuring two meters in length, one meter in width, and nearly fifty centimeters in thickness. The razor-sharp blades gleamed coldly, evoking an intense sense of danger.

"So many guillotines!" Xu Xiaoyan exclaimed with a hint of fear as she stared at the terrifying contraptions.

"This is the third test: Reaction Speed," Shen Yi explained calmly. "You see these rows of guillotine gates? You'll have one minute to prepare. Once I give the signal to start, you need to make your way through them. Finishing within thirty seconds is the passing requirement. Every three seconds saved below thirty will earn you an additional point, while every three seconds over thirty will deduct a point."

Her gaze turned serious as she added, "There are two things you must remember. First, the closer you get to the final gates, the faster the guillotine blades will drop. These are real blades—anyone caught beneath them will have no one but themselves to blame. Second, there's no lower limit to this test's score. If you fail to pass through, you'll be disqualified from all further exams."

With a gesture, she called out, "Activate the guillotines!"

A loud creaking echoed as the guillotine blades began to move. The first blade descended with a thunderous clang as it struck the groove in the ground, sparks flying where metal met stone. The blade quickly rose again and repeated the motion, creating a rhythm of heavy metallic thuds.

The sound was unnerving, and Jing Shaoyu and his companions observed the scene with solemn expressions, quickly formulating their strategies.

"Prepare yourselves!" Shen Yi began the countdown. "You have one minute to get ready."

"Brother Shaoyu!" Xu Xiaoyan's face turned pale as she tugged nervously on Jing Shaoyu's sleeve. The sight of the enormous guillotines had filled her with dread.

Jing Shaoyu gently patted her back, his gaze steady. "We'll make it through in under thirty seconds. The shortest path only has six gates, so that's our target. Gu Yue, enhance us with wind element support."

"Understood," Gu Yue replied, her expression calm. She raised her hands, and three green orbs of light flew out, landing on herself, Jing Shaoyu, and Xu Xiaoyan. The orbs transformed into small birds of wind, circling them and lightening their bodies.

Jing Shaoyu felt an immediate sense of weightlessness.

"Xiaoyan, are you ready?" Jing Shaoyu turned to her, his voice steady.

Xu Xiaoyan hesitated but then clenched her fists. Seeing the trust and confidence in Jing Shaoyu's eyes, she took a deep breath and nodded firmly. "I can do it!"

"Good!" Jing Shaoyu smiled reassuringly. "You'll go first. Gu Yue and I will support you."

Xu Xiaoyan's initial nervousness flared again at the thought of going first, but she quickly pushed it aside. "Okay, I won't let you down!"

"Ten, nine, eight…" Shen Yi began the countdown, and the tension in the air grew palpable.

Xu Xiaoyan closed her eyes for a moment, steadying her breath. When she opened them again, her gaze was resolute, and a faint starlight shimmered within them.

"Begin!" Shen Yi's voice rang out like a starting gun.

At her command, Xu Xiaoyan dashed forward. Jing Shaoyu and Gu Yue immediately moved into action. Jing Shaoyu summoned his Origin Spirit, and countless green willow vines shot out from the Nature's Crown on his head, wrapping around the descending guillotine blades to slow their fall. Gu Yue chanted softly, raising her hands to summon yellow light that coalesced into stone pillars, propping up the blades.

Xu Xiaoyan darted through the first archway with ease. The remaining five gates posed no threat as the guillotine blades were immobilized by Jing Shaoyu's and Gu Yue's coordinated efforts. In a matter of seconds, Xu Xiaoyan reached the end of the path unscathed.

"I did it! Brother Shaoyu, I made it!" Xu Xiaoyan cheered, jumping up and down with joy at the finish line, her face alight with excitement.

Jing Shaoyu smiled warmly and gave her a thumbs-up before turning to Gu Yue. "Let's go!"

Gu Yue nodded, and the two dashed forward together.

As they passed the first archway, the stone pillar supporting the guillotine finally shattered, and the blade came crashing down with tremendous force. The thunderous clang reverberated, but by then, Jing Shaoyu and Gu Yue had already moved on to the second gate.

One by one, the guillotine blades broke free from their restraints, falling with terrifying speed. The cold gleam of the blades sliced through the air with an almost sentient hostility.

Yet, Jing Shaoyu and Gu Yue advanced unperturbed, their movements precise and fluid. Before the last blade could fully descend, they both reached the finish line safely.

At the finish line, Shen Yi watched the entire scene unfold with a mixture of astonishment and exasperation.

This test was designed to assess courage more than reaction speed. The falling guillotines symbolized the life-or-death challenges one might face in the future. The true purpose of the test was to see if candidates could take that first step despite the fear of failure—or death.

Using brute force to immobilize the blades, as Jing Shaoyu and Gu Yue had done, was a bold and unconventional solution. Such a strategy required immense confidence and trust among the group members, qualities Shen Yi found admirable.

"Come here, all of you," Shen Yi called, beckoning them over with a smile.

"Shen Yi, what's our score for this test?" Jing Shaoyu asked.

"Xu Xiaoyan completed it in nine seconds—full marks. You and Gu Yue took fifteen seconds—also full marks," Shen Yi announced.

"Yay!" Xu Xiaoyan leaped into the air, her earlier nervousness completely forgotten. She threw her arms around Jing Shaoyu, exclaiming, "Brother Shaoyu, we did it again! Another perfect score!"

Jing Shaoyu chuckled, his eyes full of warmth.

After registering their scores, the trio followed Shen Yi to the location of the fourth test.

On the way, they noticed that the number of candidates had significantly decreased. By the end of the first test, there had been over five hundred candidates. By the second test, fewer than three hundred remained, and by the third, there were barely two hundred.

The difficulty of Shrek Academy's entrance exams was undeniable. Thousands applied each year, yet only 150 were admitted. The brutal e

limination process was a testament to the academy's unparalleled standards.