The exam began.
The entrance to Shrek Academy immediately became bustling with activity.
The first-year students each displayed their own talents, all trying to earn enough travel money from the upperclassmen to buy train tickets.
Unfortunately, the older students had all been through this before.
They had suffered the exact same ordeal themselves, so naturally they were determined to make the freshmen suffer through it too.
Fortunately, this year's freshmen were full of extraordinary people.
Ye Xinglan teamed up with Xu Lizhi to "borrow" money by force.
Na'er simply robbed people on the spot.
Xu Xiaoyan acted cute to win sympathy, a tactic those softhearted foodie boys simply couldn't resist.
As for Tang Wulin, he had already disappeared. He planned to sneak aboard without buying a ticket.
Meanwhile, after searching for quite some time, Gu Yue finally spotted Arthur beneath a large tree outside the academy gates.
To her surprise, he had actually set up a crude little street stall.
A piece of cloth was spread out on the ground. Sitting on it was a tiny auspicious beast, waving one paw like a lucky beckoning cat, looking irresistibly adorable.
Written across the cloth in bold letters were the words:
**"100,000 Federation Credits per blessing. Auspicious Beast Blessing. May your future be bright, and your family safe."**
"Arthur... what are you doing?" Gu Yue walked over, unable to decide whether to laugh or cry.
Arthur continued shouting to passing students.
"Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Auspicious Beast blessings! Once you walk past, it's gone forever!"
Then he turned back toward her with a helpless smile.
"What can I do? It's all for the kids."
"The kids?" Gu Yue tilted her head in confusion.
"There."
Arthur nodded toward the distance.
A group of classmates who had failed to raise enough money stood there looking utterly pitiful, staring at Arthur with eyes full of admiration.
Most Shrek students weren't short on money.
And this was an auspicious beast.
At only one hundred thousand credits a blessing, many even thought it was a bargain.
"An auspicious beast! Forget one hundred thousand, it'd be worth two hundred thousand!"
An upperclassman squeezed his way to the front of the stall and immediately handed over the money.
"Give me one. I want to see what all the fuss is about!"
Arthur accepted the payment and gently tapped the little auspicious beast on the head.
The tiny creature immediately perked up. Raising its little paw, it released a warm golden halo that flowed over the upperclassman's entire body like liquid light.
"Hiss!"
The upperclassman gasped.
"I feel amazing!"
Standing beside Arthur, Gu Yue helplessly collected stack after stack of Federation Credits.
Shaking her head, she sighed.
"Poor Xia Xi. Following you around means she's always working for you."
"Well, our class has a lot of 'kids' to feed."
Arthur winked at her, his gaze drifting toward the classmates watching them eagerly from nearby.
"I've made about enough money. Can I leave the rest to you? I'm heading out first."
"You...!"
Before Gu Yue could react, Arthur had already disappeared.
Looking in the direction he'd left, Gu Yue stood there holding the freshly collected pile of Federation Credits, both annoyed and helpless.
"That guy..."
---
Arthur boarded the soul train.
"Car Five..."
Following the seat number on his ticket, he entered the carriage.
Since the exam involved traveling through ten cities, it didn't really matter which destination he chose.
This train happened to be bound for Heaven Dou City.
That was perfect. He could visit Zhen Hua and Mu Ye while he was there.
Arthur took the window seat.
He gently stroked Xia Xi's fluffy back. The little fellow curled comfortably in his lap, its warm golden fur glowing with a faint radiance.
"Soul Skill, Destiny."
He murmured softly, a glimmer flashing through his eyes.
An invisible force of fate quietly spread outward.
Like countless delicate threads, it wrapped around every first-year student scattered across different trains and traveling in different directions.
Gu Yue and Na'er both stiffened in surprise. Only after realizing the power came from Arthur and the auspicious beast did they finally relax.
Xu Xiaoyan suddenly looked out the passing window and murmured,
"I have this strange feeling... I'm about to run into Brother Arthur."
Xu Lizhi was agonizing over which route to take when he suddenly slapped his forehead.
"Why don't I go to Heaven Dou City first? I remember they have some amazing local food."
Even Tang Wulin, who was attempting to ride without a ticket, inexplicably felt that Heaven Dou City should be his first destination.
As if sensing something, Xia Xi raised her tiny head and let out a soft whimper.
Her little paw pointed toward the front of the train, intelligence flickering in her bright eyes.
Arthur's heart stirred.
With the world's permission, his Spiritual Power rose to an immeasurable height above the Douluo Plane.
Following the guidance of fate, he looked ahead.
Just as he'd expected, the point where the first-years' threads of destiny converged was Heaven Dou City.
"Fate..."
"How fascinating."
Still, the strain on his Spiritual Power was considerable.
He returned Xia Xi to his spiritual sea.
Watching the scenery begin to drift backward outside the window, Arthur slowly closed his eyes.
Accompanied by the sound of the wind rushing past outside, he drifted into sleep.
---
Meanwhile, it didn't take long before Tang Wulin was caught riding without a ticket.
The train conductor, Mo Lan, looked at him curiously.
"You're really a student from Shrek Academy?"
Tang Wulin nodded repeatedly.
"I'm Tang Wulin, a first-year student."
"Then why would a Shrek student sneak onto a train without buying a ticket?"
Mo Lan set down her pen and lightly tapped the desk.
"Surely Shrek students aren't so poor they can't afford a train ticket."
"It's not that I can't afford one!"
Tang Wulin hurriedly explained.
"I'm taking part in the final exam, and we're supposed to earn our own travel expenses. I thought I'd sneak aboard first and figure out how to pay for the ticket after reaching Heaven Dou City. I didn't expect to get caught..."
His face flushed red with embarrassment.
"Conductor! Armed criminals have hijacked Car Five! We need reinforcements immediately!"
The urgent shout from the communicator instantly changed Mo Lan's expression.
Suppressing her panic, she immediately issued orders through the communicator.
"All train staff, open the emergency weapons lockers. Arm yourselves and proceed to Car Five. Stay calm. Do not alarm the passengers or cause a panic!"
Before she had even finished speaking, she rushed into the duty room, unlocked a safe, and retrieved a soul pistol.
Turning toward Tang Wulin, she instructed,
"Stay here. Don't run around."
With that, she turned to leave.
"Big Sister, let me come with you!"
Tang Wulin hurried after her.
"I'm a three-ring Soul Elder from Shrek. I can help!"
Mo Lan grabbed him firmly and pushed him back into the duty room.
"This is an adult's responsibility."
"You have a bright future ahead of you. You can't take this risk."
She immediately questioned the situation over the communicator.
The hijackers were armed with soul ray guns, a compact soul cannon, and timed cluster bombs. They had already taken control of several train cars.
The situation was critical.
After issuing a few more orders, Mo Lan walked forward alone to negotiate.
From inside the carriage came a kidnapper's cold laugh.
"Tell the Federation government to release the people they arrested twenty days ago. We want an answer within thirty minutes. The first five train cars are packed with bombs. If time runs out, we'll all die together!"
Mo Lan's heart sank.
She had never heard of any such arrests, but she still steeled herself and stepped forward.
Taking a deep breath, she called loudly into the carriage.
"I am the conductor, Mo Lan, daughter of Mo Wu, Governor of Heaven Dou City and a Federation Council member. I am willing to become your hostage in exchange for releasing the elderly, women, and children in the first five train cars."
The captain of the security team hurriedly tried to stop her, but she shook him off with a single motion.
The sharpness in her gaze was so overwhelming that even the two-ring Soul Master security captain dared not meet her eyes.
To prove her identity, Mo Lan walked straight out from cover, exposing herself completely to the kidnappers' weapons.
"You can verify my identity through the Soul Network. My father's position is more than enough to guarantee my word."
The kidnapper grinned like a madman.
"Now this is an unexpected bonus!"
"We'll release ten people first. Once you come over here, we'll release the rest."
"But if you try anything..."
He let out a sinister chuckle.
As if to prove his point, he casually swung the muzzle of his gun toward a nearby passenger.