Chapter 10: Shrek Academy
Time passed quietly, the moon set and stars faded, and the eastern sky turned the color of a fish's belly.
Lin Xuan, sitting cross-legged on a thick branch of an ancient tree, slowly opened his eyes.
After a night of meditation, his Soul Power had completely stabilized at the peak of Rank 35, and he felt refreshed.
He lowered his gaze to the clearing by the stream below.
Huo Yuhao, Bei Bei, and Tang Ya were facing the rising sun in the east, practicing the Purple Demon Eye technique, a purple glint shining in their eyes.
Purple Demon Eye... Mysterious Heaven Skill... Controlling Crane Catching Dragon... Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track... Lin Xuan silently recited the names of these Tang Sect ultimate techniques, feeling somewhat speechless.
This Tang Sect is really... ten thousand years have passed, and they haven't come up with anything new?
If they've really run out of tricks, they might as well just call it quits.
He withdrew his gaze and stopped paying attention.
Soon, the three finished their cultivation.
Led by Zhang Lexuan, the group packed up and headed toward the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Zhang Lexuan was clearly very familiar with this area; she led everyone to avoid several regions where powerful Soul Beasts might reside, and their pace was fast.
By mid-morning, the view ahead suddenly opened up.
The dense, boundless forest finally came to an end, and a vast, lush green plain came into view; the sky was high and the earth wide, making one feel refreshed.
However, looking at this magnificent scenery, Lin Xuan frowned slightly.
Electrolux actually didn't appear?
Could it be... he's already in Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea?
Lin Xuan glanced at the panting, pale-faced Huo Yuhao beside him, but he didn't look like someone who had obtained Electrolux at all.
Should I find an excuse to go back into the Star Dou Great Forest and look again?
This thought was rejected by Lin Xuan as soon as it emerged; blindly searching the vast Star Dou Great Forest for a remnant soul that could appear at any time or might not even be here was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Although Electrolux was indeed important, since they hadn't met, he would stick to the plan for now.
At the very least, the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm was still there, so it wasn't a total loss.
"Let's go, Shrek City is just ahead."
Zhang Lexuan's voice pulled Lin Xuan's thoughts back to reality.
The group continued forward.
About two and a half hours later, the silhouette of a towering, majestic city gradually became clear on the horizon.
Shrek City!
On the Douluo Continent, Shrek City was one of the top cities, with over two million residents.
Moreover, Shrek Academy had independent administrative rights over the city and did not need to pay taxes to any country.
This had its pros and cons; the benefit was that it attracted a large number of Soul Masters, while the downside was that it drew the hostility of the three original empires of Douluo.
It was only due to Shrek's power that the three empires didn't show it.
The south, west, and north gates of Shrek City could be entered and exited freely, but the east gate belonged exclusively to Shrek Academy.
At this time, because it was the New Student Enrollment Season, a large crowd of all sorts of people had gathered outside the city: Soul Masters, merchants, commoners, and scholars were all moving through the area.
After Zhang Lexuan brought everyone into the city, she stopped and said with a slight apology,
"I have some Inner Court matters that need immediate attention, so I can't accompany you to the New Student Registration Desk. Bei Bei, Tang Ya, you're familiar with the process, so take Junior Lin and Yu Hao to handle the enrollment procedures."
"Don't worry, Senior Sister Lexuan, leave it to us!" Tang Ya patted her chest and guaranteed.
Zhang Lexuan gave Lin Xuan a few more gentle instructions before turning around, her figure soon disappearing into the bustling crowd.
Thus, with Bei Bei and Tang Ya leading the way, the four of them walked toward the interior of Shrek Academy.
While passing through an open plaza, Tang Ya pointed ahead excitedly,
"Look! Those are the statues of the Original Shrek Seven Devils and the Golden Triangle!"
Looking in the direction she pointed, they saw seven heroic and unique statues along with three statues of extraordinary temperament standing on both sides of the plaza, bathed in sunlight and receiving the admiring gazes of passing students.
Tang Ya introduced the names and deeds of every legendary figure to Lin Xuan and Huo Yuhao as if she were counting her family jewels, while Bei Bei smiled and added details from the side.
Lin Xuan had little interest in these people's life stories; they were all embellished anyway, and he was afraid he wouldn't be able to stop himself from laughing if he listened too closely.
Instead, he let his gaze wander over the surrounding environment, the buildings, and the vibrant young Soul Masters coming and going.
Suddenly, his eyes narrowed slightly, landing on two beautiful figures walking side by side toward the interior of the academy in the distance.
From their backs, they were two young girls, one with platinum hair and one with long hair as red as a rose; they were tall, with light steps, exuding a vigorous vitality.
Just from the faint Soul Power fluctuations and their posture while walking, Lin Xuan could judge that these two were definitely among the best of their peers.
But that was all; Lin Xuan quickly looked away and continued to observe elsewhere.
However, his brief gaze was keenly caught by Bei Bei.
A hint of mischief flashed in Bei Bei's eyes as he leaned closer to Lin Xuan and asked in a low voice with a teasing smile,
"How about it, Junior Lin? What are you looking at? Did you see a pretty junior sister?"
He winked, giving a look that only men understand,
"Do you have a girlfriend? If not, I can introduce one to you. I guarantee she's a top-tier goddess of the Outer Academy named Jiang Nannan; she's the dream girl of countless male students."
Hearing this, Lin Xuan's footsteps paused slightly, and he glanced at Bei Bei.
Are you serious?
Who would have thought? You, Bei Bei, look all upright and honest, but you're actually quite mischievous?
Seeing Lin Xuan's speechless expression, Bei Bei finally couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing, waving his hand hurriedly,
"Just kidding, just kidding! There's a dog guarding Jiang Nannan; it's best not to get close if you don't have to, or you might get bitten."
He tucked away his joking expression and said in a low voice,
"But seriously, Junior Lin, if you really have thoughts in that direction, I have some connections. Whether it's the Outer Academy or the Inner Court, if anyone catches your eye, just say the word."
"Even if... you like slightly older, more mature and steady senior sisters, I could help you pull some strings and ask around."
Lin Xuan shook his head and chuckled,
"Senior Brother Bei Bei, thank you for your concern, but for now, I'm focusing on my cultivation."
Bei Bei chuckled and said no more, wearing an "I get it, I totally get it" expression.
While chatting and laughing, the four had arrived at the New Student Registration Desk.
From a distance, several young men and women in yellow school uniforms were sitting behind tables, testing the Soul Power of new students and checking recommendation letters.
"Yu Hao, Lin Xuan," Bei Bei reminded them in a low voice, "To enroll in Shrek Academy, besides meeting the basic Soul Power level requirement, you must also hold a recommendation letter issued by at least a major city of the Three Great Empires, or be sponsored by a power with special slots like our Tang Sect."
"Yu Hao is using our Tang Sect's sponsorship slot. Lin Xuan, you should have yours ready, right?"
Bei Bei turned to ask Lin Xuan.
"Thank you for your concern, Senior Bei Bei, my recommendation letter has already been taken care of." Lin Xuan nodded with a smile.
Although recommendation letters indeed raised the threshold for enrollment, for geniuses, they weren't hard to obtain.
After all, there's no shortage of investors anywhere.
As they spoke, they arrived at the recruitment desk; there weren't many people there, only two girls in front of them.
"Wow! These... these two junior sisters are so beautiful!"
After Tang Ya saw the appearance of those two girls, she couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice, which sounded particularly clear in the relatively quiet environment.