Sun Moon Empire, Radiant City.
As the largest and most technologically advanced city on the entire Sun Moon Continent, Radiant City's prosperity was far beyond what the three original nations of the Douluo Continent could compare to.
In the very core area of Radiant City stood a magnificent building.
There, it was the highest temple of the Sun Moon Empire's Spirit Tool technology and the holy land in the hearts of countless Soul Engineers: Mingde Hall!
"Quick! I need to see the Hall Master!"
"I have urgent intelligence to report!"
At this moment, at the main entrance of Mingde Hall, several people wearing white special cold-resistant clothing and looking extremely disheveled were rushing inside.
It was the exploration team that had been driven away by Yun Ming in the Extreme North Land earlier.
"Stop!"
"Is the Hall Master someone you can see just because you want to?"
The guards at the door blocked them with cold faces.
"What happened? Why all this noise?"
A steady and majestic voice came from inside the hall.
Following that, three figures slowly walked out.
Walking in the middle was a tall elderly man.
He had short silver hair combed meticulously, and his deep blue eyes carried a hint of majesty.
He wore a magnificent black robe embroidered with complex patterns in gold thread; a faint shimmer of light flickered as he walked, making him look extraordinarily noble.
He was the Hall Master of Mingde Hall, Jing Hongchen!
Beside him followed two youths, a boy and a girl.
The boy on the left also had silver hair, a tall build, and a handsome face with a touch of arrogance.
Most eye-catching were his heterochromatic eyes—one a deep blue and the other an eerie green, flashing with a soul-stirring light.
The number one genius of the Sun Moon Empire, Xiao Hongchen!
The girl on the right had long silver hair tied into a high ponytail that swayed gently with her steps, looking fresh and sharp.
She had large eyes as pure as sapphires and exquisite, beautiful features; although she was still young, she was already a complete beauty in the making. (Image shows eye color after using Spirit)
Xiao Hongchen's younger sister, Meng Hongchen!
"Hall... Hall Master!"
"This subordinate is the captain of the Extreme North Resource Exploration Team. I have... I have major intelligence regarding Shrek Academy to report!"
"Shrek Academy?"
Hearing those two words, Jing Hongchen's originally indifferent expression instantly became sharp.
He knew well what Shrek Academy meant to the three original nations of the Douluo Continent, and he had always viewed it as the biggest stumbling block to the Sun Moon Empire's unification of the continent.
Any intelligence regarding Shrek Academy was worthy of his highest attention.
"Follow me in."
Jing Hongchen waved his sleeve and turned to lead Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen into a meeting room.
"Speak."
Jing Hongchen sat in the main seat, his gaze fixed like a torch on the captain.
"What did you discover in the Extreme North Land?"
The captain took a deep breath and slowly began to speak.
"Hall Master... we met a... monster who claimed to be from Shrek Academy."
"A monster from Shrek Academy? Don't all those people from Shrek Academy call themselves monsters?"
Xiao Hongchen, standing to the side, raised an eyebrow, a curve hooking at the corner of his mouth.
"The aura on that person was terrifying, and even in the core circle of the Extreme North Land, he wore thin clothes and seemed completely unafraid of the severe cold."
"I am certain that he is at least a powerhouse at the level of a Super Douluo or higher!"
"What is his name?"
Jing Hongchen asked in a deep voice.
"He said..." The captain paused, recalling. "He said his name is Yun Ming."
"Yun Ming?"
Jing Hongchen rapidly searched for this name in his mind, but no matter how he recalled, there was no such figure on the list of Shrek Academy powerhouses or among those old fellows in the Sea Gods Pavilion.
"I've never heard of him..."
Jing Hongchen's finger lightly tapped the tabletop, his expression becoming somewhat gloomy.
To be able to act openly in the core circle where the Three Heavenly Kings of the Extreme North reside, his strength must not be weak; he could indeed be a powerhouse at the Super Douluo level or higher.
"Furthermore... we felt the aura of a treasure at the time, but we were stopped by him. If nothing unexpected happened, the treasure should have fallen into his hands."
"Shrek Academy..."
Jing Hongchen gritted his teeth, a look of deep wariness flashing in his eyes.
"Just how many trump cards are those old geezers still hiding?"
"For such a peerless powerhouse to suddenly emerge, this is definitely not good news for our Sun Moon Empire."
"Um..."
Just as the atmosphere in the meeting room was becoming heavy.
Meng Hongchen, who had been standing silently to the side, suddenly blinked her beautiful large blue eyes and spoke up:
"Grandfather."
"Is there a possibility..."
"That this Yun Ming is not from that Shrek Academy?"
"Hmm?"
Jing Hongchen and Xiao Hongchen turned their heads simultaneously to look at Meng Hongchen.
"Meng'er, what do you mean by that?"
Jing Hongchen asked in confusion:
"The man announced his own affiliation, saying he was Yun Ming of Shrek Academy. Could that be fake?"
"Grandfather, you've been busy researching that tenth-level Spirit Tool project lately, so you might not have paid much attention to outside intelligence."
Meng Hongchen organized her words and explained:
"A while ago, some traveling merchants coming from the Star Luo Empire brought back some very interesting rumors."
"It is said..." Meng Hongchen lowered her voice, a gossipy look on her face: "In the sky outside the Star Dou Great Forest, a floating island suddenly appeared."
"And on that island, a new academy was established."
"Its name is also—Shrek Academy!"
"What?!"
"A new Shrek Academy?!"
Jing Hongchen and Xiao Hongchen's eyes widened at the same time, their faces full of absurdity.
"How is that possible? Someone dares to impersonate Shrek?"
Xiao Hongchen gave a cold laugh: "Could those old fossils at Shrek endure that? Wouldn't they have sent someone to wipe them out immediately?"
"That's the most interesting part!" Meng Hongchen clapped her hands, her eyes flashing with excitement: "I heard that Shrek Academy did indeed send someone."
"And the person who went wasn't just anyone; it was the Dean of the Spirit Soul Department."
"And the result?"
Jing Hongchen asked instinctively.
"The result..."
"That Yan Shaozhe was brutally beaten by someone from that new academy!"
"It's said he was beaten so badly he had no power to fight back."
Sss—!!!
Hearing this, Jing Hongchen sucked in a sharp breath of cold air.
"The Dean of the Spirit Soul Department... was brutally beaten?!"
"Is that for real?!"
The Dean of the Spirit Soul Department—that's Yan Shaozhe!
Mu En's disciple, the face of Shrek Academy, a super powerhouse with the Bright Phoenix Spirit!
He was actually beaten by someone.
"At first, I didn't believe it either and thought it must be a rumor."
Meng Hongchen shrugged: "But now..."
"Combining it with the intelligence brought back by this person."
"A peerless powerhouse named Yun Ming whom we've never heard of, who also claims to be from Shrek Academy..."
"Grandfather, don't you think this Yun Ming might be from that 'New Shrek Academy'?"
"After all, if he were from the original Shrek, it's impossible for us to have no data on him at all."
"But if it's that new power that suddenly popped up..."
"Then it makes complete sense!"
After listening to his granddaughter's analysis, Jing Hongchen fell into silence.
It indeed wasn't impossible, but... this New Shrek Academy acted so arrogantly that they even dared to beat the Dean of the Spirit Soul Department of Shrek Academy; they were truly fierce.
However... there was no need to rush into action now. He should first find out exactly what this New Shrek Academy was and verify if the source of information was reliable.
If it were true... then he would spread this matter far and wide, making the people of Shrek Academy lose as much face as possible!
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A/N:
5 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.