"I have an announcement." Cai Yue'er's voice rang out across the hall. The aura of a Douluo Title Douluo immediately suppressed all the noise in the room.
Gu You's gaze fixed calmly on her. Finally… the journey to Xingluo he had long awaited was about to begin.
All eyes turned to Cai Yue'er. She continued in a serious tone:
"In light of the excellent performance of the first- and second-year teams in this challenge, the academy will select a group of students from both classes to participate in an exchange program on Xingluo Continent, starting six months from now. You must work even harder to earn a spot. The exchange will last one year."
Xingluo Continent…
Gu You thought for a moment. He remembered that in the Douluo world, the continents were once connected, perhaps hundreds of thousands or even millions of years ago. He had read some records on the Federation's official website: after the Xingluo Empire discovered the new continent, there were inhabitants there, and their appearance was similar to those in the original world.
Just from that, he realized that some continental changes had occurred in the Douluo realm ages ago. But were they natural, or caused by some other force?
Moreover, Dragon Valley was located there.
The continental change theory was widely accepted by most of the Federation, because there was already a historical record from thousands of years ago:
In the original Douluo Continent, there were only two major empires—the Tiandou Empire and the Xingluo Empire—with some smaller countries in between. Over ten thousand years ago, due to tectonic shifts, a continent known as the Sun-Moon Continent collided with the land, eventually unifying the Douluo Continent.
"I need to break through to Title Douluo as soon as possible," Gu You murmured, looking up at the sky.
Only then could he control and change everything…
The spots for the Xingluo Continent exchange were soon announced:
First-year Class 1: Gu You, Gu Yue, Ye Xinglan, Xu Lizhi, Xie Xie, Xu Xiaoyan.
Second-year Class 1: Yuan Enyehui, Le Zhengyu.
Eight student workers in total.
Team leader: Wu ChangkongOverall leader: Title Douluo Yin Yue, Cai Yue'er
Six months later…
A room by the Sea God Lake.
"Be careful." Yali smiled gently.
"I know, Godmother! I'm already at rank seven, my power is solid!" Gu You responded with a grin and dashed out of the room.
This kid…
Yali lowered her gaze and shook her head. He had grown up.
Over the past six months, Gu You had been quietly training in the inner academy, often accompanied by Yali and Yun Ming. Sometimes he also refined ores—couldn't afford to get rusty, as that was the capital for earning meals. Though, he had fewer opportunities to meet Feng Wuyu.
Outer Academy, Lingbing Plaza, Shrek Academy
Ding! Ding!
Gu You's soul-guided communicator rang.
"Assemble," Wu Changkong's cold voice ordered.
"Understood, Teacher," Gu You said and hung up.
Outside Shrek Academy, many students had gathered, mostly from First-year Class 1.
Some looked envious, but only a few. After all, no one believed there was a place better suited for training than Shrek Academy.
The one-year exchange program would certainly broaden horizons, but purely for cultivation, it wasn't necessarily beneficial.
Luo Guixing murmured, somewhat lost:
"I really want to travel… My dream is to be an explorer, to see every corner of this world. Why wasn't I chosen?"
Xu Yucheng said coldly:
"An explorer? You're too early for that."
"Hey, don't talk like that to me!"
"See you in a year!"
"Goodbye!"
After saying farewell to the remaining classmates and some teachers, Gu You and the other selected students boarded the vehicle to leave.
Gu You felt a twinge of regret. He hadn't seen Feng Wuyu this time. The next meeting would have to wait a whole year.
Tianhai CityThe largest city in the East Sea of Douluo Continent.
Shrek Academy's party of ten arrived: team leader Cai Yue'er, accompanying teacher Wu Changkong, and students Gu You, Gu Yue, Yuan Enyehui, Le Zhengyu, Xie Xie, Xu Xiaoyan, Xu Lizhi, and Ye Xinglan—eight student workers in total.
They were here to meet the Xingluo Continent delegation.
After over a year of exchanges, the Xingluo delegation would take a ship back to their continent. The airspace was not open, so long-distance flight tools weren't available. Moreover, the mechas couldn't fly that far. The only available long-distance flying tools were on Douluo Continent. The Federation wouldn't risk sending the delegation via experimental soul-guided aircraft for fear of tech theft. Therefore, traveling by ship was the only option.
Before boarding, the group had their final meal—a seafood feast in Douluo Continent.
"This grilled fish tastes amazing!" Gu You exclaimed with each bite.
The salted grilled fish from the Tianhai seafood stalls delighted everyone. Only Wu Changkong ate politely, while Cai Yue'er had a small appetite and stopped after a few bites.
Cai Yue'er seemed a little dazed. It was her first time seeing Gu You eat like this.
"This kid… he can really eat. Has he always eaten like this at the academy?" she whispered to Wu Changkong.
Wu Changkong twitched his lips and nodded.
"Yes, he can eat a lot. But he rarely eats in the academy."
Cai Yue'er laughed, waving her hand, watching everyone enjoy their meal.
Wu Changkong's cold expression softened as he looked at Gu You devouring the food, memories surfacing.
If only she were still here…
Watching the fourteen- and fifteen-year-olds laugh, eat, and chat—it reminded him of the beauty of youth.
He hadn't forgotten Gu You's words—that she had become countless stars, always watching over him…
"Yuan En, eat more," Xie Xie said, passing a plate of beak shrimp to Yuan Enyehui.
The beak shrimp was delicious—hard shell but tender meat inside, flavored perfectly with marinade. Yuan Enyehui accepted the plate quietly and began eating.
Xie Xie's eyes lit up. He sensed that Yuan Enyehui seemed less distant now.
A good start. This trip to Xingluo Continent could even be considered a government-funded trip—perfect for building relationships.
Gradually, everyone grew full, though their appetites were decent, they still couldn't match Gu You.
Seeing the mountain of plates in front of him, everyone gasped. This guy… even eating, he's impressive!
Gu You indeed ate more than usual, perhaps because he rarely had seafood. Now that he was trying it, the taste was irresistible…
(End of Chapter)