When Xiao Xiao asked her question, Jiang Nannan fell silent for a moment before shaking her head.
"No… I haven't really been to many big cities. I think the only one I've visited is Shrek City."
"That's okay. We'll have plenty of chances to visit big cities in the future!" said Jiang Qingtong, gently patting her shoulder.
"Alright! Now that we've eaten, the rest of the day is ours!" Ma Xiaotao clapped her hands, then turned to Jiang Qingtong, Jiang Nannan, and Xiao Xiao.
"You three, come with me!"
Wang Dong, blinking curiously, asked,
"Senior Sister, where are you all going?"
"None of your business. You boys can head back on your own."
Waving him off, Ma Xiaotao led the three girls away without another word.
Wang Dong stood in place, a strange look on his face as he turned to the boys behind him.
Dai Huabin said, "Come on, Wang Dong, let's head back."
But Wang Dong shook his head, waving his hand.
"No need. I want to wander a bit by myself. You guys go on ahead."
With that, he left without caring what the others thought.
Watching his retreating figure, Dai Yueheng commented,
"Your classmate has quite the individualistic personality. But I have to admit, his talent is outstanding. A direct descendant of the Clear Sky Clan… Our Duke's Estate has ties to their ancestors. Make sure to stay on good terms with him."
"Got it, big brother," Dai Huabin nodded.
—
Meanwhile, Ma Xiaotao was walking through the academy grounds with the three girls in tow.
As they strolled, she spoke casually,
"Dai Yueheng's always trying to build connections between students and the White Tiger Duke's Estate—some subtle, some not-so-subtle. You girls are still young, so don't get tricked into thinking a duke is some all-powerful figure."
Xiao Xiao tilted her head, responding honestly,
"But, Senior Sister… a duke is a really big deal."
"Is it?" Ma Xiaotao blinked. Titles and noble ranks didn't really mean much to her.
To her, even a king had to obey the rules of Shrek Academy.
"Forget it! Big or not, just remember—men's sweet words can be deceiving. Keep your eyes open and don't let yourselves be fooled."
The three nodded in agreement.
—
The next morning, before the sky had even lightened, a thin mist still hung over the gates of Shrek Academy.
A small group quietly emerged from the academy grounds.
Some wore plain clothing, others dressed in more formal attire, but all were students of the academy.
This was the team departing for Star Luo City to participate in the upcoming tournament—led at the front by Elder Xuan, who still looked as sloppy as ever, holding a wine gourd in one hand and a chicken leg in the other.
Wang Yan accompanied them as the supervising teacher.
As they neared Shrek City's outer gates, Elder Xuan cleared his throat and gathered the preparatory team.
It was here that he officially revealed the existence of the Shrek Inspection Corps.
"The Douluo Continent was already vast," Elder Xuan began,
"but ever since it collided and fused with the Sun Moon Continent, it's become even larger. And the bigger the world, the more conflicts there are—between nations, between people."
"Conflicts between ordinary people are one thing. But when soul masters are involved, things change dramatically. Not all soul masters are kind. Some, inflated by their power, stray down dark paths and commit evil. These people bring unimaginable harm to ordinary citizens."
"Throughout the past ten thousand years, there have been countless cases of soul masters committing atrocities. The more talented the soul master, the worse the consequences when they fall. Once, a Soul King slaughtered an entire village just because his meal was unsatisfactory. Why? Because soul masters vastly overpower common folk, and worse yet, they lack proper supervision."
"Shrek Academy has never claimed to be a beacon of justice," he continued seriously,
"but we will not stand by and let tragedies unfold. Around six thousand years ago, our academy formally split into Inner and Outer Courts…"
At this point, Elder Xuan's tone grew even more solemn.
"Now, you might be wondering—what do we supervise? What is our role?"
As he posed the question, Jiang Nannan and the others all nodded, waiting for the answer.
"We don't oversee all injustices in the world," Elder Xuan said.
"We oversee soul masters. If there are incidents where powerful soul masters commit crimes—those the Four Great Empires can't or won't address—we step in. In such cases, Inner Court disciples act. At that time, they are called Inspectors, and the Inner Court becomes known as the Shrek Inspection Corps. I am currently the vice commander of the Corps."
There was deep pride in his voice as he introduced this.
Jiang Nannan, Xiao Xiao, and the others listened, stunned.
But Jiang Qingtong remained unimpressed.
Not claiming righteousness?
Did he hear himself?
The moment they started doing this, Shrek Academy effectively placed itself above the Four Empires, same as the former Spirit Hall once did—only difference being that Shrek hadn't tried to unify the continent by force.
And why were Evil Soul Masters so widespread? Did Shrek really not know?
As Elder Xuan finished, Dai Yueheng and Ma Xiaotao stepped up and spoke with excitement, describing how being part of the Inspection Corps was the greatest honor, the ultimate pursuit of Inner Court disciples.
They spoke of slaying bandits, corrupt officials, and murderers.
Those people may have deserved death—but wasn't Shrek still placing its own laws above the continent's legal systems?
Just kill them and be done with it?
Feudal empires should already be thrown into the trash heap of history—Shrek might as well join them.
Jiang Qingtong sneered internally. But on the surface, she showed the same awe and eagerness as the others.
When Elder Xuan asked if they were willing to join, all seven answered with an enthusiastic, "Yes!"
Satisfied, Elder Xuan nodded and said,
"Wang Yan, hand out the gear."
Wang Yan stepped forward and distributed a set of silver-white rings to each of them.
"These rings contain your equipment," Elder Xuan explained.
"Masks, cloaks, and uniforms. When you're on mission, you can't reveal your faces. There are also signal flares—if you launch one, any Shrek-affiliated soul master who sees it will come to help."
Jiang Qingtong peeked inside her ring.
Other than the items Elder Xuan had listed, there was nothing else.
She scoffed inwardly.
"So stingy."