After Snow Empress and the inner court students had gotten acquainted, Cai Meier said to her:
"Elder Xuan is waiting for you in the Sea God Pavilion. Let's go."
Snow Empress nodded slightly and left with Cai Meier. Before departing, she turned back to look at Jiang Shengyu, a faint smile curving her lips. Her brows arched slightly, and her gaze seemed to be silently conveying something to him.
When the gathering dispersed, Jiang Shengyu and Jiang Qingtong still hadn't fully recovered from what had just happened.
Jiang Feixin wrapped both arms around Jiang Qingtong's arm, resting her head on her shoulder. Her bright eyes stared into Jiang Qingtong's striking dark-golden pupils as she asked:
"Qingtong, what's wrong? Is there something strange about that teacher?"
"She isn't the kind of person you can just call strange…"
Jiang Qingtong shook her head. Beside her, Jiang Shengyu glanced at Jiang Feixin and asked:
"Didn't you notice anything unusual about Teacher Xue?"
Jiang Feixin tilted her head in confusion, leaning closer to Jiang Shengyu.
"Big brother, you figured it out?"
Seeing her blank expression, Jiang Shengyu fell silent for a moment before shaking his head.
"Forget it. It's nothing."
It seemed Snow Empress' rebirth was flawless—even Jiang Feixin, who was also a soul beast, hadn't detected her true identity!
But why had she come to Shrek Academy?
And even taken the position of a teacher!
Not far away, Zhang Lexuan stood watching Jiang Qingtong. She turned to Han Ruoruo and asked:
"So that's the girl Elder Mu and Elder Xuan picked out as Beibei's new girlfriend?"
"Jiang Qingtong… yes, that's her. The genius girl from the Sun–Moon Empire. A fourteen-year-old Soul Sect, rumored to possess a triple martial soul, and her spirit ring configuration is terrifying," Han Ruoruo explained with a nod.
"And Beibei… what does he think of her?" Zhang Lexuan asked again.
Han Ruoruo sighed.
"What do you think? Haven't you heard about the last exchange tournament? Jiang Qingtong's brother openly declared, in front of the entire academy, that Beibei was pursuing Jiang Qingtong!"
Back then, Zhang Lexuan had been in seclusion, so she hadn't known. Hearing it now, she simply nodded without further comment.
"Alright. I understand."
"Lexuan, you really don't need to care about Beibei anymore. Let yourself go, okay?"
Han Ruoruo looked at her with a sigh.
"He doesn't care about you at all. Why keep caring about him?"
"This was my promise to Elder Mu."
Zhang Lexuan shook her head and walked forward.
"Enough about this. More and more geniuses are appearing in the academy. If you don't push harder, be careful—they'll catch up to you."
Han Ruoruo pursed her lips and hurried to catch up.
"I am working hard, you know!"
The inner court lay upon Sea God Island, the entire island set in the middle of the Sea God Lake, surrounded on all sides by water and breathtaking scenery.
Gazing over the vast waters, Jiang Feixin said to Jiang Qingtong:
"This lake isn't as beautiful as the Lake of Life! Qingtong, how about we go back to the core region sometime? Just you and me!"
Jiang Qingtong was just about to reply when Ling Luochén approached from a distance, greeting them.
At once, Jiang Feixin frowned, glaring at Ling Luochén with hostility.
Ling Luochén, dressed casually without any inner court insignia, froze for a moment when she saw Jiang Feixin—her eyes narrowing as she instinctively mistook her for Wang Dong'er.
But spotting the inner court badge on Jiang Feixin's chest, she quickly dismissed that thought. Wang Dong'er had only just reached the Soul Sect level; even as a disciple of the Clear Sky Sect, she couldn't possibly be in the inner court yet. So then—why did this girl look so much like her?
A relative?
"Ling, do you need something from us?" Meng Hongchen stepped forward, asking about her intentions.
Ling Luochén withdrew her gaze from Jiang Feixin, but didn't spare Meng Hongchen even a glance. Instead, she fixed her eyes on Jiang Shengyu.
"Shengyu, according to academy regulations, inner court students must undergo certain levels of training. I'd like to invite you to join me."
As soon as she finished, Xiao Hongchen slipped an arm around Jiang Shengyu's shoulder and cut in:
"Sorry, but we've already made plans! Besides, we're not exactly close, so there's no need to train together, is there?"
Ling Luochén frowned slightly, gripping her sleeve as she said softly:
"I'm from the Douling Empire. Compared to you, I'm far more familiar with the conditions in the Three Nations of the original Douluo Continent. I can serve as your guide."
Xiao Hongchen retorted at once:
"We could just go back to the Sun–Moon Empire to train instead!"
"The academy would never approve that! No inner court student has ever gone to the Sun–Moon Empire for training." Ling Luochén shook her head firmly.
"But we are from the Sun–Moon Empire!" Xiao Hongchen muttered. "Did you forget?"
Ling Luochén froze, her face flushing red as she pressed her lips together, unsure of how to continue.
At that moment, Jiang Shengyu spoke up to smooth things over.
"Enough, don't argue. Training isn't limited to one country—we can just travel through all four nations. Think of it as sightseeing."
"So… you agree?" Ling Luochén's eyes lit up with joy at his words.
Xiao Hongchen's expression darkened, but before he could speak, Jiang Shengyu nodded.
Ling Luochén beamed.
"Great! Then I'll go prepare. Once you're ready, we'll set off!"
With that, she left quickly, practically skipping with joy.
As soon as she was gone, Xiao Hongchen punched Jiang Shengyu in the chest.
"Are you stupid? Can't you see what she's after?"
Rubbing his chest, Jiang Shengyu replied calmly:
"You're the stupid one. Does her little scheme even matter to us? Do you really think I'm the kind of fool anyone can just manipulate?"
Meng Hongchen also chimed in, trying to persuade him:
"That's right, big brother. Shengyu must have his reasons for agreeing! You know you can't out-think him, so don't stir up trouble."
Xiao Hongchen: "…"
Whose sister is this, anyway?
In fact, Meng Hongchen's guess was right. Jiang Shengyu had agreed to join Ling Luochén not because of her, but because he had something else in mind.
This was the perfect opportunity to visit the major sects across the Three Nations of the original Douluo Continent. With their identities as Shrek Academy inner court students, the journey would be much smoother.
He could either recruit them into the Spirit Hall or forge cooperative ties.
For that, he needed Ling Luochén—someone of noble lineage from the Three Nations. Though he and the others were also inner court students, their Sun–Moon Empire background made them stand out too much.
With Ling Luochén along, people would lower their guard.
Just as the group was about to leave, snowflakes began to fall. A figure descended from the sky—a woman in a snow-colored gown. Snow Empress landed gracefully before them, smiling as she fixed her gaze on Jiang Shengyu.
"It's been a long time, Shengyu."
Please drop some power stones support me at my
PS: Access the complete/finished chapters/series at Patreon: NanamiTL