The raw display of incompetence in front of the Rose Hotel was the final crack in Zhu Zhuqing's fragile composure. The fury she had suppressed now mingled with a bitter, corrosive disappointment.
"I don't want to stay here," she said, her voice a low, tight whisper. She turned away from the scene, unable to watch her fiancé struggle so ineptly against a younger opponent. "Please. Let's go somewhere else."
"Of course," Zhang Tian replied, his voice a calm anchor in her emotional storm. He didn't press, didn't ask questions. He simply agreed, a gesture of understanding that she was profoundly grateful for.
He led her away from the commotion, guiding her through the labyrinthine streets of Suotuo City. He showed her the bustling marketplace, where merchants hawked exotic spirit beast materials and strange, glowing ores. He pointed out the grand auction house, a place of immense wealth and power. He showed her quiet parks and elegant tea houses. He was a perfect guide, his presence calm and unobtrusive, giving her the space she needed to process the maelstrom of her thoughts.
As the sun began to dip below the horizon, painting the sky in fiery hues of orange and purple, the city's lanterns began to glow, casting long, dancing shadows. Night had fallen.
"It's getting late," Zhang Tian said gently. "You can rest at my house for the night. The guest room is yours for as long as you need it."
Zhu Zhuqing hesitated. "I don't want to impose... you've already done so much for me."
"It's no trouble at all," he assured her with a warm smile that held no hint of ulterior motive. "You can rest comfortably and decide what to do tomorrow. No one should make important decisions when they are tired and overwhelmed."
His considerate words struck a chord deep within her. In her world, no one cared if she was tired or overwhelmed. Weakness was simply an opportunity for others to exploit. This simple kindness felt more valuable than any treasure. She nodded, her voice barely a whisper. "Thank you, Zhang Tian."
They returned to his quiet home. The scent of lavender and sandalwood was a welcome comfort after the smells of the city. He lit the lamps, casting a warm, inviting glow over the simple, clean interior.
"What are your plans now that you're in Suotuo City?" he asked, pouring her a cup of warm water.
She took the cup, her fingers wrapping around its warmth. "Tomorrow," she said, her voice firm with a resolve that seemed to defy her earlier turmoil, "I will go to the Shrek Academy."
Zhang Tian feigned a look of surprise. "Shrek Academy? Are you sure?"
He let the question hang in the air for a moment before continuing, his tone shifting to one of a concerned local sharing cautionary tales. "I've been living here for many months, Zhuqing. I've heard quite a bit about that place."
He leaned back in his chair, his handsome face serious. "They only accept 'monsters,' as they call them. Students with freakish talent. It's true that some powerful experts have graduated from there, but the stories... many are not good. I've heard that many students have died after joining, taken to hunt for Spirit Rings and never returning."
He saw the flicker of apprehension in her eyes and pressed on, his voice a calm, logical dissection of the academy's reputation.
"You should be careful of the students currently there," he warned. "There are three seniors. The first is Oscar. He's a Food Type Spirit Master, which is rare, but his Martial Spirit is a Sausage. From what I hear, he's a shameless flirt who has had romantic entanglements with half the young women in the city. His activation spell is... obscene. Something like, 'I, your father, have a big sausage.' Not exactly the mark of a refined individual."
He paused, letting the crude image settle. "Then there is the man we saw today, Dai Mubai. He's their senior student. His Evil Eye White Tiger is powerful, yes, but as you've seen, his character is questionable. He treats the women of this city like disposable commodities, always with two or three on his arm."
His gaze became even more serious. "But the third one, Ma Hongjun, is by all accounts the most despicable. His Martial Spirit is the Evil Fire Phoenix. There is a defect in his spirit, a powerful 'Evil Fire' that he must constantly vent. From a very young age, he has been a patron of brothels and other... unsavory establishments. There are rumors, strong ones, that he has even forced himself on girls who rejected him, using his status as the personal student of the Dean, Flender, to escape consequences."
Zhu Zhuqing's face had gone pale, her expression a mixture of disgust and horror. This wasn't just a place with undisciplined students; it sounded like a den of degenerates.
"And the academy itself," Zhang Tian continued, shaking his head as if in disbelief. "It's been established for twenty years, but it has yet to be registered as a formal college with the kingdom or the Spirit Hall. It's perpetually short of funds, and the living environment is apparently abysmal, more like a rundown mountain village than a school. They have no simulated training environments, and I've heard that at times, even guaranteeing the students' meals is a problem."
He looked at her, his blue eyes filled with genuine-looking confusion. "This is what I don't understand. Their teaching staff is supposedly composed of high-level Spirit Masters, with the Dean himself being a veteran Spirit Saint. With that level of power and influence, how could they possibly be so poor? It makes no sense."
He took a sip of his water, his brow furrowed in thought. "The numbers are even more damning. The most ridiculous thing is their graduation rate. In the past twenty years, Shrek Academy has admitted a total of sixty-two students. Only fourteen have actually graduated. Of the forty-eight who didn't, some simply failed to reach level 40 before the age of twenty. But some of them... they died while hunting for soul beasts."
"Died?" Zhu Zhuqing whispered, the word cold on her lips.
"Yes," Zhang Tian confirmed grimly. "Sixty-two students in twenty years. That's an average of about three per year. It's not a large number. Helping a handful of students obtain soul rings should be a simple task for a Spirit Saint and his staff. Is it really that difficult to ensure their safety? Even if they just let the students cooperate and stepped in at the last moment... but people died. And not just once or twice. Honestly, it's unbelievable."
He shook his head again. "And this is not the most puzzling part. According to the information I've managed to gather, the Shrek faculty often boasts that the most outstanding of all their graduates has now become the youngest elder of the Spirit Hall, with authority second only to the Pope himself."
He leaned forward, his voice dropping. "But that's impossible. To become a Spirit Hall elder, one must be a Titled Douluo. The academy is twenty years old. Let's say this supposed graduate was in the very first class at age twelve. That would make them thirty-two years old now. A thirty-two-year-old Titled Douluo? Has anyone ever heard of such a thing? A prodigy of that level would be famous across the entire continent. If such a person truly existed and came from Shrek, do you think the academy would still be in such a state of decline? With the authority of a Titled Elder, a few words would be enough to make Shrek Academy the most prestigious institution in the empire."
He sat back, his argument laid bare. "It's a lie. A fabrication to lure talented students to their dilapidated school."
"Finally," he added, as if it were the last nail in the coffin, "there is their school motto. The Dean, Flender, has a famous saying: 'Those who dare not cause trouble are mediocre.' Is it really appropriate to say such a thing to a group of powerful, hormonal teenagers? What if they take it to heart and provoke a spirit master far stronger than themselves? Isn't that just suicide? To me, it's an extremely irresponsible philosophy."
Zhu Zhuqing was silent, her mind reeling. Everything he said was logical. It painted a picture of an academy that was not just unconventional, but dangerously incompetent, morally bankrupt, and built on a foundation of lies. A deep frown marred her beautiful features, and she felt a profound sense of repulsion.
But then, the cold reality of her situation settled back in. The image of her sister's cruel smile, the threat of being crippled or killed...
"Unfortunately," she said softly, her voice heavy with resignation, "I have a destiny I cannot run away from. Even if everything you say is true... I still have to join Shrek Academy."
Zhang Tian watched her, his expression shifting to one of thoughtful contemplation. After a long moment, he spoke. "I will not try to change your decision. Your path is your own."
He paused, then looked at her directly. "In that case... I will accompany you. I will join Shrek Academy as well."
Zhu Zhuqing's head snapped up, her eyes wide with surprise. "What? Why? You don't have to do that! Someone of your talent could join any of the great academies in Heaven Dou City. Why would you go to such a low-level place?"
Zhang Tian offered a small, self-assured smile. "First, I have my own methods of training. The academy's poor environment won't affect my growth. Second, by joining, I can ensure you have at least one reliable person watching your back." He added the last part with a sincerity that made her heart skip a beat.
"And besides," he continued, a competitive glint in his eyes, "I have to admit, despite their character flaws, the talents of Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun are genuine. I have a mutated Martial Spirit that has never been seen in the world. I want to test myself against these 'monsters.' It will be a good way to hone my combat power."
His reasons were sound, his logic impeccable. Zhu Zhuqing looked at him, at this boy who had saved her, healed her, fed her, and now offered to walk into a den of wolves with her. The feeling of not being alone was overwhelming.
"Thank you, Zhang Tian," she said, her voice filled with a gratitude so profound it was almost painful. "Thank you."
That night, they slept in their respective rooms. For the first time in months, Zhu Zhuqing slept soundly, feeling a sense of security she had long forgotten.
The next morning, they walked together towards the edge of the city, towards a place that looked more like a shabby village than an academy. A crude, hand-painted sign read "Shrek Academy."
A long line of hopeful children and their parents were already there. At a simple wooden table, an old man was collecting a fee of fifty gold coins per applicant, a ludicrous amount for such a place. The requirements were posted on a board: Age 12 or under. Spirit Power Level 20 or higher.
As they took their place in line, Zhang Tian's eyes scanned the crowd. And there they were. The plain-looking boy with the unnervingly calm eyes, and the vibrant girl with the scorpion braid.
Tang San and Xiao Wu. The protagonists had arrived. The stage was set.