Rumors thickened. Travelers whispered again of strange place called Shrek Academy, hidden far in Suotuo City. They described it as poor, unknown, mocked by nobles, yet filled with "monsters": students too odd, too unruly, too strong for ordinary schools.
Most scoffed. But Xue's heart tightened each time. In Shrek he sensed echo of himself—useless child turned pillar, frost hidden until storm. The Tome within glowed faint each time name Shrek touched his ears, as if some invisible fate stirred.
One dusk, after long practice, Xue approached companions. "Brothers, sister… we have outgrown here. Our spirits are frozen against shallow flames. Suotuo is our next path. There lies storm where frost may settle."
Huan grinned fiercely. "A place for monsters? Then surely we belong." Yan trembled but whispered, "If you walk there, Xue, I walk beside."
So it was. They began quiet preparations. While others competed for favors of nobility, northern trio studied maps, gathered coin from modest victories in beast hunts, and wrote farewell letters to kin in Frostpine, promising return.
In secret, Xue visited cliff edge overlooking valley. He whispered as wind howled, "Ancestor Tian… first life you never left home. Second life, we step further. This time, frost will touch south."
The aurora that once crowned Frostpine did not shine this far south. Yet faint sparks blinked among stars, and the Tome's page stirred unseen:
Milestone: Fate Path Activated. Suotuo Transition Verified.