From outside Shrek City's eastern gate, Xu Zihuang walked south along the city for about half an hour before stopping at the edge of a grove.
Shrek City lay in the south-central part of the Douluo Continent, with a warm climate. Though the trees weren't as towering as those in the southern Sun Moon Empire, their average height still exceeded thirty meters. With few people passing through here, the grove grew especially well, its dense branches blocking out much of the sunlight.
Xu Zihuang walked nearly a hundred meters deeper into the grove, then calmly turned around.
As if in response to his cold gaze, an old man dressed in black, exuding a heavy aura, suddenly appeared.
It was none other than Wang Xiao, who had left Moon Pivot Island half a year ago to travel to Long City in the northern borders of the Heavenly Soul Empire.
"Young Master, you've already obtained your third soul ring?" Wang Xiao asked in surprise, sensing the fluctuations of soul power within Xu Zihuang. As a newly advanced Title Douluo, he could easily discern Xu Zihuang's true cultivation.
Xu Zihuang nodded calmly.
"A fortunate encounter. On the way to Shrek Academy, I happened to find a suitable soul ring."
Wang Xiao knew Xu Zihuang's character well and didn't press further. Instead, he drew a letter from his soul tool.
On the letter's surface, the words Long City were embossed in gold foil.
"Young Master, this is a recommendation letter personally written by the City Lord of Long City. The information about your background is exactly as we agreed before. But your uncle hopes you can visit Tianlong Sect in the future. He wishes to meet you in person."
"We'll speak of that another time." Xu Zihuang's expression flickered slightly as he took the letter from Wang Xiao.
"Elder Wang, there are many powerful experts within Shrek Academy. To avoid being discovered, it's better if I stay here alone. Once you return to Moon Pivot Island, you can begin replenishing the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Regiment, but for now, don't alter the situation in the Yuenan Archipelago and draw unnecessary attention."
"Yes, Young Master."
"Please take care on your way, Elder Wang." With that, Xu Zihuang left the grove.
The wind rustled through the trees. When it fell silent, it was as though no one had ever been there.
Exiting the grove, he was already not far from Shrek City's southern gate.
Normally, this busiest of all gates would be livelier than the eastern gate near Shrek Academy. But with new student enrollment underway at the academy, the southern gate was noticeably quieter.
The entrance fee was one silver soul coin. Though the price seemed small, accumulated over time it formed an astonishing sum. A full tenth of Shrek City's annual tax revenue came from this.
Beyond the southern gate lay Shrek City's most prosperous commercial district. Shops lined the streets, selling specialty goods from every empire. Though Shrek City's scale and permanent population didn't quite match the capitals of the great empires, it was undoubtedly the true center of the continent.
Xu Zihuang casually had one shop process the Flame Lion King's pelt, then checked into a quiet inn for proper rest.
He had crossed the seas from Moon Pivot Island to the Star Luo Empire, traveled from south to north through the entire empire, then entered Shrek City after passing through the Star Dou Forest. The journey had taken over two months.
Though his body felt fine, he couldn't help but feel mentally fatigued.
For three full days, he spent his mornings strolling through Shrek City, buying supplies he would need at the academy, and his nights not cultivating at all but forcing himself to rest and recover.
But that lasted only three days. Afterward, he resumed his cultivation. Having formally advanced to the Soul Elder level, he also began attempting to inscribe rank-four core formations.
Yet rank-four formations were far more complex than rank-three. Even with his exceptional talent, ten days was far too short.
Naturally, he failed.
And in cultivating soul power, he finally grasped how difficult it truly was for a soul master with an Ultimate martial soul.
After breaking through rank thirty, soul masters with Ultimate martial souls had to temper their bodies to withstand the pure, extreme attributes of their power.
His cultivation speed dropped sharply. With normal training, reaching the next bottleneck at rank forty would take at least three years.
But thanks to the Silver-Scaled White Whale's gift of gathering the world's elemental energy, he could shorten that process to under two years.
—
As the sky turned pale in the east, Xu Zihuang opened his eyes right on time, sitting cross-legged on the bed.
The golden soul power radiating from his body retracted inward. Every movement of his carried an almost dazzling charm.
"Today is Shrek Academy's last day of enrollment." Standing by the window, he murmured softly as the sun rose in gold and crimson.
After a simple wash, he ate breakfast in the inn's hall, then checked out and headed toward the eastern gate where the academy was located.
The inn's quality was excellent, but a night's stay cost ten gold soul coins. After more than ten days of lodging and meals, the thousand gold coins he had started with were down to fewer than eight hundred.
But he didn't mind. As a prince of the Sun Moon Empire, money was just a number to him. With his strength, earning gold within Shrek Academy would be easy—if nothing else, he could always challenge senior students in the Spirit Battle Arena.
Half an hour later, Xu Zihuang circled around from the south to arrive outside the eastern gate.
The vendors gathered here were fewer than before.
Xu Zihuang slipped past the crowd to stand before the gate.
A group of a dozen youths only slightly older than him stood guard, each wearing yellow uniforms with green emblems on the chest—Shrek Academy outer court uniforms for second- and third-year students.
But the most eye-catching were the two standing at the front.
Though their uniforms were the same style, one was purple and the other black.
Bei Bei had already explained: purple was for fourth- and fifth-years, black for sixth-years.
The girl in purple looked only fourteen or fifteen, her slender figure graceful, long golden hair falling in waves behind her. Her snow-pale skin and clear, watery eyes carried a natural air of elegance.
Beside her was a boy of similar age. Tall and broad-shouldered, with thick brows and tiger eyes, a straight nose and square mouth, he was strikingly handsome. But in front of the girl, his fawning demeanor made him look like a living lapdog.
"Nannan, how about we go eat lunch together later?"
"No." The girl's tone was cold, not even sparing him a glance.
Xu Zihuang's expression turned odd. From their exchange, he had already guessed their identities.
They were none other than Xu Sanshi and Jiang Nannan from the original story.
Noticing Xu Zihuang's approach, the group instinctively shifted their attention to him. Even Jiang Nannan couldn't help but glance twice at his extraordinary bearing.
"Senior Sister, is this where new students are tested?" Xu Zihuang met Jiang Nannan's gaze with a warm smile.
Though she had been cold to Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan's attitude toward Xu Zihuang was much friendlier.
"You're a new student? You'll need to register here first, then undergo the soul power test."
Having senior students handle enrollment was a long-standing tradition of Shrek Academy, with the academy offering them monetary rewards. Jiang Nannan, a commoner, had recently finished her fifth-year assessments and now had time to help with new student registration.
She hadn't expected Xu Sanshi to cling to her like plaster, leaving her frustrated.
Just as Xu Zihuang reached for the form Jiang Nannan offered, Xu Sanshi suddenly blocked her, glaring warily at Xu Zihuang.
"Junior brother, let me handle your registration. I'm Xu Sanshi."
Xu Zihuang's outstanding looks put him under great pressure. In his eyes, even Bei Bei—long considered the most handsome in the outer court—wasn't nearly a match for this new junior.
He knew Jiang Nannan wasn't someone shallow enough to judge by appearance. But what if? He had to cut off that possibility immediately.
Jiang Nannan frowned slightly but said nothing.
It was fine if Xu Sanshi handled it—after all, new students had to be led inside to complete registration anyway.
"I don't mind." Xu Zihuang shrugged, filled out his information, then infused his soul power into a blue crystal ball.
As long as his soul power exceeded rank fifteen, the test was complete.
Xu Sanshi then led Xu Zihuang toward the academy, turning back to wave at Jiang Nannan.
"Nannan, I'll be right back."
His shamelessness was enough to make one sigh.
—
Shrek Academy's grounds were lush and beautiful, filled with abundant plant life. Walking along the broad avenue, one could see at least ten different plant species in any direction, all carefully maintained.
Two hundred meters ahead, Xu Zihuang's view was blocked by massive statues. There were ten in total, each ten meters tall, carved from granite.
These were of the Golden Iron Triangle who had founded Shrek Academy ten thousand years ago, along with the first generation of the Shrek Seven Devils.
Xu Zihuang only glanced briefly before looking away.
Xu Sanshi, eager to finish quickly and return to Jiang Nannan, had no interest in explaining either.
Turning left past the statues, the road was still broad enough for four or five carriages to pass side by side. Signs labeled it Lakeside Path.
Through the trees on the right, a vast expanse of water could be seen. Behind the ten statues stretched a massive lake.
As they walked, Xu Zihuang suddenly asked with a faint smile, recalling Xu Sanshi's future in the original story: "Senior Brother Xu, you like that senior sister just now? I actually think you two suit each other quite well."
A tireless pursuer who finally won his beauty—truly a classic tale.
Hearing this, Xu Sanshi turned back, grinning as he clapped Xu Zihuang on the shoulder.
"You've got a good eye, junior brother. From now on, if you run into trouble at Shrek Academy, just tell them Xu Sanshi's got your back."
"Then thank you, Senior Brother." Xu Zihuang chuckled softly, but then couldn't help adding a reminder.
"But Senior Brother, giving too much without return makes it hard to truly gain anything."
The more one gave, the more they cared. What they often couldn't let go of wasn't the other person, but the time and effort they'd already invested. The more they gave, the harder it became to walk away.
Xu Sanshi was already trapped in that dead end. His love for Jiang Nannan might not even be that deep.
To Xu Zihuang's words, Xu Sanshi only sighed bitterly.
"You don't understand."
Xu Zihuang didn't press further, only thinking silently to himself:
Indeed, no one understands being a lapdog better than you.