After leaving the Star Dou Great Forest, Yu Qing took Duan Xin and Zi Ruyi to a small town not far from the forest's edge. They found an inn to stay at and took a short break.
That night, after the three of them engaged in a deep session of Yin Yang Conjunction cultivation, they fell asleep in each other's arms, entering dreamland with satisfaction.
Early the next morning, Yu Qing woke up early. He quietly got up and went to the simple little kitchen in the inn's backyard. He started a fire, rolled up his sleeves, and meticulously prepared a hearty and nourishing breakfast for his two beloved wives.
When Duan Xin and Zi Ruyi were awakened by the aroma of food, lazily got up to wash, and came to the small stone table in the courtyard, they saw a breakfast filled with the warmth of home and their husband's heart.
"Husband~ Your cooking is still so good!" Duan Xin's eyes lit up. She giggled and leaned over to give Yu Qing a kiss on the cheek before sitting down and impatiently picking up her chopsticks.
Although Zi Ruyi didn't speak, the tenderness and happiness flowing in her eyes were almost overflowing. She sat down quietly, carefully serving a bowl of porridge for Yu Qing first, and then for herself and Duan Xin.
The three of them enjoyed breakfast slowly, the atmosphere warm and peaceful. A miniature version of the Ember Dragon lay on Duan Xin's shoulder, and the Cloud-Shrouding Flower Emperor in the form of a pocket flower fairy sat on Zi Ruyi's hair bun. They also curiously poked their heads out, sizing up these foods they had never seen before.
Duan Xin playfully picked up a small piece of steak and held it to the Ember Dragon's mouth; Zi Ruyi also scooped a small spoonful of porridge, wanting to let the flower fairy have a taste.
However, the steak and porridge grains passed through their bodies without any hindrance and fell onto the table. The Ember Dragon and the flower fairy looked at each other, simultaneously transmitting a helpless mental fluctuation: "Can't taste it... we are pure energy bodies now... we can't eat..."
"Ah... sorry, sorry! I forgot about that!" Duan Xin stuck out her tongue and smiled sheepishly, while Zi Ruyi also gently touched the flower fairy to comfort it.
Breakfast ended in a relaxed atmosphere. Putting down her chopsticks, Duan Xin's bright eyes flickered with an eager light. She nudged Yu Qing with her elbow, her tone carrying a hint of impatient excitement:
"Husband! We are all Spirit Saints now! Isn't it time to go find that big bear Zhao Wuji for revenge? I've been waiting for this day for so, so long!" She waved her small fist, looking like "my dragon claws are already thirsty for blood."
Yu Qing looked at Duan Xin's eager expression, as if she couldn't wait to rush out and fight, and couldn't help but chuckle. He nodded, his tone certain: "Mm, indeed, it's time to settle this old grudge. The sooner it's settled, the better it will be for the improvement of your mental states."
"Just..." Zi Ruyi slightly furrowed her beautiful brows and softly raised a doubt: "The academy where he is located... it doesn't seem to be very famous? Where should we look for it?"
"Shrek Academy... hmm..." Yu Qing pretended to ponder for a moment (he naturally knew where it was, but couldn't say it directly) and speculated: "Based on some scattered information I heard before, it should be within the territory of the Balak Kingdom. Moreover, an academy that specifically trains Spirit Masters and requires students to frequently obtain spirit rings would most likely be located near a gathering place for Spirit Beasts. I guess... it's very likely in the border region between the Star Dou Great Forest and the Balak Kingdom."
"Good! We'll listen to Husband! We'll go to the Balak Kingdom to find it!" Duan Xin nodded in agreement without hesitation; she had blind trust in her husband's judgment.
The three of them briefly packed their bags, left the small town, took to the air, and sped off toward the Balak Kingdom.
Yu Qing had read the original work in his past life, so he naturally knew the specific location of Shrek Academy. He led the two women in a few circles above the border where the Balak Kingdom met the Star Dou Great Forest. His mental force spread out like water ripples, and he soon discovered the target.
"Found it." Yu Qing stopped and pointed to a rather remote village area below.
"Where, where?" Duan Xin immediately leaned over excitedly, looking in the direction Yu Qing pointed.
"Just to the south, in a village about twenty miles from Suotuo City. Hmm... it's hidden quite remotely," Yu Qing described in a flat tone.
Hearing the keywords "Suotuo City" and "twenty miles," the smile on Duan Xin's face instantly became even more bright and enchanting. Both Yu Qing and Zi Ruyi, who were familiar with her, knew that whenever she showed this kind of smile, it meant someone was about to be very unlucky, and... she was likely planning some "mischief."
"Since we've found it..." Duan Xin licked her lips, her eyes flashing with excitement, "then there's no time to lose. Let's... go pay a 'visit.' Husband, Sister Ruyi, let's go!" She waved her small hand with the air of an "army setting out."
Yu Qing gave a doting smile and didn't stop her excitement for "revenge." He put an arm around each of his wives' slender waists, and a silver light flashed around him.
Whoosh—!
The three figures instantly vanished from high altitude. In the next moment, they had already appeared silently, like ghosts, outside the simple, crooked wooden gate of Shrek Academy.
Duan Xin and Zi Ruyi curiously sized up the "academy" before them. The scene that met their eyes made both of their expressions become a bit... strange.
A few dilapidated wooden houses that looked like they were about to collapse, a small dusty playground simply enclosed with wooden stakes, and some worn-out, simple fitness equipment piled in a corner... This... was this really... a Spirit Master academy?
Duan Xin couldn't help but blurt out, her voice full of astonishment and disdain: "This... so run-down?! Can this place really train Spirit Masters?"
Yu Qing appeared very calm. He glanced at the interior of the academy and said, "Looking at this scale, it should have been established only a few years ago and lacks funding. However..." He changed the subject, his gaze sweeping over a few scattered teenagers gathering on the playground, "the students they recruit have quite good talent. With such picky student sources, having a smaller scale and tougher conditions is somewhat understandable."
"Oh... I see." Duan Xin nodded, but the eagerness on her face didn't diminish in the slightest. She began to excitedly rub her hands together, her joints making crisp "crack-crack" sounds: "Who cares if it's run-down or not! As long as we find the person we're looking for. Since we've found him, what are we waiting for? Let's... get to it!"
Yu Qing looked at her impatient manner and gave a helpless, doting smile: "Alright, alright, alright~ whatever you say." He took the lead, bringing his two wives into this dilapidated Shrek Academy as if returning to his own home... At this moment, on the simple playground of Shrek Academy.
Seven teenagers between the ages of twelve and fifteen, with different temperaments but all with bright eyes, were gathered together. In front of them stood four figures.
The one in the center looked to be about forty years old, with a thin face and a slightly pointed chin, having a very characteristic "shoehorn face." On his hooked nose sat a pair of old black-framed crystal glasses. Behind the lenses, those eyes flickered with a shrewd and sharp light. He was the Dean of Shrek Academy, the level seventy-three agility-attack system Spirit Saint—Flender.
Beside Flender stood an extremely burly man with knotted muscles, like an iron tower. He had a fierce face, with short hair standing up like steel needles, and his whole body radiated a fierce and powerful aura. But if one looked closely, they could find a hint of hard-to-detect fatigue and... gloom in those bronze-bell-sized eyes. He was the Vice Dean of Shrek Academy, the level seventy-one attack system Spirit Saint—Zhao Wuji.
The other two were a chubby, honest, and kind-looking middle-aged man, the food system Spirit Emperor Shao Xin, and the other was an elderly man with a slightly stooped figure, the Spirit King Li Yusong.
Flender pushed up his glasses, his gaze sweeping over the spirited students before him, finally landing on Zhao Wuji. His tone carried a hint of serious admonishment: "Zhao Wuji, this time taking the students to the Hunting Spirit Forest to obtain their third spirit rings, remember what I say! Restrain your temper! Don't be as arrogant and overbearing as last time. If you're unlucky enough to run into some passing Titled Douluo who finds you unpleasant again... you won't be so lucky to get your life back next time."
Upon hearing this, the muscles on Zhao Wuji's fierce face twitched, and a deep sense of lingering fear and humiliation flashed in his eyes. He answered in a muffled voice, with a hint of hard-to-detect frustration: "Rest assured, Boss... this time, I'll definitely keep my head down and be low-key, absolutely low-key."
That one-sided, humiliating defeat from three years ago haunted him like a nightmare.
At that time, not only were two of his ribs broken, but his internal organs also suffered a significant shock, and he rested for a full half-year. What made it even harder for him to let go was that because of his injury, his prized Disciple Qin Ming, who urgently needed to obtain his fifth spirit ring at the time, was unable to go to the dangerous Star Dou Great Forest. In the end, he could only be led by Li Yusong to a smaller Spirit Beast forest to reluctantly hunt a thousand-year Spirit Beast, making Qin Ming's fifth spirit ring only at the thousand-year level. This had almost become an unhealable scar in Zhao Wuji's heart, an eternal psychological burden!
And what hit him even harder was that... the year before last, another graduated student he thought highly of (the one who had provoked Duan Xin and Zi Ruyi and was almost crippled by Yu Qing) unexpectedly died while out for experience. The successive blows made this originally high-spirited and hot-tempered "immovable bright king" become somewhat dejected.
For three years, his spirit power hadn't progressed at all, remaining stagnant at level seventy-one. For a Spirit Saint in their golden cultivation period, this was almost unimaginable.
Under various pressures and mental blocks, Zhao Wuji's personality had also undergone some subtle changes. Although his exterior was still fierce, his interior had gained a few points of caution and... one could even say shrinking back.
"I hope you keep your word." Flender gave him a deep look and didn't criticize him further. He also knew that his old brother hadn't had it easy these past few years.
Zhao Wuji took a deep breath, suppressed the chaotic thoughts in his heart, and took a heavy step forward. Facing the students, he tried to make his voice sound louder: "Alright! Kids! Prepare to..."
Before the word "depart" could leave his mouth.
A crisp and pleasant female voice, yet carrying a trace of faint playfulness and coldness, seemed to come from all directions, clearly echoing above the playground and interrupting Zhao Wuji's words:
"Zhao—Wu—Ji—! Today... you won't be able to leave~!"
"!"
This sudden voice caused everyone on the playground—Flender, Zhao Wuji, Shao Xin, Li Yusong, and those seven students—to change their expressions! They all turned together, looking toward the direction the voice came from with suspicion and uncertainty.
They saw that at the direction of the academy's dilapidated gate, at some point, three figures had silently appeared.
The one in the center was a handsome young man dressed in a simple green robe with an indifferent temperament. The corner of his mouth held a faint smile, like a harmless Scholar. His eyes calmly scanned the field as if he were just a tourist visiting.
On his left and right sides stood two women of peerless beauty and different temperaments, yet equally magnificent!
The one on the left was in red martial attire, outlining a fiery body curve. She had her arms crossed, her chin slightly raised, and her beautiful eyes burned with unhidden Battle Intent and... a hint of cat-and-mouse playfulness. The corner of her mouth hooked into an arc with a bit of a wicked air, and she was staring at Zhao Wuji with a half-smile.
The one on the right was in a light purple long dress, her temperament as gentle as water. She stood there quietly, her gaze also falling on Zhao Wuji, but her eyes appeared much calmer. However, beneath that calmness, there also seemed to be a hint of icy coldness hidden.
These three were precisely Yu Qing, Duan Xin, and Zi Ruyi!
"Who are you...?" Alarm bells rang in Flender's heart! He took a step forward, adjusted his glasses, and the gaze behind the lenses became incredibly sharp and alert as he asked in a deep voice. He could feel that these three did not come with good intentions! Moreover... the spirit power fluctuations emanating from that woman in red actually made him feel a hint of palpitations.
However, before Yu Qing and the others could answer... Zhao Wuji, at the moment he clearly saw Yu Qing's face, felt as if he were struck hard by an invisible bolt of lightning. His massive body suddenly trembled violently, the color on his fierce face drained away instantly, his pupils shrank abruptly, and boundless fear and unbelievable shock flooded him like a tide.
"Your... Your Excellency! It's you!" An exclamation filled with extreme fear, even carrying a hint of trembling and a cracked voice, burst uncontrollably from Zhao Wuji's mouth. He subconsciously stumbled back half a step as if he had seen the most terrifying existence in the world.
The terrifying memory of being toyed with like a fly by the other party that night three years ago, being hung and beaten without any power to resist, surfaced clearly in his mind like a nightmare once again.
How... how did he find this place?!
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