Tianhui Grand Canyon.
Zhu Ziyang and his group went directly through the outer perimeter of the canyon and entered its central part. As a Spirit Beast habitat, Tianhui Canyon possessed the main characteristic of Spirit Beast habitats on the continent: stratification. Tianhui Canyon only had three layers. The first layer was the largest, the outer region, primarily inhabited by ten-year and hundred-year Spirit Beasts, occupying seven-tenths of the entire Tianhui Grand Canyon. The second layer was the central part of Tianhui Canyon, primarily inhabited by Spirit Beasts under five thousand years old. Zhu Ziyang's second and third spirit rings were both obtained in this area. The third layer was the core region of Tianhui Canyon, only accessible to Spirit Beasts over five thousand years old.
They were currently in the central part of the canyon, searching for a suitable Spirit Beast for Zhu Changhe.
"Ziyang, you said Shrek Academy's dorms are not as good as our Anyang City Junior Academy's dorms. Is that true or are you just trying to make me happy?" Uncle Hong asked Zhu Ziyang while leading the way.
"Uncle Hong, don't you trust me?" Zhu Ziyang said with a smile, "Shrek Academy's dorms really aren't as good as our Anyang City Junior Academy's dorms. There are only two beds and two desks, and no washroom."
"No way." Uncle Hong felt his illusions about Shrek Academy instantly shattered. People are like that; when they believe something is good, then everything about it is good.
"Hehehe~ Uncle Hong, don't just look at Shrek Academy as the continent's number one academy; it's not the best in all aspects," Jiang Nannan said with a sweet laugh, "The cafeteria there doesn't even have tables and chairs; we all have to stand to eat."
"Ah, this!" Uncle Hong was truly shocked and speechless. He murmured, "Is this why Shrek Academy can become the continent's number one academy? To temper the willpower of its students through harsh environments? Should our Anyang Academy do the same?"
"..." Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan were stunned by his words, their faces filled with helplessness.
Uncle Hong was truly a loyal follower of Shrek Academy, with a filter that was too strong. Perhaps this was the beauty created by distance. Small noble Spirit Masters and commoner Spirit Masters like Uncle Hong on the continent all had this kind of filter for Shrek Academy, which was one of the reasons Shrek Academy had stood strong for ten thousand years.
"Uncle Hong, don't just blindly imitate them. While Shrek Academy's Outer Courtyard dorms may not be as good as our Anyang Academy's, their Inner Courtyard dorms are the best on the continent. Also, their cafeterias are also graded, and not all of them lack tables and chairs," Jiang Nannan explained.
"Inner Courtyard?" Uncle Hong and Zhu Changhe heard this term for the first time, their eyes filled with curiosity.
"That's right, Shrek Academy is divided into an Outer Courtyard and an Inner Courtyard. Only the Inner Courtyard is the most core existence of Shrek Academy. Only students who reach the Spirit Ancestor realm before the age of eighteen can enter the Inner Courtyard," Jiang Nannan explained.
"Eighteen years old, Spirit Ancestor!" Zhu Changhe and Uncle Hong opened their mouths, speechless. It was their first time hearing that Shrek Academy had an Outer and Inner Courtyard division, and even more, their first time knowing that the recruitment conditions for the Shrek Inner Courtyard were so strict.
"Then, Ziyang, can't you enter the Inner Courtyard?" After a moment, Zhu Changhe asked excitedly.
"Yes, once I return, I will be able to study in the Inner Courtyard," Zhu Ziyang said with a smile, without any intention of hiding it.
"This is truly wonderful! It seems our Anyang City is about to produce a great figure!" Uncle Hong was overjoyed, clapping his hands in approval.
"It's two, actually. I can also enter the Inner Courtyard," Jiang Nannan said proudly.
---
In a dry riverbed overgrown with thorns, a giant mountain pig, its back covered in sharp bone spikes, fled in distress. There was a gruesome wound on its abdomen, and blood dripped onto the cracked riverbed, its pungent smell lingering. This was a Spiky Armored Porcupine.
Behind the Spiky Armored Porcupine, about five or six hundred meters away, was a pack of snarling wolves.
There were eleven wolves in this pack, all with blue-black fur streaked with light yellow patterns. Each was over 1.5 meters long, with two pairs of sharp fangs in their mouths, straight tails, and blade-like claws. Their fierce eyes emitted a faint purple glow.
This was a pack of Saber-toothed Light Wolves. The leader was over two meters long and significantly larger than the other Saber-toothed Light Wolves, clearly the alpha of this pack.
The Spiky Armored Porcupine was quickly surrounded by the wolf pack, with nowhere to escape. Driven to desperation, it became ferocious, directly ramming and killing one of the Saber-toothed Light Wolves that lunged at it. This Spiky Armored Porcupine had a cultivation of four thousand years. Among the Saber-toothed Light Wolves, only the alpha's cultivation reached three thousand five hundred years; the others had not exceeded three thousand years. Although the Spiky Armored Porcupine was injured, in its desperate struggle, it made the Saber-toothed Light Wolves hesitant to attack rashly, forcing them to circle it, looking for an opportunity.
The Spiky Armored Porcupine also dared not be careless, for if it lost its focus for even a moment, it would become food for this pack of demonic wolves. Therefore, it pressed its tail tightly against the riverbed rock wall, preventing the pack from launching a sneak attack from behind, while its eyes were fixed on the Saber-toothed Light Wolf leader in front.
The Saber-toothed Light Wolves and the Spiky Armored Porcupine faced off, completely unaware that they had been targeted by an even more powerful presence.
At this moment, by the riverbed, Zhu Ziyang and the three others were silently observing this hunt. They had set their sights on that Spiky Armored Porcupine. The Spiky Armored Porcupine was a Spirit Beast with the Light Attribute, possessing immense strength. Its tusks and back spikes were sharp enough to pierce refined iron, making it a very suitable Spirit Beast for Zhu Changhe.
"How about it, should we make our move?" Uncle Hong inquired. Although he was a Spirit King, he subconsciously placed himself below Zhu Ziyang, with Zhu Ziyang leading their actions throughout the journey.
"No rush. Let that pack of Saber-toothed Light Wolves and the Spiky Armored Porcupine wear each other down first, then we'll make our move and reap the benefits," Zhu Ziyang said calmly.
"What if that Spiky Armored Porcupine is killed by those wolves?" Jiang Nannan raised the question.
"That won't happen. It's not easy for that pack of Saber-toothed Light Wolves to kill the Spiky Armored Porcupine; they would need to corner it for at least a day and a night, exhausting its physical strength, before they would act," Zhu Ziyang said with great certainty.
"Since that's the case, then we'll wait too," Zhu Changhe said.
"Mm!" Uncle Hong and Jiang Nannan nodded in agreement.
Time passed minute by minute, and the sun in the sky quickly moved to the west, with crimson evening clouds gradually appearing. Zhu Ziyang suddenly noticed two figures appearing on the riverbed to their left. He immediately became alert, nudged Uncle Hong beside him, and said, "Uncle Hong, look over there!"
"Huh?" Uncle Hong heard him and, with a puzzled look, glanced in the direction Zhu Ziyang pointed. He saw that two people had appeared there at some point, one old and one young. The elder was about sixty or seventy years old, with white hair, but her figure did not appear old; she was a rather elegant old lady. The younger one was a girl of twelve or thirteen, whose face was unclear, but her figure was tall and slender, with golden hair draped over her shoulders, and a graceful back, very likely a young beauty.
"Uncle Hong, can you tell the strength of those two?" Zhu Ziyang asked with a steady expression.
"That old lady's strength should be similar to mine, and that young girl's spirit power is only at level thirty," Uncle Hong stated his assessment.
"Is that so? Then it seems they also have their eyes on this group of Spirit Beasts. I just don't know if they're interested in the Spiky Armored Porcupine or the Saber-toothed Light Wolves?" Zhu Ziyang said, stroking his chin in thought, analyzing, "If it's the Saber-toothed Light Wolves, then we naturally won't interfere with each other. But if it's the Spiky Armored Porcupine, then we can't avoid a struggle! At that time, Uncle Hong, I'll need your help."
"Don't worry, let alone if the opponent is an old lady with depleted vitality, even if it's a big man, I can exchange a few moves with him!" Uncle Hong said with great confidence, heartily patting his chest.
And just as Zhu Ziyang and the others were talking, those two also discovered Zhu Ziyang's group.
The old lady's expression sank, becoming serious. Clearly, she also sensed Uncle Hong's strength and was unsure of their intentions. Her eyes rapidly shifted, and after settling on her final decision, she took the hand of the girl with her and walked towards Zhu Ziyang and the others. She decided to negotiate with Zhu Ziyang's group; forced by the situation, she had no choice but to humble herself first.
"Grandma, what are we doing?" The girl was very confused by her grandma's actions. After walking a dozen meters, she noticed Zhu Ziyang's group not far away, and her pretty face immediately showed a hint of surprise and unease.
Zhu Ziyang immediately realized their intentions and promptly alerted the others. Everyone prepared to act at any moment.