Registering Someone

A month later.

"Young Master, are you sure you don't need me to escort you?"

Cang Xue bent down and respectfully asked the young man standing before him.

"Uncle Cang Xue, I need to grow." Xue Xiao Ran smiled faintly as he stood outside the gates of the Clear Sky Sect, waiting for Wang Dong'er.

"Come now, Brother Cang Xue, Xiao Ran isn't ordinary. With his temperament, he could travel Douluo Continent alone without trouble. Besides, with such an outrageous martial soul, nothing will happen to him."

Niu Tian said with a smile from the side.

Cang Xue sighed and insisted, "I'll follow behind Young Master. If there's any danger, I'll appear. This is something I must do."

Xue Xiao Ran considered it, then said, "All right. Thank you, Uncle Cang Xue."

In Cang Xue's eyes, traveling alone for more than ten days to reach Shrek Academy was still far too dangerous. But since Cang Xue insisted, Xue Xiao Ran had no reason to refuse.

"Oh, they're here."

Niu Tian laughed, prompting Xue Xiao Ran to raise his gaze.

A handsome young man in white entered his sight, and Xue Xiao Ran instantly raised an eyebrow.

"From now on, Wang Dong'er will attend Shrek Academy disguised as a boy, to avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble," Titan said in his gruff voice. Just like Xiao Wu when she was young, that beauty would attract all sorts of attention.

"Wang Dong'er's full name at Shrek Academy will be Wang Dong from now on. Xiao Ran, don't call her by the wrong name."

Titan chuckled.

Xue Xiao Ran gave a quiet acknowledgment, then nodded at Wang Dong, whose face was slightly red and who was clearly feeling awkward.

"Uncle Niu Tian, Uncle Titan, after I see Wang Dong off, I'll head to Sun Moon Royal Academy to study. If anything happens, contact Uncle Cang Xue. Farewell."

Xue Xiao Ran clasped his fists. Wang Dong likewise bowed deeply. Though she felt somewhat sad to part with the two uncles who had accompanied her since childhood, her heart was now filled with dreams of the future.

"Xiao Ran, Dong'er, have a safe journey."

Niu Tian and Titan both smiled. The former clasped his fists toward Cang Xue, who stood behind them, entrusting him with the Young Miss's safety along the way.

Their destination: Shrek Academy.

"Though it's supposedly the continent's number one academy, I never expected it to be an entire city."

Wang Dong looked at the city in the distance and spoke in astonishment.

She had lowered her voice, making it sound like that of a boy going through puberty. Unless someone already knew she was a girl, they likely would not be able to tell.

There was even an Adam's apple on her throat, though who knew how it had been attached.

Xue Xiao Ran fell silent for a moment, staring at the Adam's apple on Wang Dong's fair neck as he imagined what Uncle Titan had done.

"Wh-What is it?"

When Wang Dong noticed Xue Xiao Ran staring fixedly at him, his cheeks could not help turning red.

"You need to get used to it. Aren't you a boy now?"

Xue Xiao Ran said blandly, "If you get exposed at the academy, who knows what might happen."

"Hmph, who do you think I disguised myself as a boy for..."

Wang Dong's murmur was quickly scattered by the wind. Xue Xiao Ran turned and asked, "What did you just say?"

"Nothing!" Wang Dong snorted.

"Actually, I heard it all."

A triumphant smile appeared on Xue Xiao Ran's calm face before he quickly ran toward the city gate.

"You heard all of it! Don't run!" Wang Dong's face flushed with embarrassed anger as he hurried after Xue Xiao Ran, swearing to tear apart that hateful mouth of his with his own hands.

Cang Xue stood silently in the forest not far behind them. Watching the two run into Shrek City, he knew his escort mission was over. If he entered Shrek City, some old monsters might recognize him.

He quickly vanished, waiting for the Young Master's return so he could escort him to Sun Moon Royal Academy.

Shrek City.

Located on the Lima Plain in the eastern part of the Heaven Dou Empire, it covered an enormous area. It was itself a city, known as Shrek City. On Douluo Continent, Shrek City was one of the largest cities, home to over two million people. Shrek Academy possessed independent governing authority over the city and did not need to pay taxes to any nation. This alone was something no other academy in any country, including the Sun Moon Empire, could compare to.

Shrek Academy was located in the eastern part of Shrek City, while the entire city was as lively as the capital of a nation. The south, west, and north gates of Shrek City were open for anyone to enter and leave, while the eastern side belonged exclusively to Shrek Academy.

Many of the people walking along the streets were Shrek Academy students. Their green uniforms had become a symbol of honor. Shrek students constantly visited the shops lining both sides of the road, instantly giving Wang Dong and Xue Xiao Ran an excellent first impression.

"So this is Shrek City. I'd only seen it in books before. I never expected it to be this huge." Wang Dong could not help sighing as he looked at the street scenes around him.

"Under twelve years old, with Soul Power no lower than Rank 20." Xue Xiao Ran held a clearly promotional pamphlet in his hand and gave it a shake. "Wang Dong, what rank is your Soul Power now?"

"It's above Rank 20. This kind of assessment won't be a problem."

"Good. You can enter Shrek Academy, then." Xue Xiao Ran put the pamphlet back into his ring and headed toward Shrek Academy.

Wang Dong, meanwhile, walked very slowly.

She knew this was the last stretch of time she would spend with Xue Xiao Ran. She only hoped time would slow down as much as possible.

The young man before her clearly felt so familiar, yet he seemed so distant that even if she reached out, she could not touch him. Could there really be such a thing as past and present lives? Otherwise, why could she not raise any guard against him? Why did she feel such a deep sense of dependence on him?

When the two arrived before Shrek Academy, Wang Dong stepped forward to fill out his information. The teacher had Wang Dong release his martial soul and soul rings, once again astonishing the students and teachers gathered to register.

Two soul rings, one yellow and one purple, floated above and below him as a pair of beautiful wings spread open behind his back.

"A thousand-year one... What a fine prospect." The teacher handling registration nodded with a smile, then shifted his gaze to the youth standing behind Wang Dong, who seemed unconcerned with everything.

"Are you here to register too?"

Seeing the teacher address him, Xue Xiao Ran shook his head. "I'm family. I came to see my brother off."

"Is that so... Don't you want to give it a try?" The teacher clearly had no intention of giving up.

There was a saying that perfection invited envy. Those who were handsome or beautiful would not achieve little in life, while those with ordinary appearances had a high chance of fading into the crowd.

Though Xue Xiao Ran still looked somewhat youthful, his face was already enough to make many girls his age fall for him. What emotions lay hidden within those Jade Eyes?

"No need. I only came to see my brother off." Xue Xiao Ran clasped his fists again and refused.

"What a pity." The teacher smiled without anger, nodded at Wang Dong, and handed him an assessment certificate.

Xue Xiao Ran followed him inside, arrived at the row of seats for family members, and sat in the stands to watch Wang Dong's performance.

The past month of training and combat had allowed Wang Dong to grow rapidly. Already blessed with exceptional talent, he improved quickly through sparring with Xue Xiao Ran. Though he had no way to deal with Xue Xiao Ran's poison, he could still fight fiercely against him when Xue Xiao Ran did not use his martial soul.

Xue Xiao Ran thought that these small tests would certainly pose no problem for Wang Dong. He immediately closed his eyes and began cultivating.

"Hey, are you sure you won't take Shrek Academy's assessment?"

At some point, someone had appeared beside Xue Xiao Ran as though from thin air. This indicated that the newcomer's Soul Power cultivation had reached a terrifying level.

He was a middle-aged man with bright eyes and a very handsome appearance. His long hair rested casually over his shoulders as he curiously examined Xue Xiao Ran.

"Hello, Teacher." Xue Xiao Ran nodded with a smile, looking like an ordinary child from a common household.

A glint of amusement flashed through the middle-aged man's eyes. From the way this child cultivated earlier, he could tell he was no ordinary child, yet he was still pretending in front of him.

"With your Soul Power cultivation, passing the assessment and becoming part of Shrek should be easy, shouldn't it? Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Yan Shaozhe, and I'm the dean of Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department."

Yan Shaozhe smiled, feeling rather surprised himself. Why had he suddenly said such things to a child? This was nothing like him.

"Greetings, Dean Yan. I am Xue Xiao Ran." Xue Xiao Ran clasped his fists and replied, "Everyone has a different path and different choices. My choice now is to attend another academy."

"Oh? Which academy would that be?"

"Sun Moon Royal Academy," Xue Xiao Ran answered calmly.

Upon hearing that name, Yan Shaozhe's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Xiao Ran, you haven't been waiting long, have you?"

Wang Dong's voice rang out from behind him.

Xue Xiao Ran saluted Dean Yan Shaozhe before following Wang Dong into the academy.

Yan Shaozhe simply watched the two leave, knowing that Sun Moon Royal Academy would likely gain an excellent prospect.

How frustrating!