Suotuo City

Zhu Zhuqing was startled by Yang Ming's sudden tears. She did not know why merely mentioning Shrek Academy had provoked such a strong reaction from him. Could it be that this Shrek Academy was connected to some painful memory of his? Her cold voice softened slightly as she spoke carefully.

"Yang Ming, are you... all right?"

Hearing Zhu Zhuqing's somewhat concerned question, Yang Ming struggled free from the surge of emotion in his chest. It took him quite a while to calm down completely. Wiping the tears from his face, he fell into thought.

He was recalling whether he had experienced anything similarly inexplicable over the years. Aside from the scenes he had seen during Spirit Awakening, the fragment of memory that had surfaced when Shrek Academy was mentioned just now, and the emotional collapse that followed, the only thing he could not explain was the strange technique, Absolute Dominance, which he had impulsively begun circulating while cultivating the Meditation Method years ago. Spear Art and Spirit Rings were too subtle; Yang Ming himself was clever enough to simply assume that he truly had talent. But a technique like Absolute Dominance could not be created through talent alone. There had to be something else Yang Ming did not know.

Though there was no way to verify the connection between Absolute Dominance and the images in his mind, there was still one thing he could investigate: Shrek Academy!

He wanted to find out exactly what this Shrek Academy was and what it meant to him.

He had clearly never encountered any person or object related to this academy before, so why had merely hearing its name caused him to lose control of his emotions? Yang Ming wanted to uncover the reason, and he also wanted to see whether this academy could help unravel the mysteries surrounding him.

Yang Ming looked at Zhu Zhuqing seriously and asked,

"Can you tell me everything you know about Shrek Academy?"

Seeing the seriousness in Yang Ming's expression, Zhu Zhuqing was curious about why he was looking for that academy. Still, there was no harm in telling him what she knew. Besides, she already owed him a favor and had no idea how she could repay it. Zhu Zhuqing answered, telling Yang Ming all the information she had learned.

"All right!"

"Shrek Academy is in Suotuo City, Balak Kingdom. I heard it is a rather unconventional academy."

Zhu Zhuqing paused, her pretty face flushing faintly before she continued.

"I do not know much either. That is all."

By this point, Zhu Zhuqing felt somewhat embarrassed. The information she had gathered seemed far too little. How had she dared to head north toward Heaven Dou Empire based on so little before? (She had been forced by a life-or-death crisis.)

"It's fine, that's enough! Thank you," Yang Ming replied.

Yang Ming thought it was fine. Now that he had a specific location, things would be much easier. He was definitely going to visit Shrek Academy; it was only a matter of sooner or later.

After considering it for a moment, Yang Ming decided that they would set out for Suotuo City in three days, once Zhu Zhuqing had fully recovered from her injuries, and search for Shrek Academy.

Three days later

Yang Ming stood before the carriage and looked at Zhu Zhuqing beside him.

"Are you really going to Shrek Academy too, to see your fiancé? If you meet him, your life, which has only just begun to settle down, may be dragged back into that old vortex."

Zhu Zhuqing understood what Yang Ming meant. Seeing her fiancé might mean returning to the sight of the Star Luo Dai Family. He was an heir to the throne, unlike Zhu Zhuqing, who was merely a prospective Imperial Consort. After all, they were not married. An Imperial Consort could be replaced, but could an imperial prince be replaced?!!

The Star Luo Royal Family could not possibly ignore her fiancé's situation! Zhu Zhuqing knew the consequences, but she still wanted to see how the person who had abandoned her and left back then was doing now. The reason she had left in the first place was because of him. She wanted to know whether it had been worth it.

"I'm going!" Zhu Zhuqing replied firmly. Perhaps it was the inertia of fate, but she still set out toward Shrek Academy.

Seeing that Zhu Zhuqing had made up her mind, Yang Ming said no more.

"Get in."

The two then boarded the carriage, which headed toward Suotuo City, Balak Kingdom, embarking on a new journey.

Balak Kingdom lay south of Heaven Dou Empire and bordered Fasinuo Province. Though it was called a kingdom, its actual area was only three quarters that of Fasinuo Province, a directly governed province of the neighboring Heaven Dou Empire. It was one of the four great kingdoms within Heaven Dou Empire. King Kundera of Balak was a cousin of Xue Ye, the current King of Heaven Dou Empire.

Balak Kingdom lay in the south and directly bordered Star Luo Empire. Therefore, among the four great kingdoms of Heaven Dou Empire, Balak Kingdom possessed the strongest military power and could be considered the gateway of Heaven Dou Empire.

Heaven Dou Empire originally had ten provinces, but after the four great kingdoms were granted fiefs, six major powers emerged. The empire itself directly controlled five provinces, while each of the four kingdoms controlled one. There was also a duchy, second only to a kingdom, occupying the empire's smallest eastern province.

On the surface, the four great kingdoms and the ducal territory were all under the rule of Heaven Dou Empire. In reality, however, these five states had become countries within its borders. Other than the necessary tributes, they possessed complete autonomy. If the Heaven Dou Imperial Family had not controlled a large army, internal turmoil might have erupted long ago.

Star Luo Empire had a similar power structure, but unlike Heaven Dou Empire, the Star Luo Royal Family was highly capable, and its control over the powers under its command was far beyond what Heaven Dou Empire could match.

The Star Luo Dai Family's openly practiced "winner takes the throne" system of Royal Power inheritance forced its heirs to struggle for survival every day, but it also meant that there were rarely any truly useless rulers among the successive Star Luo Emperors. It greatly reduced the chances of an incompetent monarch appearing, and in most cases, they could choose someone above the average standard.

The royal families of the Two Great Empires were like their respective inherited Martial Souls. Heaven Dou's Swan Martial Soul looked impressive but was useless, while Star Luo's White Tiger Martial Soul truly possessed the bearing of a kingly race when it came to governance. If Spirit Hall had not grown so powerful in recent years, Star Luo would have long since sent troops against Heaven Dou and begun a war to unify the continent!

There were two most important cities within Balak Kingdom. One was Barak City, the capital of King Kundera. It was the political and economic center of the entire Balak Kingdom. The other was Balak's granary, Suotuo City, located at the center of Lima Plain, the richest region in Balak Kingdom.

Both cities were heavily guarded and of vital importance to the entire kingdom.

A day later, Yang Ming opened the carriage window and looked at the towering city walls before him. Beyond them were streets even livelier than those of Silver River City, yet his mood was somewhat heavy. They had arrived! Suotuo City!!!

Zhu Zhuqing's expression was not quite right either, because her so-called fiancé was here. Her feelings were complicated and uneasy.

After arriving in Suotuo City, Yang Ming had the driver take the carriage to the best hotel in Suotuo City, then dismissed him.

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