Shrek Academy in the Eyes of Soto City's People

Zhu Zhuqing left, casting off the shackles of sisters killing each other, the constraints of her marriage contract, and more. Most importantly, she had not yet joined Shrek Academy and received its twisted education. Zhu Zhuqing had finally escaped her predetermined fate and embarked on a path different from the original timeline. From now on, she was no longer the Zhu Family Third Miss or the future Third Prince Consort. She would only be Zhu Zhuqing!!!

Before leaving, Zhu Zhuqing gave Yang Ming a hug and whispered a meaningful sentence into his ear.

"Thank you for everything you just did!"

Then she turned around and slowly walked away with feline steps, leaving Yang Ming only with her dashing back. Watching Zhu Zhuqing depart, Yang Ming murmured.

"Have you figured it out already?"

"I hope you can live for yourself from now on!"

After offering Zhu Zhuqing his final blessing, Yang Ming gathered his emotions and prepared for what came next.

As for Zhu Zhuqing's safety, Yang Ming was not worried. Zhu Zhuyun's Teacher Classroom had definitely taught Zhu Zhuqing how to survive properly! It was just a little life-consuming. Even a cat said to have nine lives had been tortured to the brink of death before.

Silver light flashed, and Yang Ming appeared at a corner less than thirty meters from the Rose Hotel, behind a "passerby" who had silently been observing the situation.

Sensing the fluctuation of Soul Power behind him, the "passerby" produced a dagger in his hand. Four Spirit Rings—white, yellow, yellow, and purple—appeared beneath his feet, and the first three immediately lit up. He spun around and delivered a powerful thrust as swift as lightning.

Yang Ming was standing very close to the "passerby." In an instant, the man's Blade of Certain Death stabbed into Yang Ming's body.

Yet the "passerby" was puzzled. The dagger did not feel as though it had pierced flesh in the slightest, as if the person before him were merely a phantom.

Voidification, one of the Void God Leopard's two signature abilities.

The "passerby" quickly realized something was wrong, but Yang Ming was even faster. Before the "passerby" could withdraw his attack and change moves, Yang Ming's fist had already flown toward his face. All the "passerby" heard was a low whisper beside his ear.

"Absolute Dominance!"

Yang Ming's fist collided with the man's face with a dull thud.

"Bang!"

Yang Ming's punch was not particularly forceful, but the might of Absolute Dominance was undiminished. The man's mind was directly crushed by Yang Ming's aura, and he fainted on the spot. Yang Ming tied up the fake passerby, administered anesthetic, and tossed him into a concealed corner, intending to deal with him later.

As for why he was a fake passerby, it was because when Yang Ming had broken Dai Mubai's leg earlier, he had sensed a fleeting killing intent from him. Coupled with the man's decisive reaction just now—suddenly attacking with a stab aimed directly at a vital point—he was most likely a Star Luo Royal Family spy specifically assigned to watch Dai Mubai.

Silver light flashed again, and Yang Ming returned to the entrance of the Rose Hotel.

Yang Ming watched the lively, bustling street outside the hotel for a while. Before long, he heard footsteps behind him. The newcomer was the Rose Hotel receptionist who had arranged matters for Dai Mubai and the messenger.

Yang Ming turned around, and the receptionist reported.

"Young Master, everything you instructed has been arranged!"

Yang Ming nodded to indicate that he understood, then asked the receptionist.

"Is there somewhere suitable for a conversation? I'd like to learn about Shrek Academy."

The receptionist naturally had no objection and led Yang Ming to the hotel restaurant.

The moment they reached the restaurant entrance, they could smell the enticing fragrance of food, faintly mixed with the scent of roses, though it was not as strong.

The Rose Hotel's restaurant was not particularly large, roughly three hundred square meters.

Upon entering, they found the restaurant neat and spotless. The tables were made of brown oak, with a bouquet of differently colored roses and a candleholder on each one. Combined with the hazy, dreamy lighting and the gentle music played by musicians nearby, it all filled the air with a unique atmosphere—the ambiguity between men and women.

It was not mealtime yet, and only one couple was feeding each other in the restaurant.

Yang Ming chose a table and sat down, then asked.

"Tell me what you know about Shrek Academy."

Seeing Yang Ming's urgency, the receptionist answered frankly.

"Shrek Academy is rather strange!"

The receptionist's first words were an inexplicable assessment.

"There are many rumors about that academy here. Some say it is a scam academy, while others say its teaching results are exceptional. There are all sorts of rumors, and everyone has a different opinion..."

Yang Ming became even more confused upon hearing the receptionist's vague words. He asked.

"Could you tell me more about the rumors surrounding Shrek Academy?"

The receptionist gathered his thoughts and replied.

"I heard from people in the city who had applied there before that the academy's admission standards are very high. You must reach level twenty-one before the age of twelve, and to graduate, you must reach level forty before the age of twenty."

Does it only accept geniuses? The receptionist continued.

"And it seems that academy once taught Spirit Hall's youngest elder!"

Yang Ming was somewhat surprised to hear that. Aside from Ning Fengzhi, the honorary elder from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Spirit Hall's other elders were all Titled Douluo! Before Yang Ming could finish being surprised, the receptionist added.

"But logically speaking, an academy that had taught a Spirit Hall elder should not be short of money. Yet they act as though they are desperately short of it."

"Shrek Academy charges very high fees. Just applying costs ten Gold Soul Coins, and no refunds are given regardless of whether you are accepted. Furthermore, unlike other Soul Master Academies, their academy does not even have its own grounds. They rent one-third of a small village outside the city as their campus."

"And most of the students who came out of Shrek Academy in the past were rather arrogant and overbearing, like that Young Master Dai you beat up earlier."

Hearing these unfavorable rumors about Shrek Academy, anger began to surge through Yang Ming's heart again. Even his Soul Power fluctuations became unstable. It was only when he heard Dai Mubai mentioned that Yang Ming regained his rationality.

Yang Ming began stabilizing the Soul Power within his body, then felt a lingering fear. The emotions originating from that person had too great an influence on him. Once he had calmed himself, he recalled what the receptionist had said and noticed something wrong. He asked.

"How long has Shrek Academy been established?"

The receptionist was not a Soul Master and had not sensed the changes in Yang Ming's Soul Power. He had only suddenly felt a little cold for an instant. Upon hearing Yang Ming's question, he thought for a moment.

"About twenty years, I suppose!"

"Young Master, that's all I know."

After all, he was only an ordinary person. It was already quite good that he knew this much.

Yang Ming began piecing together the information.

Twenty years. Even if that Spirit Hall elder had been among Shrek Academy's first batch of students, and had enrolled at twenty-five—the maximum age for the Soul Master Academy Competition—then he would be no more than forty-five now. Yet among those publicly known to have become Titled Douluo before the age of forty-five, not to mention Spirit Hall, there was only Tang Hao on the entire continent.

Based on the principle of who benefited and who was the mastermind, this information had most likely been spread by Shrek Academy itself. Therefore, Yang Ming concluded that Shrek Academy was lying.

Moreover, Soul Master cultivation could be accelerated through a Soul Master Mimicry Environment. Good Soul Master Academies generally did everything possible to build such environments, yet Shrek Academy was located in a small village. Then there was the ten Gold Soul Coin application fee, which was not refunded even if one failed to enroll. That was rather disgusting. In Yang Ming's eyes, it was utterly tasteless—no different from robbery! So Shrek Academy was most likely genuinely poor.

The fact that its students were "arrogant and overbearing" indicated that its overall discipline was poor.

Based on the hotel receptionist's introduction, Yang Ming had formed an extremely bad first impression of Shrek Academy!

P.S. Please vote with monthly tickets and recommendation votes.