Shrek City

Are we there?

Huo Yuhao subconsciously raised his head, only to realize that rather than calling Shrek an academy, it would be more fitting to call it a city.

Following the main road out of the forest, he saw lofty city walls stretching across the distant plain to the left and right. The shock brought by these immense walls lay not only in their sheer size, but also in the majesty and solemnity they exuded. Every brick and stone had weathered wind and rain, bearing the deep marks of time as though whispering an ancient tale.

Shrek Academy stood upon the Lima Plain and occupied an extraordinarily vast area. It was itself a city, known as Shrek City.

On Douluo Continent, Shrek City was one of the foremost major cities, home to more than two million people. Shrek Academy possessed independent governing authority over the city and did not need to pay taxes to any nation. That fact alone was beyond the reach of every other academy in all nations, including the Sun Moon Empire.

Shrek Academy was not located in the center of Shrek City, but in its eastern region, as that side faced the Star Dou Great Forest.

In Old Qian's words, Shrek had taken the place once held by Spirit Hall on Douluo Continent, so it naturally had to shoulder the responsibilities Spirit Hall had once borne. Just as every Grand Imperial Venerable of Spirit Hall had carried the duty of suppressing any Beast Tide that might arise, ready at any time to perish alongside the Soul Beast Emperor of the Star Dou Forest, Shrek Academy had moved from the former site of Heaven Dou City to the ruins of Spirit City because it had no choice but to take on everything Spirit Hall had once carried.

Shrek City had major roads leading in all four directions, and its transportation network was exceptionally well-connected. Not only was it home to Shrek Academy, it was also the most important commercial city at the junction of the Three Great Empires that had once belonged to Douluo Continent. The south, west, and north gates of Shrek City were open for anyone to enter and leave freely, while the eastern side belonged exclusively to Shrek Academy.

Though this city gate was used only by Shrek Academy, it was extremely lively at the moment. At least five thousand people had gathered outside the East City Gate, making the area outside the gate bustling beyond measure. Large numbers of merchants had already caught wind of it and come rushing over. The area outside the city was probably even livelier than the city itself.

Huo Yuhao knew why. His arrival in Shrek coincided with Shrek Academy's enrollment season. The new students were busy preparing everything related to entering Shrek Academy. Looking at the swarming crowd, especially the children only a few years older than himself, Huo Yuhao could not help showing a hint of envy.

After all, Shrek Academy's admission requirements included not only being under twelve years old and possessing Soul Power of at least Level 15, but also a letter of recommendation from a city at least at the main-city level within the Three Great Empires. The children who could embark upon the road to enrollment at Shrek were truly both gifted and either wealthy or noble. As for him, let alone considering a recommendation from someone at the level of a city lord, he first had to figure out how to settle down securely in Shrek City.

After helping Huo Yun'er down from the carriage, the two walked onward from the East City Gate, taking in Shrek's clamor during enrollment season. This lively yet peaceful atmosphere was not something one often encountered. Smiles frequently appeared on Huo Yun'er's face, and whenever she looked at girls around Huo Yuhao's age, her expression became especially pleased. She seemed dazzled by the sight, glancing at Huo Yuhao one moment and then at the youthful girls the next, who knew what she was thinking.

"Mom, what are you looking at? You've made that little girl beside you uncomfortable."

Huo Yuhao lightly nudged Huo Yun'er beside him with his hand and asked in puzzlement.

"Ah? Oh, nothing, nothing. Mom was just thinking that in a couple of years, you'll be enrolling at Shrek too and going to school with these classmates, so I was happy. Look at your future classmates, every one of them is so spirited."

Huo Yun'er was momentarily stunned by Huo Yuhao's question. Then, with an explanation that did not quite match her feelings, she turned her gaze elsewhere.

They casually found an inn with passable sanitation and stayed there. Huo Yuhao painfully took out ten Gold Soul Coins for the room, feeling as if his heart were bleeding.

Those ten gold coins only covered five days at the inn. Such an outrageously expensive price made Huo Yuhao ache so badly he could barely breathe.

What, does Shrek have its own special exchange rate for currency?!

Fortunately, the inn had only raised its prices for the enrollment period. Once the next few days passed, the price would presumably drop. By then, whether they renewed their stay or checked out and found somewhere to rent, either option would work. Thinking of that, Huo Yuhao finally felt a little better.

After spending some time walking around outside Shrek Academy, Huo Yuhao had more or less figured out Shrek City's layout. Shrek Academy was situated in the eastern part of Shrek City. Its busiest area was not the East City Gate through which Huo Yuhao had entered, the gate facing the Star Dou Forest from afar, but rather Shrek Academy's rear gate—the West School Gate, which connected directly to Shrek City's other three major districts. Most students left through that gate after classes to explore and enjoy themselves in Shrek City.

As for Shrek Academy's east and west gates, each had a Snack Street. Business along them was booming, but after taking a careful look, Huo Yuhao found that the food was basically limited to the same three old standbys: stewing, boiling, and grilling. That gave him a rough idea of what to do.

In the end, Huo Yuhao fixed his attention on Shrek Academy itself. If he wanted to enter Shrek and take a look around, this was probably the best time. Once enrollment season passed, it would not be nearly so easy to find another chance to enter Shrek for a visit.

After winding around for a while, Huo Yuhao returned to the East City Gate. More than a dozen young men and women around their age stood guard there. Each wore a yellow close-fitting outfit with a green emblem on the chest. This was the uniform of Shrek Academy's Outer Court second- and Third Grade students.

Among them, the most eye-catching was a young man. He was tall and straight, his long dark-blue hair gleaming like gemstones beneath the sunlight. He gave off an elegant air, and a faint, easygoing smile rested on his handsome face.

Though he wore only Shrek Academy's standard uniform, he carried a certain noble bearing. Huo Yuhao's expression tightened. This was the second time he had encountered someone like this on Douluo Continent. The first had been Long Aotian, someone who had already been hunting his Fifth Soul Ring at thirteen or fourteen years old.

Standing beside him with a bright smile was a girl whose presence was no less imposing. Her long black hair was tied into a ponytail that hung behind her, while her pale-blue close-fitting outfit outlined her budding figure, brimming with youthful vitality. She had phoenix-shaped eyes, large and lively; a high, delicate nose bridge; an almost perfect melon seed face; and a lovely complexion. She was not flawlessly breathtaking, yet she possessed a naturally refined, spirited charm.