Arrival and Registration!

Two days later.

The two arrived at Heaven Dou City, the imperial capital of the Heaven Dou Empire.

Looking at this prosperous yet somewhat ancient imperial capital, they decided to rest there for the night.

Heaven Dou City, once the imperial capital of the Heaven Dou Empire and now the capital of the Heaven Dou Empire, was one of the five most prosperous cities on the Douluo Continent. Whether in size or prosperity, it was far beyond comparison with Anyang City, that small town on the northern frontier.

Faced with streets ablaze with lights and steeped in revelry, Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan lingered about, yet they always felt somewhat out of place. The prosperity of Heaven Dou City and the desolation of the villages they had encountered along the way seemed like two entirely different worlds. The vast disparity gave the two youths their first true taste of reality.

They did not wander around for long before returning to the inn to rest.

Speaking of the inn, Zhu Ziyang could not help but sigh. It truly was the capital of the Heaven Dou Empire—one night at the inn actually cost ten Gold Soul Coins. In Anyang City, that would have been enough to rent a house with a small courtyard.

Early the next morning, at six o'clock.

Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan set off again. After traveling more than ten kilometers, they passed by a forest.

Upon seeing the forest, Zhu Ziyang subconsciously stopped. His gaze held curiosity and contemplation, which left Jiang Nannan somewhat puzzled. She asked, "Brother Ziyang, what's wrong?"

"Just saw a forest," Zhu Ziyang said.

"What forest is this?" Jiang Nannan asked curiously. "It's so close to Heaven Dou City. Are there Soul Beasts gathered inside too?"

"There are. Not only are there Soul Beasts, but I've heard there's even a Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land there!" Zhu Ziyang said, wearing a faintly amused expression.

In the Tang Sect's early records, one place name was mentioned time and again: the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well! It was a treasured land renowned and shrouded in mystery in the continent's ancient records, containing vast quantities of Heavenly Material Earthly Treasures.

In Sea God Tang San's rise to prominence, this Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land had given him crucial help. The fact that all of the first-generation Shrek Seven Devils became gods was also closely connected to it.

However, Zhu Ziyang had learned something else from certain books: the original owner of this Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land had been a Jade Phosphorous Serpent Titled Douluo.

Of course, these matters had nothing to do with Zhu Ziyang. He only wondered whether he could obtain some fortunate opportunity from this Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land. Considering that the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well had vanished from the continent's historical records nearly seven thousand years ago, Zhu Ziyang had reason to believe that some kind of protective mechanism had been set up around it.

He decided to explore it only after becoming stronger.

Jiang Nannan knew nothing of this, so her curiosity ended there. "Oh, so that's how it is."

"Let's go," Zhu Ziyang said.

The two swept straight past Sunset Forest and hurried toward Suotuo City, the provincial capital of Suonan Province.

After around three days, they arrived in Suotuo City.

Another two days later, they finally reached Shrek City.

Shrek City, the location of Shrek Academy.

Shrek Academy truly deserved its title as the greatest academy in the world. Across the entire Douluo Continent, it was the only major city that had risen because of an academy.

As a city built around Shrek Academy, Shrek City ranked among the very best on the continent in both size and prosperity. Though its population was only a little over two million, more than 1.7 million of those people were Soul Masters! That number of Soul Masters alone allowed it to look down on the entire continent.

For that reason, Shrek City's lord was also the only city lord on the continent with the strength of a Titled Douluo.

"So this is Shrek City? It's so magnificent!" Jiang Nannan could not help but exclaim as she looked at the enormous city before them.

"Let's register first. Once we become students of Shrek Academy, we'll have plenty of time to look around," Zhu Ziyang said with a smile.

As someone determined to enter Shrek Academy, Zhu Ziyang's understanding of the academy was certainly no less than that of its students. Of everything recorded in writing, he had read at least eighty percent.

Shrek Academy was not located at the center of Shrek City, but in its eastern district, simply because that side faced the direction of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Great roads extended from Shrek City in all four directions, making its transportation network exceptionally well-developed. Because it was home to Shrek Academy, it had also become the most important commercial city at the intersection of the former Douluo Continent's Three Great Empires. Thanks to the academy's presence, Shrek City had excellent public security. Trade here was not only fair, but also more reassuring. Thus, when merchants from the Three Great Empires engaged in cross-border trade, most chose to conduct their transactions in Shrek City.

Of Shrek City's four gates, the south, west, and north gates were open for anyone to enter and leave at will. Only the east gate belonged exclusively to Shrek Academy, and only Shrek students were qualified to use it.

At this time, it was Shrek Academy's annual admissions period. More than a thousand people had gathered outside the east gate. Besides the young boys and girls who had come to register, there were also all kinds of vendors who had caught wind of the opportunity. It was exceedingly lively.

Neither Zhu Ziyang nor Jiang Nannan paid much attention to any of it. Their current task was to register, take the assessment, and finally join Shrek Academy.

They skirted around the crowd and headed directly to the east gate.

At the east gate, more than a dozen young men and women one or two years older than them were diligently recording the applicants' information. Each wore a yellow fitted uniform with a green emblem on the chest. This was the school uniform of Shrek Academy's second- and third-year Outer Court students.

There were only three or four people ahead of Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan, so their turn came quickly.

"Hello," Zhu Ziyang said politely.

"Hello. Please fill out the registration form, then present a recommendation letter from your city lord and pay the fee." The student in charge of their line was a beautiful young girl. When she saw Zhu Ziyang's appearance, she froze for a moment, then her pretty face reddened as she handed him a registration form.

Zhu Ziyang smiled faintly without saying much, lowering his head to fill in his information.

Name, age, country, city, city lord—the registration form contained only those five brief items, yet Zhu Ziyang could sense a strong air of exclusion from it.

Who was it excluding? Naturally, Soul Masters from the Sun Moon Empire!

After finishing the form, Zhu Ziyang could not help but reveal a helpless smile. To be honest, he did not approve of the former Douluo Continent nations handling things this way. Rejecting new things, being stubborn and conservative—such behavior was destined to leave them behind. And once they fell behind, they were destined to be eliminated!

This was the lesson Zhu Ziyang had drawn from history.

All that could be said was that the Three Great Empires would one day pay the price for it.

After filling out the registration form, Zhu Ziyang took out a recommendation letter from the lord of Dragon City and ten Gold Soul Coins, handing them to the young girl.

Taking Shrek Academy's assessment required a payment of ten Gold Soul Coins. If you successfully entered Shrek Academy, those ten Gold Soul Coins would serve as your tuition for the next year. Note that it was only tuition; it did not include meals or accommodation. If you failed to get in, unfortunately, those ten Gold Soul Coins would not be returned. They would instead be kept by Shrek Academy as the registration fee.

It was an overbearing practice, yet none of the students or parents who came to take the assessment thought Shrek Academy was wrong for doing so. That was the influence brought by strength and reputation.

"Alright. Please go to the room over there for the assessment. As long as you pass, you'll become a student of Shrek Academy. Good luck!" The young girl accepted Zhu Ziyang's registration form and fee, stamped the form, and handed it back to him. Finally, she pointed to a room behind her that had originally been a resting room for the gate guards, giving Zhu Ziyang some encouragement as well.

"Don't worry, I will, Senior Sister!" Zhu Ziyang answered with a confident smile.

Seeing his smile, the young girl's face reddened even more. She shyly turned her head away, no longer daring to look at Zhu Ziyang.

Being handsome really is nice, Zhu Ziyang mused.

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