Shrek City! (Please Vote)

The next day.

Inside the main hall of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, Xiao Kuangdao and Ning Guanqing sat in chairs, chatting.

There were four people in total. The other two were Qiankun Douluo Zhang Shengtian and Moonlight Douluo Yue Ming.

Ning Guanqing said, "Uncle Xiao, I'll have to trouble you with this deployment to Shrek City. Shrek Academy also hopes to cooperate with us on matters concerning defenses against Evil Soul Masters."

Xiao Kuangdao nodded. "I understand. I'll send back the details when the time comes."

"Alright, it's getting late. We'll see you off," Ning Guanqing said as he stood.

"There's no need." Xiao Kuangdao waved his hand. "Go about your business. I'll leave on my own."

With that, Xiao Kuangdao departed.

"That fellow, he's still got the same temperament." Yue Ming shook her head helplessly.

Zhang Shengtian chuckled. "We've known each other for over a hundred years. It's not like this is the first time you've learned what he's like."

Ning Guanqing smiled from the side without saying anything, quietly listening to the words of the two elders.

Inside the inner city gates.

An incomparably luxurious carriage was parked there quietly. Inside, Qin Ze looked out at everything through the window.

Nine Treasures City was already bustling with people in the morning. The day's work began at dawn.

After absorbing Purple Qi as usual that morning, Qin Ze had been called here by Xiao Kuangdao to wait, while Xiao Kuangdao himself went off to discuss some matters.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Suddenly, a voice reached Qin Ze's ears.

He turned around and saw that Xiao Kuangdao had arrived at some point.

"Are you done talking, Teacher?" Qin Ze shifted aside to make room.

Xiao Kuangdao nodded. "There wasn't much, just some trivial matters. Alright, we should be leaving."

"Elder Xiao, are we departing now?" the coachman asked.

"Mm!"

Soon, the carriage began to move. The carriage Xiao Kuangdao rode in was naturally one of the finest on the continent. There was not the slightest jolt, thanks to Soul Tools inside designed specifically to absorb vibrations.

Passing through the crowds, the carriage gradually left Nine Treasures City and headed along the official road toward Shrek City.

Nine Treasures City was still quite far from Shrek City. It might have been better seven thousand years ago, when Shrek Academy was still located in Heaven Dou City, close to Nine Treasures City. Now, however, it had moved to a place near the Star Dou Great Forest, which was also the junction of the original three nations of Douluo Continent. Its position was exceptionally important.

"You can meditate along the way. Don't keep your mind wound too tightly," Xiao Kuangdao said to Qin Ze, who was admiring the scenery. He had witnessed Qin Ze's diligence over the past year.

Qin Ze turned back and smiled. "As you say."

"When the time comes, I'll have matters to discuss with Shrek Academy. I can take you along to look around," Xiao Kuangdao said, taking a teapot from his Soul Tool and pouring himself a cup.

"Visit Shrek Academy..." Qin Ze gazed into the distance. Suddenly, he remembered something and turned to ask, "By the way, Teacher... have you heard of immortal herbs?"

Xiao Kuangdao paused, his hand holding the teacup stilling. He looked at Qin Ze with some surprise. "You kid even knows about immortal herbs? Looks like you've been reading quite a few books lately."

Taking a sip of tea, Xiao Kuangdao slowly said, "Of course I've heard of them, though I've never seen one myself. Ancestor Ning Rongrong obtained an immortal herb back then called Aromatic Silk Beauty. It was precisely because of that immortal herb that her Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda evolved into the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda. To this day, Aromatic Silk Beauty has practically become the most coveted treasure among the sect's direct-line disciples. Yet we've never found a second one. Otherwise, we would obtain it even at an astronomical price."

"It's that important?" Qin Ze raised an eyebrow.

Xiao Kuangdao nodded solemnly. "Of course. Take the Sect Master, for example. His martial soul is currently the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda, and due to its limitations, he has remained at Rank 79 for many years. Without that restriction, he might have reached Titled Douluo long ago. What a pity."

Hearing this, Qin Ze lowered his gaze to the carriage floor and muttered inwardly, It seems that searching Sunset Forest for immortal herbs must also be put on the agenda.

Qin Ze planned to bring Xiao Kuangdao along when the time came. If he relied solely on himself, who knew how many years it would take?

One month later.

On the official road, dense streams of carriages came and went. The farther ahead they traveled, the greater the flow of people became.

Voices of conversation rose and fell, making the scene truly lively. These caravans and pedestrians were all rushing toward one place.

That was Shrek City!

"We're finally here! I haven't come back in so many years. I really do miss it." Xiao Kuangdao smiled.

Qin Ze leaned against the carriage window and looked into the distance. Less than a kilometer away, a gigantic city, like a colossal beast crouching upon the earth, gradually came into view.

Shrek City!

A city with a permanent population of over two million, it was one of the continent's foremost cities.

Shrek City connected to land in every direction, north, south, east, and west, making its transportation routes exceptionally well-developed. Not only was it home to Shrek Academy, but it was also the most important commercial city at the junction of the Three Great Empires that had once belonged to Douluo Continent. Because of Shrek Academy's presence, security in Shrek City was excellent. Transactions here were not only fair, but also more reassuring. Thus, when merchants from the Three Great Empires conducted cross-border trade, most chose to do business in Shrek City.

"It really is prosperous." Qin Ze shook his head. Over this period, he had seen a great many merchant caravans from the Three Great Empires coming here to conduct business along the official road.

The closer they came to Shrek City, the more people they saw.

By the time the carriage arrived beneath the city gates to wait and pay the entry fee, Qin Ze had seen at least several thousand people.

After waiting in line for a while and paying a certain entrance fee, the carriage finally entered this enormous city.

Beyond the city walls lay an exceptionally open view of low and towering buildings, noisy voices of conversation rising and falling, densely packed crowds moving through the streets, and snack stalls whose fragrant aromas tempted passersby.

The clean and orderly streets were wide enough for six or seven carriages to travel abreast. Flowerbeds by the roadside were planted with all manner of blooming vegetation, while fountains sprayed crystalline streams of water into the air.

Xiao Kuangdao said to Qin Ze, "Our Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's main businesses in Shrek City are auction houses and hotels. We'll head to the auction house first."

"Alright." Qin Ze stared unblinkingly at the grand and beautiful city.

Seeing this, Xiao Kuangdao smiled helplessly and said nothing, allowing Qin Ze to keep looking around.

After receiving his instructions, the coachman drove the carriage directly toward the Nine Treasures Auction House.

The Nine Treasures Auction House was located in the southern district of Shrek City, an extensive complex covering a vast area. It was also the largest auction house in Shrek City.

Thanks to Dream Deer Man for the one hundred Qidian coins.