Shrek Academy

Shrek Academy was located in the southeastern part of the Heaven Dou Empire. Star Dou Great Forest lay to its southeast, the Dou Ling Empire to the east, and the Star Luo Empire to the south. It could be said to sit at the heart of the border between the three empires.

After arriving at Shrek Academy, the two quickly finished filling out their enrollment forms with Yan Shaozhe's help.

Once they had received their dormitory keys, uniforms, and freshman badges from Yan Shaozhe, their lives at the academy officially began.

"Yue, want to take a look at the dorms?" Yue toyed with the key in his hand and turned to Meng.

They passed between the white freshman teaching building and the yellow buildings for second- and third-year students, and came to the dormitory. Although the dormitory covered a huge area, there was only one building. It had sections in four colors—white, yellow, purple, and black—which clearly corresponded to the residential areas for students from the four different teaching buildings.

"I heard that Shrek's dorm rooms are all shared by two people. You're a boy, so you can't live with me, big brother. I don't want to share with a stranger." Meng shook Yue's arm, her watery eyes blinking as if to ask, Could you bear not seeing your adorable little sister tonight?

"All right, all right, I get it!" Yue affectionately smoothed her long hair. "Then after we return the keys, shall we go out and look at houses?"

"Yay! You're the best, big brother!" Meng gave Yue a big hug, then took his hand and hurried forward.

Following the route they had taken earlier, the two soon arrived at the freshman registration office. After returning the keys, they ran into two boys and a girl.

Leading the way was a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old girl wearing a light blue outfit. Her long black hair was tied into a ponytail that fell down her back.

On her left was a boy around her age, with short dark blue hair. Though young, he had an elegant air about him. His handsome face wore a lazy, gentle smile.

However, Yue's gaze didn't linger on those two. Instead, it fell on the black-haired boy who was about his age. If nothing unexpected had happened, the three were Tang Ya, Beibei, and Huo Yuhao. He just hadn't expected them to arrive at Shrek so late.

When he saw Huo Yuhao take the key he had just set on the table from the teacher at the registration office, Yue looked at Meng with gratitude. Good thing we didn't stay in the dorms. Otherwise, that chain might have come after me.

"Let's go see if there are any houses for sale near the academy."

As he spoke, Yue took Meng's hand and left the registration office, completely unaware that Huo Yuhao's gaze had briefly lingered on them.

"What a handsome boy, and that girl is beautiful too. I wonder if they're a couple or siblings."

After leaving the registration office, the two headed straight for the outer academy. As Jing Hongchen's grandson, Yue had a little money of his own. Since only he and Meng would be living there, he spent 780,000 Gold Soul Coins on a small courtyard.

If friends came over to visit later, there would be extra rooms for them to stay in.

There were still a few days before classes officially began. Yue first hired people to clean the courtyard from top to bottom, then took Meng out to buy daily necessities.

Their bedrooms were next to each other, with the living room just outside. The bathroom and toilet were across from them, and the kitchen was farther in, past the living room.

The courtyard was small, but with Meng by his side, it felt warm and cozy.

Yue also took the time to check which classes he and Meng had been assigned to. They were both in Freshman Class Nine. Luckily, they weren't in Class One; he wouldn't have been able to stand it.

Over the next few days, Yue kept to his usual routine: waking early to cultivate, spending the day shopping with Meng, and keeping the sulking Xiao company at night. Strangely, poking her didn't make her deflate.

At last, Shrek Academy's annual admissions came to an end. Yue brought Meng to the academy early that morning.

Their little courtyard was only a few minutes from the academy, but he hadn't yet been to his classroom. He wanted to arrive early and find his way around.

They both changed into uniforms with green school badges on the chest. The uniform colors corresponded to each year, and as first-year students, theirs were naturally white.

After looking around as they walked, the two found Freshman Class Nine. When they entered the classroom, they saw that most of the students had already arrived. They had probably thought the same way Yue had: since they didn't know their way around on the first day, they'd come early to find their classroom.

Yue and Meng found seats in the front row and waited for the teacher.

Before long, a youthful, attractive teacher of about thirty came in. She had a bold, flamboyant air about her.

"Hello, students. I'm your homeroom teacher, Mu Jin. Unless something unexpected happens, I'll be with you throughout your six years of study at the academy."

Mu Jin paused and surveyed the students. Her gaze stopped on Yue and Meng, as if she were a little surprised.

"Let's start by introducing yourselves so your teacher and classmates can get to know you better. We'll begin with the student on the left." As she spoke, she looked at Yue.

Yue stood up confidently and addressed his classmates. "Hello, everyone. I'm Yue Hongchen. I'm twelve years old, a level 35 Power Attack System Soul Elder, and I'm from the Hongchen Family. I hope we'll get along."

His cheerful smile eased the oppressive atmosphere, and the students who had been nervous in their new surroundings immediately felt more relaxed.

After Yue came Meng. She stood up as he had, first giving him a sweet smile before speaking. "Hello, everyone. I'm Meng Hongchen. I'm twelve years old, a level 33 Control System Soul Elder, and I'm from the Hongchen Family. I hope we'll get along!"

Their similar names and hair color drew everyone's attention. Their Soul Power Levels were also exceptionally high, and the two immediately became the center of attention.

Many of the boys and girls stared intently at Meng and Yue. Frightened, Meng hurriedly moved closer to Yue, only feeling at ease once she was beside him.

After Meng came a young girl. She was tall and had short blond hair that gave her a sharp, capable look. Her large, watery blue eyes had long lashes, and there were a few charming freckles on her cheeks.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Ning Tian. I'm twelve years old, a level 31 Support System Soul Elder, and I'm from the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. I hope we'll get along!"

The girl to her left had fiery red hair cut short, and her eyes were a rare shade of red. At first glance, she seemed a little intimidating, but a closer look revealed delicate features and skin as fair as jade. Her gaze, however, was cold.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Wu Feng. I'm twelve years old, a level 25 Power Attack System Soul Grandmaster, and I'm from the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. I hope we'll get along."

After Wu Feng finished introducing herself, the rest of the students took turns sharing their ages, names, and Martial Soul development paths.

Once the last student had finished, Mu Jin rapped on the podium to draw their attention. "All right. After these brief introductions, you've gotten to know one another a little. Next, we'll choose a class monitor and deputy class monitor."

Mu Jin picked up a piece of chalk and wrote the words "Class Monitor" in large letters on the blackboard.

"Students can volunteer, or..."

Before Mu Jin could finish, Wu Feng suddenly slapped the desk and stood up. Her short red hair bounced with the movement. "I nominate Ning Tian as class monitor! She's a Support System Soul Elder with a good sense of the big picture, and she's from the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect." She deliberately emphasized the words "Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect," but kept her eyes fixed on Yue Hongchen.

Ning Tian raised an eyebrow at Wu Feng and twirled her pen between her fingers. "I think Yue would be a better fit. After all, his level 35 Soul Elder strength speaks for itself." Her tone was casual, yet appraising, as her watery blue eyes swept over Yue Hongchen. "Or Meng Hongchen could do it. She's not only powerful, but also a Control System Soul Elder."

At that moment, most of the students looked eager to volunteer. Getting into Shrek meant they had good talent, and with youth came ambition. Naturally, they were all interested in becoming class monitor.