Qian Renxue launched straight into her performance. With an exasperated smile, she ruffled Huo Yuhao's hair until it was a complete mess.
Huo Yuhao: "..."
Now that was how a real big sister should act.
Bei Bei and Tang Ya didn't suspect a thing. If anything, they were a little envious of the close bond between the siblings.
"We've come here to study. Could you tell us how to get to the nearest Soul Master Academy?" Qian Renxue asked them.
Tang Ya's eyes lit up. She said proudly, "Bei Bei and I are students at Shrek Academy. Our school is accepting new students right now. Why don't we travel there together?"
"Sure." Qian Renxue smiled and nodded.
The four of them set off together for their destination: Shrek Academy.
On the way, Tang Ya tried to recruit Qian Renxue and Huo Yuhao into the Tang Sect.
"The Tang Sect? Is that the sect founded by Tang San, the man who destroyed Spirit Hall ten thousand years ago?" Qian Renxue asked.
"That's right! Tang Sect Ancestor Tang San founded the Tang Sect, defeated and destroyed Spirit Hall, and made the state the true ruler of the continent," Tang Ya said proudly.
Qian Renxue didn't hesitate. She slowly shook her head. "Sorry, but my brother and I are from a Hidden Family. Our family rules forbid us from joining any sect."
An academy was a place to study, and once you graduated, you could leave. But joining a sect meant binding yourself to it for life. You couldn't simply leave whenever you wanted; doing so would brand you a traitor.
Huo Yuhao had no plans to join the Tang Sect either. He didn't want to get so deeply entangled with them.
"That's a shame." Tang Ya sighed in frustration. These days, the Tang Sect had dwindled to just her and Bei Bei—not nearly enough to make much of a showing.
Shrek Academy stood on the Lima Plain. The sprawling city stretched as far as the eye could see, its territory vast enough to house over two million people. It was one of the greatest cities on Douluo Continent.
Huo Yuhao, Qian Renxue, Bei Bei, and Tang Ya emerged from the forest and gazed toward the towering city in the distance.
Bei Bei and Tang Ya smiled. They had successfully hunted a Soul Beast and had finally made it back.
Qian Renxue's gaze was distant as she took in this entirely unfamiliar world. Her eyes glinted coldly as she focused on Shrek City rising in the distance.
Standing beside her, Huo Yuhao looked toward Shrek City. The story was about to return to its proper course, but he had brought someone from Ten Thousand Years Ago into it.
"Shrek Academy is accepting new students today. By the way, Xiao Yuhao, how old are you?" Tang Ya asked curiously. The young boy looked rather green, but he was already around five foot nine.
The entrance requirement for Shrek Academy was that students had to be no older than twelve.
"I'm eleven. I matured early," Huo Yuhao replied with a smile. Then he added, "My sister plans to apply directly to the Inner Courtyard."
"The Inner Courtyard!" Tang Ya exclaimed, staring at Qian Renxue in shock. Bei Bei turned to look at her as well.
"That's right. I'm planning to apply to the academy's Inner Courtyard." Qian Renxue looked at them and asked, "Judging by your expressions, is the entrance exam difficult?"
"Difficult doesn't begin to describe it! It's insanely difficult." Tang Ya looked at Qian Renxue, who had a spirited air about her. "Here's an example. Someone applied to the Inner Courtyard once, but gave up as soon as he saw the test. The academy wanted him to go deep into the Star Dou Great Forest and capture a thirty-thousand-year-old Soul Beast alive. Alive!"
As she walked across the flat grassland and watched Shrek City drawing closer, Qian Renxue sighed. "Isn't that just meant to scare people away? Who would come up with an exam like that?"
"That's why Shrek Academy is called Monster Academy," Bei Bei explained. "Flender, our academy's first dean, was the one who said they should accept only monsters, not ordinary people. The academy has developed for ten thousand years, but it's kept that tradition."
"Still, the academy tailors things to each person. They won't deliberately make things difficult. Countless External Soul Masters have tried to enter the Inner Courtyard over the years, but those who actually get in are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns."
"I hope you succeed," Bei Bei said with a calm smile.
Qian Renxue nodded silently. Before long, the four of them entered the city.
As soon as they stepped inside, the bustling cityscape caught Qian Renxue and Huo Yuhao's attention.
The buildings had a distinctive style. On the streets, rail cars carried passengers along in orderly lines. Pedestrians sped down the busy avenues on Soul Tools that looked like bicycles, and people wearing Flying Soul Tools soared through the sky.
"Those are the Shrek City Defense Army on routine patrol," Bei Bei explained. The four of them then boarded a Rail Car Soul Tool, a dedicated line that went to Shrek Academy.
Qian Renxue said nothing as she quietly watched the scenery outside. A native of Douluo Continent, she was struck by the strange new things that made the world Ten Thousand Years Later so different from the one she knew. As she studied them, she silently resolved to work hard at learning about Soul Tools. She was a vanguard of Spirit Hall. She would begin turning Spirit Hall's fate around herself.
"Shrek City's Soul Tool Development Device is pretty impressive," Huo Yuhao remarked as he looked out the window.
"Compared with the Three Great Empires, it is. But the real leader is the Sun Moon Empire. That war four thousand years ago truly woke everyone up and showed them how powerful Soul Tools were." Bei Bei glanced at Tang Ya, whose expression had turned gloomy.
"Yeah, Soul Tools are powerful. The Tang Sect started declining four thousand years ago." Tang Ya sounded dejected. She had a strong aversion to Soul Tools.
The progress of the times depended on technological advancement. The Tang Sect's decline had been inevitable.
"Soul Tools are powerful, but that doesn't mean our Tang Sect Hidden Weapons are weak! The hidden weapons made by Tang Sect Ancestor Tang San could even threaten a God!" Tang Ya said, clearly unconvinced.
"Threaten a God? Was there really a Hidden Weapon like that?" Qian Renxue asked Tang Ya.
"Of course!" Tang Ya said proudly, but her expression soon fell. "It's just that later generations let things slide, and many Hidden Weapons have been lost."
Seated by the window, Huo Yuhao glanced at Qian Renxue beside him. The corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily. The God they threatened was you!
The Rail Car pulled to a stop. The four of them got off and headed to the main entrance of Shrek Academy.
At the East City Gate, many young men and women in uniforms bearing a green emblem were coming and going. They were all students at Shrek Academy.
As soon as the students saw Bei Bei return, they greeted him with respect. "Senior Bei Bei, you're back."
Bei Bei smiled warmly and greeted them one by one before leading Huo Yuhao and Qian Renxue to the Registration Office.
"Name?"
"Huo Yuhao."
"Age?"
"Eleven."
"Soul Power Level?"
"Thirty-three."
"What!" The teacher in charge of registration jumped and looked up sharply at Huo Yuhao.
"You have thirty-three levels of Soul Power!"
Before you continue