Shrek Academy (Part One)

After Mo Yuan finished cultivating and packed up the tent, the three of them continued on their way to Shrek Academy.

Since all three were quite strong, they made good time. Ning Tian, a Support System Soul Master, was the only one who needed to rest after walking for a while. Two days later, Shrek Academy came into view.

At the edge of their vision, tall walls stretched across the plain in both directions. Compared with what Mo Yuan had imagined an academy would look like, Shrek was more like a city.

On the Douluo Continent, Shrek City was one of the largest cities, with a population of over two million. It was far bigger than Nine Treasure City, which was under the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's rule. Only the capitals of the Four Great Empires could compare.

Shrek Academy had sole governing authority over the city and paid no taxes to any nation. That alone set it apart from every other academy in every country, including the Sun Moon Empire.

Shrek Academy was not in the center of Shrek City, but in its eastern part, facing the Star Dou Great Forest. If the Star Dou Great Forest ever launched a Beast Tide, Shrek Academy would be the continent's first line of defense, preventing the Soul Beast army from charging into the continent and causing countless casualties.

The southern, western, and northern gates of Shrek City were open to anyone, but the eastern gate was reserved exclusively for Shrek Academy.

Though the enrollment period was nearly over, at least several thousand people were still gathered outside the East Gate. It was quite a crowd.

"Hey, Little Fire, think of something. If we have to line up with all these people, how long will we be waiting? Besides, I don't want everyone staring at Ning Tian like this."

Wu Feng spoke to Mo Yuan, who stood beside Ning Tian. A few minutes earlier, when the three of them had arrived, someone had let out a gasp. Countless curious gazes had followed.

With Ning Tian and Mo Yuan's flawless looks, and their noble bearing enhanced by Dragon Blood, they were stunning to men and women alike. In a crowd like this, they stood out like cranes among chickens. Even Wu Feng, though a little less striking than the other two, drew plenty of attention from the opposite sex.

As for Wu Feng's nickname for Mo Yuan, after spending several days together, the three had become quite familiar. So she had come up with a name for the bad guy who had "intruded" on her and Ning Tian's time together, based on his Spirit Skill, Jun Yan.

"Clown Girl, call me Little Fire again and I'll pound you," Mo Yuan said mildly. Looking at the densely packed crowd ahead, he had to admit Wu Feng had a point. Forcing their way through would waste a lot of time.

Ignoring Wu Feng's indignant protest, Mo Yuan's deep black eyes flashed with gold. A faint Dragon's Might radiated from him.

The instant it spread, the crowd in front of them spontaneously parted, opening a path. The boys who had been annoyed at having to move quickly swallowed their displeasure when they felt Mo Yuan's subtle pressure.

Meanwhile, the girls who had been watching Mo Yuan saw his deep, aloof eyes, and their cheeks flushed even more with excitement.

With no one in their way, the three entered Shrek Academy without difficulty. Unlike the noisy bustle outside the city gate, the academy grounds were beautiful and peaceful, with lush vegetation everywhere.

As they walked along the broad avenue, they could see at least ten kinds of plants, carefully cultivated by Plant System Soul Masters, no matter which way they looked.

They passed a flower bed, and at the end of the avenue several enormous statues came into view. There were ten in all, each nearly ten meters tall and carved from the hardest granite.

"These are the founders of Shrek Academy and the First Generation Shrek Seven Devils," Ning Tian explained carefully, in case Mo Yuan didn't recognize them.

"How could I not know the famous First Generation Shrek Seven Devils?" Mo Yuan said with a faint smile. Whether that smile showed admiration or something else was hard to say.

Flender, Yu Xiaogang, and Liu Erlong—the founders of Shrek Academy. The Golden Love Triangle—no, the Golden Iron Triangle... Mo Yuan gazed at the three statues in the middle, his expression strange.

A joke suddenly came to mind. The founders of the continent's most powerful academy had apparently been a tomb robber, a wanted criminal, and a love-struck fool. No one in this era would believe it if he said so aloud.

Compared with Spirit Hall, it really came down to the winners writing history.

He'd almost forgotten: Zhao Wuji, who had risked his life to save Tang San and the others from the hundred-thousand-year-old Titan Ape, wasn't even here. No one seemed to know his name...

Now that was a real clown.

As for the other seven statues, Mo Yuan ignored six of them and let his gaze linger on one for a few seconds.

He studied Tang San, with his long blue hair and gentle smile, and recalled the outrageous things he had done in Peerless Tang Sect. Mo Yuan couldn't help but marvel:

Pure and Innocent Tang San Shao was in a class of his own when it came to being inhuman. A normal person's mind couldn't even come up with those ideas.

He wondered what kind of dog-training Tang San would put Huo Gua through this time.

At the end of the statues, the path split in two. The Spirit System registration office was on the left, and the Soul Guidance Department registration office was on the right. The three walked a short way down the left-hand path, and the registration office came into view.

Enrollment was nearly over, and the Shrek Academy registration office was no longer as bustling as it had been at the start. Only a few students were waiting in line to register.

Three of them caught Mo Yuan's attention.

He recognized one of them: Huo Yuhao. The other two—a boy and a girl—looked about fourteen or fifteen. The girl had a lively, heart-shaped face, long black hair tied into a ponytail, and large, bright eyes. She was a natural beauty.

The boy was tall and well-built, with short, deep-blue hair that gleamed like a gemstone. He was handsome, with a hint of refinement.

Tang Ya, Beibei... Mo Yuan silently named them.

Hearing the three approaching, Tang Ya and the others turned around.

"Wow! Beibei, Little Yuhao, look! They're all so good-looking! Especially that guy. He's so..." Tang Ya stared at Mo Yuan and racked her brains until she found the right word.

"He's unbelievably good-looking!"

Beibei was speechless at his girlfriend's boundless enthusiasm, but he had to admit that all three of them, Wu Feng included, were stunning.

Ning Tian's platinum-blonde hair fell to her waist. Her clear blue eyes were as beautiful as the sea, and her delicate features, slender figure, and snow-white skin gave her the noble air of a princess. Beibei had seen many beautiful women, but the moment he looked at Ning Tian, his breathing hitched.

Mo Yuan went without saying. The looks of a hybrid had never been in question. His face seemed to have been crafted by the gods themselves—flawless, with not a single imperfection.

Wu Feng was also a beauty, easily scoring above ninety.

But when Beibei looked at Mo Yuan, an inexplicable sense of dread stirred in him. It was as though he were facing a Pure-blooded Dragon; the hairs on his body stood on end, and he couldn't help tensing up.

Huo Yuhao, who had been about to register, was just as surprised to see the three. Deep in his eyes, there was also a strong sense of inferiority.

Huh... Why does this guy feel so familiar to me, bro? Have I met him somewhere before?

Using Huo Yuhao's eyes to look at the three, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm felt an inexplicable familiarity, especially when it saw Mo Yuan.

But after racking its brain for a long time without coming up with anything, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm decided to stop thinking about it. It only needed to be sure Mo Yuan wasn't the monster who had stolen its remains.

On that point, it was completely certain. There was no way someone as refined and easygoing as Mo Yuan could be mistaken for that savage, vicious monster.