A Huge Mix-up

Was Xia Linyuan really just a twelve-year-old child? In that brief exchange of just a few sentences, his incredibly mature and steady demeanor gave Qian Duoduo an illusion—as if he wasn't dealing with an eleven-year-old kid, but with an elder.

He thought to himself that he'd learned a lot from Xia Linyuan today.

Qian Duoduo bowed deeply and solemnly to Xia Linyuan. "I've been taught."

"You're too kind, Teacher. Everything Linyuan said came from books—what's there to teach? You're the one guiding me on the path of Soul Guidance Devices."

Hearing this, Qian Duoduo couldn't help but smile wryly. Can I still take you as my teacher now?

After clarifying the basics of Soul Guidance Devices, Qian Duoduo began teaching Xia Linyuan some essential knowledge about them.

The production of a Soul Guidance Device boils down to three main parts: the outer shell, the inner shell, and the core.

The outer shell is mainly forged from hard, heat-resistant metal, ensuring the device withstands long-term use without easy damage.

The inner shell requires rare conductive metals to craft, which amplify a Spirit Master's soul power during use, minimizing soul power consumption as much as possible.

The core is the most critical part, made from the rarest metals and gems. The smaller the error, the more durable the core array; different arrays require different levels of soul power to activate, depending specifically on the Spirit Master's soul power quality and purity.

Qian Duoduo's first lesson for Xia Linyuan on Soul Guidance Devices was forging metal.

Of course, the outer and inner shells of a Soul Guidance Device can use metal forged by others, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't learn to forge it yourself.

Isn't it more reassuring to craft the Soul Guidance Devices you use entirely by your own hands?

Two days later, there was one day left before Shrek Academy's official opening.

At the east gate of Shrek Academy—

Using his Reverse Position Clone ability to create a clone, Xia Linyuan approached the young students at the city gate checking new students' city lord recommendation letters. "Hello, I am..."

Before he could finish, one of the youths looked up at him, paused in stunned surprise, then nodded solemnly. "Please follow me, sir."

Now it was Xia Linyuan's turn to be stunned.

Was his intent to apply for a teaching position that obvious?

But to avoid any mistakes, Xia Linyuan calmly asked, "Do you know what I'm here for?"

The youth declared confidently, "This is Shrek Academy's new student recruitment period. There are only two possibilities for someone coming to register at our academy. Given your age, you clearly can't be here to enroll as a new student, so it must be the second possibility."

"Uh..."

Seeing the youth's utterly confident demeanor, Xia Linyuan was momentarily at a loss for how to continue questioning.

This young man was overly confident—confident enough that even Xia Linyuan almost believed the youth knew exactly what he was here for.

"Actually, I'm here to register..."

"I know what you're here for. Just follow my lead." The youth interrupted his words with absolute certainty and assurance.

Xia Linyuan: "..."

"I..."

"Let me tell you, you've picked the perfect time. Right now, the one handling registrations is a stunning beauty from the inner academy..." As if struck by a thought, a look of infatuation flashed in the youth's eyes. "I wonder what kind of prodigy could catch this senior sister's eye."

Seeing the youth in such a lovestruck daze, Xia Linyuan just shut up.

Along the way, the youth chattered endlessly to Xia Linyuan about that inner academy senior sister's exploits—like how a few years ago, as the head of the Shrek Seven Devils, she'd represented Shrek Academy to win the Continental Spirit Master Senior Academy Soul Dueling Tournament championship, or how she'd broken through to Soul Saint at such a young age—which made Xia Linyuan think this youth was utterly obsessed with her.

After enduring ten minutes of the youth's nonstop tales about the inner academy senior sister's feats, Xia Linyuan was led to the new student reception office.

New student reception office?

Xia Linyuan scratched his forehead. Shouldn't teacher hiring be at the Academic Affairs Office? Could Shrek Academy have combined teacher recruitment with new student reception?

Under the guiding youth's series of bizarre maneuvers, Xia Linyuan had successfully forgotten that the youth might not actually understand why he was at Shrek Academy.

Pushing open the door, Xia Linyuan's first glance fell on the girl at the desk, about twenty-three or twenty-four years old—she must be the perfect inner academy senior sister the guiding youth had raved about.

And the moment he saw her, Xia Linyuan finally understood why the guiding youth was so infatuated with this inner academy senior sister.

The girl's exquisite face was flawlessly fair, her eyes like autumn water, cheeks like peach blossoms; her long black hair draped to her waist, and as she bent over her work, she exuded such serenity, her gentle and refined temperament unforgettable at first sight.

This serene, gentle, intellectual big-sister type was a total heartthrob for young men! No wonder the guiding youth was so enchanted, unable to forget her.

Hearing the noise, the girl at the desk immediately looked up at them. Her gaze lingered briefly on the youth in Shrek Academy's yellow uniform, then shifted to Xia Linyuan. "Hello, are you here to register?"

Her soft voice wasn't loud, yet it reached Xia Linyuan's ears crystal clear, as if whispered right by his ear.

The youth hurriedly stepped forward, fawning, "Senior sister, this senior is here to register at our Shrek Academy."

Kid, have you ever heard the saying: a simp licks till the end and ends up with nothing.

Seeing the girl's gaze turn to him, Xia Linyuan nodded slightly to her. "Hello, I'm Nyarlathotep, here to register at your academy."

"Nyarlathotep?" The girl noted his name on the roster in her hand. "What a strange name."

"Is it that strange?"

The girl shook her head. "How old are you?"

Xia Linyuan thought for a moment, then suddenly flashed a rule-breaking smile. "Believe I'm eighteen?"

"No way I'd believe that from your looks alone. Please extend your hand—I'll test your bone age."

Xia Linyuan was slightly taken aback. "I have to have my bone age tested too?"

The girl explained in a soft, gentle voice, "Everyone who registers must have their bone age tested. Shrek Academy has age restrictions for all enrollment requirements."

Xia Linyuan frowned. "I've never heard that Shrek Academy requires a bone age test for hiring teachers."

The thing one fears most is a sudden silence.

As soon as Xia Linyuan said this, the freshman reception area, which had only been quiet before, suddenly fell into a deathly silence where you could hear a pin drop.