Shrek Academy

"Looks like we'd better hurry over there," Qian Yun thought. He and Hu Liena climbed into the carriage.

The entrance exam didn't specify when they had to arrive, but Qian Yun still didn't want to waste any more time.

As the carriage rolled along, Qian Yun and Hu Liena pressed their palms together and cultivated. The boost she got from cultivating with him was immense. Compared to the usual trickle, Hu Liena's Soul Power surged along at a gallop.

They'd been away for almost a month. Her Soul Power had already been on the verge of reaching level twenty-eight, and now she finally broke through.

At this rate, reaching level twenty-nine by the time they arrived at Lost Track Canyon wasn't out of the question.

Feeling the increasingly abundant Soul Power within her, Hu Liena looked at Qian Yun, who had just stood up, and said, "Your Soul Power really is useful. By the way, has the support from your Crown gotten stronger? I feel like I'm improving quite a bit faster than before."

"Really? I haven't noticed. Maybe my strength has improved, so the support effect has gotten stronger too."

At that, Hu Liena's smile grew even brighter. "You really are a hot commodity. With you around, I'll never have to worry about how fast I cultivate. Becoming a Titled Douluo is just around the corner!"

Qian Yun chuckled. "In your dreams. I have to cultivate too, you know."

Hu Liena pursed her lips, then slapped her hands against her backside and stood up. "Are we really going straight to Lost Canyon? Aren't we going to do anything else?"

Qian Yun took a sip of hot tea and gave her a somewhat puzzled look. "What do you want to do?"

Hu Liena leaned close to him, pursed her lips, and took one of his hands, giving it a shake. Her face was full of anticipation. "We've come all this way. Let's go explore a little! There's no rule about when we have to report in, anyway."

"Besides!" Hu Liena said before Qian Yun could shake his head.

"Our assignment is to spend more than a month in that awful place. Before then, we can shop for supplies and cultivate as we travel. If I can reach level thirty before we get to the canyon, that'll give us an extra layer of security, won't it?"

Hu Liena shook his hand until Qian Yun felt dizzy, and he couldn't bring himself to refuse. Besides, he did have something else to take care of, so he nodded. "All right. I can't say no to you."

"Yay!" Hu Liena cheered and cupped his face, about to kiss him.

Qian Yun had learned his lesson this time. Rather than holding her back, he reached out and pinched her puckered lips.

"Mmph!" Hu Liena hurriedly slapped him a few times.

"Hmph. Let's see you try that again."

Hu Liena rubbed her lips and shot him an annoyed look. "You're so stingy. I'm not talking to you anymore."

Though she said that, she was happy inside. Whether they went out for fun wasn't really important. What mattered most was getting the usually strict and serious Qian Yun to give in to her for once.

"So where should we go?"

Hu Liena confidently patted her chest. "Don't worry, I've already planned it all out. Isn't Big Tree Town our next stop? We'll spend a day there, then head north to Hughes City, and after that..."

Hu Liena rattled off place names like popping beans. Every one of them was somewhere Qian Yun had never heard of. She clearly had been planning this for a while.

"And last of all, we'll go to Lost Canyon. How does that sound?" Hu Liena leaned close, looking up at him with wide, hopeful eyes.

"Uh... how long is all that going to take? We shouldn't let it interfere with our real business." Hearing how many places they'd be visiting, Qian Yun couldn't help feeling concerned.

Hu Liena remained confident, raising both hands in front of him. "Ten days! At most, at most fifteen. We'll definitely be able to see everything without delaying anything important."

"..." What a headache.

Seeing his expression, Hu Liena's smile faded a little. "What's wrong? Do you think that's too long?"

Qian Yun shook his head with a smile. "Of course not. I already agreed, and I'm not going back on my word. We'll do whatever you want."

Before Hu Liena's smile could fully bloom, Qian Yun quickly added, "But I'll plan the last few stops. I want to visit Shrek Academy."

"Huh?" Hu Liena looked up at the sky, turning over various names in her mind. She frowned. "What academy? Shrek... something? Is there really an academy like that on the continent?"

"It's Shrek Academy," Qian Yun emphasized. "You haven't heard of it because it's in a small mountain village. It's shabby, but its standards are incredibly high. They claim to accept only monsters, not ordinary people. They don't even deign to look at ordinary Spirit Masters."

Hu Liena was both confused and curious. "They only accept monsters...and they're holed up in a little village? That's bizarre. Why would you want to visit a place like that?"

Qian Yun shook his head with a smile. "Remember Qin Ming, the Imperial Fighting Academy team leader I mentioned in my letter? He came from Shrek Academy, and he thinks highly of it. Since we're already nearby, I thought we might as well take a look."

"Oh, right." Hu Liena nodded. She'd heard Qin Ming's name at the academy too. Rumor had it he was a famous figure at Imperial Fighting Academy, and the Imperial Fighting Team he led would be a formidable rival at the tournament.

"Then let's go take a look. I want to see what this academy that accepts only geniuses is like." Hu Liena was easygoing about it.

Seeing the sparkle in her eyes, Qian Yun knew she'd misunderstood something. "You might be disappointed. Shrek Academy isn't some hidden sect. The only reason they're holed up in a village is that they're broke. The academy's on the verge of closing. But..."

As he spoke, a strange smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "You might be more pleasantly surprised than disappointed."

His words only made Hu Liena more determined to see the mysterious Shrek Academy for herself.

"Then we definitely have to go."

"Good. I'm looking forward to it too."

Once they'd settled on the plan, Qian Yun opened the carriage door and gave the driver a few instructions. Then he waited for the next day to arrive.

The next morning, before the street vendors had even finished setting up their stalls, Hu Liena had already dragged Qian Yun over to a table.

"Two orders of the house-specialty beef hotpot, and four cups of milk." Hu Liena started ordering as soon as she sat down.

The owner took one look at their clothes and realized he had important customers. He hurriedly put down his rag and replied, "Coming right up! Just give me a moment."

The sky had only just begun to brighten, and the streets were nearly empty. This was one of the few quiet moments the little shop had.

"Big Tree Town isn't large, but its beef is famous. You can go to any shop here and it'll taste good, but this place makes it best." Hu Liena sat on the chair, her feet swinging idly.

"Mm."

Before long, two steaming hotpots of beef were placed on their table. As Qian Yun watched the meat bubbling in the pots, he thought of another dish—one Hu Liena had definitely never tried.

"Why are you smiling? Let's eat."

Qian Yun picked up his knife and fork with a smile. "It's nothing. I want to surprise you sometime. I just don't know if you'll like it."

Hu Liena didn't even lift her head. She popped a piece of meat into her mouth and said, "Sure. If it's from you, I'm bound to like it."

After breakfast, Qian Yun went to buy some fishing gear and a wooden mallet.

Over the course of the day, Hu Liena took Qian Yun around the little town. Even familiar sights felt like fun when they could finally relax like this.

Day after day, stop after stop. Their laughter echoed through the passage of time, and nearly ten days slipped by before they knew it.

Hu Liena flopped onto the soft bed, spread her legs, and sprawled out like a starfish. "Ah, I love this lazy life."

Just then, Qian Yun came in. Seeing Hu Liena sprawled across the bed without a care, he couldn't help laughing. "Your lazy days are about to be over."

He waved the letter in his hand. "Look, I've found out about Shrek Academy. Fortunately, it's not too far from here. The only problem is that their enrollment period is already over."

Hu Liena lifted her head, then lay back down. "Really? I didn't expect anyone to actually apply to that academy."

"Yeah, and someone even got in. Looks like someone managed to meet their standards. But they're still desperately short on money. There are barely any teachers or students—just a handful."

Hu Liena sat up. "So we'll do what you said and visit under the pretext of a friendly exchange?"

"Exactly."

A day later, Qian Yun and Hu Liena's carriage finally reached Suotuo City. They didn't stop, but followed the directions on the letter and headed south. Before long, they ran into trouble.

Suotuo City was certainly a large city, but that didn't mean its surrounding satellite towns were equally developed.

Not long after they passed through the city gates, the road turned to dirt. It was full of potholes, and even the carriage's special suspension couldn't keep it from jolting. Worse still, the road ahead looked even rougher.

"My lord..." The driver's voice sounded a little aggrieved.

The carriage finally came to a reluctant stop. Qian Yun opened the door to find nothing but endless fields and the rough road ahead.

"Ah, this is as far as we go. We'll walk from here." There was no point insisting now, so Qian Yun and Hu Liena jumped out of the carriage.

"My lord, please be careful on the way." The driver held the reins and called out to Qian Yun.

Qian Yun nodded. "Mm. Go back to Suotuo City and wait for us. There should be a trail nearby, so we won't be gone long."

"Yes, sir."

Hu Liena was taking it all in stride. She'd grown up in a small village too, so the scenery didn't bother her. She simply made a shade over her eyes with one hand and exclaimed, "Wow, look at all those fields!"

Qian Yun had already started walking ahead. "Suotuo City is known for its grain, after all. Come on, Shrek Academy shouldn't be much farther."

"Oh."

Before long, several buildings that looked like houses appeared on the horizon, rising above the endless dark green fields.

"Ha, looks like we're here!" Hu Liena called out excitedly.

"Mm, we must be." Qian Yun nodded, thinking that the journey had been a real ordeal. The place was so remote. Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing must have been quite something to find it.

Just then, a gentle young man's voice came from a nearby path. "Boss Dai, those two girls just now were really something. Too bad you only watched. With your reputation as Young Master Dai, all you'd have to do is beckon and they'd come running over to you."

Another, much more hearty voice replied, "Ha! That's just like you. You see a woman and forget how to walk. Why don't you learn from me? I can pass through a garden of flowers without a single petal clinging to me!"

"Yes, yes, how could I compare with the famous Young Master Dai? But speaking of which...Boss Dai, are you really going to reform?"

The other man was silent for a moment before replying, "People have to grow up sometime."

Qian Yun raised an eyebrow, thinking, What are the odds?

Then Qian Yun and Hu Liena saw two young men appear on the path nearby.

The taller one looked about seventeen or eighteen. He had striking golden hair that fell to his shoulders, and his well-tailored clothes stretched over his muscular frame. He had a straight nose, and even in profile he was extremely handsome.

The other was the kind of pretty boy girls dreamed about. He had delicate features and soulful eyes; at a glance, he looked even more attractive than the young man beside him.

As Qian Yun and Hu Liena sized them up, the two young men noticed them too. The pretty one stared blankly, then nudged the golden-haired youth beside him to signal that he should turn around.

The golden-haired youth turned and saw them. The impatience on his face vanished, and he stared at them in surprise. After looking them over—more precisely, looking over Hu Liena—he was certain he'd never seen them before.

Hu Liena felt uncomfortable under the gaze of his heterochromatic eyes. Qian Yun composed himself and stepped forward. "Hello. Could you tell us where Shrek Academy is?"

"Oh, hello. I'm Dai Mubai, and this is Oscar." Dai Mubai stepped forward to introduce them. Though he wasn't yet an adult, he was nearly as tall as one. His imposing build and sinister, mismatched eyes made him quite intimidating.

Qian Yun introduced himself in turn. "I'm Qian Yun."

Hu Liena said coolly, "Hu Liena."

Dai Mubai looked at them. He could sense their Soul Power too, and had a vague suspicion. "Are you two looking for Shrek Academy? To tell you the truth, Oscar and I are students there. We can show you the way."

"Great. Thanks very much."

Dai Mubai added, "I hope you don't mind me asking, but why are you looking for our academy? If you're hoping to enroll...unfortunately, registration is already over."

Qian Yun smiled. "Don't worry. We're not here to enroll."

"Oh?"