Shrek Academy

"It seems we had better get going as soon as possible." Qian Yun thought to himself, then boarded the carriage with Hu Liena.

Although the cross-level assessment did not explicitly state when they had to arrive, Qian Yun did not want to delay any longer than necessary.

Inside the smoothly moving carriage, Qian Yun and Hu Liena sat with their palms pressed together, cultivating. The synergy between the two—or rather, the boost provided by Qian Yun—was undoubtedly immense; compared to the usual trickle, the speed at which Hu Liena's spirit power circulated now could be described as galloping horses.

Having been out for nearly a month, she successfully broke through the twenty-eighth level of spirit power she had been on the verge of reaching.

At this rate of cultivation, it was not impossible to reach the twenty-ninth level by the time they arrived at the Lost Canyon.

Feeling the increasingly abundant spirit power within her, Hu Liena said to Qian Yun, who had already stood up, "Your spirit power is truly useful. Tell me, has the auxiliary effect of your Crown increased again? I feel like my rate of improvement is much faster than before."

"Is that so? I didn't notice. Perhaps it's because my own strength has increased, so the auxiliary effect has strengthened as well."

Hearing this, the smile on Hu Liena's face grew even brighter. "You really are a hot commodity. With you around, I won't have to worry about my cultivation speed in the future. Becoming a Title Douluo is just around the corner!"

Qian Yun laughed and sighed, "You wish. I need to cultivate too, you know."

Hu Liena pouted, then stood up and brushed off her skirt. "Are we really just heading straight to the Lost Canyon? Can't we do anything else?"

Qian Yun sipped his hot tea and gave her a strange look. "What do you want to do?"

Hu Liena pursed her lips and leaned in toward Qian Yun, picking up one of his hands and shaking it, her small face unable to hide her anticipation. "Since we're finally out, let's go look around. It's not like there's a rule saying exactly when we have to report."

"Besides!" Hu Liena spoke up again before Qian Yun could shake his head.

"Our mission is to stay in that godforsaken place for over a month. Before that, we can procure some supplies while cultivating on the road. If I can reach level thirty before we get to the canyon, wouldn't that be an extra layer of security?"

Qian Yun felt dizzy from being shaken by Hu Liena and couldn't bear to refuse. Plus, he did have some business to attend to, so he nodded. "Fine, I really can't do anything with you."

"Yay!" Hu Liena cheered, cupping his face as if to kiss him.

This time, Qian Yun had learned his lesson; instead of trying to block her, he reached out and pinched her pursed lips.

"Mmph." Hu Liena hurriedly swatted at him a few times.

"Hmph, let's see if you dare to do that again."

Hu Liena rubbed her lips, rolled her eyes at him, and grumbled indignantly, "You're so stingy. I'm not talking to you anymore."

However, despite what she said, she was very happy inside. In truth, whether they went out to play or not wasn't the point; being able to make the usually strict and serious Qian Yun yield to her once was what mattered most.

"So, where are we going?"

Hu Liena immediately patted her chest with confidence. "Don't worry, I've already thought it all through. Isn't our next stop Big Tree Town? We'll play there for a day, then head north to Hughes City, and then..."

Hu Liena's mouth moved like a machine gun, listing place names Qian Yun had never even heard of. It seemed she had indeed been planning this for a long time.

"And finally! We'll go to the Lost Canyon, how about that?" Hu Liena leaned her small face toward Qian Yun, blinking her large eyes expectantly.

"Uh... how long will that take? It wouldn't be good to delay our official business." Hearing that they would be detouring to so many places, Qian Yun couldn't help but feel troubled.

Hu Liena remained confident. She held her hands up in front of Qian Yun. "Ten days! At most, fifteen days. We can definitely finish visiting everything without delaying our mission."

"..." A headache.

Seeing his expression, Hu Liena softened her smile a little. "What's wrong? Do you think the time is too long?"

Qian Yun shook his head and smiled. "How could that be? Since I promised you, I won't go back on my word. We'll do as you wish."

Before Hu Liena's smile could fully bloom, Qian Yun hurriedly added, "However, I'll arrange the last few stops. I want to pay a visit to Shrek Academy."

"Huh?" Hu Liena looked up at the sky, various names flashing through her mind. She frowned and asked, "What Shrek... what? You said Shrek Academy? Is there such an academy on the continent?"

"It's Shrek Academy." Qian Yun emphasized. "You haven't heard of it because this academy is located in a small mountain village. Although it's very dilapidated, their standards are incredibly arrogant. They claim to only accept monsters and not ordinary people; they don't even bother to look at average spirit masters."

Hu Liena was both puzzled and curious. "Only accepting monsters... and holed up in a small village? How bizarre, truly bizarre. Why would you want to go to a place like that?"

Qian Yun shook his head and smiled. "Remember Qin Ming, the team leader from Imperial Fighting Team I mentioned in my letter? He came from Shrek Academy, and he speaks very highly of it. I thought since we're already in the area, we might as well go take a look."

"Oh, I see." Hu Liena nodded. She had heard of Qin Ming at the academy; rumor had it he was a rising star of Imperial Fighting Team, and the team he led would be her formidable rival in the upcoming tournament.

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

Seeing the spark in her eyes, Qian Yun knew she must have misunderstood something. "This might disappoint you. Shrek Academy isn't one of those hidden sects. The reason they are holed up in a village is purely because they have no money; it's an academy on the verge of bankruptcy. However..."

As he said this, a mysterious smile couldn't help but tug at the corners of his mouth. "It's possible that the surprises might outweigh the disappointments."

Hearing him say that, Hu Liena was now determined to go and see this mysterious Shrek Academy for herself!

"Then we must go there."

"Good, I'm looking forward to it as well."

Having made up their minds, Qian Yun opened the carriage door to give a few instructions to the driver, then waited for the arrival of the next day.

The following day, just as the street vendors were setting up their small stalls, Hu Liena pulled Qian Yun down to a seat.

"Two portions of the signature clay pot beef, and four cups of milk." Hu Liena began ordering as soon as she sat down.

The owner saw their attire and knew they were wealthy guests, so he quickly put down his rag and agreed, "Coming! Just a moment, it'll be right out."

It was just barely dawn, and there were few pedestrians on the street. This was a rare moment of leisure for the shop.

"Big Tree Town isn't big, but the beef here is very famous. No matter which shop you go to, the taste won't be bad, though this place is the best." Hu Liena sat in her chair, her feet swinging leisurely.

"Mm."

Before long, two steaming portions of beef were placed on their table. Looking at the bubbling beef in the pot, Qian Yun found himself thinking of another delicacy—a dish that Hu Liena had definitely never tasted before.

"Eat up, what are you smiling at?"

Qian Yun smiled and picked up his knife and fork, "Nothing, I just want to surprise you one of these days. I'm just not sure if you'll like it."

Hu Liena didn't even look up, popping a piece of meat into her mouth before simply saying, "Sure, anything you give me, I'm bound to like."

After finishing breakfast, Qian Yun went out to buy some fishing gear and a wooden hammer.

Throughout the day, Hu Liena took Qian Yun around this small, modest town. Even though the sights were common, they had never felt so relaxed in their hearts, and they had a wonderful time.

Day after day, stop after stop. Happy laughter echoed through the tunnel of time, and before they knew it, nearly ten days had slipped away in a flash.

Hu Liena threw herself onto the soft bed, spreading her limbs out in a sprawl, "Mmm, this life of rotting away is truly wonderful."

Just then, Qian Yun opened the door and walked in. Seeing Hu Liena on the bed with zero regard for her image, he couldn't help but laugh, "Your life of rotting away is about to come to an end."

He waved the letter in his hand, "Look, I've already inquired about Shrek Academy. Fortunately, it's not too far from here. It's a pity, though, that their enrollment period has already ended."

Hu Liena lifted her head, then flopped back down, saying nonchalantly, "Is that so? I didn't expect anyone would actually be willing to sign up for that academy."

"True, and some even passed. It seems there are still people who meet their requirements. However, they still can't escape the predicament of being strapped for cash; counting the teachers and students, there are only a handful of them."

Hu Liena sat up and said, "Then let's do as you said—we'll go under the guise of a friendly exchange?"

"Exactly."

A day later, the carriage carrying Qian Yun and his companion finally rolled onto the soil of Suotuo City. They didn't stop, heading south along the information in the letter, but they soon ran into trouble.

While Suotuo City was indeed a large city, that didn't mean the surrounding satellite towns were just as developed.

Not long after leaving the city gates, the road turned into nothing but dirt, full of potholes and bumps that shook the carriage despite its special suspension, and the worst part was that the road ahead would only get harder to travel.

"My lord..." the coachman's slightly aggrieved voice came from outside.

The carriage finally came to a helpless stop. Qian Yun opened the door to see nothing but endless farmland and the rugged road ahead.

"Sigh, let's stop here. We'll walk the rest of the way." Since things had come to this, Qian Yun didn't force it, jumping off the carriage with Hu Liena.

"My lord, please be careful on your way." The coachman shouted to Qian Yun while pulling the reins.

Qian Yun nodded, "Mm, you go back to Suotuo City and wait. There should be side roads nearby; we won't be long."

"Yes."

Hu Liena was quite content, and having come from a small village herself, she didn't show any discomfort at the scene before her. She simply shielded her eyes with her hand and praised, "Wow, look at all those fields."

Qian Yun was already walking ahead, "Suotuo City is known for its grain production, after all. Let's go, Shrek Academy shouldn't be far now."

"Oh."

Not long after, a few buildings that looked like houses emerged on the horizon, rising from the endless dark green farmland.

"Ha, looks like we've arrived," Hu Liena shouted excitedly.

"Mm, it should be," Qian Yun nodded, thinking to himself that the journey had truly not been easy. This place was incredibly remote; Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing were quite talented to have been able to find it.

Just then, a soft, youthful voice drifted over from a nearby path, "Boss Dai, those two women from earlier were really something. It's a pity you were just watching; otherwise, with your reputation as Young Master Dai, you'd only need to beckon and they'd have come crawling over immediately, right?"

Immediately after, a more hearty voice rang out, "Heh, that's just how you are! You can't keep your eyes off any woman you see. When will you learn from me? I walk through the flower garden, yet not a single petal touches my clothes!"

"Yes, yes, how could I compare to the famous Boss Dai? But speaking of which... Boss Dai, are you really planning to turn over a new leaf?"

The other person was silent for a moment before simply saying, "People have to grow up eventually."

Qian Yun raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself, could there really be such a coincidence in the world?

Then, Qian Yun and his companion saw two young men appear not far from them.

The taller one looked to be about seventeen or eighteen, with striking golden hair reaching his back. His sturdy build filled out his well-tailored clothes, and with his straight nose, even his profile looked extremely handsome.

Compared to him, the one beside him fit the image of a "flower boy" that young girls dream of—delicate features and expressive eyes; at first glance, he looked even better than the youth beside him.

As Qian Yun and his companion were sizing them up, they also noticed Qian Yun and Hu Liena. The youth nudged his companion with his elbow, signaling him to turn around.

After the golden-haired youth turned and saw who was coming, the impatience on his face froze. After carefully examining the two, or more accurately, Hu Liena beside him, he finally confirmed that he had definitely never seen them before.

Hu Liena felt uncomfortable under the gaze of his double pupils. Qian Yun composed himself and stepped forward, "Hello, may I ask if you know where Shrek Academy is?"

"Oh, hello. My name is Dai Mobai, and he is Oscar," Dai Mobai introduced himself. Although he wasn't an adult yet, his height was already approaching that of a grown man. His tall frame and sinister double pupils were indeed quite imposing.

Qian Yun introduced himself as well, "My name is Qian Yun."

Hu Liena said flatly, "Hu Liena."

Dai Mobai looked at them, sensing their spirit power, and a guess formed in his mind, "Are you two looking for Shrek Academy? To be honest, Little Ao and I are students there, so we can show you the way."

"Great, thank you very much."

Dai Mobai added, "Forgive me for being forward, but may I ask what business you have with our academy? If you're looking to enroll... I'm afraid the enrollment period has already passed."

Qian Yun smiled as well, "Don't worry, we aren't here to enroll."

"Oh?"