Wang Dong, Zhong Kui Arrive at the Sun Moon Empire

"Who are you? Are you my roommate?" Huo Yuhao asked.

(This boy is way too pretty. I never imagined a boy could be this beautiful. Is he really a boy? This is just too much. Pinkish-blue hair, such exquisite attire, and his clothes look even better than Teacher Tang Ya's.)

(Is this person my roommate? I should introduce myself first.)

(Those who can join Shrek Academy are rarely pushovers; they all have either real talent or a powerful background.)

(I was only able to join Shrek and become a student because of Teacher Tang Ya and Brother Beibei, and because I had already joined the Tang Sect, which granted me the qualifications for enrollment.)

Huo Yuhao truly had not expected a "man" to be this good-looking, even more so than Tang Ya, the sect master of the Tang Sect.

Tang Ya could be considered a beauty, though perhaps not top-tier, yet the "man" before him was more beautiful than Tang Ya, a woman.

For a "man" to be more beautiful than a woman—this alone showed just how stunning this person was.

"It seems you are my roommate. In exchange for you keeping this dorm so tidy, I am setting five rules: first, no walking around naked in this room; second, no snoring to disturb me; third, do not bother me; fourth, do not bring outsiders into the dorm; fifth, you are responsible for cleaning the entire room from now on, but you are absolutely forbidden from touching my bed or my cabinets."

Huo Yuhao was furious upon hearing his roommate's words. Back at the White Tiger Duke Mansion, he had suffered endless unfair treatment and was treated like a slave. Even though he was the son of the White Tiger Duke, he should have received at least some basic human decency, even if he was born to a mistress. Being a servant was one thing, but his living conditions were abysmal—worse than those of the actual servants.

How was this person's behavior any different from the Duchess and the others at the Duke Mansion?

"You! By what right do you order me around?" Huo Yuhao was truly enraged.

"If you don't agree, then let's fight. We'll let our fists do the talking."

Hearing this "man" say such things, Huo Yuhao prepared to fight immediately, and the two headed outside the dormitory.

"People like you aren't even qualified to be servants. Your mother wasn't even a servant herself. Next time you see us, you better kneel, understand? Do you get it? Otherwise, I'll beat you every time I see you!"

In Huo Yuhao's mind, memories resurfaced of the Duchess and the people of the Duke Mansion mocking his mother, ridiculing him, and insulting him. The pain was unbearable. The trauma from the Duke Mansion was a lifelong scar.

His mother, Huo Yun'er, was already dead; all he had left to do was avenge her and take revenge on the Duke Mansion.

Now, someone who was no different from those people at the Duke Mansion appeared before him, acting exactly like them. How could he possibly give them a pleasant look? It was time to fight.

The two arrived near where the old man was lying.

"Young men, if you are going to fight, watch out for the people nearby. Be careful not to hurt anyone, and mind yourselves—there is no need to fight to the death."

The old man said this calmly.

"Understood. Then let's begin! My name is Wang Dong."

"My name is Huo Yuhao."

After stating their names, they immediately clashed, with Huo Yuhao charging forward first. He had learned some Tang Sect techniques and mastered a few combat skills, but Wang Dong was no pushover either. The two traded blows back and forth.

However, it was clear that Wang Dong had received superior combat training, and he soon began to suppress Huo Yuhao.

As Huo Yuhao began to lose ground, the memories of the unfair treatment at the Duke Mansion flooded back, making him even angrier. He refused to lose to Wang Dong.

"Yuhao, this guy excels at leg attacks. When he strikes with his legs, use your Tang Sect techniques combined with the Purple Demon Eye and Spirit Interference to defeat him."

"Understood, Brother Sky Dream."

Huo Yuhao waited for the moment Wang Dong lifted his leg to attack, seized the opportunity, and unleashed the technique. Wang Dong was caught off guard. Huo Yuhao then seized the chance to tackle Wang Dong and pin him to the ground.

"Let me tell you this: I am not your slave. If you dare to provoke me like this again, it will be a fight to the death! Even if I can't kill you, I will tear a piece of flesh off you!"

Huo Yuhao's rage stemmed from the injustice he suffered at the White Tiger Duke Mansion, and he would no longer choose to flee. When faced with someone trying to harm him, he would strike back.

"..."

Huo Yuhao then walked away. The problem was, Huo Yuhao did not know that his future destiny was ultimately to be a dog; any progress he made now was merely a fleeting flash in the pan.

Wang Dong, having been defeated by Huo Yuhao and witnessing his backbone, was left speechless.

"Young men, why are you children fighting? Can't you calm down and talk it out? Is a fight really necessary?"

"None of your business."

Wang Dong left after saying this. In his eyes, the old man was just an ordinary person at Shrek, but Wang Dong did not know that the old man was Shrek's Limit Douluo, the Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion, the Dragon God Douluo—Mu En.

"Finally, I'm almost at the Sun Moon Empire."

After spending some time traveling, Zhong Kui finally reached the road leading to the Sun Moon Empire from the Star Luo Empire. It had to be admitted that the relationship between the Sun Moon Empire and the Douluo Three Kingdoms was truly abysmal. Even though the Star Luo Empire and the Sun Moon Empire were geographically close, the Sun Moon Empire harbored ambitions of annexing the Douluo Three Kingdoms and unifying the continent.

This doomed the relationship between the Star Luo Empire and the Sun Moon Empire—or rather, the Douluo Three Kingdoms and the Sun Moon Empire—to be hostile, which was why soldiers were stationed at the border.

Crossing was difficult, or rather, it required a great deal of time.

"Friend, are you also heading to the Sun Moon Empire?"

On the road to the Sun Moon Empire, Zhong Kui heard someone calling him. He turned around to see a man dressed in ordinary clothes, likely a merchant, given the Merchant Guild emblem on his person.

"I want to go to the Sun Moon Empire to join a Soul Master Academy and become stronger."

This statement was half-truth and half-lie. With the help of his system, Zhong Kui could become strong without a formal education, so he didn't strictly need an academy. However, he needed to develop connections and protect his family, so the statement was both right and wrong.

"I'm going to the Sun Moon Empire hoping to put down roots, get married, and have children. The truth is, in the Douluo Three Kingdoms, only nobles and those from powerful sects are considered people. For commoners or merchants like us, we aren't even treated as human beings. Without formidable strength, we are nothing more than slaves."

"Sometimes we're even worse than slaves. Furthermore, awakening a martial soul is expensive and costs many Gold Soul Coins. I've heard that in the Sun Moon Empire, awakening a martial soul costs nothing at all; they provide the opportunity for free."

"In the Douluo Three Kingdoms, there are many commoner villages where people don't even know what a martial soul is."

"From this, it's clear that the nobility and royalty of the Douluo Three Kingdoms don't see us commoners as human beings at all."

"The Douluo Three Kingdoms have no hope left; it would be better to just head to the Sun Moon Empire."

Hearing this merchant speak, Zhong Kui could not help but lament that the Sun Moon Empire was far more advanced than the Douluo Three Kingdoms. They offered free Martial Soul awakening; back in the day, Martial Soul Hall had also provided free awakening. No matter how remote the village or region, as long as people lived there, Martial Soul Hall would dispatch their deacons to help them awaken their Martial Souls, and they even provided free funding to civilian soul masters.

Yet, after Tang San defeated Martial Soul Hall, no one did that anymore, and the royal families of the Douluo Three Kingdoms refused to help civilian soul masters awaken their Martial Souls for free.

This resulted in many impoverished villages in the Douluo Three Kingdoms where the commoners did not even know what a Martial Soul was.

If things continued to develop this way, how could the Douluo Three Kingdoms possibly defeat the Sun Moon Empire?

It was simply driving the era in reverse.

It was no wonder so many people were heading to the Sun Moon Empire now; there was simply no other choice. The royal families and nobles of the Douluo Three Kingdoms were failing to act like human beings. If the common people had even a mouthful of food, would they have been reduced to this state?

Soon, Zhong Kui arrived at the border between the Star Luo Empire and the Sun Moon Empire, catching sight of the crossing point in the border zone.

Soldiers were stationed there.

"What are you here for? Why are you coming to this Sun Moon Empire?"

A soldier from the Sun Moon Empire stationed at the border asked.

"I am here to attend an academy in the Sun Moon Empire; I want to become stronger."

"Sir, I am a merchant; I am here to develop my business in the empire," the merchant from earlier said.

"You two, come here."

Following this, the two were led to a room, though its purpose was unclear.

"You go in first; he will come in after."

"Understood."

The merchant entered the room first, and after some time, he emerged and was granted entry into the Sun Moon Empire.

"Come in. If you pass the test, you can enter the empire."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Kui chose to enter, only to discover that the person inside was a spirit-type soul master, at least at the Soul Saint level.

"Do not be afraid. You only need to tell me your true purpose. If you have come to the Sun Moon Empire to become stronger, we welcome you warmly. If you are a spy, do not blame us for being ruthless."

"You are a spirit-type soul master, and a Soul Saint at that. You intend to use a spirit-type soul master to interrogate me and see if I am lying, correct?"

"That is correct."

"Proceed."

The spirit-type Soul Saint began to activate his soul skill. Zhong Kui pretended to fall under its influence and began to answer the questions posed to him.

"Why have you come to the Sun Moon Empire? Is it truly to become stronger?"

"I have come to the Sun Moon Empire because I wish to join the Royal Soul Guidance Academy. I hope to become stronger."

"Are you an undercover agent sent by the Douluo Three Kingdoms?"

"I am of civilian origin and have absolutely no connection to the nobles of the Douluo Three Kingdoms. I have come to the Sun Moon Empire solely to become stronger."

After a period of interrogation, Zhong Kui was confirmed to have no issues and was granted permission to enter the Sun Moon Empire.