The Rock Crystal Dragon Matures to a Thousand Years

Duke's Mansion, back gate.

A boy who looked to be eleven or twelve years old, dressed in simple gray cloth clothes and carrying a small bundle, quietly pulled the back gate shut.

He walked a few steps quickly before stopping abruptly, looking back at the carved beams and painted rafters of the Duke's Mansion, where the crystalline glazed tiles shimmered with a golden glow under the sun.

This place was the root of all the suffering for him and his mother!

Deep hatred flowed within his dark blue eyes.

He clenched his fists.

"Mother, watch from heaven. No matter what effort it takes, I will definitely return and trample everything here beneath my feet!"

"From now on, I take your surname. I am changing it to Huo—Huo Yuhao!"

Having said this, he turned around and ran toward the north without a backward glance.

"Mmm... ah..."

Lu Ran stood outside the window. Having just woken up, he stretched, and the cool morning breeze blew against his face.

It brought with it the moist scent of Sea God Lake.

Today was the day Shrek Academy began its new year of admissions, one of the liveliest and most eye-catching days on the continent.

If anyone's child could enter Shrek Academy, it was a monumental event, something that could practically be written into the family genealogy, especially for commoners who didn't even have a genealogy to begin with.

Having heard from Jiang Nannan that Bei Bei and Tang Ya would be heading to the Star Dou Great Forest today, and knowing that Huo Yuhao had set off from the Duke's Mansion about a week ago, the two parties would meet soon.

Lu Ran pondered.

The Star Dou Great Forest was ridiculously large; who knew where they would cross paths?

It would be better to go together.

Outer Academy.

A handsome young man and a beautiful young woman were standing in the shade of a tree.

Both were wearing the uniforms of the Outer Academy.

The boy stood tall and straight; although young, his handsome face beneath his short, dark blue hair carried a touch of scholarly elegance.

Standing before him was a quirky, spirited girl with her hair tied in a high ponytail.

However, the girl was shielding him behind her back like a mother hen protecting her chick.

Her near-perfect oval face featured large, lively eyes filled with vigilance, scanning the empty path over and over, as if some dangerous creature might leap out at any second.

This area was very secluded; even young couples didn't usually come here, which was exactly why the two of them had chosen it as their meeting spot.

"Don't worry, when the time comes, the two of us will deal with him together. We definitely have a chance of winning!"

The girl nodded as she said this, though the words didn't seem meant for the boy behind her, but rather for herself, as if she were trying to bolster her own courage.

"Xiao Ya, it's fine..."

"It's just a trip to the Star Dou Great Forest."

A helpless smile appeared on Bei Bei's handsome face; he didn't understand why Tang Ya always assumed Lu Ran was out to get him, maintaining such constant vigilance.

Tang Ya scanned the surroundings once more, and retorted:

"Then why didn't he go earlier, or later, but has to go with us now?"

Back then, she had been on guard for over a month, and never saw Lu Ran come to challenge them.

She had thought Lu Ran had given up on the idea, but a week ago, when Jiang Nannan said that Lu Ran wanted to go with them, her heart had skipped a beat.

Is this a veiled challenge?

Considering she was heading out to obtain a Soul Ring, having an extra person meant extra strength.

She hesitated for a moment.

But since Bei Bei agreed, and Jiang Nannan would be joining them as well, Lu Ran shouldn't do anything out of line, so there shouldn't be any major issues.

She agreed.

Now that she thought about it, she couldn't help but feel there was a trap.

Bei Bei helplessly placed his hands on Tang Ya's shoulders, turning her around to face him, his voice gentle:

"Xiao Ya, it's fine, it's not what you think..."

Lu Ran's talent was indeed terrifying, but Lu Ran shouldn't have any reason to attack him without cause.

As he was speaking, a pair walked over from the distance.

The golden-haired girl with delicate features held the boy's hand affectionately, waving at the two of them with a gentle smile.

Tang Ya's body stiffened instantly, her eyes filled with even more vigilance.

Having instantly defeated the academy's absolute defense in front of everyone, if he were to also defeat the absolute offense, he would surely become famous throughout the academy. There was no reason for Lu Ran not to want that.

She had to be careful!

Bei Bei helplessly tried to soothe her.

"Yaya, sorry to keep you waiting."

Jiang Nannan held Lu Ran's arm affectionately: "This is Lu Ran."

For some reason, she suddenly felt a bit nervous. Even though it was just meeting friends, it felt like meeting the parents.

Hmm... meeting a significant other's friends, didn't that mean stepping into their life?!

Stepping into their life...

Didn't that mean...

Jiang Nannan suddenly felt shy.

She unconsciously pressed her shapely, long legs together, stealing a glance at Lu Ran, her beautiful eyes overflowing with water-like tenderness.

Lu Ran smiled, showing politeness: "I saw you on the spectator stand before, but this is the first time being this close."

Logically, the next sentence should be "I've heard so much about you," or "I've finally had the chance to meet the academy's absolute offense."

But considering he had previously instantly defeated the academy's absolute defense, coupled with Tang Ya's attitude, if he said that, the tone would be all wrong.

Bei Bei also smiled, nodding in response: "The way you looked on the arena floor left a deep impression..."

Although they hadn't fought, he had no doubt that Lu Ran could defeat him in the same amount of time.

Perhaps, a year from now, it might even be faster!

Both sides exchanged pleasantries.

Tang Ya looked at Lu Ran with suspicious, wide eyes.

So friendly?

Why didn't he throw out any threats?

In the theater of her mind, it should have been Lu Ran approaching with ill intent, making threats, her counterattacking, Lu Ran continuing his assault, Bei Bei losing his patience and stepping in, and her joining the fray to fight together...

Why was it different from what she imagined?

After a few pleasantries, Lu Ran explained, "I've been wanting to find Sweet Honey, and since you all are heading out, I thought we could go together and look out for each other."

The name Sweet Honey sounded a bit casual.

In truth, the origin of the name was indeed quite casual.

Legend had it that someone tasted the honey, said it was very sweet, so it was called Sweet Honey, and the bees were called Sweet Honey Bees.

Lu Ran had tasted it a few times; the flavor was indeed very sweet and delicious.

It also displayed different colors and effects depending on the pollen.

He decided to find a few dozen hives; they would be of great use.

Of course, he didn't expect Bei Bei and Tang Ya to actually accompany him as he slowly searched through dozens of nests; bringing it up now was primarily just an excuse to head to the Star Dou Great Forest together.

Bei Bei and Tang Ya had heard from Jiang Nannan that Lu Ran enjoyed such things, so they didn't harbor any further suspicions.

"That couldn't be better."

Bei Bei's tone was gentle: "With you two along, our safety is even more guaranteed."

Both of them had witnessed Lu Ran's strength with their own eyes.

The group set off.

At this moment, the academy plaza was packed with a massive crowd of people who had come to register.

As it happened, the four of them passed by the side of the plaza, and their outstanding appearances and figures immediately attracted a great deal of attention.

Adolescent boys and girls in the prime of their youth cast all sorts of gazes their way—envy, surprise, and more...

As if showing off, Jiang Nannan pressed even closer to Lu Ran, while Tang Ya similarly held Bei Bei's hand, declaring her sovereignty to tell those little girls with ideas that they had no chance!

Even after their figures had completely vanished, some people still lingered, unwilling to look away, as the allure and mystery of Shrek Academy in their hearts grew even stronger.

Stepping outside the academy, Shrek Academy was quite close to the Star Dou Great Forest; one could see the forest surrounding the outer perimeter from the city gates, though there was still a stretch of road to travel between them.

Across the plains, the four of them strolled along.

The lush grass stretched all the way to the forest, blooming with small flowers of various colors as butterflies fluttered their wings past. The morning breeze swept over the grass, ruffling their hair.

Jiang Nannan hummed softly, tucking her hair behind her ear.

Tang Ya skipped along, deciding to come up with a name for their squad.

"Hmph hmph... how about we call ourselves the Four-Person Squad?"

"Ah... no creativity? Then how about the Soul Hunting Squad? That's creative, right..."